Surprise, surprise, it’s been a busy week capped off by some of our favorite visitors!

I need to start with this series of photos that Megan took of the kids in their new, cool vehicles shirts. Shirts that Steven may want to wear every day if he can.

As he does, Sammy was still napping when Steven and Amaya woke up. That resulted in a Steven/Amaya photo shoot to start. Such happy kids.

But we’re never complete until the Sam Man joins us. Happy, happy, happy!

Amaya is such a ham. This sequence of photos cracks me up every time I look at it.

She’s my best girl. <3

Skipping ahead to visitors, it started with Nana on Friday afternoon. We love when Nana visits! This visit was a special treat because Nana arrived earlier than usual and was already in The Land of Cheltenham when SSA woke up from their naps.

Our Friday night & Saturday morning fun was playing with our new magna tiles. I suspect these will be a hit for a long time to come. Amaya, in particular, can spend quite a long time building her tile towers.

Daddy built Steven an airplane!

After naps, there was even more fun when Aunt Ouize, Nancy and Abe arrived!!

Today, Sunday, Grandma Sunshine and Aunt Annette joined in the fun. Here’s the whole gang.

Amaya, wearing her magnatile bracelets.

Nana reading to Steven and Sammy.

My girl is almost always by my side these days.

Snuggles for Grandma and Sammy.

Sammy, sporting his pony.

Abe and Amaya. Best buds.

We had a great time opening presents. Amaya sees gifts and says, “Ha-ka.” She’s going to be very confused on her birthday!

Enjoying our new musical instruments.

Checking out our awesome work bench.

New easel!

Also a make-shift gymnasium.

We love our family!

Earlier in the week, Megan had her own fun with Steven, Sammy and Amaya.

The view of Megan, Steven, Sammy & Amaya from above.

Pizza night! Ask my kids what’s in their belly and they’ll say, “pizza,” regardless of what they ate.

There were no school classes last week. Instead, the class met up at Funtastic on Tuesday and Jungle Java on Wednesday. We’re lucky that the teachers are always willing to help Megan.

Steven, this week!

This is what you get when you ask Steven to smile. It’s too much!

Very seriously reading his vehicles book.

Sammy, this week!

I think Sammy is going through a growth spurt. He’s eating a TON and sleeping, sleeping, sleeping.

Sleeping in all different wacky positions!

Amaya, this week!

Pony!

For this photo, Amaya cleared everything off the ottoman and asked Megan to take her photo. My sassy girl.

Playing with her train.

Sweetie girl.

Have a great week!

It’s been a fun, fun Hannkuah week here in the Land of Cheltenham. Steven, Sammy and Amaya love lighting the candles and they especially love presents. Amaya would stand at the fireplace mantle where we had the menorahs and some gifts and say “Ha-ka. Ha-ka.”

Here are the kids sporting new Captain America shirts from my triplet mom Secret Sister. (More on that later.)

Cutest super hero squad ever!

Outtakes of a fussy Bobo.

On Monday morning, SSA were excited to open their Hanukkah present from Megan.

The Little People farm plus a tractor and a ton of bonus animals! So much fun! Thank you, Megan!

All year I’ve had a secret sister from my 2014 triplet group. She’s the mom who had the bottle of wine waiting in our hotel room in Las Vegas in May. Well it was time for the reveal and she totally outdid herself! In addition to a travel book on Iceland for me, my secret sister Jen sent a gift for each night of Hanukkah for Steven, Sammy and Amaya. They’ve had so much fun opening these gifts and she really knew what they’d love.

We also opened our Little People bus from Auntie Anita and Uncle Josh. Steven is obsessed. Bus! Bus!

On Saturday, we FaceTimed with Grandpa Home Home and Grandma Betsy to open more presents. They’re a hit! Especially the trains!

Back to earlier in the week, we had a trio in their bee PJs.

The next morning I was just lazy enough that everyone got diaper changes and new pants but we all wore our bee shirts to music. Bzzzzzzzzz.

We had school last week. Grandma Sunshine was visiting and was able to join Steven, Sammy and Amaya.

Megan had a doctor appointment on Friday morning but we were lucky to have Stephanie come to babysit for the first few hours of the day. The kids love their Steffie!

Amazingly, the warm weather has let us get outside! In December! In Michigan! I’ve been so depressed about the brutal cold that was coming but I’m officially over it. After such a mild November and early December, we can all take a little bit of bitter cold if we absolutely have to.

On Saturday, Jason and I tried a new place with the kids. Jungle Java has food and coffee for the grown-ups and a play area for the children. It wasn’t great. The toddler area is too small for our adventurers but the older kid area is too advanced. Plus, there’s a lot of space to run and wreak havoc. We had Steven pulling people’s shoes out of the bins while Sammy was running behind the food counter. I think we’ll probably wait to go back here unless we have a 1:1 adult to kid ratio. But we’d never know unless we tried!

Once again, on Sunday it was warm enough to get outside twice. We went for a morning walk and then spent some time out on the deck.

Bubbles are a big hit around here.

Just a few more photos from the week.

Baths!

Tacos!

This week, Steven’s photos are an assortment of pictures of him cuddling his monkey, Mortimer, while he sleeps.

Here he’s not asleep yet and is cuddling his new book about cars and trucks.

The Sam Man

And Miss Amaya

Have a great week!

Brooms are still all the rage in The Land of Cheltenham. I hope this bodes well for the future when we actually start assigning chores.

Hannukah presents came from Cousins Joe, Nicole, Eli and Dalia and they are a hit. We may have a 3-piece band in the making! Check out Sammy’s trumpet lips!

Amaya’s hair is growing and growing.

And when she gets ponies, the boys never want to be left out.

This weekend we were lucky to have Anna come to spend some time with us on Saturday morning. She arrived to a chorus of Sammy saying, “Anna! Anna! Anna! Anna!”

These next 3 photos were taken by Sammy on Anna’s phone. He’s got an eye for good subjects.

Don’t mind no make up, messy hair, PJs and glasses. I love these photos of Sammy with his arms around Amaya.

Daddy and the kids were checking out the view on our new TV right after it was installed. Looks like these mesmerized apples don’t fall far from Daddy’s tree.

Helping bring packages into the kitchen.

Causing chaos in the bathroom. Flush!

Sammy was so excited to go for a one on one trip to the grocery store with Daddy. He even put his hat on by himself.

Tonight we celebrated the first night of Hannukah! Year 2 and I still get choked up when I sing the prayers with my children. So special.

Day 1 Hannukah presents were from Uncle Austin, Aunt Dena and Lavinia. In addition to a gift card, we got some great books!

More from the week…

Megan and the kids

Steven!

Sammy!

Sammy was crying because the bread couldn’t be put back together. “Fix. Fix. Fix.” he was upset about the indentation in the top of the bread and thought it should be one continuous side. “Fiiiiiiiiiiix.”

Amaya!

Amaya took these photos to show Nana her stickers. She was covered in stickers.

Have a great week! Happy Hannukah to everyone who celebrates!

This week was our Thanksgiving trip to NY! Hooray!! Jason had to work on Friday so he stayed home in MI while Steven, Sammy, Amaya and I made the big trip. I was lucky that our sitter, Anna, was able to travel with us because it’s going to be a long time before I can travel with all 3 kids on my own. Anna came to meet us at 5:45am and, by 6:45am, we were off to the airport!

This is how we travel. Two in our double umbrella stroller, a single stroller to hold 2 car seats and one in the third car seat. It’s a bear of an operation but it works really well.

As one does, we stopped for PF Changs at 8am. It was open and empty and they had 3 high chairs. Besides, who doesn’t want beef & broccoli and chicken fried rice to start a travel day? The big deal was that we used actual plates in the restaurant. Such big kids!

On the airplane, Steven was soooooooo exited to see all of the planes out his window. “Plane! Plane! Plane! Plane! Car! Plane! Plane!” The plane was entirely quiet except for his little voice. He had a lot of people giggling. “Plane! Plane!” That boy loooooooves his vehicles.

Overall we had a smooth flight. Much better than last year when we had to turn around and go back to Detroit midway. Anna is an awesome travel partner, too. Totally unflappable and cool as a cucumber.

Everyone was beyond excited to see Nana, Papa and Savta. Look at those smiles!

The kids were equally excited to see Aunt Sa, Chase and Charlie.

Happy Thanksgiving! Steven, Sammy and Amaya were ready for a feast and looking like such big kids!

For what might be the last time, we headed to Aunt Dale and Uncle Arnie’s for Thanksgiving afternoon.

Steven stealing Uncle Arnie’s nose.

Glori, Aunt Sara and Amaya

Sailor and Steven

Charlie, Amaya and Sailor

Aunt Sara, Amaya and Spencer

Savta and Steven. A rare moment when Savta and Sammy weren’t side by side.

Sammy and Uncle Bob

Savta and Sammy. These two were rarely apart all day.

Amaya and Mommy. These two were rarely apart all day.

Steven and Nana. These two were rarely apart all day!

It was gorgeous outside so we took advantage of the great weather.

Perhaps my favorite photo of the day. Nana and Savta spent a ton of time just running around the deck with the kids. They had so much fun!

A Thanksgiving feast!

I’m not kidding when I say that Amaya ate about a cup of hollandaise sauce. She demanded I serve it to her by the spoonful. That girl loves her dip dip.

As always, we took advantage of the time together to exchange Hannukah gifts. For the first time, Steven, Sammy and Amaya really seemed to get the idea of opening presents and getting new stuff to play with.

Sammy was very methodical in his unwrapping process.

Steven got some help from Aunt Dale.

A vehicle puzzle for Steven. Perfect!

With the exception of missing Daddy, it was a perfect Thanksgiving Day.

On Friday morning, my friend Liz came over with her trio, Jack, Ryan and Allison. We saw them at Liz’s house in August so it was fun to get together again. Chaotic, but fun.

We also had a lunchtime visit from our good friend Nate. Here the three boys are dining together while lucky Amaya got to eat on my lap.

Fierce Amaya

Chef Steven

Giggly Sammy

Friday afternoon the fun continued with a visit from my college best friend, Rachel. The Friday after Thanksgiving is our tradition.

Uncle Dave and Steven.

Sammy in his usual spot on Savta’s lap.

Friday night was a sleep over with Chase and Charlie! A first for all of us with all 5 grandkids sleeping at Nana & Papa’s house.

We commemorated the sleepover with a Saturday morning photo in Nana and Papa’s bed. It took some of kids a minute or two to get into the spirit of it but you can see how happy Nana is to have her 5 grandchildren all together.

Amaya wanted to wear Chase’s sock. So cute.

Mommy and Amaya.

We were so lucky with the weather. I never expected to spend so much time outside in late November.

Cousin Mike came for lunch with Naomi and Jake.

We rounded out the trip with an evening at Aunt Sara and Uncle Dave’s house. Chaos and fun!

And then, suddenly, it was time to go. It’s hard to leave NY but Steven, Sammy and Amaya were very, very excited to go home to Dada. “Dada. Home. Back. Dada”

Anna and Steven at the airport.

Anna napping with her buddy Amaya.

Eventually, sleeping boys.

The trip was perfect. We’re so lucky to have the opportunities to make these trips to visit so many people we love.

Here are some photos from the rest of the week.

The hug fests continue!

Steven got his new bigger boy orthotics. These have vehicles! His favorite!

Due to the Thanksgiving holiday week, group classes were canceled for the week. Instead, everyone met at the Funtastic Fun Zone for play time. So much fun! This is where Steven, Sammy and Amaya are having their 2nd birthday party.

The kids love to clean!

So Daddy got them brooms and dust pans of their own!

And, finally, kisses. <3

Have a great week! Happy Thanksgiving!

This week’s blog kicks off with “school” photos that can join the annals of Worst School Photos Ever. Which also puts them in the category of BEST School Photos Ever.

First we have 70’s swinger Steven.

Next up is stoned Amaya. Maybe hungover, too.

And then there’s Sammy. Poor Sammy. That face.

Many thanks to Megan for suffering through that process. And apologies in advance to my kids for showing these photos to everyone forever.

In happier news, Steven, Sammy and Amaya love Ring Around the Rosie. Sammy and Amaya keep saying, “All fall down.” It’s so cute.

We’re giving each other lots and lots of hugs and cuddles these days. Everyone is also learning to say, “all done,” when they’re ready for the hugs to stop.

This morning Amaya piled on Sammy for hugs and Steven had to join in on the fun.

This morning I got a text message from my friend Bethany to say that she and her trio and husband were going to the Novi Pet Show. I hadn’t heard about it but it was around the corner from our house so I made quick plans to check it out while Jason was in the office.

Checking out a snake.

Double the triplet fun!

Pony rides!! I didn’t expect to find pony rides but I couldn’t resist giving the kids a shot. Pony rides!!

Steven went first. He was totally unfazed by the whole thing. He calmly did his rounds with the handler.

I didn’t think Amaya would want to ride the pony because she’s pretty nervous around animals but she kept saying “pony! pony!” so Amaya got a turn, too. She did great, also!

Poor Sam Man wanted no part of it. In fact, this photo was when I was taking Amaya for her ride. When Amaya was finished Sammy said, “all done. car.” So he got his wish, too, and we went home.

As a side note, it’s definitely more difficult to get out and about in the cold. It was 28 degrees when we left the house this morning. I’ll be very happy if it doesn’t get any colder this winter.

Gearing up for Thanksgiving, the kids made some hand print art with their EI teachers. You can tell which is Sammy’s even without the names because he’s least likely to want paint on his hand. But he still makes a cute turkey!

We had a BIG family adventure this weekend! SNOW! I don’t like the snow and I don’t like the cold but getting to share a new experience with Steven, Sammy and Amaya almost makes up for the amount of snow that fell on Saturday.

In preparation, Jason picked up snow bibs and boots for everyone on Friday night. Good thing because we needed them!

Checking it out.

Miss Amaya didn’t let us put her down the entire time we were outside.

Daddy building a snowman with help from his boys!

We may just survive winter after all!

Today, because I couldn’t imagine getting everyone dressed for outside, I brought some snow inside. We tried this last winter, too, only now everyone knows it’s snow. “Snow. Snow.”

Grandma Sunshine came to visit on Tuesday and spent the night so she could join SSA at music class on Wednesday. We still love music class and, even if it doesn’t always look like it in the photos, there’s a nice amount of music time.

We were busy as always at school on Thursday.

Everyone still loves to color. Amaya remains the ring leader but, lately, crayons are out for our entire weekend.

When in doubt, pull out a big box. Endless entertainment!

For all of us!

Our big milestone of the week is the introduction of bowls. Everyone is, for sure, ready but I was looking for bowls I liked that were silicone, small and adhesive. We had chili on the menu which was the perfect food to start with.

Steven this week!

Pulling the laundry basket around the house.

Eating a chocolate chip muffin.

Sammy!

Puzzle piece on his head. 🙂

Loving his color craft popsicle.

Sleep Sammy.

Chocolate muffin!

Amaya!

Getting dressed.

Covered in chocolate.

Opening a package.

Mastering Daddy’s belt.

Amaya loves the laundry basket.

And she loves a big box.

Finally, for this week, bath time!

We’re off to NY on Wednesday and can’t wait to celebrate Thanksgiving with everyone in NY!

The kids are so cute with each other these days. They hug and kiss. They rub each other’s back. The other morning Steven didn’t want to wake up in the morning and he was lying on the floor in the nursery. I was rubbing his back and Amaya and Sammy came over to rub his back, too. Another time Amaya was crying in her crib and Sammy said, “Sis Sis Sad.” They’re showing so much affection for each other. It’s amazing.

In this photo, Sammy was still asleep at the end of nap time and Amaya was rubbing his back to wake him up.

Steven is officially released from physical therapy! Yay Steven!! He’ll need his ankle support braces for another 4 to 6 months but that’s separate from any more general needs for PT. These photos are from his last PT session with the wonderful Jeanette. She was teaching him to walk backwards by pulling on a weighted string, hand over hand.

We had fun at a special afternoon “school” session last Tuesday.

More fun, as always, at music. Once again, Amaya spent part of the class on the instructor’s lap.

Rub a dub dub, three Clines in a tub.

It was a big week for me, too. As follow-up to the New York Times article on the rape kit backlog in Detroit, I was invited to join MSNBC Live with Tamron Hall. It was an amazing experience and Megan was thoughtful enough to both have the kids watch and capture photos of it. I saw these right when I finished and they made me tear up.

There were teacher meetings last week so, instead of group on Thursday, everyone met at the Westland mall play area on Friday. We’ll take on every adventure that comes our way!

When we were getting ready for daylight savings time we pushed their bedtime out half an hour for a few days. During that time, Jason would eat dinner while the kids were still up. They got used to it and now, if we’re downstairs when Jason gets home, Sammy says “eat. eat”. Here everyone is gathered around begging for scraps.

And here is a post-begging-for-scraps mommy pile-on!

We LOVE to color. Especially Amaya. Sammy and Steven have waxing/waning interest but I’m not kidding when I say that Amaya spent at least 3 hours of her Saturday coloring. She’s so focused and interested. I love it.

We got lucky, lucky on Sunday with amazing weather that pushed 60 degrees. High 50’s in November! It’s almost unthinkable.

We were able to go outside twice in one day. In November! What a treat! In the morning we thought we might need our hats. We didn’t but everyone liked them so much that we kept them on after Sammy and Amaya traded. “Trade! Trade!”

In the afternoon we ended up down at the end of the block cul-de-sac with two other families. I hit the jackpot with fun families who have kids about the same age.

This is Logan. He and Amaya shared a first kiss in that hummer. No joke. They puckered up and went for it, totally unprompted. Logan’s mom and I were very sad to miss the photo op!

Steven this week!

That belly. I can’t take it, it’s so cute.

Mommy and Sam Man

Sammy likes to eat with a variety of utensils, including serving spoons.

Hand in the pocket.

Amaya this week!

Amaya and Megan’s husband, Mike.

Riding Fudgie the Whale, Amaya spied herself in the mirror

Loving a head massage from daddy!

Finally, for the week, some Thanksgiving artwork. Turkeys!

Have a great week!

Steven, Sammy and Amaya have been busy, as always.

Last Sunday I planned to take the boys for haircuts at the mall but I couldn’t get a walk-in appointment so we spent some time in the play area instead. It was right at opening so it was still quiet enough that I felt comfortable letting SSA play without another adult for backup.

Amaya has finally mastered the big slide! She loves to “Wheeeee!” It’s so much fun watching her learn to get comfortable on the slide.

After a bit of playtime, I took the kids for pizza at the mall. We’ve come so far! I pulled the wagon in the line with me and was able to get everything to our table. The kids stayed in the wagon while I got the high chairs set up. We used paper plates and plastic silverware and everyone did great. It was almost easy!

This week was, likely, the last of nice fall weather. Sunday afternoon we took advantage and went outside for a fall walk. It was so pretty.

We wandered down the block to a neighbor’s house. They have pumpkins on their porch and have been nice about the kids coming to the door to see the pumpkins. The family has 3 boys and, while we were there, everyone came outside for a bit. Steven, Sammy and Amaya had their first opportunity to play in leaves. They loved it! I wasn’t sure Sammy would be comfortable but he dove right in! The kids continue to surprise me.

During the week, Megan took advantage of the great weather and everyone had time to play outside. Backyard – we’ll miss you this winter!!

Since we are BIG kids, we’re trying out BIG waffles.

We had lots of fun at music this week. Amaya is very, very focused on the directions from the instructor, Miss Marie. She watches and waits for each next step. This week Sammy learned how to walk backwards! It’s part of one of the songs and he’s been practicing at home.

More fun with the extreme coaster. Now Amaya can push the car up the coaster and climb in herself. This may have to make an appearance in our backyard next summer.

The boys and our music helper, Stephanie. “Fef fef,” as Sammy calls her. And “sister” as Megan calls her. 🙂

The toddler room at EI class definitely seems to be the right place for the kids. Amaya made friends with twin girls who are about the same age. Not surprisingly, Steven is happy to take off and explore on his own. Sammy hangs close to Megan but he still has a good time.

Our napping kiddos. Including Miss Amaya, who stayed up for her entire nap until the very end when she fell asleep on Megan. We love you, Megan.

Bath fun!

Sometimes we need our friends to sit with us at breakfast.

On Friday, I went to work late to take Steven in for a check in with his orthotist for his ankle braces. Before Steven and I left, we were hanging out and noticed an Asian lady beetle in the house. The kids were totally fascinated. Sammy kept his distance but Steven and Amaya took turns picking it up.

Steven and his insect friend.

Steven did great at his appointment. Robert, his orthotist, commented that he’s always so friendly and easy to work with. My Bobo is a people person.

Steven did outgrow his SMOs and is going to need a new pair. He’s made improvement but still has a fair amount of ankle pronation. Hopefully this is his last pair and then we can “free the feetsies!”

Lately, Sammy is having a lot of trouble with separation. He does not like it when his mama leaves, and it was even worse on Friday when Bobo got to go in the car with me. “Go. Go. Go. Car. Mama.” He eventually recovered but Megan reported that he cried for a looooooong time. Poor kid. And poor mama! It’s really difficult for me to leave for work these days. I hate to hear how sad he is.

All better!

Saturday morning we divided and conquered. Jason and Amaya went grocery shopping while the boys and I went to get them some overdue haircuts.

Steven and Sammy were super patient during the half hour wait.

Steven cried at first but then calmed down. Sammy had a tougher time and ended up getting his hair cut sitting on my lap. “All done! All done!” was his cry through the hair cut. But 2 minutes after it was done he was just fine.

Meanwhile, Amaya was Daddy’s super helper!

Jason and I had plans on Saturday night so Grandma Sunshine and Aunt Annette came to babysit. When you have this many adults in the house, you might as well have a flying party.

It was another tough goodbye everyone settled down quickly and had a great night.

Sammy is almost always the one who’s still asleep in the morning or after naps. This morning he was asleep when I went into the nursery and didn’t even want me to put the light on. He was practically falling asleep in my arms when I took him out of his crib. I’ve never really seen him like that and didn’t want to push it so I brought Sammy to Jason who slept with him in our bed for about an hour. Eventually he woke up ravenous, ate 12 mini pancakes and was back to himself.

Before Sammy woke up, Steven and Amaya were busy coloring. During breakfast we were FaceTiming with Charlie who was coloring and I told Amaya she could color after breakfast. The minute she finished she was off and running to the craft table. Oh! And the only reason Amaya let me brush her teeth this morning is because big cousin Charlie said she should. Thank you for the help, Charlie!

It didn’t take long for Sammy to join in.

The work I’ve been doing for the rape kits in Detroit was highlighted in the business section of the New York Times. We took a family trip to Barnes & Noble to pick up some copies of the paper. The kid’s department was a nice place to hang out for a little while.

Somehow, no one left empty handed!

The article.

Steven, Sammy and Amaya are so funny at meals these days. They want a ton of silverware and it’s not uncommon for them to have a toddler fork, regular fork and a spoon at a meal. Today we had chicken parm and Amaya sat and ate the sauce by the spoonful.

Just a few more photos from the week.

Steven! Steven is saying more and more. A lot of it isn’t enunciated well but he has a ton of words. I’m so happy with his progress. I thought he’d certainly need speech intervention but I don’t feel so sure anymore.

Sammy! The other night, after he was in his crib at bedtime, Sammy sat in his crib just talking, talking, talking.

“Coat. On. Coat. Off. Off.”
“Mike. Mike. Mike. Mike.” (That’s Megan’s husband.)
“Fef fef. Home.” (That’s Megan’s sister, Stephanie, who goes to music class with the kids.)
“Tush. Tush. Big. Huge.” (You can tell the kinds of things we say when he poops.)

It was so interesting to listen to him!

Amaya! Amaya is our little singer. She loves to sing the songs she learns through early intervention. I could listen to her little singing voice forever.

Lined up at the gate. When it’s dark out, we love to watch the lights on the trees outside. Steven particularly loves it. “La-ight! La-ight!”

Have a great week!

Harry, Hermione and Ron wish everyone a Happy Halloween!!

Steven, Sammy and Amaya’s mommy says she now knows why the universe gave her triplets. In all seriousness, I cannot love this more. .

And look how far we’ve come in a year!

On Friday I had a little fun, too, and wore my triplets shirt from Halloween when I was pregnant. I had a kick ball under my shirt and had a ton of fun playing pretend. It’s a lot easier than actually carrying three babies at once!

Today, we hosted 4 local triplet families for a Halloween party. So much fun!! We had 15 kids under 2 and one 3 year old older brother. I’m so grateful for my amazing triplet community who completely normalizes this wild ride.

Seating for 12!

Bethany was one of my due date buddies and we delivered within 2 weeks of each other. This was the first time we’ve been able to arrange schedules for our kids to meet! We’re definitely going to make more plans now, though.

Despite how it may look, it was all far less chaotic than I expected. Quieter, too. The kids all played really well together. By the end of the party Amaya was getting tired of sharing her toys with other kids but, really, all of the kids did so well!

I was lucky to have Anna on hand to help me which came in super handy during meal time. Tonight, in their cribs, Amaya and Sammy were saying, “Anna. Anna.”

The afternoon was quiet. Just time in the playroom and a late bedtime to accommodate Halloween and daylight savings adjustments. Amaya really liked the glasses and her scarf.

We brought the high chairs up to help with meal time and Amaya has been very interested in figuring out the buckles.

Backing it up a bit, earlier in the week Nana and Savta were still here. Monday was nice enough that the kids were able to go for another walk and stop for some photos in the cul de sac at the end of the road.

As always, we had a lot of fun at music class.

After music on Wednesday, Grandma Sunshine came by to see everyone and take Steven home for a Grandma – Steven sleepover.

Once again, Daddy’s Big Head was waiting while he arrived.

At home, there were extra snuggles for Sammy and Amaya.

On Thursday, Steven had playtime with Grandma and then a fun trip to Meijer to pick out some new toys.

Sammy and Amaya had an adventure of their own. Their early intervention teachers think they’re all ready to move from the baby room to the 2 year old room! I think they’ll actually “graduate” from early intervention after this fall session but we’re taking the opportunity to move up to the older class and this was the first week. Megan reports that the activities are much more age appropriate and the kids did great. There are lots of sensory activities which are perfect. Amaya, in particular, just jumped right in without missing a beat. Sammy is a bit more cautious in general so I’m not surprised he’s taking a bit more time to dive in.

This class is 90 minutes vs. the 60 minute baby class so there’s even time for a snack break.

I’ll be excited when SSA formally graduate the program but it sure is a nice resource in the meantime!

Starting Wednesday we pushed schedules back 30 minutes to help with the daylight savings time adjustment. That meant we had extra time with the kids before bed. The boys loved the chance to sit and share daddy’s dinner.

As always, there are bath shenanigans!

We created a space to display the kids’ art now that they’re doing more crafts. I’m excited about this! It was Megan’s idea and Jason bought and hung the magnet boards we’re using.

Steven this week!

He could spend hours and hours in the kitchen.

Sleeping Bobo.

Sammy this week!

I took this photo of Sammy sleeping and, shortly after, received the second photo via text from Jason. We think alike! 🙂

Amaya this week!

I’ll wrap up this week with Daddy and his boys. <3

This weekend, Nana and Savta are here visiting!

On Saturday morning, Amaya had a special trip to the grocery store with Nana.

While Amaya and Nana were shopping, Savta and I took the boys to get measured for new sneakers. They were such big kids in the shoe store!

We have very few warm days left in the season so we took advantage of yesterday’s weather to go for a walk. For the first time, everyone went out walked! With 3 adults we could play adult on toddler defense and be sure no one ran out into the street. I think Steven, Sammy and Amaya really liked the freedom.

A highlight was visiting the pumpkins on a neighbor’s porch. Steven was nearly apoplectic when he got to touch the pumpkins. He appreciates everything in his environment and is so, so curious.

What a difference from our walk last October with Savta and Nana!

Our big project for the weekend was assembling the kitchen that Nana and Papa bought for SSA as an early Hanukkah present.

With Savta’s help, my mom and I put it together in about 2 hours and it’s perfect. It’s wide enough for everyone to have space and has lots of beeping panels and burners. Hopefully they get years of use out of it.

So far it’s a huge hit! They’re all using the kitchen a bit differently, at least to start. Steven is interested in exploring the kitchen itself – the drawers and cabinets, the oven and stove top. He was first to discover how to use the burners and just seems to like the overall structure. Amaya works on projects. She sat for at least 1/2 an hour working on some important project with a bunch of cups and fake chips. Her concentration was intense. Sammy has been focused on a handful of individual pieces and activities. For example, he loves pretending to cut the food. He’s also started cooking at the stove.

We had coloring time with Savta.

Cuddles with Nana.

On Sunday afternoon we went to Maybury State Park which is about a mile and a half from my house. It was beautiful. The kids were able to run around and play. There’s also a playground with slides and climbing equipment. Both Steven and Amaya wanted to climb with the big kids. And, yes, if you’re paying attention that is the exact same shirt I was wearing the day before. Hello weekend!

Sammy and Fafaf

Steven

At bedtime, we had lots of fun reading books. These kids looooooove books. Steven could read for the longest stretch of time and Sammy loves to say, “Read. Read.”

Here are some other adventures from the rest of the week!

Reading time with Daddy.

Playtime with mommy while I was getting ready for work on Thursday.

Photo shoot on our new stools! Thanks to fellow triplet mom, Nicole, for this idea! We’ll get the hang of it!

Our little stinkers are getting better and better at taking off their clothes. After one nap, this is how Megan found the kids.

Steven with no pants.

Sammy with his plumber’s crack.

And Miss Amaya working it in the reverse direction.

Here’s Megan playing with the kids after breakfast, before they had time to totally wreck the house.

This week we had a ton of fun with Robin & Fern at our weekly EI appointment.

Last week we saw Amaya helping Sammy down the slide. This week it’s the reverse. Amaya and Steven, fierce competitors, both want their turn. Somehow Sammy almost always stays out of the fray.

At music this week the kids discovered this big camper. How awesome is that!?!? I actually looked for it online and it hasn’t been available for sale for a loooooong time. Good think for music class!

Amaya spent a good portion of the class on the instructor’s lap.

Sammy’s bells

Steven and his hula hoops

Amaya and her friend

This week was nice enough to get some time outside. We’re making the most of it!

Here’s Steven this week!

Brothers!

Steven hugging Sammy 🙂

Sammy, this week!

Amaya, this week!

Amaya has a strong, strong will. Twice this week she decided that Sammy’s shirt should be worn as pants. Sometimes it’s easier to just go with the flow. So here is Amaya hobbling around in her shirt-pants. Twice.

(I couldn’t name this blog entry and nana asked me what it was about. I said, “my babies. triplets. three of them.”)