The week started with a holiday gathering at my workplace. It allowed for distancing and it was awesome to see so many people who have been working at home all this time. I submitted our Gingerbread House for the exec team contest and was, sadly, outshined by our COO who – with his teenage daughter – made a TV worthy gingerbread house featuring one of our brands. When the kids asked if we won, I showed them a video of the winning submission and Sammy said, “Oh, we did not win. But we probably came in second.”

Winning gingerbread house

Another view of ours. <3

On Tuesday, before a work dinner, I had the weekly fun of taking Amaya to her swim class. This girl is so confident and ready to swim.

Sophia held down the fort at home with the boys.

Since I wasn’t putting the kids to bed, Steven made sure to let me know how loved I am. Of course that love is returned tenfold. (“Beste” is “Bestie”.) Texts from the kids are treasures.

Amaya and I also got time on Wednesday afternoon while the boys were at swim. They have class at 5pm and I can’t stop work that early, but I can finish the day with Amaya at home so she doesn’t have to take the trip.

I wish I could remember what inspired this pout! (She was working on art for a school bus holiday picture contest.)

Sammy wanted to learn to write cursive, and Amaya is already obsessed with writing her first name in cursive, so I got the kids these cursive workbooks. Amaya loves it.

The boys having fun at swim. They’re doing so well. 14 months ago, they didn’t even want to put their face in the water.

Post-swim family snuggles

All 3 kids are seeing the school’s SLP for help pronouncing their Rs. This week, some homework came home with them. To be honest, I never realized how difficult “R” is until I tried to help someone with it. My friend Erin is an SLP out in Oregon and made a great video on starting Rs that was really helpful.

This sheet only made sense to me once I heard Erin’s explanation.

A pretty (and cold) morning.

I’m continually impressed with how well the kids read. I happened without any help from me, that’s for sure! Listening to them is so much fun. Every week, they they seem to get better and better.

Alone time for the grown-ups! Steven was hysterical this week calling us Little Lady and The Big Man.

A few pictures of the boys’ at school this week.

Amaya had a Brownie meeting on Friday afternoon and came home in her vest and with everything she needs to sell cookies. She’s pretty excited about it. In fact, she said she wishes her meetings were once/week instead of once/month.

If you’re interested in cookies, you can watch her “ad” and buy cookies at this site: Amaya’s Cookie World. You can have cookies shipped, now, if you’re not local.

She came up with this messaging all by herself. 🙂

On Saturday, Grandma Sunshine and Aunt Annette came to spend the day and celebrate a belated Hanukkah. Amaya started off the day getting her first sales in.

Cool Lego name signs from Aunt Annette.

Playing a dots game

We always have time for board games in our house. It was an Othello and Battleship day on Saturday.

I made a pillow for Grandma Sunshine from one of her shirts that the kids loved when they were younger. <3 <3

Flying Amaya! Look at those pointed toes. She and Sammy think it’s funny that I can’t fully straighten my legs.

The kids enjoyed their first tapas experience on Saturday night, at a restaurant in downtown Northville. They tried all kind of new foods like sautéed leeks and beet salad. It was a really great dinner out for the Cline 5.

Today was a super special day because the kid saw Penni for the first time in three months! I can’t believe it’s been that long, but it’s been so busy this fall especially on weekends. Penni came at 11:30am and took the kids out for sushi and then they played some board games. Jason and I used the time to have a great day date brunch at a restaurant he likes in Birmingham. We definitely can’t let another 3 months go by. Tonight Steven said, “I loved that we got to see Penni today.” Nanny relationships are so special.

That’s it for us! Have a great week!

It has been a wonderful Hannukah week here in the Land of Cheltenham! A very busy week even without Hanukkah, made busier and even more fun thanks to the holiday.

Monday – Day 2! Lots of Hanukkah energy and gifts all around.

Steven, with his “new and improved” talking cash register.

Sammy was having trouble sleeping and, after it worked the night before with Daddy, asked me for some math problems to help him sleep. It did the trick! <3

We woke on Tuesday to snow. (Or maybe had it on Monday, as well. I honestly can’t remember anymore.) It’s kind of hard to see here, but the deer in our yard were so pretty in the snow. The photos don’t do it justice. I moved so slowly to take this photo so not to spook them. One stared right at me, looking ready to bolt at the first sign of danger.

Tuesday was a wildly busy day. This was a “no bus” week so Sophia came early each day to get the kids to school and then picked them up in the afternoon. After school on Tuesday, Sophia dropped the boys at home and then took Amaya to gymnastics. I picked her up an hour later and we got home in time to light candles, open presents and eat dinner. From there, it was off to swim for Amaya at 6:40pm. Jason got home just in time to stay with the boys while I took Amaya to swim.

Steven, making a box fort while Amaya was at gymnastics.

I arrived as gymnastics was ending so, sadly, only got to see Amaya wrapping up but – wow – she loves gymnastics! She said, “thanks for finally letting me take gymnastics, mommy.”

Night three!

There are not enough words for the way I love these three people.

Amaya’s first day in her level 8 class. I am so impressed with our girl’s determination and focus. She’s a wonderful swimmer.

Daddy and Steven, chilling while Amaya swims.

On Wednesday, while Sophia took the boys to swim, Amaya stayed home with me. I finished up work and, at Amaya’s request, engaged in a baking challenge with the boys’ as judges. I really can’t get past this girl’s focus.

Back from swim and ready for night 4! Right before jetting off for parent/teacher conferences with Amaya’s teacher, Mrs. Boomer.

Steven got this great Hot Wheels travel case and 15 new cars from Grandpa Homey

Sammy got this awesome Minecraft pickaxe / sword from Auntie & Dod Shuki.

An American Girl doll for Amaya. She came with the name Willa but Amaya’ changed it to Chelsea.

Chelsea, with Minty and Chip 🙂

Mrs. Boomer had wonderful things to say about Amaya. How kind she is. How smart she is. How quickly she picks up on the curriculum. We aren’t surprised but it’s wonderful to hear.

Mrs. Boomer gave us this writing / drawing Amaya did about her Thanksgiving break. It says:

“I went to NY with Steven, Sammy and Mommy. Sammy made a turkey. Steven hit his tooth my cousin’s head and it came out on the trampoline on Thanksgiving. Fun Fact: Charlie’s head hurt.”

I love the picture so much. It’s exactly what happened. Chase’s label is “older cousin”.

Amaya, comforted to sleep by her Daddy.

Thursday morning, Steven started my day with an extra does of love when he made me a special cheerios breakfast.

Night 5! The kids had a half day on Thursday so we lit candles early to give them extra time with their gifts for the day.

Before conferences for Steven & Sammy with Mrs. Bates, I volunteered at the book fair at the kids’ school. It was my first time back volunteering since pre-COVID and it felt so good. I can’t wait until we can really get back to normal at school.

Mrs. Bates had wonderful things to say about Steven & Sammy, too. She called them “sweet boys” over and over again and let us know how we’ll they’re doing academically. It’s truly been a great return to school for all 3 kids.

While we were at conferences, the busy week continued. Amaya’s gymnastics lessons moved to Thursdays in December so she had class twice this week and the boys started a Boys Extreme class a the same time. We were looking for ninja classes for the boys and this is close to the same idea so, for now at least, it’s a great way for them to get out energy and build strength and body awareness.

At school this week, the kids brought in little bags with gelt and a dreidel for all of the kids in their class. They also brought dreidels to play with their friends during class and an electric menorah so they could explain the holiday to their classmates. Both teachers mentioned how much the class enjoyed playing dreidel and how well the kids explained the holiday to their friends.

Here are pictures from Mrs. Bates’ of the boys handing out the goodies and playing dreidel.

Because of the events this week at Oxford High School, most schools in our area were closed on Friday including Thornton Creek so, instead of a half day, the kids had a full day off on Friday.

Sophia was coming late morning and I had meetings but Steven, Sammy and Amaya were great about getting their own breakfast and entertaining themselves. I came downstairs around 9:30am and found the kids holed up in the library with a ton of supplies. They set up a contest to see who could stay in the library the longest. The first photo was from 9:30am and the second shortly after 11am. They finally called it a tie when it was time to go out for lunch with Sophia.

Applebees

Night six!

Before we lit candles, the kids opened up a special present – towels made with artwork they did at school.

Amaya’s

Sammy’s – at the top, under the red punching sun, is a pooping fly.

Steven’s “Rainbow Jay”

Night 6 candles!

Amaya got a slumber party doll from Grandpa Homey. I asked if she could babysit Minty and Chip but it seems this doll, Hannah, is only four so she can not.

New games for Sammy and Amaya

Steven got a STEM building kit for ages 8- 16. He needs some help with it but did a great job building a door. (Honestly, he could have done it independently if the instructions were a little more straight forward.)

Friday night sleepover with my Bobes!

On Saturday morning, three brave Cline kids got their 2nd COVID vaccination. Whoo hoo!!!!

For work, I’m participating in a gingerbread house decorating contest and I enlisted the help of three 7 year olds. It was a first for all of us and was a) messy b) more difficult than I expected and b) lots and lots of fun.

Sammy teaching Amaya how to make a certain type of paper airplane. This is a favorite past time in our house these days.

Saturday afternoon was latke making time. I’m not sure I’ve ever made them before but it was easier than I thought (because of helpers?) and they were so, so good. Steven likes his with sour cream. Amaya likes hers with apple sauce. Sammy likes his latkes “with latkes”. (That’s his joke!)

Night seven! A bittersweet night as Hanukkah starts to wind down.

Facetime with Nana, Auntie and Savta who joined us virtually to light the candles.

Amaya got help with her Jo Jo bow making kit.

Three kids, hard a play.

Jason and the kids wrapped up the afternoon with a little touch football. Still not too cold! (For them. It’s too cold for me.)

Today started with a Tyner Together religious school family event. It was focused on Hanukkah around the world. We learned about how Hanukkah is celebrated in Morocco, Mexico and Israel. Each country had activities. For Morocco we had mint tea outside by bonfires. For Mexico, we played Toma Todo and hit a dreidel shaped piñata. For Israel, we learned about Festigal, why the Israeli dreidel has a Peh instead of a Shin and the kids got to put their own jelly in jelly donuts. Steven and Amaya said the liked Israel the best. Sammy said he liked Morocco the best.

Lunch at Red Robin afterward.

This morning I was showing the kids photos from when they were babies and Steven loved this photo of what Megan and I always called his “Oh my” face. I printed a copy for him and later in the day he wanted to recreate it. Still just as cute. 🙂

A picture with our completed Gingerbread House!

And the eight night of Hanukkah! I can’t believe it’s 12/5 and we’re already on the other side, but we have a Hanukkah celebration with Grandma Sunshine and Aunt Annette next weekend and then Nana comes the week after.

The kids got great games from Aunt Ouize & Uncle Todd. Right away Steven wanted to play Othello with Jason and, shortly after, Sammy challenged Jason to a game of Battleship.

Sammy with his new bow & arrows set.

I’ll wrap up with some writing the boys did in their class as part of a lesson on Hanukkah.

Steven first!

What is a dreidel? “A four sided toy that you spin to play the game”

Explain how the menorah is used during the holiday. “You light it every night. You add another candle each night with a shamash candle is used to light all eight.”

What is Hanukkah? “A Jewish holiday that you get presents on. You play dreidel and light a Hanukkah.”

What happens on each night of Hanukkah? “You light candles. You open presents.”

“I know. You play dreidel. You open presents. You light the menorah. It is a Jewish holiday. It is in December.” I love his drawing of the kids and I at our kitchen island lighting the candles. <3

Sammy!

What is a dreidel? “A dreidel is a four-sided spinning toy that children play with.”

Explain how the menorah is used during the holiday. “The shamash candle is used to light all the other eight candles. The menorah is a symbol of Chanukkah.”

What is Hanukkah? “Hanukkah is a holiday that ‘Joos’ celebrate.”

What happens each night of Hanukkah? “On each night of Hanukkah a candle is lit.”

I spy three menorahs on our kitchen island. <3

“I learned a bunch of stuff I already knew like there are 9 candles on a menorah. Bye.”

Have a great week!

With Hanukkah around the corner, we needed to be ready to roll before Thanksgiving. Sophia’s been a huge help wrapping presents as the arrive and I’m going to give myself a little pat on the back for the very, very early preparation. And, trust me, I looked ahead to make sure it isn’t this early again for a while.

On Tuesday afternoon, the kids and I headed to NY for a Thanksgiving timed visit. We’ve got such a good routine down. I’ve started having the kids take point in the airport – leading us to our next step and ultimately getting us to our gate. It was an easy, on-time flight to NY but the 1:45 drive back to the house is making me re-thinking 4pm landings at LCG.

Cousin hugs at our Airbnb, across the street from Nana and Papa’s house.

Wednesday night family dinner. ❤️❤️❤️

On Wednesday morning, while I worked, the kids went to Nana’s house where they baked, built legos and visited with Savta.

I took the afternoon off and, after Nana and kids picked up Charlie from school, we headed into Manhattan for a visit to MoMA.

The big draw of the visit was Starry Night. It was really amazing to see this painting in person.

How it’s displayed in the museum. There’s a small rope at calf level keeping people a small distance away and a guard who’s keeping a relatively watchful eye.

We spent a little over an hour wandering galleries. I only saw a fraction of what I’d like to see so I’ll definitely need to get back there. I’m guessing it’s been more than 20 years since I visited and don’t want to wait until my mid-60s to return.

The kids saw this Chagall painting and recognized it from a project they did in art class. So cool! It was a really great moment during our visit. I sent this photo to their art teacher with my thanks.

Water Lilies

Steven had me take a pictures of him in front of all of his favorites.

The kids each picked out a souvenir from the museum and Steven selected this wooden duel chess/checkers set. It was his first time playing checkers and my first time in years and years and years.

My Wednesday night sleeping buddy.

To manage schedules, we postponed our big Thanksgiving meal until Friday which made Thursday a very lowkey day. The kids spent most of the day at Chase & Charlie’s and took advantage of the gorgeous weather with lots of trampoline time.

A bump into Charlie’s head took care of two of Steven’s more stubborn baby teeth. One was hanging on for dear life as the adult tooth came in behind it. It was good timing because the dentist wanted to pull it if it wasn’t out by January.

Joanna, Sara and Nana hands, with our matching tattoos and bracelets Nana gifted us.

Reindeer – Turkey!!

It was so nice that Sammy, Amaya and I walked to the Hall’s Pond playground later in the afternoon, while Steven stayed home with Nana and Papa.

The kids, Nana, Papa and I had a small and lovely Thanksgiving dinner but not until after Steven beat Papa at checkers. (And, prior to that, beat me at chess. After I beat him at checkers.)

This morning, early, we crossed the street to Nana and Papa’s house so Sammy could prepare the turkey. Last week, Nana asked what he was going to stuff it with (meaning stuffing, veggies, etc.) and he responded “my bare hands!” Bare hands it was. 🙂 Plus butter, parsley and bay leaves. The top was buttered, salted and peppered.

We spent the morning back at Chase & Charlie’s which was a nice way to break up the day and SSA are always happy to be at the Goldberg’s.

Amaya and Charlie set up Pengui with his own booster seat and seatbelt for the ride back to Nana and Papa’s house.

Back at Nana and Papa’s, Sammy posed with his turkey. Such a proud guy. <3

Lots and lots of lego time for the kids. We were all excited to have Allen & Syvia Goldberg join us for the evening.

Auntie came for dessert!

Nana and her Five ❤️❤️❤️

We capped off Friday night with a sleepover.

This morning the kids got a lot of time at Nana and Papa’s house and a visit to Savta’s with Auntie.

Our afternoon / evening event was a Hanukkah party at Jamie & Spencer Goldstein’s house with the Goldstein Cousins. Spencer & Jamie with Cooper, Jordan and Tessa. Glori & Mark with Miles & Sailor. Heidi & Craig with Ben, Issy and Seb. Alex and Chadwick. And the Clines and Goldbergs. It was a wonderful night!

Steven, Sammy, Amaya and I were ready to party in our Hanukkah shirts.

Chess!

Cousins’ kids! (Technically, also cousins. 🙂 )

Each family was “assigned” another family to gift. Spencer and Jamie had the Cline kids. Sammy got a new controller for his Switch. Amaya got a jewelry making kit. Steven got Pin Art. Remember that from back in the day? He saw it in the DIA gift shop a couple of months ago after our museum visit and really wanted one. It was a huge hit.

Cookie decorating for the kids!

I’m very impressed with Amaya’s gimmel.

We had a 12:45pm flight today which gave us all a little time at Nana and Papa’s house this morning. While Steven and Sammy had paper airplane contents, Nana and Amaya looked through clothes from Charlie.

Then it was off to the airport!

Steven has been nervous about moving sidewalks but, today, he mastered it! He said, “I don’t know if it want to but everyone at the party last night said I can do it so I’ll try.”

On this flight Amaya had a seat in the row behind me. A first for her and she did great!

We got home in time for the first night of Hanukkah! Yay!! We definitely have excited kids.

First night presents!

Amaya’s #1 request was these baby dolls who she named Chip and Minty.

Sammy got a Gravitrax set

Steven got an ultimate hot wheels garage. Right on brand for all 3 kids.

I’ll wrap up this week with this wonderful letter that Steven wrote to Jason.

“Dear Daddy, Every day I check on you in the night and now sometimes I will hide candy in our room. You will have to find it if you want it. I love you so much and I know you love me, too, but I love you more. Yes I win. I love you so much. By, Steven”

Happy Hanukkah to everyone who celebrates!

I had more work travel this week and was gone from early Monday until after dinner on Wednesday. Sophia came early to get the kids on the school bus and stayed late on Tuesday which was really helpful for the family.

This playroom… good grief. A lot of necessary work happened in here this week.

Pizza dinner on Tuesday! The kids even got to sleep on their beanbags in our master bedroom on Tuesday night.

It was a big day at swimming on Wednesday – Amaya graduated level 7 and is a level EIGHT swimmer! After level 8 she moves on to either swim club or swim team. This girl looooooves to swim.

With Hanukkah fast approaching (one week!), the kids did some last minute toy catalog reviews. Amaya circles half the catalog but Sammy is very discerning so we really need him to look through them all.

Mommy and Bobes <3

Amaya busy with her loom. It’s all orange and I think it’s for Milan but these are Mama colors!

Sammy, taking a little rest before school on Friday. Silly boy.

At school this week, all the kids had an outdoor scavenger hunt. I love seeing SSA in moments like this.

Thornton Creek had a raffle where the kids got tickets to put in buckets of Teacher Features. Prizes are things like, “Lunch and crafts with Mrs. Bates.” Amaya won two Teacher Features and Steven won one. Sammy was bummed he didn’t win any and, since you can take a friend, Amaya agreed to take Sammy for one of her two. Steven did a hilarious (and only half coherent) telling of how the raffle worked.

Sammy and I had a long overdue sleepover on Friday night. In his sleep he reached out for my arm and I didn’t want to move for a good hour. <3

My colleague Abe and his wife Tanjia (mostly Tanjia) got the kids a Hanukkah decorating kit. It was so thoughtful and SSA were excited to check it out on Saturday morning. The timing was perfect because, right before this, we put up all of our Hanukkah decorations for the season. Super cute Hanukkah dogs and cats (plus Steven’s Dog-Cat-Elephant).

A few weeks ago, Sophia and the kids started clearing out their toy bins. On Saturday, Jason picked up the work and they cleared out a ton. They kept the stuff the love, trashed the stuff the don’t need and the “just like” pile is in basement storage for now. They did a great job and are ready for the influx of new toys.

For lunch, the kids and I made a Raddish Kids recipe- Green Bean Fries with homemade ranch dressing. They were so good and the kids are getting more and more proficient following the recipes on their own. Cooking is great for practicing (learning) fractions!

Steven had the idea of a contest to write all the words they could think of ending in “ing”. All three kids and Daddy got in on it! (Scores have not been tabulated.)

On Saturday evening, the whole family went to the Detroit Zoo for Wild Lights. It was cold, but not too cold, and a really fun way to start off winter and the holiday season. Unlimited hot chocolate was probably Amaya’s favorite part but everyone truly loved the lights. At one point Steven said, “I love this place.” He’s so expressive so his wonder just oozes out of him.

Steven wanted to be sure I got a picture with the giraffe.

I love having kids tall enough & old enough to ride alone.

I think all five Clines agreed the under water section of the experience was our favorite.

It was a pretty quiet day around here. The kids had Hebrew school in the morning and we got home around lunch time. Afterward, we took time to vacuum and wash the carpet in the playroom. Long overdue! Amaya also did some great organizing in their bedroom. Her stuff was a bit out of control and she made room for some Hanukkah gifts she’s hoping for.

A picture that was sent home from Hebrew school – writing about the 8 nights of Hanukkah. (I don’t know why they’re in their jackets. Steven says he just forgets.)

During Lions’ halftime, Jason and the kids played touch football. Glad they’re hearty enough to get out in the cold! (I’m not.)

I’ll wrap up this week with a note that I got from Amaya’s teacher, Mrs. Boomer:

“I wanted to let you know that today your BEAUTIFUL daughter shared a piece of her writing with the class about Chanukkah.  She has been working on this piece for 2 days and asked if she could read it to the class.  Not only did she write it and read it but, she explained the holiday to her classmates in a wonderful way so that they all could understand.  Many of her classmates knew a bit about the holiday because they remember you coming in to show, share and explain in Kindergarten. They were so excited because they remembered.  Does Amaya have a dreidel and/or menorah that she could bring in and show sometime?  We’d love it! You should be very proud of Amaya for her work today!”

I am so proud of Amaya and love that her classmates remember my visit in Kindergarten.    I can’t visit this year but my plan is to send in little mesh bags with gelt, dreidels and instructions on how to play the game. I’ll also send in an electric menorah so the kids’ can show how we light the candles. The boys’ teacher, Mrs. Bates, connected with Mrs. Boomer and are both interested in this lesson for their class – led by Steven, Sammy and Amaya.

I don’t have Amaya’s writing but this was something she wrote last weekend.

“Chanukah is a Jewish holiday. I am Jewish. On Chanukah you eat latkes. I love latkes. You light a menorah. Chocolate coins called gelt are delicious and spinning dreidels is fun. Presents is too. I love Chanukah.”

That’s it for this week! Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

*Blog title by Sammy

I had work travel last week for, I think, the first time since March 2020. And I have work travel this coming week, too. It’s really starting to feel more like the before-times. I put off telling the kids about my trip but they were actually great about it. Maybe now that they’re back in school it’s easier for them when I leave, compared to this summer when they were used to us being in the same place nearly all the time.

Amaya started off the week with a “bang braid”. Our compromise was that it was covering the side of her face, not straight down the front of her face like she originally wanted. Good compromise.

With the time change, it’s much brighter when we go to the bus stop, and so pretty this time of year. Snow is coming, though. I think the kids are looking forward to it, so at least someone is.

A (fortunately) rare occurrence, but Amaya had homework this week. She had to write about ways she was respectful. Her list included:

1. Helping Milan
2. Playing with Harper (I think she said that Harper didn’t have anyone to play with that day)
3. Raise my hand to speak
4. Listen to Miss Boomer
5. Saying Thank you

Gotta love the little hearts over her i’s. <3

Amaya also had her 2nd week of gymnastics. She left school with her friend Claire and Claire’s mom dropped her off after class. This week it was bars and beam.

I left for NY on Wednesday morning and Sophia helped us hold down the fort. Off they went to swim on Wednesday afternoon!

Loved getting bus stop photos from Sophia! (So helpful that she can come mornings I travel so Jason can still get to work on time.)

Steven’s killing it with his patch. A totally seamless transition for our boy. In fact, on Saturday he wore the patch for 6 hours! Even though he only needs to wear it for 2 hours, the extra time is helpful so we’ll roll with it if he does.

Fall Friday at the bus stop!

And some pictures of the boys at school this week. It looks like the boys have such a fun, engaging classroom!

Saturday was a BIG day for the Cline Kids – COVID vaccine day!! Steven, Sammy and Amaya had their first dose of the COVID vaccine as part of a school district vaccine clinic. They all did great! Sammy, who gets the most nervous, sat on Jason’s lap with his head buried in Jason’s shoulder and was a total rock star. So proud of these kids and so happy that they’re on their way to protection, protecting others, and much lower risk of disruptive quarantines.

Amaya is writing a book about Chanukah and I’m so tickled by how she spelled “Jewish” as “Joowish”. There has also been a lot of debate over how to spell Chanukah. For the record – despite the Cline Kids’ insistence on a leading “C” and, perhaps, a good argument for it – there’s no one right way. Chanukah & Hanukkah (and some other variations) all work!

The kids, for the first time, played a game of Monopoly on their own. Amaya ended up dividing her money up between her brothers and the boys played to the (long) finish. It was so cute to watch and it made me really appreciate the value they get out of same-age siblings because they’re truly on a level playing field when they play games together. Sure, they all have their individual strengths and games they win more often than others, but developmentally they’re equal competitors.

Amaya and her Daddy

It was a quiet, snowy day here. The kids had Hebrew school in the morning where they focused on Hanukkah and even made their own beeswax candles.

At Amaya’s request, we had pancakes for lunch.

The kids and I played Ticket to Ride. Sammy was the “kid winner” – his 4th time. He seems disorganized with his cards but has a great strategy.

Chess with Daddy

And Amaya spent some time making squishies. She had the idea to use toothpicks for finer elements of painting and it worked really well.

That’s all for us! Have a great week!

With daylight savings upon us, this was our last week of heading to bus stop as the sun was rising. We saw some beautiful skies this week.

I still love seeing the kids get on that school bus. Last year feels almost like a dream! First grade in our house, working and schooling from NY and FL. What a wild experience. Now that we’re two months into the school year, I’m getting used to the quiet house and, for part of the day when I work from home, Sophia is here for a bit of company when I come out for air.

And I always have Sally as a companion. <3

Daddy’s shoulders are a fun place to hang out!

The kids didn’t have school on Tuesday while the teachers had professional development (Election Day) and they had a great day at home. Even when the day started with the cleaning the playroom. With Hanukkah and birthdays coming, it’s time to clear out the old to make room for the new. There’s a ways to go but they did a great job focusing and really cleared out a lot from their cubbies.

For a good part of the week (Sunday night through mid-day Wednesday) we had a boil water advisory due to a water main break. It gave the kids a chance to have sushi for dinner on Monday and on Tuesday, for lunch, the kids went to The Early Bird with Sophia.

I think I’ve mentioned before that Jason and I love getting texts from the kids. It’s just so cute. On Tuesday, Jason and I both got texts from Steven about his rubix cube. He told us later that he loved his “joke” about finishing the rubix cube in the distant future. 🙂

Tuesday was a big day for Amaya – she started gymnastics! Another mom I’m friends with has her daughters signed up and offered to do drop off and drive home for Amaya. (This particular studio is a little frustrating bc we have to re-register and get our spot every month, but they require masks which I prefer and it’s nice that there’s a friend there with Amaya.)

Ready to go! She even took off her chokers to follow the no-jewelry rule.

Laura (mom friend) send videos of Amaya. She dove right in, which was no surprise to any of us.

Steven, Sammy and Amaya made up a “principal” game. They pretend that one of them did something wrong, one of them was wronged and one is the principal. The one in “trouble” has to convince the principal that it was an accident. Whoever did something wrong in the game gets to create the scenario. The one that was wronged has the convince the principal it was intentional. Inevitably, the principal in the game uses cameras in the school to find out the truth. It’s pretty fun to listen to.

Here, Steven is the principal. Amaya (allegedly) used her super strength to knock down trees on top of Sammy.

I thought this was a cool drawing Amaya did of the bones in her hand.

SSA can take out two books from the library each week. (“Now that we’re in 2nd grade we can take out 2 books. In kindergarten we could only borrow one book.”) Steven borrowed a Star Wars cookbook and, for dinner on Thursday, Sophia made tie fighters from chicken sausage and breadsticks. They were a huge hit.

Sweet Bobes and Sweet Sal

Amaya’s class filled the compliment jar and their teacher let them have a pajama day on Friday. Amaya was able to wear her brand new flying squirrel pajamas. Now, with Sammy, we have the two cutest flying squirrels ever. Amaya reported they needed 16 stars in the jar to get a class treat and Mrs. Boomer let me know they get a star if she, or another teacher, compliments the WHOLE class for working quietly, walking down the hall together quietly, etc.

And here are some pictures of Steven and Sammy from the week at school. In the first picture, Sammy is showing the class rocks that he brought in from his Nat Geo rock collection. (A gift last year from Penni!) Later in the week, Steven showed some shells to his class.

At school on Friday, Sammy got a “Be More” Buck for helping to clean up in another classroom! Next week he can turn it in for a chance to win a prize in a drawing. We’re very proud of him!

And Amaya got this eraser from Mrs. Boomer from helping a classmate clean something up. We are also very proud of Amaya!

On Saturday, Grandma Sunshine and Aunt Annette came to spend the day. We made paper airplanes, played lots of games, went out to eat and watched Sparty football together.

Saturday night, for fun, the kids had a fort sleepover in their room. It was pretty successful and not horribly messy to clean up, either.

This morning, instead of regular Hebrew school, there was a family program that we attended. It started with a kid-appropriate discussion on food insecurity followed by an activity packing sandwiches and snack bags. It was a great way to spend the morning.

Amaya borrowed a cookbook from the Thornton Creek library and wanted to make rainbow mini pies – so we did. She is getting more and more independent in the kitchen.

The finished product!

Jason and the kids got in some touch football today. They are so cute strategizing.

Last minute, early evening, the kids and I popped over to the TC playground to meet up with some friends. It was a beautiful day – maybe the last warm day of the season – and it was a great way to wrap up the weekend.

I’ll leave you with a video of Amaya speaking in a NY accent. <3

Have a great week!

This was a fun week for the Cline kids. Spirit Week at school plus Halloween. Doesn’t get much better!

Monday’s theme was “Crazy Hair & Crazy Socks”. I picked up Halloween spray on Sunday so the kids were ready with their crazy hair. Steven added in crazy socks, too. (They’re mine!)

Amaya even made it onto the TC twitter feed.

Tuesday was 80’s day. Finding clothes for the boys was touch but Jason came through with these sweat bands. Steven suggested that maybe he should have grey hair because the 80’s were so long ago. It really is wild to think that today is as close to 1981 as 1981 is to 1941.

Before school, Steven had a check-in with his eye doctor. She was hoping that a stronger prescription would correct Steven’s right eye to 20/20 but it’s still at 20/30. She asked him how he’d feel about wearing a patch again for 2 hours/day and he said it was fine. Such a big kid, doing what’s best for his body.

Sophia asked Steven why he wears the patch and he said, “My brain doesn’t like to use my right eye as much so it doesn’t see as well. If I put a patch on my left eye it forces my brain to use my right eye, and hopefully my right eye gets stronger.” Perfect explanation.

The kids got in some playground time after school on Tuesday.

Wednesday was pink for cancer day. 2/3 of the Cline Kids decided to participate – Amaya in her own clothes and Steven in Jason’s shirt.

The kids’ bus driver has a Halloween art contest. This was Amaya’s submission. (I think their driver was out this week with COVID so we’ll see what happens with the art given to the substitute driver.)

Steven picked out new patches for this go-round. A bonus of the brand he picked were posters with number spots to put his discarded patches each night. Steven loved saving his patches. This is perfect! He was so excited to show Jason.

On Wednesday night, Sammy finished his art for the contest.

Sammy’s picture. <3

To gear up for the big Saturday game, Thursday was U of M / State day at school. One of these kids was doing his own thing! Sammy even changed out of the shirt he had on and wore this instead to get more into the U of M spirit.

Halloween!! We gave costumes a test drive on Thursday afternoon before the kids wore them to school on Friday. We have Steven the LEGO Skeleton, Amaya the Panda and Sammy the Salad.

Sophia made this costume for Sammy and absolutely killed it. She started with paper mache around a huge balloon When it was dry, she spray painted it. Next came all of the vegetables, printed and glued to foam board before they were cut. Then the lettuce – looks real! Finally, we added the straps.

Our little panda, ready for school on Friday. The rain meant the outdoor parade was canceled but the kids still celebrated with their classes.

Sophia made these treats for the kids for after school on Friday.

This card came home from school with Amaya on Friday. So nice that she’s made such a special friend.

Here are some photos of the boys at school this week.

Cuddles with Bobes

Sally was really into Sammy on Friday night. She climbed right on his lap and starting kneading the heck out of his belly. She’s so chill in her old age.

On Saturday morning, after family breakfast out, we met up with Ruxin’s family for Street of Treats. It was packed, as always, and the kids had a blast, as always. It’s one of my favorite Northville traditions. We also bumped into the boys’ friend, Brady, and were able to spend time with him, too.

Sammy’s costume was a huge, huge hit. Everyone was telling him how much they liked it and how creative he was. <3

Our pretty fall street

This morning, with the promise of donuts at the end, we left the house at 8:30am to do a trash clean-up at Thornton Creek. Seeing what was collected, it was needed! SSA showed up for the donuts but, in the end, were really proud to help keep TC clean. I told them they’ll feel great when they see a clean playground on Monday and know they helped.

Second Thornton Creek twitter appearance of the week!

The kids and I had a full game day – with a break in between for my COVID booster. I picked Carcassonne (Steven and Sammy tied). Steven picked Catan Jr. (Sammy won). Sammy picked Blokus (I won). Amaya picked a Halloween board game that she made (Steven won).

Amaya isn’t as board as she looks. She’s busy concentrating.

Before we headed out for trick or treating, outside of our neighborhood, the kids got our front porch set up for trick or treaters. The ghost milk jug was a project Amaya did at school. It has a battery operated tea light inside.

Before trick or treating, we went to my friend Lisa’s house in downtown Northville. She lives right in the heart of the fun and hosted us for some food ahead of time.

Trick or Treating! The kids had a blast and we made it until about 7:15pm when it started raining and we hustled back to the car. I took these pictures before it got dark and crowded so you don’t get the visual of just how packed it gets here. It’s an amazing Halloween experience.

We’re all winding down after a great week and gearing up for another one. Happy Halloween!

I say this often, but it’s so hard to believe that that Nana was still here a week ago, even if just for the short breakfast visit before she headed off to the airport, but here she is! <3

Due to bus driver shortages, our school district is doing rolling blackouts on bus service each wee. Route A, our route, was on the list for this week so we had the fun of driving the kids to school each morning and Sophia picked them up from school. A change of routine can be fun once in a while and, fortunately, we can make it work on our “off” weeks. Drop off is a quick process but parents start lining up for pick-up almost 30 min before school gets out so Sophia has spent a lot of time at Thornton Creek waiting in the van this week. What’s nice to see is that, since we’re the first but stop after school, parent pick-up doesn’t really get the kids home much earlier than they do on the bus. Mornings are a different story, though. They spend more than 30 min on the bus in the mornings – but don’t seem bothered by it, fortunately!

It was beautiful on Monday so, after school, Sophia and the kids headed to a playground. Honestly, they can play all winter. I’m the one who really hates the cold.

Some Tuesday after-school science… the microscope for Sammy and “archaeology” for Steven and Amaya.

Wednesday morning drop-off! Since we can’t go in the school to volunteer, drop-off is actually a nice – very short – chance to see them in their element at school. Confident 2nd graders.

I had an appointment on Wednesday afternoon that ended right around the time the kids were getting to swim. The boys’ class was canceled this week so I called Sophia to see if Sammy and Steven would like me to pick them up and bring them home. Steven was a taker! I’d have loved for Sammy join us, too, but I also love unexpected 1:1 time.

Our swimming girl

Steven had a hard time falling asleep on Wednesday night and ended up asleep on my lap on the couch. Such a sweet boy. I’m still able to get him upstairs and into the top bunk but those days – especially the top bunk assignment – are definitely fleeting.

Firefighter Steven, after school!!

Since Hanukkah starts SO early this year (11/28), the kids are already looking through toy catalogs and thinking about gifts. I generally don’t love when Hanukkah is so, but SSA will probably go right from Hanukkah into birthday mode. It’s quite the time of year for these three. 🙂

We originally had plans for Jason to take Steven and Sammy to a boy scouts meeting but that didn’t work out and, rather than disappoint the boys, we decided we’d pivot to a different kind of fun. Jason took the boys to Dave & Busters and I took Amaya to Clarie’s and Cheesecake Factory. The energy in the house after school was off the charts. The boys were busting to get to Dave & Busters and Amaya said, “I love arcades but I don’t care because we’re going to Clare’s!” We put on matching lipstick, and off we went! (Side note: I’m not sure I’ve been at the mall since prior to COVID.)

This girl. <3

Clare’s had a Buy 3 Get 3 sale so Amaya left with three headbands and 3 scrunchies plus she picked out a BFF necklace set for Milan.

Cheesecake factory! Amaya couldn’t pick between two types of cheesecake so I took one for the team and ordered a piece myself so we could share. The couple sitting next to us at the bar was completely enamored with Amaya. When they were leaving, the husband said that it would make him so happy to be able to treat Amaya to her cheesecake and handed her money to cover it. It was a wonderful cherry on top of our night out, to meet such a thoughtful stranger.

The Cline men had a fantastic time at Dave and Busters. We ended our night out with dessert and they started with dessert. Sammy got a pieces of cake called the “Big Daddy” and Steven got Strawberry Shortcake which he says was too sweet but finished, none the less.

This is a happy boy!

Lots of gaming fun! The men decided that, rather than cash in their tickets, they’d save their cards so the whole family could go back this weekend.

Just two pictures of the boys at school this week. 🙂

Jason got some quality time with Amaya and Sammy on Friday night. Amaya showed Jason the book she got from the school library and Sammy showed Jason how to make a really cool paper airplane. Paper airplanes are all the rage in our house right now.

Sleeping brothers

On Saturday morning, Amaya learned how to make the paper airplane, too. Sammy was a patient and thorough instructor.

Amaya is loosing teeth like crazy right now! One of her top teeth bit the dust in the early morning hours. Her mouth is a patchwork!

We spent the afternoon at Dave and Busters which, of course, the kids loved

Nana and I both play the daily Spelling Bee game on the New York Times app and SSA like to help out. Since they like the game so much, I got them Word Wheel books which are the same concept- find as many words as you can using 4+ letters, always including the letter in the middle of the word wheel. Though I told them it’s perfectly fine to also look for 3 letter words. It was a lot of fun to see them working on it together and collaborating on how to spell words. Their favorite yesterday was, “toot”.

Jason and Steven, watching Voltron.

Sunday means Hebrew school! They walk right in and seem to have a great time each week. So grateful for that.

Today, Sally and I are celebrating our 17th Sallyversary. Seventeen years! It is incredible to think about how our lives have changed in that time. Moved to Florida, moved to Michigan, got married, lived in 5 homes in MI, had 3 kids… she’s been a trooper and right by my side through it all. I’m so glad, all those years ago, I told my friend Tony that I wanted to get a cat. He happened to know that our mutual friends’ wife found a kitten that they couldn’t keep so I trekked off to Jersey City to pick up this little girl. She was small, and a little sickly, but was healthy and feisty in no time. She’s truly the best.

Day one!

On my screened in lanai in FL

My kitchen in FL

Daddy!

With her little sister and little brothers, as they showed her off to their first grade class

Last night, on Sallyversary eve. <3

Wishing Sally a happy Sallyversary <3

This morning, the kids surprised me with cat-insprired breakfast treats. Waffles and toast in the shape of cats. I love it!

This afternoon, the kids spent a few hours at their friend Jack & Nora’s house. Jack is in the boys’ class and both kids were on the boys’ baseball team this year. (Nora is in 1st grade.) Amaya’s classmate and former softball teammate, Alexa, lives next door and she and her brother, Asher, came over to play, too. They would have stayed hours longer if I’d let them.

We wrapped up the weekend with a delicious meal that came together with help from two very skilled sous chefs.

And that’s it for us! Have a great week!

It’s definitely shifting to fall here in Michigan. I’m not prepared – I’m never prepared – but finally, this year, I’m reminded that it doesn’t get miserably cold for a while and I’m letting myself enjoy the season more. Cheltenham Drive becomes particularly pretty this time of year and, in the morning at bust stop time, the sun is still low on the horizon out to the east.

Amaya had a make-up for swim on Monday and she was the only one there for a good portion of class! I think they usually cancel classes when that happens for a make-up but Sophia said there was a teacher training so not only did she have 1:1 attention but there were two swim instructors.

Here she is, practicing her backstroke.

Jason and I had dinner plans for my work and I received this message from Steven. Just the sweetest. (I did make it home in time to rub backs & cuddle before the kids fell asleep.)

Another really pretty morning. On quiet days, I stay at the door while the kids wait for the bus. Steven’s getting better at saying goodbye from the door instead of as the bus pulls up. I think this will be important (for me!) as it gets colder out. Fortunately, with the bus tracker app, no one has to stay outside for too long.

I had another work dinner on Tuesday night and, as a thank you to the kids for “letting me go” my colleague and his wife got the kids Halloween pop its! Huge win! Of course Sammy, the bus wheeler and dealer, promptly traded his for a pyramid shaped rubiks cube. I think his favorite thing about riding the bus is making trades. (There were sales, too, but the school has said no selling/buying on the bus lol.)

At school, a few of the girls in Amaya’s class are in the “worm club”. To join, you have to find a worm, pick it up to be sure it’s okay, and then put it back safely in the dirt. Amaya loves it! On Wednesday, on the way to the bus stop, she found a worm on the sidewalk and used her Worm Club skills to transport the worm safely to the grass.

Our girl <3

One of our boys <3 He really liked this picture.

On Wednesday morning, I got this amazing email from Amaya’s teacher. I’m so proud of her for being such a great friend. When I got home from work, I had her read it out loud. I think she was very proud, too.

“Mrs. Cline, I wanted to tell you about your VERY sweet daughter.  She has become good friends with Milan. Today, Milan was very sad.  Your daughter gave Milan a very big hug today when she noticed Milan was sad. It nearly brought me to tears.  To see such kindness, caring, sweetness, is so special to witness.   You have great reasons to be so proud of her for being so kind.
—
Tammy Boomer, Thornton Creek 2nd Grade”

Amaya also made this picture to bring to Milan on Thursday. (I checked with Milan’s stepmom to be sure it wouldn’t upset her more, but she said it would make Milan feel better and she loves how sweet the girls are with each other. I do, too!)

Swim on Wednesday! This time the boys had a class to themselves for part of the time.

Amaya had a bottom tooth barely, barely hanging on so, on Thursday morning while she struggled to eat breakfast, she let me pluck it out. The tooth fairy is spending a lot of time visiting our house!

A mom I’m friends with is leading a Girl Scouts troop for the 2nd graders at Thornton Creek so Amaya and I went to an info night on Thursday evening. She’s sold! It sounds like this troop will be relatively light on engagement and expectations so we’re going to give it a shot. She already knows a bunch of the girls who are joining. I learned there is also a Boy Scouts den for 2nd graders and they have 8 boys already interested so I’m learning more about that for Steven and Sammy.

Groups of girls designed a robot together.

When Sammy can’t sleep, Jason can always fix it for him. <3

Some photos from the boys’ week at school

Love the outdoor learning. I’d have no idea about this without the photos. “How was school?” “Fine.” “Did you do anything interesting?” “School stuff.” Sometimes, at bedtime, I can get more out of them by cuddling a little longer. Steven is often very thoughtful about his answers at that time of day.

On Friday afternoon, Sophia was out picking up Nana (!!!) from the airport so I was available when the kids got home from school. Big kids – let them in, head back to my meeting. I loved these post-school bright eyes from Amaya. She also had her hair in a cute little side bun.

Nana! Amaya took these photos of Nana and Sammy playing foosball.

<3

Toothless grin!

Like last month, Steven and Amaya slept down in the basement with Nana on Friday night. It works well with two beds in the basement guest room.

The Starbucks tradition

SSA love to do KenKen buzzles with Nana so she saves the easier ones for the kids for when she visits. They each take a turn and did great!

And then Nana and Jason worked on a crossword puzzle.

Sammy was upset because one of his favorite shells broke so Nana had the idea that they could make mosaics with the pieces. It was an awesome idea!

Here’s Amaya’s creation. As I type this, she’s coloring in the background of the cardboard.

We rounded out our Saturday with a Radddish Kids recipe – Spooky Ice Cream Pie.

Voltron with Daddy

Today, after Hebrew school, we all headed to Detroit for a visit to the Detroit Institute of Art (DIA). Even after 15+ years in MI, I still hadn’t been! We spent about an hour and a half wandering around.

Steven loved the “eye spy” displays set up throughout the museum.

He found the fan 🙂

A wonderful temporary exhibit was all about Ofrendas. (Is that the plural of “Ofrenda?”) They had many set up, all with different backgrounds and motivations. It was really cool.

One of Diego Rivera’s Detroit Industry murals. I loved finally seeing this in perosn.

The museum gang!

Since it was so nice out, we stopped by a playground on the way home.

Even Nana got in on the fun!

A long day wound down with a game of touch football for Jason and the kids.

That’s it for us! Have a great week!

We have 2nd grade pictures in!

Steven loves his ninjago sweatshirt. It’s one that zip all the way up the face and he said he wanted to wear this sweatshirt and he wanted poufy hair. Mission accomplished, sweet boy!

Sammy has two of these shirts so it was the perfect choice for him, given that he wears one of the two at least 3 times/week. Since this photo was taken on 9/28, both of those top two teeth are gone!

As I’m sure you can imagine, Amaya planned every last bit of this look. I can’t believe how grow up she looks in this picture! Surely not like a 7.5 year old.

The amazing difference one year makes – 2nd grade vs. 1st.

Going back to Sunday night… sometimes these sweet kids need me at bedtime and, on Sunday night, Steven fell asleep holding tight to my hand. As they get older, I can’t help hang on to these moments. It’s just the sweetest.

On Monday afternoon, Sammy was the first Cline kid to lose a top tooth. Lok at that little gap smile. I asked him if he though the tooth fairy could glue it back in. He thinks I’m ridiculous.

This smile is amazing. <3

Steven had a dentist appointment on Tuesday morning so he sent his brother and sister off to school and then entertained himself for an hour while I joined a morning meeting.

Steven and I seem to wrangle a lot of 1:1 time – eye doctor appointments, hair cuts, solo dentist appointments.

I remember the days when the kids would cry and cry at the dentist so it’s awesome to see them just roll with it so easily.

It was a good appointment. You may have noticed in pictures that one of Steven’s front baby teeth has crossed over the other. Meanwhile, an adult tooth is already coming in behind it. The adult tooth is positioned well and he has time to lose the baby tooth before the dentist decides its time to pull it.

Telling me a story. He’s an effusive guy.

The boys’ class did some kind of exercise on Tuesday where they wrote letters to people. Steven wrote one to his friend Jack. Sammy’s friend Nolan wrote one to him. And Sammy wrote one to me! 😍

Sammy has BIG plans for Halloween. Thankfully we have Sophia to help get creative with his costume.

Swim for the boys! Amaya’s class was canceled because her teacher was sick so she’s going to have two classes this coming week.

TV cuddle time. We’re watching Voltron together. Did I mention that last week? It’s the reboot that started in 2016 but Voltron was one of my favorite shows as a kid so I’m really excited to watch the new series with SSA. I was just about their age when I watched, too.

On Friday, Amaya and I headed to the airport for a short girls’ weekend in New York! It’s been about 5 months since we had a solo trip. While I’d like to say she was excited for the time with me, of course the biggest draw was time with Charlie.

Reading while we waited to board

Midflight, with her friend “Bluey”

Lower Manhattan. It looked even better in person. Amaya was thrilled when we saw the Statue of Liberty out her window.

Back at home, Sophia held down the fort with the boys until Jason got home.

And here are some photos of the boys this week, courtesy of Mrs. Bates.

Our flight was early enough that we got to Aunt Sara & Uncle Dave’s house early enough for dinner together. Nana, Papa and Savta came over, too.

Charlie bent down so it would look like she and Amaya were the same height.

Before Amaya left, she spent time on Facetime with Charlie making plans together. On the list: nail polish, play with Coco (the hamster), make-up, make bracelets, make paper squishies, face masks, art hub, watch a movie, sleepover, piñata, fashion show, candy, fidgets, pumpkins, Starbucks, fashion show (repeat), trampoline, and slime.

First up for the girls were face masks and nails!

And, of course, they had a sleepover.

Saturday morning started off with brownie baking – possibly not on the list but still top of mind.

Then it was time for the trampoline. Chase was in on the fun, too. These kids can jump for ages.

Late morning, Aunt Sara, Charlie, Amaya and I went to Savta’s house for a bit to visit with Savta and Auntie. While there, the girls checked “make-up” off the list.

Notice the coordinating outfits?

We also stopped by Nana and Papa’s house to see some work they did on their kitchen. It’s a similar theme, but all upgrade with new appliances, new counters, new paint and, soon, new flooring.

Ring around the rosie.

While we were visiting family, the Cline men went to Fall Fest at Maybury Farm. They hit up the nearby playground while they waited for the event to start and then got busy making candles from beeswax, decorating pumpkins, making s’mores (Sammy), eating donuts (Steven), petting a bunny and milking a fake cow.

In New York, we wrapped up our day with a trip to a store called Sugar Crazy for a treat and some fidgets, plus a visit to Starbucks. The girls did a fashion show, watched a movie and we all got sushi for dinner. Meanwhile, back at home, Sammy lost another tooth!!

Look at that amazing toothless smile!

It’s a short visit to NY and Amaya was tired and emotional after the busy, busy day so Amaya helped her fall asleep, <3

Amaya and I had an early flight this morning so it was an even earlier goodbye. Amaya handled it as well as I’ve seen her. I think the visit was everything she hoped it would be.

We got home around 12:30pm and, after lunch, were quickly sent away so the Cline men could work on their entries for a baking contest. Steven told Jason, “this is my first baking contest but I’m confident.”

While we were sequestered, Amaya made this really cool KiwiCo kit – part of a subscription from Grandma Sunshine.

Late afternoon, Amaya and I headed to meet her “best friend” Milan for a playdate at the ceramics place in Northville. This was the reason we came home so early today. It says a lot that Amaya was willing to leave NY a little early to see Milan.

Sooooooooo sweet.

After dinner, we wrapped up with the judging of the baking contest. Amaya and I voted blindly and independently and both selected Sammy’s desert as our winner! He was ecstatic.

That’s it for us! Have a great week!