This week’s BIG adventure was a weekend trip to Cleveland to visit with my friend Hannah and her family. Hannah lives in Baton Rouge but is spending a few weeks at her parents’ house with her 6 girls, including her 2 yo triplets. Steven, Sammy, Amaya and I headed out after lunch on Saturday with time to nap in the car and more than enough playtime left in the day.

The visit was so much fun!!

SSA are always excited by new toys and Hannah’s big kids were off with her parents when we arrived which gave us time to settle in with a smaller group. Here are Steven, Sammy and Amaya with Abby, Bonnie and Betsy.

Hannah cooked dinner for everyone and prep-time involved all 9 kids playing in the kitchen. I think every pot, pan and cooking utensil was out on the floor. The kids were so generous. Evie (6) brought presents for my kids and Josie (3) wanted to be sure that everyone shared.

Evie and Amaya. Evie has 5 younger sisters so I thought she’d be more interested in the boys but she and Amaya were buds.

Dinner outside! Pizza, broccoli and watermelon.

After dinner, Steven and Josie had a very serious conversation about trucks and bikes.

Bedtime was tough. Interestingly, it was Steven who was the most nervous about sleeping in a new place. He cried any time he talked about me leaving the room so I promised to stay with him. We got into bed at about 7:50pm and it was after 9pm before the kids were all asleep. Hannah was kind enough to bring me some wine and chocolate while I waited. (To which Sammy said, “Mommy has a big wine cup” and Amaya said, “Mommy’s drinkin’.”) Once the fell asleep it was smooth sailing, though. I was able to take the monitor and sit outside with Hannah for a few hours. Another local triplet mom even came by to say hi.

Here we are well rested in the morning!

Breakfast time! Interestingly, both Amaya and Sammy wanted to sit in booster seats, not just on the chair. They said they wanted “coasters”.

After breakfast we walked to a beach on the lake. It was a good chance to see how Steven, Sammy and Amaya do with sand after last summer when Sammy was so, so hesitant. It took a few minutes for Amaya and Sammy to warm up but then they were off!

See Steven and Sammy there in the distance? Amaya was sitting on my lap because she was upset about being bit by horseflies. (“No bugs on legs!”) The boys were off playing totally independently which I love to see.

We had a taco lunch at the park.

Then it was back to the house and a drive home to Novi! We had such a great time. Hannah, her parents, and her girls were such gracious hosts and I’m proud of myself for diving into this awesome adventure.

On Monday, we did a quick finger paint project. Though “finger paint” is probably a generous description. It’s more like hand painting. Amaya was totally into it. She made 4 or 5 paintings and loved the whole process. Sammy was a little more tentative but was still willing to get his hands dirty and give it a try. Oddly, Steven did not want to touch the paint. The closest he got (besides the paint on his clothing) was a finger in the yellow paint. One look at it and he wanted us to clean him up.

Tuesday morning was beautiful so we got outside early. We went for a 45 minute walk around the neighborhood, spent some time playing on the front lawn, and then had fun with bubbles in the back. This was all before Grandma Sunshine arrived to take Steven to her home for a sleepover.

After Megan left on Tuesday we decided to mix things up a bit. Usually we watch a little bit of tv to wind down but it was gorgeous weather outside and I only had 2 of the kids home with me. Instead of tv time, we ventured outside for 45 minutes of play time. So much fun! We ran around the grass, did somersaults and just generally had a great time breaking routine.

I don’t have any photos of Steven at Grandma’s house but I do have a story to share. Grandma and Steven were talking about Daddy going to the workplace so she put his big head in the car. Steven said, “Big Daddy can’t drive. He has no hands.” That’s good thinking, Steven!

While Steven was adventuring with Grandma at the tractor supply store and the local airport, Sammy, Amaya, Megan and I went to Maybury Farm. It was a beautiful day and we were able to meet up with another triplet family while we were there. Sammy even got up the nerve to touch a donkey and a pig. He sure did miss Steven, though. He told me he wanted to “hold Bobo’s hand.”

The farm has a story time which gave us a chance for our first ever story time! Sammy and Amaya did great. They sat patiently on their carpet squares waiting for the stories to start and were engaged through 2 stories. I can’t believe how old they are!

Then, before we knew it, Steven was home to us! (But very sad to say goodbye to Grandma Sunshine.)

Thursday we had plans to meet up with another triplet mom at the Toledo Zoo. The weather was terrible, though, so we made a last minute call to go to the Imagination Station in Toledo, instead. One of her sons got sick on the way so, unfortunately, they didn’t make it. But we had a fantastic time! This was one of my favorite recent outings with the kids.

When we arrived the preschool area was empty which gave the kids time to really explore on their own terms. After a quick visit to the tree house (Sammy) and the doll hospital (Steven and Amaya), everyone got busy at the grocery store.

SSA also loved the water table area just as much as last time. It’s such a great play space for little kids.

Construction man Steven!

We had a lot of fun at this little station where balls float over a column of air.

Sammy’s face!

Amaya was beside herself putting her face in the airflow. I can’t remember seeing her get such a kick out of something. It was beyond cute.

Jason’s developed the sweetest bedtime routine with the kids. Their book basket becomes a rocket ship and everyone blasts off into their cribs.

Finally, for the week, on Friday Steffie came by for a play date with Steven, Sammy and Amaya. They were so happy to see her. Nine times out of ten, when we sing happy birthday we have to include Stephanie in the mix. They love their Steffie.

Steven this week!

Mr. Sock Hand.

Sammy this week!

Amaya this week!

Have a great week!

Happy Father’s Day to the best daddy Steven, Sammy and Amaya could ever have!

I think the highlight of the day was probably this special afternoon treat. Ball cards and Tigers Baseball in bed with Daddy!

Morning cuddles for the boys.

Father’s Day brunch at Deadwood, our favorite family spot.

Steven, Sammy and Amaya love their daddy!

On Monday we had the great pleasure of going to the zoo with the Lee family. Once again, penguins and seals were a hit. The kids were a little nervous about the penguins at first but warmed up quickly and didn’t want to leave. The area with the kangaroos is an open area where you walk through a path right in the kangaroos’ habitat. Before we went in, I asked Steven if he wanted to walk or ride in the stroller. He said, “Ride the kangaroo.” I explained that we don’t ride the kangaroos. He nodded and said, “Just horsies.” His memory is unreal.

Amaya was wearing a dress with a button on the back. The boys were so fascinated by it and kept trying to undo her button. She had to throw out many “all dones” and “no thank yous”. Who’s in charge of Amaya’s body? “Amaya!”

We’re rotating through puzzles and this is a great one for SSA’s age. It requires them to match the colors and all of the pieces are the same shape.

Wednesday was our end of the year picnic at school. One last hurrah and one last chance to thank our amazing EI teachers. At the picnic we learned that all of the kids can eat raw baby carrots without issue. (Though we made a point to give them thin ones so they’re easier to bite.) They also do really well with mini bell peppers. Much easier than cutting the big ones!

I love, love, love this picture.

Sweeping with crayons.

You can see how curious Amaya is about the thing in her hand. It’s a piece of cylindrical foam but it was in with a bucket of chalk so she’s trying to figure out exactly what it is.

Lots of water table time this week. We’re working on keeping the water in the table. The big game is just dumping it out one cup or bucket at a time. Which is fine, from a play perspective. Who cares, right? It’s just nice when you don’t have to keep refilling it again and again. (And, yes, I could just tell them that if they empty it they’re done but I don’t feel that strongly about it. It’s a great way to pass time and they love playing with water.)

Steven pouring water on Sammy’s back. Two seconds later Sammy was “all done” with this game. Of course, later in the week Steven was annoyed because Amaya was putting water on his back.

We do still play indoors. Here’s a quick snapshot of three gloriously independent kids. (Don’t poke the bear!) Steven is working on some puzzles. Sammy is playing with balls by the slide. Amaya is calling Nana and Savta.

On Friday we had our bi-weekly play date with  Anna, Ben and Sam. This week big brother Joe joined them, as well, and it’s been reported that my kids were totally enamored with Joe.

Amaya is on a mission. Like a boss.

On Saturday we went to our friend Julia’s house for a play date with Austin, Caleb and Lucas. There were three other families there which made for 2 sets of triplets, 3 sets of twins and 2 older siblings. Steven, Sammy and Amaya were definitely tentative at first, Sammy in particular. After a short while he came and told me he was ready to go home. My sweet boy. He sat on my lap for a while until he got more comfortable and then he was off!

Steven is telling me about his pine cones.

I asked Sammy to hold his pine cone up for a picture. He’s literal.

Grilled cheese and berries for lunch! The kids did great eating picnic style.

Ninety degree heat doesn’t stop us from dress up time. Steven put on his hat and everyone else needed to follow suit.

When it’s not hats, it’s headbands.

Recently I mentioned that we dropped Amaya’s crib to keep her from climbing out. The transformation is complete! It was very easy with the boys. After seeing Amaya’s “big girl” crib they were excited for “big boy” cribs of their own. No toddler beds here. I’m on team #CribsForLife.

Steven this week!

Sammy this week!

Holding something up for the camera. 🙂

Amaya this week!

This girl can focus.

We always bathe the kids together but Amaya was at the grocery store with Jason when I gave the boys baths on Saturday. As a result, Amaya got the bathtub to herself. Holy cow, she was in heaven! She made use of every square inch of space in the tub. I’m going to have to think through options for the kids to have solo baths a bit more often.

Final photo of the week! Our stuffed animals. I swore we’d never have a ton of stuffed animals in our house but there you have it. The kids love them and legitimately play with all of them so here we are.

Have a great week!

Once again, the week was packed full of jam. One thing I’m noticing is that Steven, Sammy and Amaya are interacting a lot more. For a long time the just sort of circled around each other and fought over toys but now they’re talking to each other and really starting to play together. I love it.

On Monday morning my friend Julie asked if we wanted to meet up with her trio at the farm center. It was impromptu and an easy “yes” on a gorgeous June day.

The kids are getting more and more comfortable though Amaya, the only girl, did spend the first 20 minutes or so being carted around in her wagon like Cleopatra.

Both boys spent time trying to pull Amaya in the wagon. It was really cute.

Once Steven learned he could pull the wagon there was no stopping him!

I love this dress. It was Charlie’s and it’s a little fancy for the farm but you’ve got to wear it somewhere!

Steven holding his “tree”.

Tuesday was our last music class! It’s been such a great opportunity to grow! The class really stretched Steven, Sammy and Amaya in all sorts of areas including socialization and gross motor skills. I’m so glad I had a chance to experience the class with them.

We’re working on holding hands when we walk places from the car. (For now, always when it’s right to the sidewalk.)

We’re going to miss the music time and all of this great play equipment!

During bubble time and the final songs, Steven was busy, busy, busy on the little coaster. Both he and Amaya mastered doing it by themselves. It would be a great backyard toy for us.

At the end of every class we hold a parachute and kids can sit in the center and go around in a circle. None of my kids were ever willing to try it. Ever. Until this last class when Amaya went for it! I was so proud!

Monday evening I completed the circuit and took Amaya out for dinner. She’s so cute and sharp and sassy. I was drawing shapes for her and broke the green crayon. I told her I’d try to get another one from the waitress. When the waitress came and left 10 minutes later, Amaya wasn’t having it. She remembered that I was supposed to ask for a new green crayon and I need to remember that there’s no more pulling one over on these kids.

Sammy and Steven held down the fort while Amaya and I were out.

On Wednesday we checked out another farm that’s about 2 miles from our house. It’s fantastic! It’s a big open space with a ton of animals, a small play area and an 11am story time. The only downside to this particular trip was that the temperature was only in the high 50s while we were there and it was windy. I can’t wait to go back when we can enjoy it a bit more.

It warmed up enough after the farm that we were able to have a lunch picnic outside. The kids do okay with it and they definitely like the occasional change in routine.

Thursday was our last day of EI school. There’s a school picnic next week but that’s it for the year. Booooo. 🙁 It’s such a great program! I’m thrilled, of course, that we won’t qualify in the fall but it was an awesome opportunity for Steven, Sammy and Amaya to attend.

We had another opportunity to practice holding hands.

This is Dawn, our primary classroom teacher. She also did Sammy’s in-home visits from 9 months old until he turned 2. We love Dawn.

Playtime!

Amaya did every puzzle on the puzzle table. Her concentration is amazing.

We wrapped up the morning with time on the school playground. This week, Amaya and Steven both tried the big kid swings. Sammy also went down a few new big boy slides. I’ll have to be sure to keep it up with playground visits over the summer.

Swinging with Mommy

On the way out to the car, Sammy wasn’t excited about holding hands and tried to run off. He had a hard fall onto the concrete. It happens, but what amazed me most is that he’s old enough to diligently hold an ice pack on his head. These kids keep surprising me.

That frown above went away the minute he realized I was taking a picture.

We had two awesome families come to visit today (Sunday).

The Kotres came in the morning for some play time outside and a bagel brunch.

The Lees came in the afternoon for a delicious dinner grilled by Jason. We haven’t seen Mike, Kerith and Annabel in two years but it always feels like yesterday.

We’re spending a lot of time outside these days. I brought some of the kids’ inside toys outside to help contain and entertain them on the grass. (No fence, remember?)

We tested out our little sprinkler attachment and I wanted to flush the hose first. Steven and Sammy were super fascinated. I think they could have spent all afternoon just filling buckets with water.

Amaya is obsessed with the rocks under our deck. I never considered that they’d provide hours of entertainment but she just sits there and plays with total concentration.

Filling a bucket with water from the sprinkler.

Sammy is so cute playing baseball. “I batting!,” he says!

Amaya has figured out our climber! She’s gaining so much confidence!! You’ll also notice her bathing suit shorts. The little itty bitty bottoms from her suit are no way to play outside so I swapped them out for bottoms from the boys’ suits. Much more appropriate for an active two year old.

Amaya helping Sammy climb.

We still have a lot of play time indoors. Coloring, blocks, cars, little people, musical instruments…

Every night at 6pm we put the tv on and watch musical shows like Little Baby Bum and Mother Goose Club until it’s time for bed. It’s quite time and cozy time.

Amaya sitting on Sammy’s lap. (Deranged toddler smiles.)

Snow boots in June.

Little crossed legs.

No one lounges like Sammy.

Amaya sitting in Steven’s lap.

Mommy and the gang!

Modern mommying… playing on my phone while the kids watch TV.

Wrapping up the week – I tried to have a breakfast picnic on Saturday morning but Steven wasn’t having it. He insisted on eating in his seat while Sammy and Amaya ate on the blanket. We won’t be trying this again any time soon.

Steven this week!

Sammy this week! (Wearing a t-shirt that says “I love my nerdy dad.” I bought it before we even started trying for kids. Well, kid. We were trying for one kid. Which is why there’s one shirt.)

Amaya this week!

Finally, when your two year old boys want to try on their sister’s dresses you say yes.

Have a great week!

It’s possible this is the first time in 28 months I skipped a week of the blog. Is that crazy? It seems impossible to me that I’ve actually kept this up for so long but here we are!

Through our early intervention school we had a chance to go to the Real Life Farm. There’s a barn with animals to pet, a hay ride and horse rides. It seems that they only bring people in in groups so it was a cool opportunity to check it out.

Steven was all about the animals, especially the cats, kittens and rabbit. No fear at all. If I recall correctly, he even pet a cow. He drew the line at feeding the goat oats, though, which Sammy stepped up for. Amaya wasn’t having any of it. At all. It was crowded. There were animals walking around on leashes. It was hot. She spent most of the time glued to Megan’s side.

Steven, attempting to bottle feed a goat.

Steven, sort of holding a kitten.

The boys wanted to hug the kittens. Tight. We still have a lot to learn about the fragility of baby animals.

Sammy, sort of holding a kitten.

Amaya, doing her best to remain calm.

Between the barn and the hayride we had some time to run around where I think Amaya was so happy to be free of the animals she couldn’t help but give out big hugs.

Hay ride! It was a hot day. The hay ride went through some shady areas but I think it was too long for toddlers. Maybe too long for adults, too.

Horse rides!! We were going to skip the horse rides and just eat lunch at a picnic table but Steven really wanted to ride a horse. In fact, he said, “Bobo ride big brown horse.” There were ponies available but Steven wasn’t having any of that.

Sammy, much to my surprise, was also excited to ride a big horse! I think it’s time to stop assuming what will or won’t scare my kids.

Amaya wanted to ride a horse and kept saying so but she just couldn’t get the nerve to go through with it. We did celebrate the great job Amaya did watching horses and maybe next time she’ll be ready to ride.

We had a pb&j picnic lunch after horseback riding, supplemented by most of the crackers Megan brought to eat herself. Thanks for sharing, May May!

It was time for a follow-up appointment for Steven’s orthotics. You can see in this picture how nervous he was. When I asked if he was nervous he said, “yeah”, in the sweetest, smallest little voice. He was a champ, though, and our orthotist, Robert, is awesome with kids. The verdict is that he’s made great progress on his left side but still has a lot of pronation on his right side so he’ll be in the orthotics for at least another 6 months.

The next day, Steven had a quick pediatrician appointment after school because he’d been randomly spitting up. (It’s stopped.) He was a champ. Even when he was visibly nervous he soldiered on. For some reason, standing on a scale has been a big fear of his. I did it first, this time, and then he was able to do it, too. Later he told me he got on the scale “just like mommy.” Melted my heart a bit.

After the appointment I decided we should walk down the street to get lunch together. The last 3 times we’d been out one on one was for a doctor appointment and I didn’t want him to start associating our alone time with medical appointments. It was so great! I wasn’t really prepared but we made napkin bibs for both of us and shared chicken bites and mozzarella sticks. Steven, being Steven, narrated the entire experience. “Two fans going round and round. Two very big TVs on. Lady. Lady came back. Lady came back with milk for Bobo. Lady go over to mans.” This one on one time just fills me up to bursting.

Thursday afternoon I was off to Portland, OR for Bitcherie Weekend 9.0 and the kids were ready to see me off. I was unusually emotional leaving them, maybe because of how much time we’ve spent together lately.

Here I am, having fun with some of the best people I know!

In the meantime, the kids had a great time at home with Daddy, Grandma Sunshine, Megan and Stephanie.

I think Steven and Sammy look so similar in this picture. I don’t usually see a resemblance but I think they definitely look like brothers here.

Amaya, as she does.

Playtime with Stephanie on Saturday morning.

Amaya, putting shorts over shorts. Again, as she does. She’s either in a state of overdressing or undressing. 🙂

Morning photo sent from Grandma Sunshine!

On Tuesday afternoon, when I returned, Megan and I took the kids to a local shoe store to get some summer sandals. Amaya and Sammy will wear theirs as their primary shoes and Steven will wear his when he’s playing in water and can’t wear his orthotics.

Steven, ready to be measured.

Sammy is so excited about his cool new Keens!

Too cool for school.

Hot Stuff Amaya had a choice between turquoise Keens and another pair of pink sandals. Pink! Pink! Pink! No question in her mind that she wanted the pink ones.

The whole gang.

On Wednesday we took everyone to the splash pad! We were able to go twice late last summer after Steven finally started walking. They were some of the littlest there, by far, and also new walkers so it was fun but a little overwhelming. On Wednesday we were the first ones there so everyone got to acclimate before the crowds came. Steven and Sammy dove right in. Amaya needed a little coaching from Megan. They did great, though, and probably had a good 20 minutes to play before it was packed.

We’re nearing the end of EI school. Only 2 weeks left! This week’s focus in the “ball room” was on fitness so they had all sorts of little kid exercise equipment. It was so cute.

Steven pushing Amaya on the elliptical.

As always, gathered around the sensory bin.

These bags were a great end of the year project. Everyone got to choose their own colors.

After class ended we had some playtime on the playground. It was a big day for us! Sammy tried out the big kid swing. “Flying high in the sky like a bird!” Both Steven and Amaya went down a huge twisty slide. Amaya was nervous but she wanted to do it and pushed herself. Twice!

Twisty slide!

Thursday afternoon there was a garage sale down the block and I wanted to check out the clothing. It was lunchtime so we packed up sandwiches and clementines and made a wagon picnic for lunch. SSA did so well. They sat and ate and calmly asked me for more food when they needed it but I was easily able to shop the clothing.

After the great lunch with Steven, I decided to do the same thing with Sammy and Amaya. Thursday night was Sammy’s turn for a one on one dinner with Mommy. First we stopped at the tailor to pick up a pair of pants for Jason. He was very proud of himself for helping.

The Sammy Smile.

We sat outside and enjoyed some mac & cheese together. It was a prefect evening out with my Sam Man.

Thursday afternoon, the Megan took Steven, Sammy and Amaya for a play date at Ben & Sam’s house. Everyone suited up for water fun.

Poor Amaya didn’t initially understand that, if the slide lands in the water, so does she.

Saturday was gorgeous so early in the morning the whole family headed outside. The key is to get outside by 8:30am so we can enjoy the sun without worrying about sunblock.

Summer means watermelon!

Summer also means haircuts. This was round 2 of the Daddy-do. It went much better than the first time with far fewer tears. Steven was fidgety but calm. Sammy was extremely anxious but didn’t cry. He did have to finish his haircut on my lap. Amaya doesn’t know that she only got a pretend haircut. She was all in, though. So was Jason.

Post-haircut cuddles.

Today my friend Julia came over for a play date with her boys who will be 2 next month. Total chaos and lots of fun! I’m so lucky to have made so many local triplet mom friends. None of us are are phased by the tornado that comes with 3 two year olds.

SSA are starting to play with each other so much more. Here, Steven was playing a game with Sammy and Whammy Puppy where Sammy would pop up and Steven would hold Whammy Puppy up to Sammy’s face. They fight like the best of siblings but it’s awesome to see them actually starting to play with one another.

It’s finally warm enough to actually put water in the water table. I love it but it’s also created a situation where the kids want water every time we go outside. Who wouldn’t?

Happy kids in their car seats!

Steven this week!

The deranged toddler smile, lol.

This kid loves his tutu.

Sammy this week!

Amaya this week!

My little non-climber is becoming a climber. Be careful what you wish for!

Amaya takes good care of baby Jenna. Here she is putting lotion on Jenna’s “‘gina” and giving her a good wipe down.

It’s good to end a diaper change with a bottle.

Have a great week!