Let’s start backwards and with an acknowledgment that chronology is a bit challenged in this post. I spent an amazing time in Iceland with my friend Erica and I’m piecing together a lot of the kids’ time while I was enjoying hot springs, waterfalls and ocean views.

The big deal this week was our FIRST day of school!! Steven, Sammy and Amaya started a 2 morning/week pre-school program at the JCC of West Bloomfield. Jason and I went to a meet the teacher night before I left and Miss Penny and Miss Lena seem wonderful. They both have a ton of experience (20 years and 10 years respectively) and have been teaching in this classroom together for 7 years. It’s a program for 2.5 – 3.5 year olds who aren’t potty trained yet. They have all sorts of activities in their room as well as music and cooking class while they’re there. Since it’s a “transition” program for kids learning to potty train, there’s a 1:6 teacher/student ratio instead of the standard 1:8 ratio for kids their age. That gives me extra comfort as they go to a program without us for the first time.

The gang was ready for school!

Taking it all in, a bit skeptically.

Starting to explore the classroom.

Smiles (mostly) at the end of the school day!

The first day went as well as can be expected. Sammy and I got back from New York on Thursday night and I was off on Friday so I was able to go with Megan for the first drop off. Sammy cried when Megan and I left but I’m told that he stopped crying fairly quickly. Steven and Amaya were fine when I left but Steven started crying later in the morning. When we went to pick them up, he sobbed in my arms and said he wanted to go home. Sammy cried again when he saw me, too. But they both said they had fun and could talk about the activities they did so I’m reminding myself that this is just part of the transition – for them and for me. Amaya kept to herself and was quiet all morning but she was the only one of the four of us who didn’t cry. I can’t wait to hear about their 2nd day on Tuesday!

Backing it up further, on Friday the 19th, Sammy and I had a big adventure and flew to New York together! While I was in Iceland, Sammy spent the time at Nana and Papa’s house!!

Pre-flight Chinese food. Sammy loved the chopsticks. He told me he was going to chop his food with his chop sticks. Makes sense!

Checking out the safety card before our flight. When we took off, Sammy looked down at the ground and said, “That is Michigan down there! Grandma Sunshine is waving to me!”

We landed in NY around 9:45pm and Sammy was awake for the whole flight. He had a late, late night and ended up sleeping until 10:15am when I finally woke him. Wow, wow, wow! After this solo trip to NY I’m starting to see that Sammy could sleep much later if he wasn’t on the same schedule as Steven and Amaya. At this age I’m not sure there’s an easy solution to that but I feel pretty confident he’ll be our teenager who’s still asleep at noon on Saturdays.

When Sammy was finally awake, his joy was finding Savta at the house waiting for him. Boy, this kid loves his Savta. He wants to be with her all the time. It’s precious.

My flight wasn’t until 9:15pm so we had time to spend the day at the beach together which was awesome.

We were able to venture down to the ocean on this trip. Sammy was eager to stand in the water and liked the waves coming in but the return flow of the water was a little strong and made him nervous. Instead, he played in the sand and sent me to fetch him ocean water in a bucket.

It’s a long, long walk from the cabana to the ocean but Sammy was a trooper and walked the entire way by himself. I was sure I was going to have to carry him for a bit but he persevered.

Playing in the water table with Nana.

Meanwhile, back in Michigan, Daddy and Grandma Sunshine were holding down the fort with Steven and Amaya.

Amaya was busy with her magnatiles. She’s addicted to them, these days, and getting very good at building.

Erica & I jetted off to Iceland on Saturday night. I had been extremely anxious about how to tell Sammy I was leaving. I mean I was really stewing over it. When it came time to go, I went to find him and he said, “Go away, Mommy. I want to be with Nana.” Go figure! So I told him I was going out and Nana and Papa would take care of him while I was away. He didn’t even blink. According to my mom, the only time he asked about any of us was on Sunday morning. (Though, I do think he’s a bit clingier to me than usual right now and I wonder if the trip is the reason why.)

Sunday was jam packed for Sam Man. After a trip to the grocery store, he got to go to his cousin Dalia’s 4th birthday party.

Sunday finished with a quiet night at home with Chase, Charlie and Aunt Sara.

Sammy enjoying his breakfast and then Nana’s.

A walk on the boardwalk in Long Beach.

Playing in Aunt Sara’s backyard.

Dinner with Charlie.

Steven and Amaya were up to their usual shenanigans at home. They also seemed to easily accept that Mommy and Sammy were in New York (and Mommy was in Iceland…whatever that meant to them). Jason did tell me that the bedtime song every night was about Mommy and Sammy on the airplane.

Tuesday was another beach day for Sammy. I think he really soaked up all of the attention.

Steven and Amaya playing together.

And another beach day on Wednesday! Sammy helped Nana spread peanut butter on his bead. Such a big kid.

Aunt Sara, Chase and Charlie had a trip to Hershey Park on Wednesday so, before heading to the beach, Sammy stopped by to say his goodbyes to his aunt and cousin.

Sammy spent the entire day at the beach playing with water, just transferring it from one container to another. All day long, happy as a clam.

You can always count on Sammy to take a nap.

Even in the pool, he’s busy with the water.

Back in MI, Steven and Amaya are still having a fun, quiet week. They even got a zoo trip. With 2 kids, it always means more opportunity to walk around at the zoo.

Backpacks ready!

Pretzels, as always!

Steven spent time reading to Amaya. So sweet! The dynamic is just so much easier with 2 vs 3. Even now, Jason and Grandpa Homey are at the grocery store with Sammy and Steven and Amaya are sitting and playing quietly while I type this.

Steven and Amaya also had a trip to Funtastic.

It seems like they didn’t miss a beat while Mommy and Sammy were away for the week.

And Thursday was it! Sammy did some grocery shopping in the morning and then had a visit from Savta and Auntie before his nap. When I woke up, I was home to him and we got ready to fly home to Daddy, Steven and Amaya.

Watching the planes go.

This flight was a huuuuuge milestone for me. I counted up our trips and I’ve done 5 round trip flights with all 3 kids and 9 with just one. That’s 14 RT flights lugging car seats and we’ve finally graduated! This CARES harness gives Sammy extra security in his seat without needing a car seat on the airplane. Freeeeeeedom!!! He looks like such a big boy. On the flight he asked for his car seat twice but, overall, seemed to adapt well. It’s a nice change when flying with one child but will be a total game changer when flying with all three.

I’m so proud of how Sammy adapted for his week away. I’m excited to find opportunities for Steven and Amaya to also have special time at Nana and Papa’s house.

Here are some solo pics of each of the kids from the week prior.

Steven!

He’s most likely to be found cooking in his kitchen.

Twice, two weeks ago, he wanted to wear dresses. Once because I was and another time he specifically wanted the ice cream dress. I let him put the dresses on and it lasted for about 5 minutes before he wanted his own shirts.

Watching Daniel Tiger with Daddy.

A true toddler – doing construction work in a tutu.

Brothers playing basketball.

Sammy!

This kid knows how to lounge.

Deranged toddler smile.

Amaya!

Wearing my new dress.

Making faces in the mirror.

That was a lot. I’m amazed if anyone made it this far but, since this is a record for the Steven, Sammy and Amaya to have when they’re older, I want to capture it all. Grandpa Homey arrived at our house on Friday right after our first day of school but I’ll save his visit for next week’s blog since Grandma Betsy is joining us tonight and we’ll have a full week together.

With a special Happy Birthday to Nana shout out, I’ll leave you with my favorite photos from my trip to Iceland. Endless love to Jason for being such a supportive partner when I said I wanted to take this trip.

Þingvellir

Gulfoss

Blue Lagoon

Akranes

Horses on the side of the road between Akranes and Arnastapi.

Arnastapi

Stykkishólmur

Have a great week!

Our cable and internet were out last night so I wasn’t able to publish the blog. It’s become such a Sunday night routine for me that I wasn’t sure what to do with myself.

Have I mentioned that Megan is pregnant? Yes! A baby is coming our way in late December/early January! (Well, Megan’s way. But our way, too.) There have been a lot of conversations in our house about whether Megan is having a man baby or a lady baby. Though, regardless of gender, Amaya has named the baby “Taco” and I am on board with that. This is pretty much as close as I’m going to come to another baby and I am living vicariously through Megan. It’s been so much fun to see the kids react to Megan’s growing belly and what that means. On Friday, Amaya wanted to give Taco hugs and kisses in Megan’s belly. <3

Monday was the day Megan found out the sex of little Taco and, while my mom was still in town, we were all able to meet up for lunch by my office for a gender reveal.

Megan brought cupcakes and Sammy was very, very happy to dive in and tell us if Taco is a man or lady.

Lady baby!! Megan is having a girl!!

Sammy devoured his cupcake. It’s quite the big event when I serve cupcakes and especially before lunch. I think he knew it was a moment to take advantage of.

Amaya, celebrating Lady Baby Taco.

And Steven, who not only couldn’t be bothered with his cupcake but wanted to be sure none of the green icing touched anything in his space.

He was very pleased with his mac & cheese and broccoli, though. (Note to parents: Chili’s has a great toddler friendly menu. I was really impressed with the options.)

We love you, May May!!

On Tuesday, Nana was expected to be back in NY but the Delta computer meltdown meant that we got to keep Nana for an extra night. I know it wasn’t ideal for my mom but I was really glad to get the extra time together. I know Steven, Sammy and Amaya were, too.

Morning storybook time with Megan on Wednesday.

I got this caterpillar stuffed animal a while ago and SSA are finally at an age where they get it. Sammy actually did a great job working the button and Amaya was threading fabric through a loop to velcro it closed. I love their little concentration faces.

So, on Wednesday I came home for lunch and planned to eat my sandwich. I offered a bite to Amaya which led to a bite for Sammy and then a bite for Steven. Next thing I knew, they were passing around my sandwich and, bite by bite, it was gone. Jason often says the best way to get them to try something is to attempt to eat it yourself. The good news is we’ve now added ham & cheese sandwiches to their lunch rotation.

Wednesday afternoon was a trip to Northville for frozen yogurt. Sammy and Amaya loved theirs. Steven was, once again, distracted by the trucks driving by. He’s nothing if not consistent (and doesn’t seem to have much of a sweet tooth).

Thursday morning was Crazy Hat Day in the Land of Cheltenham! You’ll notice it involves a lot of trading.

The weather has been rainy and muggy which calls for trips to the mall play space.

These days, nighttime in the Land of Cheltenham means Daniel Tiger.

Friday morning was a play date with Ben and Sam and two other friends. I’m told it was shockingly calm for this many kids.

In the afternoon, we had a visit from Grandma Sunshine!!

Our day ended with some Olympics, DVR’d from the prior night. Here’s Steven letting us know which way the swimmers are swimming and which way they’ll go next. He was running back and forth in front of the tv anticipating each turn around.

And here is Steven (and co.) mastering their floor routines. One, two, three, go!

There were big storms on Friday night and the power went out shortly after midnight.  Jason and I both woke up and so did Amaya who was upset that it was so dark in her room. Since I didn’t know when the power would come back on, I took her into bed with me. I think I’ve romanticized sleeping with the kids because the idea was much better than the reality. Aside from randomly waking up in the night, Amaya was wide awake singing from about 3am to 4am.

And, of course, once we were up for the day and power was restored I found that I was smart and put emergency lights in their closets. What wasn’t smart was completely forgetting they were there.

Sunday we had a play date with Liam, Kayla and Mckenzie and their mom, Bethany. The kids are definitely still more into parallel play than playing together but we were joking that we hope we’re all still getting together through their high school graduation parties.

Here’s Steven this week!

“The orange plane is up in the skyyyyyyy!”

Sammy this week!

Sammy was sleeping so peacefully until the flash went off. Sorry Sammy! He didn’t wake up but I really don’t want to cause that look on his face.

He looks so old here.

Amaya this week!

Notice Baby Jenna on Amaya’s back? With each passing day, she’s more and more into caring for her baby doll.

That magnatile creation is an Amaya Original.

Wearing daddy’s backbrace. She held up the baby monitor and took a picture of herself. Then she sent it to me. Their grasp of how we use technology is amazing. It’s going to blow their minds that for my entire childhood, Polaroids aside, you couldn’t see a photo until after you took the film to a store to be developed.

Someone was changing Baby Jenna’s diaper and got a little over enthusiastic with the diaper cream.

That’s it for this week! No blog next week because I will be on a girls’ trip to Iceland with my friend Erica! Whoo hoo!

On Monday I lived a dream and came home for lunch with Steven, Sammy and Amaya. It’s an amazing bonus of working so close to home. I can get just about 30 minutes with the kids which is more than enough to make it worthwhile. It was so much fun that I also came home on Tuesday and Wednesday.

With a little bit of extra time in the mornings, I can put SSA to work before I leave for the day. Cleaning potatoes is a perfect morning activity.

Happy kids in the bath on Tuesday! The weird thing is that Steven has been totally hit or miss on the bath for the past month. Some days he’s fine and other day’s he’s hysterical about not wanting to swim. We need to figure this out because it’s brutal for everyone when he’s sobbing through his bath.

Wednesday was a “pool” day. We brought the water table out, too, at Steven’s request.

I got this new puzzle with an ebook credit from B&N. It’s great for the kids at this age. They’re learning their letters well, and love it, but need us to reinforce or correct them. The puzzle says the name of the letter as the place it so they can practice/play on their own.

Mommy selfies during tv time.

On Thursday, Megan took Steven, Sammy and Amaya to Funtastic – the place where they had their 2nd birthday party. It was opening later than we expected so the kids were treated to bacon and canned peaches at a Coney Island. Who doesn’t want surprise canned peaches and bacon!?!? They look like such big kids sitting in the booth.

The first time we went to Funtastic was for a birthday part in October 2015. 9 months later it’s a world of difference when the kids play here. They’re so much more confident and capable in the play space.

Our excitement this week was a visit from Nana. Yay! Nana hasn’t visited since May, before her back surgery, so everyone was very, very excited.

On Friday morning, Nana and Megan took SSA to the Ann Arbor Hands on Museum. It’s still somewhere that’s best to go with 2 adults and their family membership is great because both a caregiver and grandparents are included.

Steven wearing Nana’s cow sock. Two year olds love cow socks.

Friday afternoon FaceTime with Aunt Sara.

Saturday morning, Nana and I took the kids to Maybury Farm. This trip they had a little garden that we were able to explore. SSA saw peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, squash and cucumbers. It’s neat for them to be able to tie the foods they eat to their origins. (Though we don’t yet do the same with the chicken, cows and pigs.)

Brothers! Most of the time, I think they look nothing alike but this is one of those moments when it’s so obvious to me that Steven and Sammy are related.

A trip to Maybury always includes a visit to playground.

Before we went home, we had a snack in the general store courtesy of Nana. Nothing says “I love you” like three little packets of airplane pretzels.

In the afternoon we spent a bit of time out in the backyard. Steven, Sammy and Amaya love playing ball with Daddy. Sammy, in particular, looooooves to play catch. He gets so excited!

Afternoon FaceTime with Auntie.

Watching the Olympics!

This morning we got out early and went to a local park.

Afterward, it was brunch in downtown Northville and we wandered through a street fair. One huge bonus of changing the kids’ schedule to a later, shorter nap is that we can do so much more together on weekend mornings.

Amaya wanted to walk with one foot on each yellow line.

Listening to live music.

Nana scored us some cool, red sunglasses!

Steven this week!

A quick story about Steven. I was comforting after his bath freak-out and he saw a photo hanging on the wall of two boats in the water with Santorini cliffs in the background. He told me that the “man and the lady aren’t in the boat. They are in the car driving back to their home. We can’t see their car because it’s too far away.” I don’t know where this imagination came from but it’s really incredible.

Sammy this week!

We have a book called Pizza Friday. It’s about making pizza. Sammy gets a huge kick out of pretending to throw sauce from the book on Nana. He just giggle and giggles!

Amaya this week!

Oh, Amaya. Do you see she’s wearing a tutu under her dress and a baby legging on her arm? Her style is all Toddler and I love it.

She’s been spending a lot of time taking care of Baby Jenna lately.

No more legging on her arm but she’s added her science/construction goggles.

🙁 Steven wanted to push a button that Amaya was pushing and this was the result. Our poor girl. It was some bite! I thought we were past this phase but apparently we still need to watch out when Steven is pissed.