On Monday, Nana had the fun idea of making hamentashen in preparation for Purim. Rosie, Nana and the kids went out early for ingredients and made some dough to chill. I was able to come home at lunch for a bit to help finish the baking!

First, everyone took part spreading the flour around the wax paper.

Next, Steven, Sammy and Amaya all took turns rolling dough. They were so patient waiting for their turns.

(Notice Steven wearing my work badge? Not to self: No one wears mommy’s work badge when “flour” is on the agenda.)

Next, raspberry jam was added and the dough was folded up into triangles.

Steven was covered in flour.

Enjoying the product of their work!

It was a full baking day. After nap, the kids helped Rosie make Monday Muffins for the next morning’s breakfast.

SSA are good about us leaving for the workplace but that doesn’t mean they can’t have fun with us, trying to keep us at home. On Wednesday morning, no one wanted Daddy to leave!!

The gorgeous weather from last weekend continued into the week which meant Rosie was able to take Steven, Sammy and Amaya for walks in the neighborhood. Such big kids!

Grandma Sunshine came to visit on Wednesday so we finally put together the amazing dollhouse she got the kids for their birthday. It’s amazing!

Jason worked hard for a few hours before bed and then Rosie finished the rest while Grandma Sunshine played with the kids.

Check it out!! I think this will last the kids for a long, long time.

Making dinner for his friends.

Thursday was still warm enough for a walk in the sunshine with Grandma.

With the warm weather, Steven, Sammy and Amaya have been reminded how much they like sunglasses!

I can’t believe it but this was the last week of Megan’s maternity leave. It’s almost impossible to believe that it was 13 1/2 weeks ago that I got the call that Megan’s water broke at 33 weeks pregnant. At the same time, it feels like Rosie has been with us for so much longer. We’re all so lucky that Rosie will be able to stay with us in the afternoons, splitting the day with Megan.

It was a nice weekend home together as a family. Jason was up early and SSA got right to playing with their K’Nex “blocks”. Amaya was so proud of her creation. It’s a dog named Elsie.

Never too busy for some Saturday flying with Daddy!

Now that Amaya is settled in her own room, it’s time to think about decorating. Jason and I decided to split up the kids’ rooms – he’ll get the boys’ room and I’ll get Amaya’s. Only rule – no politics, no pin-ups. Jason was ready to start shopping so, late morning, he headed out with the boys to look for decor. Meanwhile, Amaya and I out to “slide and climb”. It was really neat to be able to devote 100% of my attention to her adventure. She started off cautious but after a few rides down the slide and a few circuits around the place, she loosened up and took charge.

Amaya loved this thing. When we got to it at one point, there were two older boys playing with it. She waited somewhat impatiently until they were done and, the minute the were distracted, grabbed hold and did. not. let. go. Even when the boys were trying to wrestle it away, Amaya held tight. My girl.

After climbing and sliding, we went out for some good ol’ fashioned mac & cheese!

Daddy, Steven and Sammy had the same idea!

It was a really nice morning out. One on one time is so special.

Afternoon was time for a slightly overdue haircut for Steven. He did better than ever. Access to my iPad is a powerful motivator.

Sammy is obsessed with water. He loves to wash his hands after going potty and now has turned his attention on washing dishes. Honestly, my 3 year olds washed almost every dish last night. I’m not going to turn down that kind of help!

Steven still says he’s not ready to go potty but we’re going to try to acclimate him by asking him to sit on the potty twice/day. (I use the word “ask” generously.) Hopefully this is the start of his comfort with the potty. I’d love for him to be potty trained by late June so he can join his brother and sister in the pool at camp.

Before bed was chaos. Playing together also means roughhousing. I’m trying to learn balance between letting them find their way and my maternal instincts to make it stop.

Amaya woke me up around 3:45am on Saturday night and was fast asleep when I went to get the boys. I let her sleep in and Steven, Sammy and I had some mommy/son time for the first hour of the day. Aunt Sara & Uncle Dave got them these bean bags for their 1st birthday and they’re really loving them now. What a great gift that’s finding new use as they get older! They’re so cute when they lounge.

Jason was doing some spring cleaning which resulted in bundled up kids. They’re so funny.

Doing dishes.

Story time with Daddy.

Jason and I are off to a Pistons game tonight and Steffie is coming to watch Steven, Sammy and Amaya. They’ll end their day with one sister and wake up in the morning to another, with Megan’s return.

Steven this week!

Sammy this week!

Mad Sammy

Sad Sammy

Happy Sammy

Love those lashes!

Air time!

Amaya this week!

Mad Amaya

Sad Amaya

Happy Amaya

Underwear Head Amaya!

And that’s it for this week! Have a good one!

It’s hard to believe that it was only a week ago that Sammy and I flew back from New York. How does so much happen in a week for toddlers? Or for me, for that matter, when my simple life is mostly work and family time?

We had a relatively uneventful trip back. Sammy was exited because our gate gave him a vantage point to a runway where he could see plane after plane after plane taking off.

It’s hard to tell here but he’s holding a Delta captain’s hat kindly lent to him by a pilot sitting hear us.

On the plane I finally, for the first time thought to bring headphones so he could watch some Daniel Tiger and Wonder Pets on the airplane. It was awesome! Coupled with a chocolate coated Kind bar, this kid was in heaven. He watched his shows for about half the flight and then went back to flipping through pictures in my camera roll.

Back at home, Amaya and Steven were helping prep ingredients for Monday Muffins – a Rosie tradition – by mashing bananas in a bag.

Steven has ice on his head because Amaya hit him.

Sammy and I were home in time for lunch and I headed into the office for a 1/2 day. It was a big afternoon for Sammy because, after nap, we made the transition to regular underwear! He’s doing AMAZING. It’s been almost a week now with no accidents to speak of. He’s tried so hard! Sammy is so proud of himself and so are we.

Showing me his underwear when I got home from work.

Unrelated to anything but the topic of Sammy, this kid can give a thumbs up with his toes! WTF??? My toes do not operate independently like that!

We were glad to be home but reentry was tough, especially at bedtime. I think it’s hard for whoever is returning home to remember how to share everything and the other two want to crawl back into my womb after my time away. I think there were tears for all 3 kids and mommy at bedtime. Thank goodness Jason was there to see the desperation and move us all through the process and on to tomorrow.

My Tuesday morning, everything was back to normal in the Land of Cheltenham. 😉

The JCC is collecting a dollar from every child to help plant trees in Israel. A donation earns you a leaf to put on the big tree in the child development center reception area. Steven, Sammy and Amaya got to pick out their leaves and Rosie helped them write their names.

Wednesday morning was a rough one because Sammy didn’t want to get out of his PJs. Ordinarily, with nowhere to go, it wouldn’t be a big deal but Sammy woke up soaked which meant there was no choice for my Bubba. He kept crying “I’m not ready! I’m not ready!” Our eventual compromise was that I was taking off his wet pajamas but he could put on clothing whenever he decided. Well, the kid made it all the way through nap in nothing but his underwear.

Lately, the kids have been sharing a lot of family meals at their table.

What finally got Sammy into clothing was seeing Steven take these selfies with Rosie. Rosie was wearing her Captain America shirt so Steven put his on in the morning. Once he saw the photos, Sammy needed in on the photo fun.

Plus, some fun with Snapchat. (Which I finally downloaded after insistent requests from the kids to “be a puppy”. So stupid, and so much fun.

Rosie is working with Steven, Sammy and Amaya on identifying their own “peaceful places” where they can go if they’re sad, angry or frustrated. This is Sammy’s spot.

You can see below that Steven is lining up his food along the edge of the carpet. That was a traffic light for his “dull dozer.” I don’t know. His mind is wild.

Steven, admiring his “traffic light”. Yes, he’s wearing a bib. Months ago, I lost one of our red bibs. That left us with 3 blue bibs and 2 red bibs. I finally had enough of the fighting over the red bibs and got another one to round out the set. Now they fight over the “new” one which, for the record, is 100% indistinguishable from the other 2.

Cool Cat Dino-Amaya watching Daniel.

Daddy snuggles.

Completely engrossed in his tv show.

On Friday, Nana came to visit! I told my mom that she should always try to plan her visits the weekend after I come to NY. It makes leaving her house so much easier. As always, Steven, Sammy and Amaya were thrilled to see her.

On Saturday, Nana and I packed up the kids for a visit to the Ann Arbor Hands on Museum. It’s so much fun to see the kids develop and grow in this space.

(Side story. In the morning, Amaya put on a shirt, a skirt, two pair of pants and a princess dress. It was one hell of a negotiation to get her down to just a shirt, skirt and single pair of pants.)

Ready for an adventure!

I was going to have no luck keeping the kids from the water table area so I just rolled with it.

For the first time, we spent a while outside of the preschool play area and explored more of the museum. They’re ready!

We all went out for lunch after the museum. It was my first trip out with 2 potty trained kids and they did GREAT. I couldn’t have asked for more. It’s a lot of trips to the bathroom but at least Amaya and Sammy will be in great shape by the time we’re doing this with three.

Everyone spent time coloring while we waited for our food and I noticed how much Steven’s coloring has developed. He holds his crayon so well and he’s actually coloring in discreet objects now.

The weather was incredible this weekend so we made sure to get some time outside. What an amazing February treat! It made me itchy for spring!

Here I’m showing the kids a dead mouse that I needed to collect and toss in the trash.

Family cuddles during Wonder Pets and Daniel Tiger.

We had a quiet morning at home, which I think we all needed.

Even an old shoe rack is something to get creative with (and fight over).

Nana worked on crafts while I made lunch.

Favorite weekend activity – helping Daddy unload groceries!

Strong guy!

After nap we piled in the car and went to watch our friends’ daughter KK play in her basketball game. It was a neat thing to do and Jason and I loved the chance for Amaya to watch some “lady” athletes.

Afterward, we went out for a late dinner. The kids usually eat around 5:15pm and it was closer to 7pm when they got their food but they did so well. I was really impressed with how patient they were while they waited for their food and how they hung in there as the night got later. I was expecting fussing, whining and difficult toddler behavior but there was hardly any of that at all. A hearty game of “I spy with my little eye” must be the trick!

It was a great week and a wonderful weekend! I’ll end with two videos. Have a great one!

This year we had two photo shoots. Jason was sick the first weekend so we kept our first scheduled shoot and added a 2nd.

I’ve thought about doing photos like these, with Steven, Sammy & Amaya’s NICU photos since they were born. They’ve come SO far. <3 <3 <3

Classic Amaya “I don’t want to do this” face.

Smile for photos – get M&Ms!

Round two! All of the Clines!

This weekend was a Mommy/Sammy trip to New York! It’s such precious time together. Steven, Sammy and Amaya are getting old enough that I think they are realizing it, too. On our way to NY Sammy asked not to leave him at Nana’s house. I think he might remember the August trip when I went to Iceland. He had a great time at Nana’s while I was gone but I think it was still a surprise that I’d left, because we hadn’t talked about it in advance, and I was so glad to be able to tell him that I’d stay with him the whole time. I’m keeping that promise, even sleeping in the same room together – just because I can.

We’re at the airport and we’re off!

Sammy loves the fountain. Back in August, he was also totally enamored in a way that Steven and Amaya aren’t. I sat on the floor by the fountain while I ate my dinner to give Sammy a little extra time to watch the water move.

Our dinner was a McDonald’s treat. We usually try a restaurant together but I thought fast food would give Sammy the most time at the fountain and I knew how much he wanted to spend time there. He asked for a hamburger with no ketchup and no cheese. When I gave it to him, he was terribly upset to see there was meat in the bun. It turns out he just wanted a plan bun to eat for dinner! Crazy kid. He ate most of his bun, a few chicken nuggets and a nice amount of fries. He was also fortunate to meet our pilots at the gate and got some cool wings.

I was hoping to wait to potty train Sammy until after this trip but he had other ideas. So here we are two weeks in with a flight to NY. Our first potty break was before we boarded the plane. As soon as we were on, Sammy said he had to go again so we high tailed it to the back of the plane for potty break #2. The hardest part was fighting our way pack up stream as everyone was boarding. I was so proud of this guy for his flexibility as we traveled.

Sammy was a little nervous when we boarded the flight, which is new. Even though this is his 10th trip to NY, I think he might be at an age where fears can develop even in situations that aren’t new. He is starting to understand that we’re up in the air. Sammy was able to distract himself by looking at photos of my iPad and reading books during take-off. It distracts Mommy, too!

Potty break #3! Sammy was nervous because we were up in the air and he wasn’t quite sure how we could go to the potty. I showed him the flight attendants walking on the plane and offered to carry him to and from the bathroom. (I also told him he could just go in his nighttime diaper but he wasn’t having it. I think he may have progressed with the potty training too quickly! 😉 )

We landed in NY around 10pm and, sure enough, Sammy fell asleep about 30 seconds after we touched town. I couldn’t bear to wake him so I managed to unhook his seat while he slept and then carried his seat off the airplane, with him in it. I was able to get his travel cart hooked up and then get our bag and all the way out to Nana’s car without him stirring. Poor Bubba was tired! This was our last flight with a car seat – all 3 are now at Nana’s house – so I may need to take flights that get in a littler earlier in the future knowing that I won’t have the luxury of keeping the kids in their seats.

Saturday morning, Chase and Charlie came over early. Everyone – in NY and MI – settled in for breakfast.

We had a huuuuuuge treat when everyone was done eating. There was snow on the ground and it was a mild day so everyone bundled up and went out into the snow! It was only Sammy’s 2nd time ever in the snow and his first time this winter. He absolutely loved it! We had snowball fights and built snowmen together!

While we were off in the snow, Steven and Amaya were having a great day back in MI with their daddy. It included a trip to Home Depot and this awesome, awesome cart. Just perfect for an outing with 2 kids.

Miss Amaya’s got the potty training down. She knows the drill, even when that includes pooping in the potty in the van. I’m so glad we ended up training them one at a time. I know all three at once works well for some families but the slow roll seems to be the right fit for SSA because they’ve been ready and we don’t have the dilemma of 3 kids who all need to go right.now without the skills to hold it. (I will spare you the photo of the actual poop that Jason sent my way. You’re welcome.)

One of the best parts of my solo trips with the kids is the opportunity to freely cuddle and snuggle and cuddle some more. There is always cuddling before bedtime in a way that just isn’t possible with all 3 – especially with room sharing and the exact same bedtime. It feels indulgent.

Saturday afternoon we had the opportunity to go to Auntie & Dod Shuki’s house where my cousin Mike and his kids, Jake & Naomi, were visiting. Sammy isn’t always quick to warm up but Mike worked so hard and it paid off!

Oh, the potty. I told my triplet group that I’ll have a book worth of bathroom selfies by the time all three kids are potty trained. Similar to how Amaya had big issues pooping in NY back in December (when she was 6 weeks into the process), Sammy struggled using the potty yesterday. He’s only 2 weeks into potty training and I think the change in environments threw him. He didn’t pee or poop all day despite saying he had to go and sitting on the potty over and over again. Amazingly, he didn’t have an accident either.

This photo was taken after we’d already gotten in the car to leave Auntie’s house and Sammy said he had to go potty. (He didn’t go. But we tried. At this stage, there’s definitely no asking him to hold it and, at that point, it had been hours and hours since he’d gone.)

On the way home Sammy said he wanted pizza for dinner so we stopped off an grabbed a pie. He wanted pepperoni. Little did I know that meant only pepperoni. One meltdown later, the sauce, and along with the cheese, were scraped off and he had his bread and pepperoni dinner.

Because he hadn’t peed all day long, Nana was willing to make an exception and let him use the little potty on the carpet while he watched Daniel Tiger. Fortunately, it did the trick – three times!! Yay! The seal was broken!!

Chase and Charlie slept over last night and I slept in the room with Sammy again, as I promised him I would. He woke up around 6:15 after a nightmare about bugs crawling on his hands. I was happy to be there to be able to scoop him right up and take him into bed to cuddle with me. We talked together for about half an hour before joining everyone in Nana and Papa’s bed. We talked about umbilical cords and belly buttons and looked at images of babies in their mommies’ bellies. He told me his favorite animal is a ducky and his favorite color is green so he likes green duckies best. We looked at photos of farms. It was lovely.

It was a quite morning at home inclusive of cupcake baking!

Almost everyone cleared out by 11am which gave Sammy a bit of quiet time in the house. I think he needed it. He had some peaceful play. It’s interesting to see that, even when there are no other kids around, he’s still worried about someone taking his toy when he goes potty.

Building a BIG tower with Nana!

Notice no pants? That was the theme for the morning. Here he is reading a bit before nap, lol.

Everyone came back this afternoon and we had time for games and a great dinner together.

The day wrapped up with Wonder Pets and the potty. Somehow Sammy convinced us to let him watch in the den even though everything you see could have been accomplished on an easier to clean tile or wood floor! He did great with the potty today, though. He told us every time he need to go, pooped twice and didn’t have a single accident. I’m so proud!

At that’s it! Tomorrow Sammy and I head back to NY and I’ll try to go to work for the afternoon. It’s so nice to work close enough to the house to be able to do that.

Here are some photos from the rest of the week.

Last Sunday the boys really wanted to wear dresses but we planned our trip to Ikea and I thought it might be best if we save dresses for Monday. So on Monday, I delivered.

Steven started the morning off at a picnic with Baby Jenna. Sweet boy.

Watching Mommy go to work. It’s always a little more difficult on Mondays.

Sammy and Steven had similar ideas about how to play with their magnatiles.

Rosie told me that, in these photos, they were saying “you’re my friend” over and over again to each other. <3

Tuesday was another swim day for Amaya. She loves swimming but we’ve had some challenges with the teacher’s aide who walks the kids down to the pool. Amaya really doesn’t like her. On Monday night I asked her some questions about the teacher who we’ll call “Miss Fern”.

Me: Amaya, do you like Miss Penny?
Amaya: Yes
Me: Do you like Miss Fern?
Amaya: No
Me: Does Miss Fern make you feel good or bad?
Amaya: Bad
Me: Do you have the words to tell me why she makes you feel bad?
Amaya: I don’t have the words.

Based on Amaya’s reaction and specific feedback from Rosie about things “Miss Fern” has said, I decided it was best if Rosie stayed to walk Amaya to swimming. I also reached out to the assistant director at the school who told me they’d do some observations and look into it further.

The great news is that Amaya still loves swimming! She got right in the water and was even willing to let the instructor help her float on her back. Miss Lena, one of their teachers, said it usually takes a while for that to happen. I’m so proud of her!

That’s Amaya in the water by the edge of the pool with her back to us.

BIG smile!

it’s hard to see but she’s on her back in the water!

Some photos of sleeping kiddos. I love watching them sleep.

One morning this week, Steven and Amaya were playing a game where Steven made a “gate” with his monkey’s tail and Amaya had to go “through”.

Another morning, everyone was taking it veeeeery easy.

We had a visit from Megan and Baby Taco during the week. Just two weeks to go until May May returns to us. We’re so lucky she’s coming back and doubly lucky that Rosie will be able to stay with us for the afternoons.

Baby Taco has grown so much since this first photo on 12/17!

Finally, some after work Mommy/kiddo time. First up, snacks. Then Wonder Pets & Daniel Tiger!

Last bit for this week… We had the kids’ 2nd semester parent/teacher conferences on Thursday.

Steven’s Class Report

Steven is much more comfortable in class. No more crying at drop off and he’s a chatterbox. The assessments are tough when it comes to questioning the kids because so much is dependent on what they’ll share. Miss Penny said that, when you’re talking to Steven, somehow he ends up asking the questions and you’re not quite sure who’s in charge. Sounds about right.

Sammy’s Class Report

Sammy loves to give the teachers hugs. (Steven, too, but not to the same extent as Sammy.) He’s participating more in music but will only hold hands with his siblings or a teacher. When asked, Sammy still says he lives  “at my house.” Which is right!

Amaya’s Class Report

Miss Penny noted that Amaya is talking a lot more than she had been but never upon direct questioning. Just like at home, Amaya doesn’t perform just to give you what you want. Miss Penny found that, if you want to get information out of Amaya, it needs to be conversational.

We spent a good part of the conference talking about the issues with the teacher’s aid, “Miss Fern.” Miss Penny was awesome. She shared some of the concerns that we have and was completely supportive. ln fact, she assured me that Fern will no longer be walking the kids to swim and she’s going to pay close attention to Amaya’s interactions with Fern in the classroom. I’m so relieved and appreciative that they found a fast and reasonable solution for us.

And that’s it for this week! Have a good one!

Every Sunday, the prior Monday feels like a lifetime ago. I think it’s especially true with my recent travel schedule. I had 3 trips in 4 weeks which is more than I’d schedule given a choice but it’s not the norm and, all things considered, the kids have done great with it. This week, it was a three night trip to LA.

Monday was a quiet day at home. Immediately, Amaya was ready for stickers and the boys dove back into the ball cards they’d been sorting with Daddy the night before. Steven even told me that he was “doing ball cards like Daddy.”

Sometimes I think Sammy goes to play at the train table when Steven and Amaya are occupied so he can have it to himself in the peace and quiet.

We got to test run some awesome new bath towels that Daddy picked up! Rosie says that the photos don’t do them justice.

Tuesday was the day I headed to LA. I told them I had to go on an airplane “for the workplace” and Steven said, “Again??” Sammy told me, “I always want to be with you.” Amaya was nonplussed.

I was able to get the kids ready for school and set with breakfast which was nice. They’ve been making muffins with Rosie on Mondays and love eating them on Tuesday mornings. True to form, everyone wanted them differently. Steven wanted his whole with butter on top. Amaya wanted hers cut in little pieces without butter. Sammy wanted his in three pieces, a little warm with butter. These kids most definitely have points of view!

Sammy was upset because he wanted to see himself take the photo.

All better!

I’m working on pigtails for Amaya! Two ponies! Not bad but I need to work on cleaner parts and even piggies. I’m told I should get a specific type of comb and also do the pigtails from the front, not behind. Since the best way to do Amaya’s hair is when she’s distracted by her meal, I think she may need uneven pigtails for a bit longer.

Tuesday was Amaya’s first swim class!! Now that she’s fully potty trained, her tuition includes weekly swim lessons. Rosie stuck around this first day to give me comfort that it was a safe environment. It’s a zero entry pool and there are 4 kids with 2 teachers and an instructor. Rosie was told that most kids don’t make it in the water their first day but Amaya went in! I’m so proud of her for trying.

Tuesday night I was off to LA. I’d been worried about Steven because he’s so particular about me waking him up in the morning. I left a wake up video on Rosie’s phone to show him on Wednesday. These adorable children returned the favor with a video of their own. LOVE.

I think it also helped that they had the excitement of a visit from Grandma Sunshine while I was gone!

I was also treated to a goodnight video. Thank you, Rosie!

Kind of a non-sequitur but this is where the the photo showed up in my photo stream so there is where I’m going to pause and talk about it. On 1/27, the kids’ school had a community Shabbat. There’s a Shabbat service every Friday for the kids but, at this one, family was invited along with “members of the community” like police officers and fire fighters. Steven told me he saw two police officers and a fireman there. So lovely that they do this for the kids.

Last week we got access to photos that another parent took at the community Shabbat. I scoured them for the boys (Amaya was home sick) and found this one of Steven and Sammy. I just love, love, love that Steven is sitting on Miss Penny’s lap. It says so much to me about the care they take. Our kids are in great hands.

When I travel to the west coast I often take a red eye home which I’m always miserable about as I board the plane but happy about when I’m home so early in the day. On Friday morning I had a chance to see the kids before they went to school and then had the whole afternoon to hang out. Best welcome home!

Our family photos were rescheduled for Saturday and were a bit of a shit show as one might expect when you try to get three strong willed three year olds to cooperate in photos for an hour. Last weekend I came prepared with m&ms to bribe Steven, Sammy and Amaya but I was unprepared this weekend and I paid for it. I tried to bribe them with future m&ms which only went so far but, sure enough, as soon as the photo shoot was done, off I went with my three 3 year olds to get some m&ms. (Also, for what it’s worth, I was planning to go by myself to get a breather but Amaya asked to come with me. Then Steven. Them Sammy. I’m a sucker and my “breather” turned into a trip to the store with the kids. They were great, though. Excellent listeners.)

Jason is working on some home renovations so we all went to Ikea today to do some shopping. Three hours later and the kids had explored most of the store and we left with nothing we went for. Sounds about right!

Everyone got their own “ruler”.

They loved following the arrows.

Moving in! Steven’s even taking measurements.

If we had room, I’d love to get SSA a tent like this. Steven and Amaya spent a good 20 minutes in there while Jason and Sammy wandered the store.

When Steven saw this he said, “It’s like where the doggies go!” He remembers that from a dog show we saw back in mid-November.

Making herself comfortable.

Making himself comfortable.

Lunch for 5 at Ikea!

Ready for the Super Bowl!

Oh, potty time. Lord help me. I made three trips to the potty at Ikea. One trip for Amaya. One for Sammy. One for Amaya and Sammy. In this last photo, Steven was crying because he was scared of the automatic flush toilet and I had to hang onto Sammy because he thought the potty seat was shaky. Selfie skill level – MASTER.

It was a great trip. So much fun to see SSA explore.

Our final adventure for the weekend was a haircut for Sammy preceded by a “haircut” for Amaya. She was mostly interested so she could use my iPad. In this photo, Steven is telling Amaya that her drawing is beautiful. <3

I got tired of holding the iPad for Sammy so I finally propped it on a stuffed animal and my knees. I only have so much to give!

Steven this week!

A text exchange with Jason from my flight perfectly sums up Steven:
Me: Bumpity Bumpy Bumpy
Jason: What would Steven do if he were there?
Me: Explain air currents and pressure to me.
Jason: And say, “OHHH! I LOVE fluid dynamics!!!!”

Dinosaur tail!

Mr. Focus

Walking his monkey while wearing his monkey.

Helping Daddy paint

FaceTime with Nana

Taking care of Baby Jenna. Her clothes were in the wash after haircuts and he was very worried she’d be cold without her clothing. Sweet boy.

Sammy!

Two Sammy stories this week. First, after naps today he was the first up and, as I was hugging him, this was our exchange:

Me: I love you.
Sammy: And I love you.
Me: Your love is such a gift, Sammy.
Sammy: And I love Miss Penny.
Sammy: And I love Miss Lena.

His teachers! lol I’m so, so glad he loves them but there I was thinking we were having a special mommy/son moment. Nope! But it’s wonderful he has so many people in his life that he loves.

At bedtime, I asked him what song he wanted me to sing.

Sammy: Hmmmm. Let me think. I like songs about monkeys.
Me: “Oooh oooh ahhh ahhh this is a monkey song!”
Sammy: I didn’t tell you that I wanted you to sing a song about monkeys. I told you I like songs about monkeys.

Working on letters.

Big news for Sammy this week! He decided he wanted to start wearing “purple underwear” and use the potty! He’s doing great. I’m so proud and also so happy we waited for him to tell us it was time. (Steven is adamant that he’s not ready yet.)

Tried using Wonder Pets on my iPad to get him to poop. Just like with Amaya, it’s not a good go-to idea. One and done with that. He’s such a big boy, though. Blows my mind.

Amaya this week!

Just a few photos of Amaya from the week. Here, I was telling her about Poppy Steven. She asked me why “baby Mommy” was poking his face, lol.

Getting a spin in the chair from Steven! She loves to spin in that chair!

That’s all I’ve got! Have a great week!