Last weekend Jason was put in time out for throwing a foam block. Monday started with Linny in a time out. I couldn’t remember why he was there so I showed the picture to Sammy and he reminded me that it was because Linny hit Cow. lol It’s true! I can’t believe he remembered that but, then again, he was the one who put Linny in time out so I guess the infraction stuck with him. 😉

Mornings are generally pretty rushed but Tuesday morning we were able to get in a little bit of family time before everyone went to work. That’s what happens when the kids are cranky and clingy. Well played, kids!

Sammy  had tough mornings into Wednesday. He was a little under the weather and just generally unhappy. Poor Bubba. Megan was able to turn it around with a trip to a park in Plymouth for a kids music event/picnic.

Happy Whamsicle! That’s what I like to see.

I had a meeting in Lansing on Wednesday and got home a little earlier than usual, just in time to meet Ashley and the kids on a walk in the neighborhood. There is nothing like the feeling of seeing your kids take off running  to you when they see you – with big, huge hugs when they reach you.

I left for work on Thursday morning and realized, very quickly, that I had a flat. Booooo. But it made for a fun morning for Steven, Sammy and Amaya.

Steven was explaining that the worker coming to fix my tire was coming in a truck. Maybe red. Maybe blue. I love his certainty.

Watching Robert from AAA hard at work. He was really nice. He let the kids see his jack and showed them the screw in my tire once it was removed.

Steven had PT and Amaya had a bit of a cold so, rather than send her with Megan, Steven and Sammy, she came to Discount Tire with me. It definitely helped me pass the time.

 

Counting pine cones.

Steven, working hard at PT.

Hooray for summer!! I love that we’re getting a 3rd summer out of the water table. It’s fun to see how the play has evolved over the years.

Sammy had another tough morning on Friday. He was fine within minutes of me leaving but it’s so hard to leave him when he’s crying and begging me to stay. Brutal, really. I have to keep reminding myself that he’s always totally fine minutes later.

Story time with Ashley!

And story time with Nana! Yay!! Nana’s here!

We spent all Saturday morning out on the deck.

The got bug binoculars from our friend Meghan and I’ve been waiting all winter to catch a cool bug use them. Jackpot!

We brought out paint brushes so the kids could paint on the deck.

Hats. <3

Grandpa Homey and Grandma Betsy sent some unexpected treats for the kids, all a huge hit!

Amaya says it’s a castle. Steven says it’s a tent.

The highlight of the weekend was my bucket list adventure with Jason to see Lionel Richie at Caesar’s in Windsor.  Lionel Richie!! We left around 4pm so we could have dinner and gamble before the show. It’s so nice to have that much uninterrupted time together. Thanks Nana!

We had second row seats and I near about lost my mind. He’s so good. If he tours near you, go go GO!

Toward the end of the show, I joined a group that went right up to the stage. That’s my hand right there! I was against the stage, center, for the last 4 or 5 songs of the concert. It was incredible.

I woke this morning to find Steven, Sammy and Amaya on an airplane flying to Nana’s house. Steven was sure to remind me to buckle my seat belt when I sat down with them.

It was a quiet morning followed by brunch out and then a quick trip to the grocery store. A nice quiet Sunday after the excitement of last night.

TV time before bed – Sammy and Daddy. <3

Steven this week!

Sammy this week!

Those cheeks look like Steven.

Stars on the ceiling.

Amaya this week!

She has a baby named Lisa in her belly.

Amaya has been sleeping with this cookie monster towel all week.

And that’s it! Have a good one!

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads! We all loved celebrating Jason today. But first…

On Monday, while Steven and I were flying back from NY, Sammy and Amaya went to a local splash pad. How cute are they?

I took the whole day off so, in the afternoon, Ashley and I took the kids for frozen yogurt.

Steven doesn’t like ice cream so he stuck with fruit. This kid, lol. Back in April when we went out for ice cream he just wanted to eat pears instead. I definitely won’t discourage him! (Side note: At bedtime I sing songs to the kids. Amaya usually asks me to sing a song about ice cream. She’ll tell me who’s eating ice cream, what kind we’re having and if there are sprinkles. Lately, it’s been Amaya, Mommy and Else eating ice cream in the song. On Friday night, Elsa didn’t want ice cream. She just wanted fruit.)

Often, before I leave for work, the kids want me to stay and play for a bit. It’s hard to say no so I rarely do. <3

So creative.

Wednesday was a “sweets” theme. Amaya had popsicles, Steven had an ice cream cone and Sammy had a lollipop. The socks are my favorite part. I’m almost disappointed when their socks match.

Wednesday night, Sammy and I drove to Grandma Sunshine’s house for a two night sleepover! I had a meeting in Lansing so it was easy enough for me to just take Sammy with me and leave him with Grandma until she came to our house on Friday. Happy, happy Bubba.

PT for Steven on Thursday. Amaya didn’t want her picture taken, lol.

Fun for Sammy with Grandma!

Dinner out with Grandma and Aunt Annette. He had his heart set on going to a restaurant and I was confident Grandma wasn’t going to disappoint!

On Friday morning, Baby Taco came to work with Megan. Steven was very excited to show her all of his farm animals. Amaya told us she’s Baby Taco’s mommy.

Megan had family in town so she packed up Steven, Amaya and Taco and met up with her family at Kensington Park.

The kids love Megan’s mom. Though they might still call her “Steffie’s mommy”. 🙂

Sammy returned home to us in the afternoon, just in time to take Grandma, Steven and Amaya for an airplane ride.

Captain Sammy!

Friday afternoon, Ashley guided Steven, Sammy and Amaya on a special Father’s Day gift for Jason. They had a blast. (Later that night, Amaya told Daddy, “We made a shirt for you with paint. It’s a kuprise.”)

Friday evening, the weekend really got started when Aunt Ouize, Nancy and Abe arrived!! Hooray!!

It took hardly any time at all for Amaya to climb into Abe’s lap. She tried to do it slyly, too, literally slinking over him keeping a side-eye on the rest of us to see if we noticed.

On Saturday morning the Father’s Day prep continued! Amaya was the only taker for our special craft and she was very excited about it. Also super cooperative.

Yoda Best Dad, Jason!!

Once Yoda was done, Steven decided he wanted in on the fun but he wanted blue. Dark blue, not light blue. 🙂

Amaya also insisted I paint both of her hands.

Late morning we had some pool time! Everyone is getting more into the spirit of summer water fun. Even Steven went down the slide which he’s been a little hesitant about until now.

Filling up their buckets with Aunt Ouize.

Watering the bushes with Nancy.

Washing Daddy’s car! The hose was a huge it and I was pretty impressed with how well everyone did taking turns.

After a quick nap, the whole gang headed to Detroit for our first family baseball game!! It was a lot of fun and a LOT of work. Afterward, Jason and I both said we were very glad it wasn’t just the 5 of us there. The extra hands were very much needed and extremely helpful.

Waving to Daddy. <3

Amaya brought the little bucket in her left hand and the ponytail holder in her right hand. I am surprised to say they both made it home with us. This face us such classic Amaya.

Turns out, when you’re three and have trouble drinking from a water bottle, a little plastic play doh bucket makes a great cup.

Counting batters with Daddy.

Steven and I went for a walk on the concourse and he was very clear about the direction he wanted to go.

The whole gang!!

We made it until the top of the 8th before heading out. The kids did as well as I think we could have hoped for 3 three year olds at a baseball game. Definitely an awesome experience.

This morning started off with Fathers’s Day gifts for Jason. Happy Father’s Day, Daddy! I know these kids couldn’t ask for a better dad and I love sharing this life with you. ♥ ♥ ♥

The masterpiece!

Amaya was so into the shirt. She kept telling Jason, “I need to touch the paint”. And “It’s shiny!” Anytime he wants 1:1 time with Amaya I suspect this shirt will do the trick.

One more shirt story. Jason went out right before the kids went to bed and he was still wearing his Father’s Day shirt. Sammy asked him if he was going to show it to everyone. “Will you show everyone the shirt we made for you?” My heart near about burst.

Oddly today, there were wild turkeys in the backyard. Steven is telling everyone to be quiet so we don’t scare them away. (You can kind of see them in the top left corner of the pictures.)

Everyone loved singing with Nancy!

(Don’t mind the crying in this next one. Steven really wanted to play the guitar. Another one should be here tomorrow. 😉 )

It was a quiet afternoon before we said goodbye to everyone at bedtime and the day wrapped up with story time with Daddy.

Jason – I hope you enjoyed your day as much as we all did!

And one last story. Steven’s memory and integration of events is incredible. On Friday, he was flying a pretend airplane with Grandma Sunshine. When the plane landed, Grandma told Sammy he could get off the airplane but Steven said, “Wait! We have to taxi first!” Then tonight I was listening at their door and Steven was telling Sammy that he had to wait until the pilot made the plane ding and then Sammy can get off the plane. My little traveler. 🙂

Have a great week!

The best part is always the weekend, so I’m going to start there. Especially because this weekend Steven and I were in NY together! This age is so much fun because the kids are old enough to start anticipating event and Steven had been anticipating this trip all week long. (They can all also tell you that next them they all get to go, including Daddy, who will have to duck his head when he gets on the airplane.)

New Steven-sized headphones!

He did not stop talking for the full 45 minutes we were at the gate. There was a ton of activity outside the window and Steven narrated it all, punctuated by announcements every time the airport tram went by. “Look now mommy! You don’t want to miss it!”

I know I’m biased but other passengers confirmed just how cute Steven is as they walked past him in the aisle.

We got to Nana and Papa’s house around 11pm but that didn’t stop Steven from waking by 6:30am, just like normal. Right away, he was busy playing.

Back in NY, Amaya and Sammy had adventures of their own.

First up, Megan came to pick up Amaya and she spent the morning “babysitting” Taco. She was very excited. In fact, when she’s grown up she says she’s going to be Taco’s mommy.

During the week, Amaya told us she’d push Baby Taco’s stroller to the park. Her “stro-yer”, in Amaya speak.

Lunch time! What a lucky, lucky girl. Thank you Megan!!

In NY, Steven, Charlie, Aunt Sara and I made a morning visit to Savta’s house. There’s always so much to see.

 I

And, in MI, Rosie and Sammy headed to Maybury Farm! Three trips for Sammy by June 10th. Not too shabby!

Out for lunch with Roise. 🙂

After nap, we had plans to go to the beach for Chase’s 9th birthday party. (NINE!) Steven has been struggling with the transition from pants to shorts this year. The only way I could get him in his bathing suit was by putting Nana’s socks on him and pulling them up to his knees. Eventually I got him to take the socks off but it’s a daily challenge right now.

Steven had a great time at the beach! So much fun! He’s at the perfect age for fun in the sand.

The party was down closer to the ocean so Steven made the long, long walk from the cabana. I was so proud of how far he walked.

He loved looking at the ocean but wasn’t quite ready to put his fit in the water. Maybe in August.

There was pizza and subs and brownies for dinner but Steven was most excited about the bag of blueberries I brought for him.

It was an awesome day. I can’t wait until Steven, Sammy and Amaya are all back at the beach in August.

Amaya and Sammy, mesmerized by something on tv on Saturday afternoon.

On Sunday morning, Steven and I were able to attend SunriseWALKS to benefit Sunrise Day Camp. It was amazing! I couldn’t believe how many people were there and how extensive the event was.

Someone got tired of the stroller…

Steven insisted on playing the balloon pop game.

After the walk, Steven and I took a special trip to the “park” to look at the stones with names on them. My dad’s marker was pretty dirty so Steven had fun washing it with me. (We’re going to get it power washed. There’s only so much we could do with bottled water and diapers.)

While we were enjoying the walk, Sammy, Amaya and Rosie were at a park festival which included a picnic lunch and some amazing ice cream.

At that was our weekend! Here are a few quick highlights from the rest of the week.

Park time on Monday. I hate sand (when it’s not the beach) but I think I’m the only one so I’m glad there are other people to take the kids to sandboxes.

Steven’s backhoe.

Another Tuesday in Amaya fashion.

Sammy refused to swim on Tuesday. Eventually, Miss Lena told him that he had to get himself dressed if he didn’t want to swim. She said she’s never seen him dress himself that fast. I’ve never seen him dress himself at all!!

Sammy is usually pretty tired by lunch time on school days which results in semi-frequent meltdowns. Poor Bubba.

On Wednesday, Steven and I went to the Kellogg Eye Center at U of M for an eye exam. He’d been there in April 2014, too, which I was reminded of from his patient paperwork. He was only 9lbs at the time! We were there because his physical therapist thought he was having tracking issues. A 2 hr appointment, one dilation and three doctors later we learned his tracking is just fine. He does have a moderate astigmatism in his right eye that they want us to watch yearly but, overall, it was clean bill of health for the Bobes. He did so well at the appointment. He cried a bit after the dilating drops but was super cooperative during the exams.

While we were at the eye doctor, Sammy, Amaya and Megan went to the farm!

The kids got some outside time with Ashley.

  

Steven loves lawn mowers from a distance but not always close up. When he heard one, he scrambled on Ashley’s lap. Later on, he asked if they could take a picture together.

It’s also getting warm enough for more regular use of the “pool”.

It’s no surprise that Amaya loves the slide.

Last but DEFINITELY not least, Friday was Steven, Sammy and Amaya’s last day of preschool! Their first year! It was only 2 mornings/week but it was a start and it was their start. We couldn’t have asked for more from the JCC Child Development Center. The programming and support is amazing for little people and their parents, too.

Last day smiles!

I am bowled over by how much they’ve grown in the past 9 1/2 months.

Sammy also wanted to take some photos on the sidewalk.

With Miss Penny

With Miss Lena – Sammy’s first love (besides me 😉 )

After school, Megan took SSA out for a last day of school celebratory lunch!

And that’s it! Have a great week! I suspect we will, too. 🙂

Happy Birthday, Aunt Sara!

There was no blog last weekend because I was off gallivanting with the Bitcherie in Lake Geneva, WI. Tenth annual!! Man, I love these ladies. ♥ ♥ ♥

Nana was still here where I last left off and we had the chance to all go out for lunch on Monday. There’s a Chili’s right around the corner from my office and it’s the perfect quick lunch spot with three 3 year olds.

As a bonus, Taco joined us for lunch! Steven, Sammy and Amaya were so excited to help her eat.

Aunt Ouize and Uncle Todd got the kids this K’Nex building set and it’s really clicking now. They loved it from the beginning but everyone is getting so creative with their designs. It’s really cool to watch.

Every now and then, SSA want to help me get ready in the morning. I need to be very clear that “help” is used loosely. It’s usually more about emptying my drawers, fighting over the bathroom chair, and pretending to use Jason’s shaver.

On Thursday, I set off for Lake Geneva. It was heavenly, and full of laughs and laughs and laughs. So much laughing.

Jason, Megan, Ashley, Rosie and Steffie all held down the fort while I was gone. The kids have really taken to Ashley and they were super excited to get to see Rosie again.

LOVE this picture.

Rosie took the kids to Maybury Park on Saturday morning. I love to see Steven climbing!

Painting!

I never know what I’ll open the door to when I come home from work. Sometimes it’s a serenade.

On Wednesday afternoon, Amaya went off with Grandma Sunshine for the first sleepover of the season. She was so excited! Here, the boys are waving goodbye as Grandma and Amaya drive off.

Made it!! As always, Daddy’s big head is there waiting for them.

As Amaya requested, she went to a restaurant! Aunt Annette joined in on the fun, too.

Happy, tired girl.

Morning was quiet at home with just two of the kids there. Megan took the opportunity to take Steven and Sammy to a park that’s a little tough to manage alone with all 3 kids.

Amaya was at a park of her own with Grandma!

Steven’s physical therapist did some testing over the past two weeks to see where he’s tracking. He’s on target with his age for stationary and object manipulation but is only at about 23 months for locomotion (stairs, jumping – mobility things). It’s not terribly surprising since we saw the need for PT in the first place but, still, I’m glad they’ll be able to increase him from 1x/week PT to 2x/week. He’s a hard working, Bobes! (Mommy & Daddy might have to be a little harder working with his at-home exercises, though.)

On Saturday morning there was a big MSU sale in East Lansing that Jason wanted to attend. Since it was near his mom’s house, he decided to drive out on Friday night and take Steven along for the adventure.

Here he’s explaining why they were going to take Daddy’s car instead of Steven’s silver car. “But I like silver!”, he cried! For the record, Jason’s car is silver too. But Steven wants what Steven wants and Jason did a great job redirecting him. This was all before work. Steven went to bed worrying about which car they’d take and was still thinking about it in the morning.

Painting with new paint trays and brushes.

I need a new car seat for my car. We’re not keeping this one but the kids sure did have a good time playing with!

When Jason got home and was ready to head to Lansing, I though Steven would jump out of his skin he was so excited. It was adorable.

Morning at Grandma’s!

With just two kids at home, Sammy, Amaya and I decided to hit up Farm Fest at Maybury Farm. Most of my pictures make it look relatively empty but, by the time we left, it was packed. They had a ton of activities for the kids. Games with prizes, story time, sheep sheering, wagon rides and good. It was gorgeous out, too, though hot and I probably should have insisted that Sammy wear shorts. This is the perfect kind of event for a 1:2 ratio because I was able to let Sammy and Amaya explore without worrying that I couldn’t keep my eyes on everyone.

Gelato! Amaya picked chocolate and Sammy picked strawberry. It’s really cute to hear them try to say “gelato”, especially Amaya who pronounces “L”s as “Y”s. “Geyato”.

Story time! The kids ten to stay pretty close to me so I was really proud that they were willing to venture onto the grass, a bit away from me.

It’s hard to tell here but they’re running a course to the hay bale. Sammy is pushing a ball with a fly swatter and Amaya is riding a wooden pole like it’s a horse.

Hot dogs for lunch!

I love this picture of Sammy.

While we were at the farm, Steven was having his own fun with Grandma, Annette and Daddy!

Steven this week!

Making a magnatile creation. That’s a “window seat” on the edge there.

I came home from work one day and Steven couldn’t talk to me because he was on the phone with his friend. He walked around having a full on conversation for a long time. It was amazing to listen to. “Hi!… How are you?… Good?… I’m good…Do you want to come to my house later?”

A K’Nex creation!

Sammy this week!

He asked Ashley to take this picture and send it to me. Sammy is the most technologically savvy of the kids. He loves using our phones. He’s already a swipe master and I have a million of his selfie videos on my phone.

Putting on his shoes. Yes, he has socks on with his sandals. 🙂

Reading with Ashley

Flying!

Amaya this week!

This girl’s outfits, lol!

Why not wear Steven’s underwear, right?

Amaya was hysterical because she wanted to pee standing up. I explained over and over again why she can’t but she was so insistent I said, “Fine. You can try but you’ll see that you’re going to pee all over yourself.” I figured it would be a lesson.

She’d have moved into that car seat if I’d have let her.

At that’s it for the week! Have a good one!