Monday morning we said goodbye to most of our visitors. 🙁 Aunt Sara, Chase, Charlie, Uncle Austin and Papa all headed out early but we were happy to Nana and Savta stay for one more day.

After school, Steven and Amaya got right into some of their birthday presents. Steven and Nana made a terrarium and Amaya painted magnetic tiles.

Madison brought an amazing assortment of birthday gifts for SSA. When I got home from work they were chomping at the bit to open them.

A tornado for Steven! WOAH!!!

Sammy was so excited about My Little Pony Guess Who? that he told me I could open his last gift in the pile.

Amaya’s favorite was this Jojo Siwah bow. I wish I had her reaction on video. She literally fell over on the floor squealing, “I saw this at the store and really wanted it and now I don’t have to get it as a staying-in-bed prize!!!!”

Thank you, Madison!

On Monday night, Steven realized the iPad has a calculator. He was very excited to do math. This week he told me that he knows that 5+0=5 because he “pushed five and then a plus and then a zero and then the done button and it said five”.

On Tuesday Sammy got into the post-birthday fun with rock painting! Today he also discovered that they come with transfer decals, too.

Amaya and Madison made her unicorn dream catcher.

Steven has been so into Legos and he’s really good at it! He’s got a ton of vehicles built. On his own, he can put together the sets in the 5- 12 age range. I’m not sure what I expected but I’ve been surprised to see him master it so quickly.

Tuesday was also our 8th anniversary! Jason and I were able to get out together to celebrate. <3

On Wednesday there was a ton of ice and after a lot of back and forth, and trouble getting the van down the icy driveway, SSA ended up staying home for the day. Nothing like a little hair chalk to reset the mood for the day.

Wednesday is my dance night but I’ve been managing to get home for some quality kid time before I head back out. I’ve got my Bubba. “Heart this one, Mommy.” (They’ve learned that you can “favorite” photos.)

Steven is still going to bed after Sammy and Amaya and, when it’s sleep time, I cuddle with him for a little bit. The hardest part is getting him to stay quiet. 🙂 On Wednesday night he told me, “I just love talking. Can’t you realize I love talking?” He sure does!

Dance Thursday. Sammy was learning to tie his shoes.

Sammy “hurt” his foot at school and was limping after tap so, exercising good caution, Madison let him sit out of jazz. Spoiler alert: He’s fine.

Friday was another pajama day at school. Sammy and Steven were sporting new slippers from Madison. (Star Wars and Rainbow Dash, respectively.)

We had some game time and lego time after work. It’s always nice to actually be able to relax with the kids for a bit before bedtime.

Steven made this boat! He’s run out of Lego sets to build and is pretty disappointed about it. Good thing someone I know is going to San Diego Legoland with his mom in 10 days.

The bowl from Grandpa Homey and Grandma Betsy was a water traffic circle.

Facetime with Charlie resulted in about 200 new screenshots on my phone lol. Steven will say, “I’m going to call people now.”

Saturday morning started with legos. Amaya and I finished a Minecraft city she’d been working on while Steven’s villains and superheroes came to cause and prevent trouble.

Yesterday we finally opened Steven’s tornado. Whoo boy! I think this is his new favorite toy. It has different levels ranging from EF1 to EF5 along with a little foam house, cow and tree to get swept up in the tornado. Even I’m having fun watching it.

Tornado, tornado all day long.

Game time with Daddy – the new Hatchimal game.

Ready, Set, Yeti with Mommy

Daddy is still a very comfortable resting spot for tv time.

Hard at work with the spirograph.

This child. <3 Her Sunday morning best.

Last night Amaya decided we should all have sushi for dinner and Sammy was excited to dig into some of his leftovers for breakfast, as you do.

It was time for a trim for Steven and, after seeing photos of Amaya at Cookie Cutters, he’s been waiting for his turn. He picked the airplane, Super Why? and an orange lollipop. There were some initial nerves for his first out-of-home haircut but he did great, with great results. And there were even seats for Sammy and Amaya while they waited.

Back at home, the fashionista was at it again. I love this cardigan. It was a Hanukkah gift from Madison and Amaya wears it so well. I don’t think I could pull it off.

Tornadoes, tornadoes, tornadoes. Back at home. During lunch. During a play date with our friends William, Sarah and Kenny. Tornadoes.

William, Sarah and Kenny are just two months younger than SSA and live around the corner. We’re in different school districts but the kids are starting to develop a really nice friendship that their mom, Nina, and I are hoping to nurture.

A 6-way game of Operation. Three buzzes and the next person gets to play.

Elsas!

This week felt a bit like the calm before the storm, possibly literally with the snow forecast ahead. It was nice to have some calm and quiet after the excitement of Steven, Sammy and Amaya’s birthday.

I’ll end this week with a video of a family game called “Smash”.

Have a great week!

Steven, Sammy and Amaya’s 5th birthday started quietly at home with My Little Pony shows and lots of games. We were so into the games I lost track of time and we had to scramble to get ready for their party!

Sammy had asked for pumpkin pie for their birthday and it wasn’t ready on Saturday night so a last treat before they got dressed for the day was some 10am pie. Perfect!

Party time!! Steven, Sammy and Amaya’s party was in the Romp ‘n Roll room at their school. It was a perfect space with a large area for our guests – Elsa and Belle – and a separate room for pizza and cake.

Thank to everyone, especially Nana, who helped me get pictures of the day.

I was up for three sets of decor but all three kids wanted My Little Pony. Done!

Guests rolled in starting around noon and I think the final count was 19 kids plus SSA. <3

Grandma Sunshine and Aunt Annette

Nana & Grandma

Ready for Elsa and Belle!

It took my kids a short second to warm up to Elsa and Belle but once they were in they were in.

The kids played a game where they had to find Olaf and Lumier. First Elsa and Belle hid them and then SSA got a turn to hide the “friends”. Everyone got treats once they were found.

Cousins! Another parent asked me about my older daughter. I can understand why she thought that!

Belle led everyone in a dance to Be Our Guest. You can see Sammy hanging out in the back on the climbing structure. He was a little nervous to join in but Elsa took note and was on the case, coaxing him into the mix.

Love it. <3

Balloon animals were a hit.

Sword fights! The Cline Boys vs. the Greaves Triplets.

Amaya and Madison

Madison’s mom came to the party, too. I’ve seen her picture so many times I assumed we’d met but nope! She’s as wonderful as her daughter.

Pictures with the Snow Queen. Elsa and Belle did a great job balancing special attention for the birthday kids and including all the kids.

(This is the same Elsa who came to our house for SSA’s 4th birthday.)

Then and Now. What a difference a year makes.

After Let It Go with Elsa, there was one last activity – face painting! Definitely a hit with the kids.

Sammy is so sweet I can barely stand it.

Showing him a side view of his Olaf.

Steven got very worried at first and wanted me to immediately tell Elsa that he wanted his hand painted, not his face. Of course she was able to honor that request, and a few other kids followed suit.

Cake time! Well, first, photo time. I’m in my pony shirt, too! That’s Maude. I dig Maude. Maude digs rocks.

Nana & Papa. (I have no idea what Steven was doing with his face in these next few photos. Return of the Deranged Toddler Smile? lol.)

Grandma Sunshine

Happy Birthday, Steven!

Happy Birthday, Sammy!

Happy Birthday, Amaya!

Sammy asked for a massive piece of cake. The entire length of the cake. We had to cut the piece in half just to fit in on the plate. I decided it wasn’t worth arguing with him about, though, because he’d almost certainly stop before eating it all and his eyes were SO big. He made impressive work of it, though!

Their party wrapped up with some private time with Elsa and Belle. We took photos and then Belle and Elsa each gave SSA a keepsake. Belle gave them a medallion featuring the rose and Elsa gave them a ring made from an ice crystal. (To that, Sammy said, “It’s not cold. I don’t think I believe you.” And Amaya said, “You gave me this ring last year. Did you bring another one because you knew I lost it?”

The kids said they had a great time and it sure seemed like it.

All that was left was opening this pile of amazing gifts. Wow, wow, WOW.

Looking through a big box of craft supplies from Grandma Sunshine.

We wrapped up an amazing birthday with dinner at Outback (and more dessert) and then it was off to bed. But not before Steven finished his Lego helicopter from May May.

Early in the day Amaya told me, “Today is my first day being five.”

At the end of the day I asked Steven how it felt to be five and he said, “How would I know? I’ve only been five for one day.”

Fair enough Steven. But I hope, one year from now, you and Sammy and Amaya say it was fantastic.

Mommy loves you. <3 <3 <3

Well, first of all, Steven, Sammy & Amaya are FIVE years old. Five! I truly can’t believe it. It doesn’t seem possible. Five.

I remember thinking this milestone was so far away. And here we are! In some ways it’s hard to accept that I’m exiting the years of parenting littles and, at the same time, it’s such a joy to watch Steven, Sammy and Amaya grow.

They are wonderful kids with spirit, smarts, sass and sensitivity and each is unique in their own special ways. We’re very lucky parents.

Backing up a bit, on Monday Madison did an activity with the kids where they drew something they were looking forward to in winter. All three drew snowmen and snowstorms. Sammy gave Amaya advice and input on her design which I love because I feel like it’s most often the other way around.

Intense post-work game play on the “laptop”/

On Tuesday, I fulfilled a promise to dye Amaya’s hair. We went with alternating pink and red. She’s become a very mature client.

Loves her look!

We were wearing socks 2 sizes too small and SSA were thrilled to get new My Little Pony socks. Amaya immediately claimed Twilight Sparkle. Steven claimed Rainbow Dash and it was Fluttershy for Sammy. They really do respect that their sibling has claim on a pony. (And I have claim on Maude Pie.)

On Wednesday morning Amaya told me her stomach and throat hurt. My first thought was strep and I made her a dr appointment just to be safe. No one wants lingering strep at a birthday party. It was her leader day at school and she she said she wanted to go to school but, before long, she told Madison that she didn’t feel well enough to go – she just didn’t want to miss her leader day. Decision made. And it was a good one because the poor girl threw up about 10 minutes after that. 🙁

We really can’t catch a break around their birthdays. On SSA’s 2nd birthday Amaya, Megan and I all had a stomach bug. Last year, Amaya and I got a stomach bug the week of their birthday. And here we were again, days before the big day and Amaya was sick.

The plan was that I’d stay home with Amaya while Madison took the boys to school and then I’d go into work. We made it close to the plan except that Steven got sick as soon as they pulled up to the JCC. 🙁 Madison turned around with both boys and it was a stay-at-home/sick day for everyone.

Amazingly, no one got sick again that day but you know Amaya and Steven were in recovery mode when they both fell asleep on the couch in the middle of the day.

Samscicle stayed occupied.

By the time I got home, everyone was back to normal! What a crazy bug! Though I did spend the next two days worrying that Jason, Sammy or I would get it.

We wrapped up the day with Mommy vs. Kids rounds of Guess Who? (“Does your person have a hat?”

At bedtime Steven insisted that he was starving and, since he didn’t eat much all day, we let him come back downstairs for a bowl of cereal. It’s good odds he was playing us but, boy, was he sweet.

The Clines were in great shape on Thursday but poor Madison wasn’t. Jason took the kids to school and I took the afternoon off. Their excitement when I picked them up made it more than worth it.

Before they left, their friend Lisa gave everyone a hug goodbye. Apparently she does that every day.

It was Sammy’s leader day at school which meant he got to bring a book and a toy. His toy was his Shimmer and Shine music microphone. Before we left, he let each friend take a turn pushing the button. It was so cool to see him confidently interacting with his peers.

After school we went to pick up cookies for their in-school birthday celebration, scheduled for the next day. We needed Kosher, nut-free options which left us with one local bakery to visit. We saw some unicorn cookies while we were there and I had three kids who quickly suckered me into some extra treats.

By some miracle, I remembered that Thursday is dance day. We got to dance class just in time for 3:30pm tap and I was proud of myself until I realized that I left their shoes at home. Waaaaaahhh. The kids were in tears but I convinced them it would be okay to dance in socks one day. I texted Madison to let her know about my screw up and she said, “Well you still have time to go home and get them.” Huh? Turns out tap was at 4pm. Ooops. So I bribed the kids to get back in the car and go home for their dance shoes. Crisis averted.

Birthday at school!!

Ms. Bri went all out with their crowns. Steven has a sheep (Morminer), Amaya has a unicorn and Sammy has his puppy!

And birthdays mean we get visitors from NY! Nana, Papa, Savta, Chase and Charlie flew in in the early afternoon. Aunt Sara arrived late night and Uncle Austin drove from Pittsburgh. Yay!

I can’t overstate the noise level when the kids got together. It was incredible.

Lighting the Shabbat candles with Nana and Savta.

On Saturday morning, Nana got up with all 5 kids. They watched a little TV and then headed to Starbucks while the rest of us slept.

Ms. Fashionista

The newest STEM kit came from Grandma Sunshine and Chase & Steven spent a nice amount of time together building a roller coaster. Super cool!

We opened up a ton of presents! Lots of legos and ponies. 🙂

Steven is getting better and better putting his legos together. He just needs a little bit of support but, really, he’s got it.

Amaya is also doing a great job, and has a ton of focus on her projects.

EMT Steven is on the case to help Daddy! (Thanks Auntie and Dod Shuki!)

Steven, Sammy and Amaya all loved these wonderful bowls from Grandpa Homey and Grandma Betsey. They also got fun stuffed animals and a spirograph! <3

Nana got a well deserved rest.

And, the kids took an opportunity to go play in the snow! It was perfect snow for their sleds and we’re lucky enough to have a hill right in our backyard.

We wrapped up our Saturday with a rousing game of Guess Who? Fast becoming one of my favorites.

On the last night with 4 year olds, Jason and I put balloons in the kids’ bedrooms to mark the morning as soon as they woke up. FIVE. It’s incredible.

I’m already a day behind on the blog update and I still haven’t covered their actual birthday. I was so tired last night that I fell asleep in Steven’s bed at 8pm. I’m going to save that for it’s own update tomorrow. But needless to say, they had a phenomenal day.

As we prepare for the big FIVE, here are the Clines.

Despite how it looks from the photos above, Steven struggled through the photo shoot. The next two photos are more representative of his mood through most of the hour. He was especially displeased at the request to hold Sammy’s hand.

Photo credit: Daphne Doerr Photography

Monday was a return to routine after our two week break. Steven, Sammy and Amaya were ready for school! (Mostly. Mid-week, it hit Sammy that he wasn’t spending as much time with his parents but he recovered by the end of the week.)

It cracks me up that the boys wear their hats over their hoods.

Amaya put Madison in jail.

Steven, explaining stuff.

Piling on daddy!

Steven is still passing by the time before bedtime by rotating through family on Facetime. The top targets are Grandpa Homey, Nana & Papa, Aunt Ouize and Chase. He’s getting pretty proficient with it, too.

The kids brought home these “thankful” statements that they wrote back in November. Lowercase letters are very new for SSA.

Steven and Amaya are pretty solid with their uppercase letters but you can see that this is a new exercise with lowercase. According to Ms. Bri, Sammy struggles a bit with writing because he doesn’t hold his pencil firmly enough. In response to a similar comment from another parent, an occupational therapist in my triplet mom group suggested we slide nuts on the pencil – secured by rubber bands above and below – to give the pencil more weight. General hand strengthening fine motor skill activities are also recommended. I need to remember to doctor a pencil for Sammy and see if it helps.

Sammy wrote, “I am thankful for Savta.”

Amaya wrote, “I am thankful for Elsa.”

Steven wrote, “I am thankful for Ms. Bri, My Ma – Steven.”

Tuesday was warm and wet so Madison took Steven, Sammy and Amaya on a puddle hunt. (Spoiler alert: our block consistently has mediocre puddles. But it’s still fun to hunt for them.)

Jason and I both had some quality time with SSA after work. I read some stories and Jason, at Sammy’s request, explained his workday to the kids – complete with spreadsheets!

It was back to dance class for me on Wednesday night. Before I left, Steven grabbed on to my leg and we had a fun gag where I pretended I wouldn’t be able to dance well because something was weighing down my leg. What could it be? We laughed and laughed and laughed.

When I came home from dance, I found Steven on the iPad and about 500 screen shots on my phone from his various conversations. It went something like this:

Mending is skill I wouldn’t have said I have in my arsenal but the past (almost) 5 years have demonstrated that necessity is the mother of skill development. Sammy ripped the side seams of his favorite rash guard. He has many others but really wants to wear his octopus to swim class so I got to work and fixed it for him. I also sewed a hole in a pair of Amaya’s favorite leggings. It looks rough, but I got the job done. It’s a weird dichotomy. I don’t like doing the work but I do like doing stuff for my kids.

After work on Thursday Amaya wanted to build legos with me but I already promised to play Carcassonne with Steven so we made a deal that I would build with them before work/school if they got ready right away. So this is how Madison found us when she arrived on Thursday morning. (And Friday morning.)

It was back to dance class for SSA! They were definitely ready.

I got a text from Madison that said, “Amaya is getting annoyed with Sammy. She’s having to tell him which way to go and when to do moves. She was just pointing trying to get him to turn around. You should have seen her face!”

Watching his brother and sister.

Steven’s turn to join in for jazz class.

Thursday bedtime books with Daddy.

The Original Three – getting ready to Facetime with Bobes.

In addition to Facetiming everyone he knows. Steven also loves to send texts to Jason.

Saturday was our annual family photo shoot with Daphne Doerr Photography. Steven was a pistol. He was whiny and difficult for at least half of the time. It was very frustrating. Fortunately, it doesn’t take a full hour of smiles to (hopefully) get a handful of good photos in the key combos (family, kids, mommy/kids, daddy/kids). Fingers crossed she worked some magic.

Me, trying to help. Only somewhat successfully.

As a staying in bed prize, Amaya got this Disney Princess paper doll set. She spent about two hours, maybe more, coloring each princess with photos of the princesses as her color guide. I’m really impressed with her focus.

Sammy got to help Jason change a light bulb. The kids was so excited to help.

The kids and I built my TARDIS and then Steven and Amaya got busy playing.

The Weeping Angel is telling the Dalek, “I’m going to turn you into stone.)

We had a quiet morning at home before going to a birthday party for a school friend, Shoshana. (It was Shoshana’s family who hosted us for Rosh Hashana.)

The kids each wanted to play a game just with me. Sammy and I played a Candyland train game and then Steven and Amaya each played a game of Carcassonne with me. They’re getting really good! I realized that playing 1:1 is a great way for them to develop their skills, too, and it’s fun because our individual turns come so quickly. So we’ll do more of this!

Sammy made new slime. We got lucky and had extra glitter glue in the house. Much easier than play doh.

Amaya and Steven made a whole host of cards for Shoshana. It was very sweet.

Yesterday, the kids were asking Jason about the work he does. They haven’t spent time at his workplace the way they have at mine so, today, Jason Facetimed with them from his office. They loooooved it. Amaya asked about his work talking to banks. 🙂

Love notes from Steven. <3

Our friend Shoshana had a birthday party at a dance studio today. They started with a craft, danced for a while and then had cake. Steven typically turns down cake, saying he doesn’t like it. Today he wanted to try it again and exclaimed loudly and with joy, “I like cake now!”

The craft was creating rainbows with fruit loops. It took a second for SSA to get comfortable joining the group with Steven last to get in the mix. I noticed that, in group settings where he’s uncomfortable, he’ll tell me that he can’t do XYZ because he’s itching and he scratches his back. It’s an interesting response/coping mechanism. I wonder if his discomfort actually makes him itch, if it’s just an easy go-to excuse or some combination of both.

Regardless, once he got into the groove he was totally into the craft.

This really sums up Steven, Sammy and Amaya’s approach. It always has, in fact. I could go back to artwork from when they were two and a half and see similar themes. I love it.

When we first got into the dance room, SSA absolutely clung to me. While the rest of the kids were dancing and having a blast, Steven, Sammy and Amaya wouldn’t leave my side. Eventually, I asked if they wanted me to dance with them and they said an immediate “yes”. Once I joined them they let loose and had so much fun. Sammy went from being the most reticent to the most enthusiastic of the three. Steven spent most of his time spinning in circles. Amaya had fun but stayed pretty close by my side the whole time. It was so much fun to watch them. (Especially Sammy.)

Last pic. Chase. Suddenly nearly a man. Blows me away.

Oh, wait. One more thing. I had this exchange with Amaya earlier in the week with a witness (Madison).

Me: We’re not eating chips on the carpet any more. I’m cleaning up a ton of crumbs. People don’t live like animals.

Amaya: Well, technically, people are animals.

This girl…

Have a great week! It’s Steven, Sammy and Amaya’s last week as four year olds!

Madison was sick on Monday and my office was closed so I had an unexpected day on my own with the kids. We started off slowly with quiet play time at home. Lincoln logs are making an appearance again and the kids can actually build structures on their own now. It’s always cool to see skills evolve from needing our assistance to independence.

When I learned that Madison couldn’t make it to work on Monday, I decided we needed an adventure. That adventure was our very first movie at a movie theater! Things I was nervous about:

1. Each of the kids having to go to the bathroom at different times during the movie.
2. All of the kids getting nervous and all of them wanting to simultaneously sit on my lap.
3. One or two of the kids wanting to leave while one or two others wanted to stay.

My fears were unfounded! At least for this movie trip. We got to the movie theater early, stocked up on snacks and got comfortable in our seats. The move theater has reclining seats and SSA loved working those buttons. Everyone made it through 2+ hours of Mary Poppins Returns and enjoyed the movie, too! In fact, the original Mary Poppins has since become a quick favorite in our house.

Steven called this a Sphinx. 🙂

Taking it all in. We were there pretty early – a good 20 min before the movie started. The theater filled up with a lot of families as it got closer to movie time. (I knew I could count on Amaya to not sit next to me if I positioned it as a big deal to get to sit next to a friendly stranger.)

Success!! <3 <3 <3

Amaya has been doing a lot of coloring lately and there’s marked growth in her ability to color in the lines and think about different color choices.

New Year’s Eve! How is it 2019? I don’t understand where time is going. Wasn’t I just pregnant? Wasn’t I just living in San Diego celebrating the year 2000? Wasn’t I just angry at my mom for making me skip a New Year’s Eve party in high school?

Steven, Sammy and Amaya were ready for the new year – as much as they can understand it. 🙂

Our midnight countdown at 6:30pm.

Happy New Year!

I think I’ve mentioned that we gave Steven an iPad to watch when we wakes up. (And for pre-bed Facetime and texting.) I’m not sure if I also mentioned that Amaya is clever and, after seeing the headphones in Steven’s room, realized he was watching shows. The end result was Kindle Fire’s for Sammy and Amaya so they can do the same. This week was the first week and there was definitely a learning curve for Jason and I with regards to making this work for everyone. The big problem is that, if Sammy or Steven happen to wake up at 3:30am, they’ll get out of bed and watch shows for the next 3.5 hours. That is NO. GOOD.

Tuesday, the 1st, was Sammy’s first morning with the tablet and it showed clearly when he fell asleep on Jason for well over an hour. Precious little boy.

Our New Year’s Day outing was a late lunch at Zingerman’s Road House. The bonus of a 2pm meal time is it means we’re only on the hook for breakfast at home and then a few snacks. Easy peasy meal day! And you can never go wrong with Zingerman’s.

This child, with his steak knife and decaf coffee. It’s too much. <3

Then and Now – Happy New Year!

Madison was back on Wednesday and Jason and I were back to work. I think January 2nd is the saddest work day of the year – after all the excitement of the holiday season and the quiet time at the office the week prior. We spiced it up with a lunch visit from Steven, Sammy and Amaya! I remember when their lunch visits felt like so much work but this visit was a breeze. The kids were great listeners, used their inside voices and made me feel like a hero with how excited they were to see me.

Everyone took a turn using the mouse on my computer. I have two monitors and Sammy was so curious about how the cursor moves from screen to screen without seeing it in the gap between the monitors.

Steven brought this picture for me. It’s another tornado. Of course. You can see that the house doesn’t have a door and is missing a window – the window is the square in the air next to the tornado and the door is the rectangle in the base of the funnel.

Queen Amaya and Princess Tiger had a relaxing afternoon. “Queens are very important.”

Thursday was a trip to the Ann Arbor Hands On Museum. It’s been a while since the kids had a blast.

Steven saw a twister!

The kids went to a presentation/lesson/class all about percussion instruments.

Making firework handprints!

This week we played a lot of Carcassonne – a gift to me from the Scofields. I’d never played the game before, and it’s not intended as a kids’ game, but Steven, Sammy, Amaya had I have been having a great time playing together. They’re really getting the hang of it!

Blokus is another new favorite. It’s definitely the season of games around here.

I mentioned the issue with the tablets. I have a morning routine of checking the cameras in the kids’ rooms and the netflix logs to see what happened over night. I noticed that Sammy was up, getting his tablet at 3:30am. If I had any doubt that he’d been up for hours, his mood in the morning confirmed it. Before he even ate breakfast, Jason scooped Sammy up and took him to our bedroom where he ended up napping from about 8:30am- 10am. That put in place the new curfews on the tablets (which I didn’t know existed) so the kids can’t use them before 5:30am. Hopefully this does the trick.

I wish we didn’t have them for Sammy and Amaya because the generally stayed quietly in their room until wake-up time but there’s no way we can get away with that now that they know Steven has one – and it’s been a game changer for Steven (who’s slept ~10 hrs/night the past two nights!).

While Sammy was napping, Steven and Amaya got their Lego on.

SSA love when their daddy draws them pictures – a big activity of late. They have lots of requests and Jason always delivers.

I’m assuming Steven asked Jason to write these specific words / sentences on the picture.

Steven drew his own picture of Rainbow Dash.

Steven, Sammy and Amaya all wanted some one on one time with me on Saturday so Jason worked with me to help make it happen.

First up was Steven, who wanted to go out for pancakes for lunch. We went to the Early Bird cafe in Northville where he charmed our waitress and the other patrons. One lady even stopped by our table on her way out to tell me how cute Steven is.

“I’m getting big enough to put my own butter on my pancakes. Soon I’ll be a whole hand.”

Next up was Sammy, who was ready in his coat when Steven and I got home. Originally he wanted to bring cupcakes to a fire station but changed his mind at the last minute and wanted to go somewhere to eat so we decided on Starbucks. First, though, was a trip to the car wash.

Then we made a quick stop at Target. I wanted to get a 2nd OK to Wake clock for Sammy and Amaya’s room. Now the kids have one clock that tells them it’s okay to use their table and another that says it’s wake-up time. (When I explained this plan to Steven – who had a clock on order – he said, “I don’t want a clock to control me.” I was really taken by that response. But he’s still getting the clock. 🙂 )

When we got to Starbucks Sammy said, “I want to eat a food that is not healthy. What food is the worst to eat?” 🙂 We settled on cake pops.

Amaya rounded out the day with a sushi dinner date.

She asked me to tell her the letters to write, “This restaurant looks like a house.” In fact, it does.

Another patron also complimented Amaya when we were on our way out. She said that Amaya was a wonderfully behaved young girl. Amaya responded by announcing that she’s four years old, some people call her a princess and she’s wearing lipstick. (She was.)

We had a quiet Sunday. Our only outing was to Five Below to stock up on more Staying-In-Bed prizes and I also took the opportunity to get goody bag supplies for the kids’ party. (Two weeks. I really can’t believe it.)

Here’s Amaya decorating a frame that holds her Twilight Sparkle picture. When Jason gave her the plain frame she said, “I want it to be beautiful”.

Sammy, eating the sushi we brought back for him.

TV time. Honestly, the kids wouldn’t notice the apocalypse around them while they’re watching their shows.

I’m going to wrap up with two Steven stories.

First, I found out that there’s a Father/Daughter dance in Novi in early February. I told Amaya about it and, shortly after, Steven came to me with his voice shaking and asked, “Do you think it’s fair that the dance is just for daddies and daughters?” I asked if he wanted to go to a mother/son dance with me and he burst into tears crying, “I hope you can find one because I love to dance, too.”

Sweet boy.

Fortunately, I did find a mommy/son dance the first weekend in March and Steven, Sammy and I are all registered.

And here’s Steven mastering Facetime. He’s so funny. He needs to be talking to people so he finds people to talk to. Chase. Aunt Ouize. 30+ minutes talking to Grandpa Homey.

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Actually, one more thing. I need to share this video of Sammy trying to roll his eyes at me lol.

Have a great week!