Hello from Michigan and our last night of Hanukkah. We had a fantastic week, bolstered by all of the days off and the kids’ winter break.

This first picture is from last weekend but I found it on the party organizer’s facebook page during the week and want to have it here in the blog.

Night 2: On Monday night we were lucky enough to have Ashley come spend some time with us. It’s so special that she and the kids still have a relationship.

Amaya’s gift was a screen art kit. She has been busy at work creating designs on shirt after shirt. We happened to have couple of blank shirts in the house which none of the kids wear (because they’re blank) so all 3 have new custom creations.

Steven got a working cash register and quickly set up shop.

Sammy got stilts! They’re still a work in progress but if he chooses to practice a bit he’ll get the hang of it.

Tuesday was a pajama day for everyone, including Gabby! Gabby brought the kids a truck load of wonderful gifts which they opened for night 3.

A few people gave me a head’s up that the most recent episode of Elena of Avalor was titled “Festival of Lights” and featured a royal Jewish family who gets stranded in Avalor on their way home to celebrate Hanukkah. We checked it out and the kids legitimately watched wide eyed. Representation matters, and it’s impactful. Steven recently asked why there’s so much more Christmas stuff than Hanukkah stuff. I think he understood and accepted my explanation (sheer numbers of people celebrating) but opportunities to see his holiday in a show he loves means something. And not just for Steven. In fact, the Cline kids are watching the episode again right now.

On Wednesday, Christmas Day, Elsa and her guard kindly took me to see Frozen II since I didn’t go when the kids saw it in NY. So nice of them!

While we were out, Sammy and Daddy had a fun afternoon together which included a full line up of activities – like making dream catchers.

And on to celebrating night 4! Steven, Sammy and Amaya are now quite proficient at lighting their menorahs and, this year, they even know the second blessing that we say each night.

Sammy was gifted this spin art set which is perfect for him. He doesn’t always love to spend time on the details of art but creating this way is right up his alley.

Amaya and Steven like writing love notes. Steven wanted to write one for Sally but didn’t know how to spell her name so he wrote “I love you cat”. <3

Speaking of Sally, she’s been fantastic with the kids lately. So patient and really letting them pet her. (Though Amaya is still pretty scared of her.) Every time Steven pets her he says, “I think she likes me!” Sammy even got her to eat a treat out of his hand.

On Night 5, Thursday, the kids were gifted beginner sewing sets. They’ve been a huge hit! SSA have always been interested when I sew and now they get a turn. I was particularly tickled when I asked if they knew who in our family was a great sewer and they said, “Poppy Steven”.

The kits come with blunted metal needles and patters with the holes already cut It was a slow start with lots of “the thread fell out” comments but practice makes better! Once these three can thread their own needles (Sammy is getting it) and tie their own knots, they’ll be totally independent.

The sewing continued right into Friday.

Sammy thought the pattern he originally started was bit too intricate so he stepped back to an easier option. It’s a clover but he thinks it’s broccoli which I like much more.

The first finished product, complete with stuffing! Amaya did everything but the nose stitching.

Friday afternoon we had another awesome visit from Ashley.

Night 6!

Saturday morning started with more sewing. Sammy worked on his broccoli and Amaya completed a reindeer.

For Hanukkah (night 7!), Nana and Papa got the kids a Raddish Kids subscription. It’s a cooking club and every month we get three new recipes. They also get their own apron, a new iron-on apron patch each month and cooking tools to use with that months’ recipes. This month’s theme was Holiday Traditions Around the World and the recipes were for latkes, gingerbread cookies and tamales. Yesterday we spent about 2 hours making the latkes and cookies.

Amaya did not like the smell of ginger, cloves or molasses.

Looking for where the recipe said “salt”.

Mixing ingredients for the latkes. It was my first time making the, too, and they were delicious.

Cutting cookies!

Eating latkes while the cookies baked.

Decorating cookies. I think this was their favorite part.

Steven

Sammy

Amaya

Sammy is a bit more free and easy with his sewing, as he is in life, and today his finished his broccoli. 🙂

There was a lot of legoing happening in the Land of Cheltenham today. Amaya built a Frozen jewelry box. Steven built an RV and a land speeder. I am still working on Hogwarts Castle, with helpers.

Cuddles with Sammy. He was totally into the Lions game.

Daddy/Amaya cuddles for his little girl with aching knees.

Night 8!!

Shining bright. <3

Have a great week and a Happy New Year!

Amaya came home from NY with a cough and was still asleep at breakfast time on Monday morning. I didn’t have any meetings until 9am so I decided to let her sleep in. I bribed the boys (with Hershey kisses) to get on the 8am bus and woke her after the left. She was very surprised to hear that the brothers were already on their way to school!

I was glad to have a mom-friend to text to ask about parent drop-off because we’ve never done that before and I wasn’t sure what the process is for kindergartners. Their pick-up is different than the rest of the school so I thought it might be the same for drop-off. (It’s not.)

As I drove away from the school, I saw the boys getting off the bus! We’re the second stop which means a long morning ride but a short afternoon ride.

Amaya felt well enough after school for me to put some pink in her hair. <3

Story time!

Daddy time!

When your daughter makes you a Princess Tiana necklace you wear it out to the bar.

Sammy loves slime and got a few different slime kits from our Goldstein cousins. On Tuesday night, he and Amaya made some pink metallic slime.

Steven is loving the legos he was gifted.

The kids mentioned to Jason that lots of other kindergartners have scarves and thank goodness for that or we wouldn’t have though to get them scarves! Jason got the kids these awesome kid-sized options that they love.

I adore this picture of Amaya in her scarf and one of her new Star Wars dresses.

On Thursday I had the opportunity to volunteer at Steven and Sammy’s class holiday party. (Which was at the same time as Amaya’s.)

We got these wonderful gifts from the boys.

Both classes had a dreidel game station and I was in charge of overseeing it for Steven and Sammy’s room. I wasn’t sure if it would be popular but we had a full table for the entire party. In fact, a few times I had to ask kids to rotate out so others who were waiting could play. I don’t think the hershey kisses hurt the popularity. One boy said to me, “I know how to spin the dreidel because I practiced with the one you gave me.” [From my visit to the boys’ classroom last week.] What was fun was how quickly the kids learned what the symbols meant. By the end of the party, anytime someone would land on Gimel (you get the whole pot), they’d all yell, “GIMEL!!”

I had a chance to pop over to Amaya’s room before I left and some other moms also took some pictures for me.

Amaya and the ever-loved Abby B. (Amaya just saw this picture and said, ” Write this – Do you know why I love Abby B so much? Because she pushes me on the swings.”)

Musical chairs!

I’ve been sending dreidels to triplet moms around the country and one wanted to return the favor so she sent us chocolate advent calendars. Obviously SSA were thrilled.

Friday was the last day before winter break and it was also pajama day in kindergarten.

Steven was one of 2 kids in his classed picked to read at an all school assembly! That’s in front of more than 500 kids! He’s been practicing with his teacher for a week or two and was really excited. I didn’t get to hear much about it but he said that it was great and he read everything he was supposed to. Also that there are new speakers in the gym and he hopes everyone in the back could hear him. I’m so proud.

Here are his lines. Kiera is the other girl from his class who read. The other two kindergarten classes also had two readers apiece. (Plus Amaya who told us that she also read on stage lol.)

Amaya got a staying-in-bed prize on Saturday morning and picked press-on nails – because of course she did. It was very disconcerting to see.

Sammy’s prize was a rainbow play-doh maker.

Sammy and his friend Owen have a race after winter break which led to a lot of strength training and conditioning this weekend. According to Sammy, “Owen has been training for FOUR years. And one time he kicked down a tree. That’s how strong Owen is. I need to be able to kick down a tree to beat Owen.” So there were laps and more laps and even adventures on the treadmill for all 3 kids.

Saturday night we had our second annual trip to drive through the lights at the Wayne County Light Festival. SSA had their own cameras to use to record what they saw and I think they had even more fun this year. I hope it’s something they’re excited to do for a while to come.

Today is the first night of Hanukkah and Steven’s first activity of the day (after he and Sammy and Amaya let me sleep until eight) was to organize the gifts by person. He wanted to organize by wrapping paper style but Amaya had other ideas and this was a reasonable compromise.

More training. 🙂

This afternoon we went to a Chanukah Wonderland party in West Bloomfield put on by a local Chabad. When we got there one of the kids said, “All of these people celebrate Hanukkah?!?!” I was so glad we were there and that I could tell them, “Yes. All of these people celebrate Hanukkah, too!”

There were a number of different activities but the favorite was t-shirt decorating. True to fashion, Sammy spent about 5 minutes splattering paint on his and then he was off to the next thing while Steven and Amaya spent at least 45 minutes on their shirts.

Frosting face after decorating a donut (which she doesn’t like so she just licked off the frosting).

We lit the candles which is still one of my favorite traditions with Steven, Sammy and Amaya.

Here’s this year’s video for anyone who’s interested. The actual candle light starts at about 2:45.

And then presents! What a pile! Thank you to everyone in our family who’s helped make this such a special holiday season for the Clines. <3

Have a great week, a Happy Hanukkah and a Merry Christmas!

This week Amaya brought home an older weekend summary that feature her trip to see Frozen II. I love the representation of the movie and the 5 of them watching together.

As part of a school project, all of the kids need to share who their hero is, and why. As Steven, Sammy and Amaya demonstrated in their answers, simple kindergarten kindnesses have a big impact.

I think if we let her, Amaya would permanently move into our closet and appropriate it as her bedroom.

Steven has been asking for red pants. He likes to coordinate his clothing “blue day”, “orange day”, etc. and needed red pants for “red day”. He was a happy kid when these arrived.

I volunteered at the kids’ school three different times this past week. What a treat! First up was Amaya’s class on Tuesday morning. While Mrs. Shuart held small group reading workshops, I supervised and assisted the other kids at their activity stations. It was really cool to get a chance to see learning in action and get to know more of the kids in Amaya’s class. She was so happy to have me there.

At one point I was helping a girl who was distressed over a choice she made when illustrating her favorite part of Caps for Sale. As she started to cry, the boy sitting next to her said, “Try taking some deep breaths.” I know they’re working with the school social working on emotional regulation and it was neat to see one of the kids put that into action to help a classmate.

For a short time each day, everyone does independent reading of books they know well.

There’s even a computer station with interactive literacy games and follow-along digital books.

On Wednesday I visited Steven and Sammy’s classroom to do a lesson on Hanukkah. It started with an invite from Amaya’s teacher, Mrs. Shuart, and I was fortunate to be able to do the same lesson in both classes. Steven, Sammy and Amaya were so excited to have me join their class to talk about their holiday. I talked about the traditions we use to celebrate and then we did a craft that I prepared in advance. All three kids were so happy to know the answers to my questions and I was happy to hear how many other kids in the class also knew the answers! In Mrs. M’s class, some of their words of the week were things like “dreidel” and “menorah”.

Before I got started I snapped these two candid photos of Sammy engaged with his classmates. He was so comfortable in the classroom space and, while he was visibly happy I was there, it was also obvious that he didn’t need me.

Hard at work making menorahs!

Orderly and patterned, as I’d expect. 🙂

Full of color and variety, as expected. 🙂

When the craft was complete, Ms. M hung everyone’s work in the hall outside their classroom.

Four or five times/year the kids at Thornton Creek bring home artifacts from school for structured academic conversations. On Thursday Steven, Sammy and Amaya brought home binders of poems they’ve memorized along with their literacy notebooks. We spent time looking through the materials and giving the kids a chance to read to us and show us their work. I was particularly taken with this page in Steven’s book which says, “I am good at loving my mom.” (I am gud at love my mom.) <3

Reading together.

Friday I joined Amaya’s class for their Hanukkah lesson and activity and was met with equal enthusiasm. Mrs. Shuart even had a surprise for me prepared by the kids.

Straight from her class, Amaya and I hopped in the car and head to the airport for a weekend trip to NY! With all of the other travel I’ve done, it’s been 14 months since Amaya and I went away together! This was a quick in and out so we could go to our Goldstein cousin Hanukkah party and we were both so happy to get the time together.

This picture sums up my girl.

Waiting for our ride at LGA.

Charlie not only surprised Amaya by picking us up at the airport with Nana but she and Amaya had an amazing sleepover. They were so cute together. They did some art, played board games and then got comfy on the floor for bed. It reminded me of cousin sleepovers when I was a kid.

My favorite part was when I’d hear them making noise and I’d go upstairs and open the door to find them lying stiff as boards, trying not make a sound, only to hear them burst into giggles when I closed the door again.

Back in Michigan, the men had two nights of sleepovers together.

Amaya and Charlie got a kick out of trying on Nana’s old wigs. These pictures kill me!

After an afternoon at Aunt Sara and Uncle Dave’s house, we were ready to head to cousin Glori’s for Hanukkah fun.

Our cousins Hanukkah party is such a wonderful tradition. I love that we’ve all prioritized this time together.

A highlight of the night was the gingerbread house contest. All the kids had a blast.

There was an old lady who swallowed a dreidel…

Sailor (13) was amazing with Amaya and Charlie.

Goldstein Hanukkah!

Bright and early this morning Amaya and I were back at the airport.

While we traveled, Jason, Steven and Sammy prepped for the boys’ first Lions game!!

Steven made this sign to hold.

They got there early enough to get some pre-game food and the lay of the land.

I love everything about this. <3

Steven was lining up a football diagram that Jason drew for him early in the day.

And that was our week! It was jam packed and full of fun.

On Monday morning, Amaya told me she wanted hair like CC. That meant a bread on each side of her head like CC had worn the day before. She’s got bit love for CC. Hopefully we’ll see her again over the holiday break.

Early afternoon on Monday, Gabby let me know that she wasn’t feeling well and likely had strep. Jason and I couldn’t get home by 4pm but we agreed I’d get home as soon as possible and, in the meantime, she’d avoid preparing any food for the kids. Gabby was extra awesome and even wore a mask. It turns out that was a good thing because Gabby didn’t just have strep, she also had the flu and was down for the count all week. Poor Gabby!

I’m so fortunate to work close to home and have the flexibility to get the kids off the bus at 4pm when something like this comes up.

This came home with Amaya on Monday. She did have sushi over the weekend! I love the drawing of rolls and chopsticks.

SSA’s bus driver has an annual “Christmas picture” drawing contest. The kids were conflicted about whether or not they were even allowed to participate and, if so, if they should draw Christmas or Hanukkah. (“We can’t win because we don’t know how to draw Christmas pictures.” “We can’t win because no one will know what Hanukkah is.”) We had lots of good conversations about different traditions and that they’re certainly included so they decided to participate.

Steven wanted to draw a Christmas picture and, frankly, I’m impressed with what he came up with. He definitely knows how to draw Christmas pictures!

Amaya drew a menorah and, after seeing Steven’s drawing, supplemented with a “Christmas house”.

Sammy stuck with his menorah. He wasn’t feeling very confident in the quality of his drawing and doesn’t think he’ll win but we had a good talk about trying our best and how you know you won’t win if you don’t even try. I was proud of him for handing it in to Mr. Ed despite his nerves.

(I’m also hoping that next year, with the knowledge that not all of the kids on the bus celebrate Christmas but do have holiday traditions, Mr. Ed might choose slightly more inclusive language on the nature of the contest.)

I know I share a lot of pictures of the kids sleeping but it just totally cracks me up that they have these beds and choose to sleep on the floor every night. Though, for the past two nights, Sammy did choose his bed over his next for the first time in a while. Also, I’ll never tire of Amaya’s sleep mask from Charlie.

Whoo boy – Wednesday! First of all, we’ve decided to pick the kids up from school on Wednesdays to make it easier to get to dance class on time. It worked well, but it meant I had to be at the school in time to find a parking spot and wait at the kindergarten entrance for dismissal. There’s no pick-up line until 1st grade. I learned that the early bird gets the spot and showing up too late means parking in a nearby sub. Fortunately I got the last available spot.

We had quite the afternoon/evening. The kids had their dance classes which ended an hour before my tap class. To bridge the gap, we had dinner delivered to the dance studio. Then the kids hung out while I had my tap class. We were home by 7:45pm which isn’t terrible but made for a very long day for everyone. It was a fun adventure, though, and I loved seeing their little faces peeking in the window while I danced.

Sammy’s enthusiasm at the end of this short video is everything.

Sammy was having a tough time with something on Wednesday night before bed and Jason snapped this picture of me working through it with him. I’m so grateful to have photos of moments like this.

I was so excited to find this kid-nado shirt for Steven. Perfection!

Part interest in writing and part interest in not going to bed, Amaya has been writing us love notes at bedtime. She’s got my number with these. < 3

Just before Thanksgiving break, Sammy earned this Hero buck for holding the door for other students. (And he was recognized because Steven told a teacher that Sammy had done this good deed.) Sammy let us know that once/week all of the kids with Hero Bucks had their names called over the loud speaker and got to go to the library to meet Mr. Jewitt, the principal, to pick out a prize. This Thursday was Sammy’s turn and he was so excited to tell me about it.

Yes, more sleeping photos. 🙂 Next weekend Amaya and I are going back to NY for a Hanukkah party with our Goldstein cousins and she wanted a chance to sleep with Jason before we go. Once that happens, of course the boys want int, too. So Steven got to sleep with me on Friday night and Sammy will have his turn tonight.

Sammy decided he wanted a lightening bolt in his hair so, Saturday morning, we headed out to the barber. He was a little nervous but also determined and, ultimately, so pleased with the results.

Barber Steven hard at work.

Sammy’s barber did his cut and then passed him off to someone else who specializes in designs.

I’ve taken a lot of pictures of the side of his head this weekend since it’s the best way for him to see what it looks like. He was very happy this morning when he realized it still looks the same as yesterday.

Steven’s turn! Last time he was so scared that he had to sit on my lap but this time he was ready to go (provided no clippers were used). “Why would I be scared the second time?”

At Subway, Steven was signing a melody that he made up while we were waiting for our subs. An older gentleman asked what song it was and he said, “It’s just a song I made up!” Then this guy starts singing the same song and tries to convince Steven that he made it up himself when he was a kid. It was really sweet.

Like Steven last week, Sammy is getting lots of opportunities to pet sweet Sally. We just need to get Amaya to a point where she doesn’t run from Sally in terror.

My first best girl.

Last night Jason was cuddling sweetly with all 3 kids which devolved into this when I tried to get a photo.

Grandma Sunshine will be in DC for the week of Hanukkah so she and Aunt Annette came over today to celebrate the holidays. <3 <3 <3

Sammy: When can we open the presents? When can we open the presents? When can we open the presents? When can we open the presents? When can we open the presents? When can we open the presents? When can we open the presents? When can we open the presents? When can we open the presents? When can we open the presents?

Sammy, sporting his new dinosaur hat, showing his gelt to Jason.

Eagerly watching me open my gifts. (Legos!!)

Sammy was excited to show Grandma his Minecraft world.

Amaya got cozy with Aunt Annette.

Building Popsicle stick houses – compliments of supplies from Grandma.

Lastly, I had this conversation with Amaya:

Me: When I found out that one of my babies was a girl I had no idea my daughter would be as amazing as you are.

Amaya: If you had other kids you’d say that about them, too. Because they’d be your kids.

Me: Would they be as cool as you?

Amaya: You’d say they are.

She just gets it.

Have a great week!

We don’t have any loose teeth in the Cline house yet but I wanted to be prepared for that first tooth fairy visit so we got these cute little pillows for Steven, Sammy and Amaya to use when they start to lose their teeth. Not that I’m in any rush. Not at all. I just like to be ready.

On Monday night, Steven came downstairs with his hands behind his back, clearly holding something. It was a paper heart, and he told me that he didn’t want me to look at what it said on the front but that it was for Ms. M. (Earlier he’d yelled down from upstairs to ask me how to spell “Ms. M”.)

I’m sorry Steven but I had no choice but to peek in your backpack and see what you wrote. <3 I hope older you understands.

Steven and Sammy got their class t-shirts and were asked to wear them to school on Tuesday. Sammy’s favorite color!

They wore them for the Turkey Trot that we were going to miss because of the timing of our flight to NY. Amaya was thrilled that we wouldn’t be there. After our Fun Run, she thinks anything that involves running is “terrible” and “boring”. “All we’re going to do is run around the school.”

Tuesday, before the start of school and after we got the kids on the bus, Jason and I had our conference with Ms. M. I know I’ve mentioned that Ms. M is less communicative than Mrs. Shuart but the conference assuaged any concern I had about Ms. M’s engagement. She knew both of the boys so well and really sees them as individuals.

Both boys have great imaginations and are often ring leaders on they playground for imaginary play. They both have friends and are very independent from one another, often not even playing with each other on the playground.

She noted that Steven has tremendous enthusiasm for learning and doesn’t miss a detail. If she’s wearing her hair differently or keeps her glasses on, Steven is sure to notice and comment on it.

Sammy is making friends easily and can often get lost in his own world. She said she sometimes sees him staring off, singing quietly, in the middle of circle time. That’s our Sammy!

They’re both doing well academically, too, which is obviously great to hear.

Ms. M said that she’s working with the class on expressing more in their writing and, all year long, there has been a focus on drawing with 5 different colors and 5 different details. Below are examples from Steven and Sammy, featuring Grandma Sunshine. <3 (I’ll have to tell my colleagues that I go on work vacations lol.)

She’s working with Sammy on expressing more and with Steven on using spaces instead of periods between his letters.

We picked the kids up from school early and set off for the airport for Thanksgiving in NY. These kids are such experienced travelers and our season of frequent trips to NY is acclimating them even more. After all of these trips we have a set routine down that feels comfortable and familiar.

What a difference!! On this trip, Anna flew with me. We were in the last row of the plane because I’d been upgrade without any of the kids and the only way to get us back together was in the last row of the plane. Shortly into our flight the pilots realized the altimeter wasn’t working properly so we had to return to DTW and, miraculously, board another plane that was sitting at the next gate and available for us.

Our flight was on time!! (And I do still bring a single stroller. I use it to tote stuff around the airport – our coats, my backpack, happy meals, etc. The rule is that the kids can’t ride in it, though.)

Back to the laaaaaaaast row of the plane.

Steven took out his safety card to read along with the safety video. Oh! Before we left he told Jason he had a question for the pilots. He wanted to know how many doors were on the airplane. The pilots were busy so he asked a flight attendant instead who told him, “There are 8 doors on the plan but you can go count them for yourself.” Which of course he did and then verified in the safety card. When we got off the plane the flight attendant took time to ask him how many doors he counted.

As we descended, Steven watched out the window and kept saying things like, “wow!”, “a-mazing,” and “I can even see a bridge!” I forget that even though the kids have been flying since they were infants, as they get older the’ll appreciate different parts of the travel in new ways.

Like clockwork, Sammy falls asleep as we’re descending. It’s amazing how consistent he is. This flight, it was about 2 minutes before we touched down.

With a 5:45pm flight, we got to Nana and Papa’s house at a reasonable time. Before bed, Nana read to everyone.

On Wednesday morning I took the opportunity to join Nana at one of her doctor appointments. Steven was sad I was leaving so Amaya came over and said, “Steven, she’s Nana’s daughter and Nana might want her daughter to come with her, okay?” <3

While I worked at home, Nana took Steven, Sammy, Amaya, Charlie and Charlie’s friend Chloe to see Frozen II! Sammy said that it was perfect.

Dinner at the Goldbergs!

The boys loved watching Uncle Dave make a fire and also quickly acknowledged that it’s easier when you just flip a switch. (I hate the smell of gas fires, though. Our upstairs always gets stinky when we use the fireplace for any length of time.)

Uncle Dave let the boys take turns using the bellows to blow air on the fire.

Steven and Morminer. So consistent. To be fair, Sammy and Amaya love Puppy and Hoppy, too, they’re just harder to cuddle with an haven’t been anthropomorphized in quite the same way.

Charlie gave Amaya and eye mask which she took too immediately. I thought she’d be nervous to sleep with it on – I don’t like them – but she loves it.

We spent Thanksgiving morning at the Goldbergs. I like being in NY for Thanksgiving because the Macy’s parade isn’t on NBC by us. They air a Detroit parade and watching the Macy’s parade on CBS just isn’t the same as our NBC tradition – spurred by Saba Bob’s years of work on NBC’s coverage.

Charlie gave Amaya these large clip-on earrings that had previously been gifted to her by Savta. Amaya can’t get enough of them. I think they make her feel very grown up.

Playing word games and Minecraft.

Chase is so patient with his cousins.

Back at Nana’s house for dinner, Amaya wanted a tattoo to match her mama.

Nana is stocked up on legos for the kids.

Amaya did an amazing job reading Hop on Pop to Savta.

We had a small group for Thanksgiving dinner (a “feast” as Sammy called it) but it was delicious and special.

As a special treat, Auntie and Dod Shuki joined us for dessert. Auntie has a natural touch with the kids and Dod Shuki patiently and generously drew picture after picture for them.

Showing Auntie her special earrings.

Friday morning, in preparation of feast #2, the kids worked with Nana to make mini pumpkin pies. They really love to bake with Nana.

As a super, super special treat we went to Savta’s house for some pre-lunch ice cream. It’s impossible to say no to an offer like that. Everyone loves visiting Savta’s house – there’s so much to see and investigate.

Looking for secret compartments…

Chase scratched his cornea and Charlie wanted to make him a card so Amaya and Steven joined in.

As always, Nana gets a photo with all of her grandkids when we come to visit. This one is a winner.

Amaya wanted a picture just with Uncle Dave, Chase and Charlie.

Savta gave Steven a game of Go Fish so there were many, many of games of Go Fish through the weekend.

We had a bigger group for dinner on Friday, including the returns of Auntie for dessert.

Another tradition is a cousin sleepover. This time it was just Charlie so all 4 kids slept in the same room together.

And another tradition! Nana took the kids out for breakfast in the morning, this time to IHOP while I got to stay home an relax.

We had lunch out with Aunt Sara and Papa and then headed to the Nassau County Museum of Art. We went to the exhibit of children’s book art where they had a room for kids to do art. We spent about an hour there where everyone crafted, me included.

I absolutely love how the finished products show the kids’ unique styles. Steven worked studiously on a hotel with balconies while Sammy made an abstract masterpiece.

Picking out their favorites…

I think it’s time to start visiting more art museums with the kids.

Today we headed back to MI. Boo and Yay! La Guardia was an absolute nightmare. I can’t believe how crowded it was a ticketing and security. Thee were so many people worried about missing flights. I think, today, my Clear membership more than paid for itself. We did have to stand on a 20 minute line for ticketing and the kids were fantastic, even as they were bored.

Visit to the cockpit

Hoooooooooome!!!

The kids (Amaya, especially) had a very special treat today. Their beloved camp counselor, CC, came to see them while she’s home for Thanksgiving break. Wow!! She stayed for 2.5 hours and they had a blast. She’s lovely and we’ll see if she can babysit when she’s home for her winter break.

Showing CC their menorahs while I put up Hanukkah decorations.

Mutual adoration.

Just a few other highlights.

Amaay did this on the airplane. In the left column are all the numbers 1- 10 in combinations that add to 11. (Yes, many are backwards. At the boys’ conference, Ms. M said that it’s developmentally appropriate to write numbers backwards.) Plus some other math and some seemingly Seuss inspired writing.

Steven petting Sally. “I think she likes me!” He was so happy.

And a video of some of our chaos.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. This year I’m grateful for the means to get to NY with the kids, the will to do it and a husband who’s so supportive of my travels to NY. <3

Have a great one!