I wasn’t sure I’d actually get to a blog today. We were out of the house for a good chunk of the day and then, in a flight of whimsy, the kids and I spent a couple of hours sorting our legos by color. I give it 3 days before it’s all undone but I wouldn’t mind being proven wrong.

To that end, legos are still all the rage including the near-daily competitions that’s run by the “first ready” child each day.

On Monday, the kids got out to Maybury Park but via different entrance we usually use which allowed for new sights and new geocaches. Penni said they were able to spend some time watching folks fish.

This week we (Penni) got the kids back into the habit of continuous learning. In an effort to help combat the summer slide, Mon through Thurs the kids are rotating through a sight word workbook and a reading comprehension workbook with (hopefully) daily reading.

Jason was off on Monday and Tuesday which left lots of opportunity for Steven to sort ball cards with his Daddy. He really loves it. Its so special to see him share the hobby with Jason.

Earlier than expected, we got the call that one of Stevens pair of glasses came in! We rushed off to the optometrist to pick up his awesome new “seeing sun glasses”. It makes me so happy that Steven has sun glasses now, with two more pair to come when the other glasses are ready.

I know I’m biased but I think this kid is adorable.

I can’t remember what was going on that brought Steven downstairs after bedtime on Tuesday night but there was something and I ate it up. Oh yeah! He had an itchy mosquito bite on his foot. He was such a silly sweet goofball and even though I hate how I look in these photos I’m sharing them anyway because Steven and I were in the moment with each other and I’m lucky to have a husband who captures these candids. Sometimes when I’m typing, I envision my adult children reading through the hard copy books I make of this blog and connecting with their childhood and with me. This blog really is a love letter to Steven, Sammy and Amaya and love letters have no room for vanity.

Sammy is so funny. He can be guarded so when he lets go it’s pure joy. He does these silly dances that he knows crack us up – and they do, every time.

And my girl at bedtime. Fast asleep in that precious sleep mask, homemade pillow by her side.

Wednesday was a beach day and the first chance to try out the new beach tent. Whoo hoo! It was a colder day, but the kids were (mostly) prepared with sweatshirts for when they came out of the water.

Thursday the kids got to a park by Penni’s house. I’m so glad that they’re able to spend so much time outside in this weird-not-normal summer.

When Jason gets me wings. <3

I’ve been trying to work outside as often as possible. Starting 7/8 I go back to the office 3 days/week which is going to be a huge adjustment after 3+ months at home, even as desperately as I want to return to a sense of normality.

Every now and then the kids sit patiently while I work. Here, Steven had my headset on and was working at his office on his invisible computer.

Friday was another great beach day for the kids and, this time, Gabby joined Penni and SSA. I am going to have to take a day off sometime soon to join them.

Have I mentioned the Caribu app? It allows you to read books along with another contact. On Friday night, Nana put Sammy to bed with some long distance story times. It was really special because Sammy is least likely to FaceTime with family but I think he liked that it was 1:1 time.

SSA are earning cash dollars for work around the house but, for their responsibilities with Sally, they have accounts at The Bank of Mommy. I’ve marked the Saturdays where they earn their money but they can also make withdrawals or earn money for other tasks. For spending we need to coordinate the totals with their piggy banks but this is the best way to be sure they actually earn the $ due to them on a weekly basis since I’m not usually flush with dollar bills. It also helps them learn about different ways of accounting for their money. This weekend they each earned 2 more dollars. Sammy and Steven have since spent theirs. 🙂

Saturday morning – back to ballcards!

Amaya spent a good amount of time on Saturday morning drawing this incredibly accurate picture of Morminer for Steven. I love it.

I made more progress on my roller coaster this week, with some help from Steven. It’s really cool. Lego builds take me longer in the summer because I’m not inside as often but I enjoy drawing this one out.

Bloody Nose Bobes. 🙁 He’s gotten a few of them this week and he’s a trooper.

On Saturday night Amaya and Steven were up late, thick as thieves, playing games. When I told them it was time to go to sleep, Amaya started sobbing for Steven. (Even though he’d be sleeping 2 feet away from her.) They hugged it out while she cried and Steven said, “I love you, sis.” Earlier, at bedtime, they drew pictures of each other in bed under their blankets.

Today we continued our brunch adventures with a trip to Birmingham. It was hot, but really nice. When we’re still limiting activities, this is a good way to get out and about.

Checking out construction vehicles in action.

A stop at Home Depot. It’s still crazy to me that this is life now. Can you believe it? I really, truly can’t. I mean, I traveled to North Carolina the first week of March. Now here we are.

Here we are… sorting those legos by color groups.

Finally, our Amaya Jean bought herself a face painting kit today and her daddy turned her into a bunny. She didn’t have any bunny ears so off she went to independently create some for herself. Our crafty girl. (That’s a carrot on her finger.)

Have a great week!

On the last day of school Ms. M had internet access issues so, to round out the year, she offered to meet up with the class at a local park for some formal “see you next years”. With precautions in place, Penni took the boys to see Ms. M. <3

They got their hugs and photos but didn’t stay long because most kids weren’t in masks and were playing together in a proximity we’re not comfortable yet. Penni had prepared SSA for the possibility that they’d be the only ones in masks and that we wouldn’t be able to say long but it was still hard for the kids to be among the only ones who weren’t allowed to play tag or play on the playground. So much of this is so hard. I wonder what they’ll remember about it and how it will be part of their childhood narrative. Hopefully the distancing is the extent of the impact for Steven, Sammy and Amaya.

Sammy doesn’t lean in if he doesn’t mean it. This picture says a lot to me.

Jason took this photo of Steven watching TV on Monday night and labeled it “Studly in a power repose.”

Pre-lake morning lightsaber battles with sticks. Doesn’t look like anyone will get whacked lol.

Last week the kids got to the lake twice, which is awesome. I’m so glad Penni likes being there as much as the kids do. Sammy is getting more confident in lake and Steven is trying hard to get the hang of moving himself through the water (in his puddle jumper).

Watching Charlie’s TikTok videos. SSA were enthralled.

Penni has been spending a lot of time with the kids giving them tools and tips on how to keep their room clean. With three kids, no beds and limited storage their stuff just sort of – spreads. This is a while into the process, making decisions about what to do with art.

Working outside on Wednesday, I had a visitor. Amaya was reading books online and decided to join me.

Freckles!

Thursday it was back to the beach.

A little Friday Amaya. She loves when her hair is “curly”. She’s looking older and older. I can’t get over it.

“Take a black and white picture with me, Mommy.”

This week we had two special readers on YouTube – Auntie and Savta reading Tacky books. The kids love Tacky the Penguin, especially Sammy.

Today we’ll finish Star The Clone Wars Wars (StCWW). It’s reall good. Season 7 takes place during Revenge of the Sith which is so cool. For good reason, the kids love Ahsoka. Here is some Ahsoka art by Steven and then Amaya.

Saturday we got down to Ann Arbor for bunch at Cafe Zola – one of our old time favorites. In fact, Jason and I had brunch there the day he proposed. I haven’t been in forever. Some of the main streets in downtown A2 are closed so restaurants can expand their seating area and it worked out perfectly.

Ugga Mugga

Jasons study of his sweety girl.

We stopped by Vault of Midnight and the kids very easily convinced us to shop local. 🙂

(Sammy is wearing a medical mask because his was flushed down the toilet at Cafe Zola. The poor boy was so upset. Fortunately we were able to buy a new mask from the restaurant for $1 and order a replacement for the mask that went down the drain.)

Purchase happy kiddos.

Sally is getting braver and braver. This weekend, Jason coached Sammy and Steven into their first ever flop-down with sweet Sally Cat. This is so special to me.

This is probably too long for most people to sit through but, goodness, it’s amazing for me to watch.

Since last night was summer solstice, we decided to let the kids stay up until after the sunset (9:15pm in Novi) and have a family sleepover in the living room. This gave us a chance to play outside from 6:30pm until almost 9pm. Very rare for us. There was a lot of bike riding. We event tried taking the training wheels off Sammy’s bike. He’s not quite ready for that but did let me raise them a bit so the bike is less balanced.

Steven still loves that tricycle of his.

Filling the gas tank.

We rounded out the night with a game we picked up at Vault of Midnight.

Steven, Sammy and Amaya were so excited for Father’s Day. They started their presents weeks ago.

Almost a month ago, Amaya came to me and said she found a craft to make on Crafty Carol. She needed a ceramic mug and paint markers. I got her the supplies and she was off.

I love everything about this mug. <3

The boys were inspired by Amaya and made plates for Daddy.

A gift from all of us.

The kids threw Jason an underwear themed party lol. I mean, is that the funnies thing? There were signs all over and the kids taped all of their underwear to their signs and the walls. They also just wore underwear. Amaya had a station where you draw pictures of underwear. Steven had a lego station. Sammy had a book-making station.

This afternoon, Steven, Sammy & Amaya grabbed a bunch of ingredients (chocolate syrup, splenda, honey, chocolate kisses, gummy candy, etc.) and made some special treats for Jason. I told him I was glad it was Father’s Day. The kids put so much effort into their creations and god bless Jason, he tried some.

• 

Yup. 🤢

I hate to leave you with that image but that’s what I’ve got. I hope all the dads out there had a great day. We love you!

We’re back in the swing of piano, minus Sammy who’s just about “Zoom’d” out. And I get it. Learning virtually just isn’t the same, especially when you’re 6. The fatigue hit dance class too, though, to be honest I don’t think the virtual classes ever did it for SSA. Since we didn’t have a recital this weekend, classes have continued with the hope of some kind of recorded performance in the next few weeks – even if it’s cobbled together with recordings from people’s homes. But Steven, Sammy and Amaya are D-O-N-E and I’m not pushing. They’ve been total troopers all spring and online dance isn’t what they signed up for. Frankly, I didn’t make it to a single online class for Adult Tap. I had the best of intentions but, similarly, it’s not what I signed up for.

First kid ready for school still gets to design the lego contest of the day. Here, Steven is judging Sammy’s submission on how pretty it is.

Sammy is my Super Mario Run buddy. I have the game on both of my phones – one profile for Sammy and one for me (+ Steven and Amaya). It’s a big moment when you don’t understand something and your 6 year old explains it to you, which happens regularly in SMR (and Minecraft).

My boys.

When I took Steven to the eye doctor two weeks ago, Amaya asked if I could bring home a sample patch for her since I don’t let her play with Steven’s for fun. We did, and both finally remembered. Amaya does love to be patch twins with her brother, but also appreciates that she can take it off whenever she wants. (Which is a big reason why she generally can’t wear Steven’s. He doesn’t have that luxury.) On that, I’m not sure I mentioned that the eye doctor has suggested he wear his patch closer to 4 hrs/day rather than 2. She thinks it will reduce the time that he needs it. So we’re going for it and Steven is doing a great job!

Sweet sleeping Bobes and Morminer.

As part of school wind down, the kids each made videos about their favorite parts of kindergarten. I have no idea what any of them said (reminder to ask Penni) but Penni snapped this picture of Sammy watching his video playback for the class. <3

Penni coined this “princess and the pea”.

Penni had the great idea to do a “This summer I want to” writing assignment. God, I’ve got to get these kids to NY in August. We’re currently scheduled to visit 8/28- 9/6 and I’m holding out hope it can happen. (Believe it or not, the house across the street from my mom and Gene is an Airbnb that’s available so I booked it for the week as a precaution in case it’s still too soon for us to stay with them. And if flying still isn’t safe enough, I’m prepared to drive.)

Steven: “This summer I want to go to the beach and the JCC to swim and get cupcakes for the firefighters.”

He means the beach in NY but he is going to the beach at the lake every week. The JCC pool still isn’t open and I got an email last week that they don’t have a date yet because they don’t have a plan that they feel meets the county’s safety requirements. As for cupcakes, we’ll make that happen for sure even if we have to leave them at the door.

Amaya: “This summer I want to swim, JCC, and go to NYC, go to Charlie.”

Sammy: “This summer I want to swim, visit Nana, visit Savta!”

It’s hard because Amaya can talk on facetime for hours but it’s not quite Sammy’s jam so it’s a little harder for him to stay connected. Plus, Savta doesn’t have wifi and voice calls really don’t do the trick. (Mom – can you do more story time recordings with Savta? I can send some Tacky books. They’re Sammy’s favorites.)

Jason bought a kiwano melon for the kids to try. Steven wouldn’t touch it. Sammy didn’t like it. Amaya ate most of it on her own.

Crocs didn’t fit so Amaya upgraded. “Charlie has slides, too!”

Handsome Bubba.

Thursday was the LAST day of Kindergarten. I was pretty emotional about it and I think I’d have been just as emotional if the kids had been physically at school all this time. It was such a year of growing. On the one hand, it feels like yesterday that these big kids got on the school bus for the first time. On the other hand – actually, there’s really no other hand. Even with all of the learning and growning it still feels like yesterday.

I still can’t believe how the year ended but I’m grateful for the experiences SSA had at Thornton Creek and how hard everyone worked to maintain those connections and the learning from a distance. Now we have rising first graders! Holy cow.

Final zoom lessons!! (Though Steven and Sammy’s teacher lost power in a storm the night before and couldn’t join the luau via video so she’s trying to put together a different end-of-year option for Monday.)

Gabby and Penni conspired together to throw Steven, Sammy and Amaya one heck of a kindergarten graduation party. There were decorations, diplomas, gifts and a ton of food. It was so thoughtful and meant a lot to the kids (to all of us).

You can always count on Amaya to pause and pose. 🙂

Class of 2032! First graders!

Friday beach day! I told Penni I’ll take a day off soon and join them.

Amaya and Sammy were mesmerized by a remote control plane.

Cooking skills are paying off! We didn’t have shredded cheese for Taco Night so Sammy suggested using the cheese grater to shred cheese sticks. Clever boy.

This boy. I wish I could remember what we were talking about. It was after bedtime and I had a feeling that he needed a little extra TLC so I brought him downstairs and let him fall asleep on my lap.

Saturday morning research with Daddy.

Steven has a new glasses prescription and I originally planned to order his frames online but it just wasn’t working well so Steven and I took a trip to an optometrist to get new glasses – with transitions lenses so he can finally have sunglasses.

Steven convinced me to let him get three pair, instead of two. He opted for new lenses in his current pair of frames because he loves them so much and couldn’t decide between black/green and black/red – so we went with both + blue and green transition color lenses in his blue and green glasses. He’s earned them with all of that patching.

FIRST RESTAURANT IN THREE MONTHS!! We had to wear masks when we weren’t seated at our table and our server had a mask on the entire time but, other than that, it felt like business as usual. I hope it keeps up. Normalcy was so nice.

The Masked Clines

It’s an amazing weekend, weather wise. We spent a good chunk of the afternoon on the deck, and Steven made the most of it.

Photo credit: Amaya

(Successfully) soaking out a splinter.

I think a benefit of how skiddish Sally was for so long is that, now that she lets them, the kids really appreciate any chance to get close. SSA are interested in earning money so I’ve officially put them in charge of Sally’s food and water. We have two water bowls and one food bowl so it’s an even split. If they take care of it all week, they earn a dollar.

No beds for anyone and, now, for all intents and purposes Steven has moved back in with Sammy and Amaya. Sammy complains they’re too loud at night, which we’re managing, and tablets help ensure they let each other sleep in the morning.

Speaking of tablets – enjoying the day…

Sammy, counting money for a helicopter he bought.

We had an early dinner and then I took the kids for ice cream. Steven has never liked ice cream but he wanted to try it as part of a cookie sandwich. Success!

The Cline 5 wrapped up the day with a bike/scooter/car ride through the neighborhood.

Have a great week!

On Monday, Steven and I got out of dodge thanks to an eye doctor appointment. He’s doing well, but she wants us to try to patch for closer to 4 hours a day and update his glasses prescription. Steven’s on board with wearing his patch for longer because it (hopefully) means he can be done with it entirely, sooner.

It was his first outing with a mask, which was required by the office. It’s so weird. So, so weird. (For me, too. I don’t really go anywhere so I’m not wearing masks often.) He did really well with it, though.

My men, cuddling for Star The Clone Wars Wars. <3 <3 <3

Penni thoughtfully gave Amaya some new blue nail polish since she knows it’s Amaya’s favorite color. First thing Tuesday morning, Amaya wanted a manicure.

It’s a such a small thing but the kids could watch “Mowey” for ages. That little lawn cutting robot goes back and forth and back and forth and they’re mesmerized.

On Tuesday, Gabby came a little earlier than usual and she and Penni took the kids for soft serve. Lots of precautions & sanitizing and we had three happy kids. Gabby even brought a brownie for Steven because she knows he doesn’t like ice cream.

Mr. Bucket Head.

On Wednesday morning, Amaya drew Elephant and Piggie during her morning zoom lesson. Art at school and Amaya is sold.

We’re winding down the school year but there are still some days with a little more work than others. Sammy has moments where it’s harder for him to concentrate on his own but a little extra support does the trick. I think the zoom classes are a bit easier for him than the self-directed work.

Watching a seasonal play set mulch delivery.

Honest to goodness, if you gave Sammy a hose, a bucket and a bottle of dawn dish soap he’d be good for days.

Thursday night, all three Cline kids fell asleep together. I love that, when they sleep with us, their entire menagerie comes along.

For Friday’s zoom class, Amaya had to share a talent with her classmates. She decided to show how she makes bracelets. It still amazes me to see the kids in action with their peers. They’re growing up so fast. I look at them and I truly can’t believe it.

Friday was absolutely gorgeous and perfect for another lake day. This time they brought puddle jumpers and Penni brought her bathing suit. The water always makes me nervous but Penni used to be a life guard and has skills + common sense. I really wish we could get the kids swimming on their own this summer but I’m afraid that, with camp canceled and distancing still in place, it’s not in the cards. Amaya was so close at the end of last summer and Sammy is showing a lot of interest.

“A chocolate bath bomb.”

Amaya’s really been missing Charlie lately. She got very accustomed to seeing her big cousin and this break is definitely longer than expected. She was so sad last night so Steven told her, “You can see her after corona.” And Sammy asked, “Mommy, when coronavirus is over can we have an extra long trip to Nana’s house?” 100% kiddo.

They all wanted to sleep together last night. Beanbags, sleep mats, doll beds and a ton of sleeping friends and this is what you get lol.

Today, after months apart, we had a long awaited visit from Grandma Sunshine and Aunt Annette. We stayed outside and wore masks when in particularly close proximity but it was definitely worth it.

Amaya was showing Annette the LOL Surprise beauty kit she purchased with her own money. She is nothing if not consistent in her interests.

LOL Surprise red nail polish.

Sammy, in particular, got a lot of Grandma cuddle time.

“Take a picture of me with Steven and print it for me.”

I bribed them into posing for me. Huge kids.

Where does she even learn to pose like this?

Celestia and Luna are constant sleeping friends for Sammy and have been for, I think, almost a year and a half now. Last night, at dinner, we played My Little Pony 20 questions and it made me so happy to know the ponies are still part of our lives. They were a staple for so long and I know kids out grow things but Daniel Tiger and My Little Pony are going to have a special place in my heart forever.

Amaya finished her card for Charlie. (Nana/Aunt Sara – don’t show her this picture.) I loved that, as she was writing, she said, “How do you spell ‘Say hi to Chase for me.'” The picture is of Charlie on her gymnastic bar.

Last night Amaya and Steven decided to earn 2 stars instead of sleeping with a parent. I think they believe this room is organized chaos but all I see is chaos. (Mom – I totally get it now. If I get a time machine, one of my first stops will be to clean my childhood bedroom. Sorry.)

We received another Raddish Kids kit so today is a day of cooking for Mommy and SSA. This kit is the Elements (Earth, Air, Fire, Water) which Amaya calls the Frozen II kit. We started off this morning with an oven baked fluffy peach pancake..

After a COVID-19 scooter hiatus (to avoid ERs), Jason and I let the kids back out on their scooters. The boys were happy but Amaya was ecstatic. I predict a lot of scooter time in her future.

When I picked up the kids’ stuff I was supposed to drop off their library books, which I forgot to do. So, today, we took at trip to Mrs.Brucker’s house (the librarian) to drop them off in a bin on her porch. I had Amaya and Steven’s books exactly where they should be, thanks to the school organization system Jason put in place in February.

“Since are faces are the same size I look like a grown up.”

The men were busy with lawn work this afternoon. It’s interesting to me that Amaya had no interest and generally has less interest than the boys. Steven and Sammy, however, were so excited to get to work with their dad.

Two more new recipes this afternoon. First, we made Smores Pie. It’s in the fridge overnight and we’ll finish it up tomorrow. This was a Steven and Amaya creation. Sammy was happy to just watch.

Amaya and I made our Earth Burgers. Vegetarian and tasty! She did it all and seemed really proud of herself. She suffered a slight burn at the stove which we’re treating with ice, but doesn’t seem too bothered by it. (Which is awesome b/c I had a slight burn this morning and complained about it for two hours.)

This wee we finish up kindergarten. I can’t believe it – both that it’s over and how the last 1/3 of kindergarten took shape. I’m so proud of Steven, Sammy and Amaya. <3

Have a great week!