This was a fun week for the Cline kids. Spirit Week at school plus Halloween. Doesn’t get much better!

Monday’s theme was “Crazy Hair & Crazy Socks”. I picked up Halloween spray on Sunday so the kids were ready with their crazy hair. Steven added in crazy socks, too. (They’re mine!)

Amaya even made it onto the TC twitter feed.

Tuesday was 80’s day. Finding clothes for the boys was touch but Jason came through with these sweat bands. Steven suggested that maybe he should have grey hair because the 80’s were so long ago. It really is wild to think that today is as close to 1981 as 1981 is to 1941.

Before school, Steven had a check-in with his eye doctor. She was hoping that a stronger prescription would correct Steven’s right eye to 20/20 but it’s still at 20/30. She asked him how he’d feel about wearing a patch again for 2 hours/day and he said it was fine. Such a big kid, doing what’s best for his body.

Sophia asked Steven why he wears the patch and he said, “My brain doesn’t like to use my right eye as much so it doesn’t see as well. If I put a patch on my left eye it forces my brain to use my right eye, and hopefully my right eye gets stronger.” Perfect explanation.

The kids got in some playground time after school on Tuesday.

Wednesday was pink for cancer day. 2/3 of the Cline Kids decided to participate – Amaya in her own clothes and Steven in Jason’s shirt.

The kids’ bus driver has a Halloween art contest. This was Amaya’s submission. (I think their driver was out this week with COVID so we’ll see what happens with the art given to the substitute driver.)

Steven picked out new patches for this go-round. A bonus of the brand he picked were posters with number spots to put his discarded patches each night. Steven loved saving his patches. This is perfect! He was so excited to show Jason.

On Wednesday night, Sammy finished his art for the contest.

Sammy’s picture. <3

To gear up for the big Saturday game, Thursday was U of M / State day at school. One of these kids was doing his own thing! Sammy even changed out of the shirt he had on and wore this instead to get more into the U of M spirit.

Halloween!! We gave costumes a test drive on Thursday afternoon before the kids wore them to school on Friday. We have Steven the LEGO Skeleton, Amaya the Panda and Sammy the Salad.

Sophia made this costume for Sammy and absolutely killed it. She started with paper mache around a huge balloon When it was dry, she spray painted it. Next came all of the vegetables, printed and glued to foam board before they were cut. Then the lettuce – looks real! Finally, we added the straps.

Our little panda, ready for school on Friday. The rain meant the outdoor parade was canceled but the kids still celebrated with their classes.

Sophia made these treats for the kids for after school on Friday.

This card came home from school with Amaya on Friday. So nice that she’s made such a special friend.

Here are some photos of the boys at school this week.

Cuddles with Bobes

Sally was really into Sammy on Friday night. She climbed right on his lap and starting kneading the heck out of his belly. She’s so chill in her old age.

On Saturday morning, after family breakfast out, we met up with Ruxin’s family for Street of Treats. It was packed, as always, and the kids had a blast, as always. It’s one of my favorite Northville traditions. We also bumped into the boys’ friend, Brady, and were able to spend time with him, too.

Sammy’s costume was a huge, huge hit. Everyone was telling him how much they liked it and how creative he was. <3

Our pretty fall street

This morning, with the promise of donuts at the end, we left the house at 8:30am to do a trash clean-up at Thornton Creek. Seeing what was collected, it was needed! SSA showed up for the donuts but, in the end, were really proud to help keep TC clean. I told them they’ll feel great when they see a clean playground on Monday and know they helped.

Second Thornton Creek twitter appearance of the week!

The kids and I had a full game day – with a break in between for my COVID booster. I picked Carcassonne (Steven and Sammy tied). Steven picked Catan Jr. (Sammy won). Sammy picked Blokus (I won). Amaya picked a Halloween board game that she made (Steven won).

Amaya isn’t as board as she looks. She’s busy concentrating.

Before we headed out for trick or treating, outside of our neighborhood, the kids got our front porch set up for trick or treaters. The ghost milk jug was a project Amaya did at school. It has a battery operated tea light inside.

Before trick or treating, we went to my friend Lisa’s house in downtown Northville. She lives right in the heart of the fun and hosted us for some food ahead of time.

Trick or Treating! The kids had a blast and we made it until about 7:15pm when it started raining and we hustled back to the car. I took these pictures before it got dark and crowded so you don’t get the visual of just how packed it gets here. It’s an amazing Halloween experience.

We’re all winding down after a great week and gearing up for another one. Happy Halloween!

I say this often, but it’s so hard to believe that that Nana was still here a week ago, even if just for the short breakfast visit before she headed off to the airport, but here she is! <3

Due to bus driver shortages, our school district is doing rolling blackouts on bus service each wee. Route A, our route, was on the list for this week so we had the fun of driving the kids to school each morning and Sophia picked them up from school. A change of routine can be fun once in a while and, fortunately, we can make it work on our “off” weeks. Drop off is a quick process but parents start lining up for pick-up almost 30 min before school gets out so Sophia has spent a lot of time at Thornton Creek waiting in the van this week. What’s nice to see is that, since we’re the first but stop after school, parent pick-up doesn’t really get the kids home much earlier than they do on the bus. Mornings are a different story, though. They spend more than 30 min on the bus in the mornings – but don’t seem bothered by it, fortunately!

It was beautiful on Monday so, after school, Sophia and the kids headed to a playground. Honestly, they can play all winter. I’m the one who really hates the cold.

Some Tuesday after-school science… the microscope for Sammy and “archaeology” for Steven and Amaya.

Wednesday morning drop-off! Since we can’t go in the school to volunteer, drop-off is actually a nice – very short – chance to see them in their element at school. Confident 2nd graders.

I had an appointment on Wednesday afternoon that ended right around the time the kids were getting to swim. The boys’ class was canceled this week so I called Sophia to see if Sammy and Steven would like me to pick them up and bring them home. Steven was a taker! I’d have loved for Sammy join us, too, but I also love unexpected 1:1 time.

Our swimming girl

Steven had a hard time falling asleep on Wednesday night and ended up asleep on my lap on the couch. Such a sweet boy. I’m still able to get him upstairs and into the top bunk but those days – especially the top bunk assignment – are definitely fleeting.

Firefighter Steven, after school!!

Since Hanukkah starts SO early this year (11/28), the kids are already looking through toy catalogs and thinking about gifts. I generally don’t love when Hanukkah is so, but SSA will probably go right from Hanukkah into birthday mode. It’s quite the time of year for these three. 🙂

We originally had plans for Jason to take Steven and Sammy to a boy scouts meeting but that didn’t work out and, rather than disappoint the boys, we decided we’d pivot to a different kind of fun. Jason took the boys to Dave & Busters and I took Amaya to Clarie’s and Cheesecake Factory. The energy in the house after school was off the charts. The boys were busting to get to Dave & Busters and Amaya said, “I love arcades but I don’t care because we’re going to Clare’s!” We put on matching lipstick, and off we went! (Side note: I’m not sure I’ve been at the mall since prior to COVID.)

This girl. <3

Clare’s had a Buy 3 Get 3 sale so Amaya left with three headbands and 3 scrunchies plus she picked out a BFF necklace set for Milan.

Cheesecake factory! Amaya couldn’t pick between two types of cheesecake so I took one for the team and ordered a piece myself so we could share. The couple sitting next to us at the bar was completely enamored with Amaya. When they were leaving, the husband said that it would make him so happy to be able to treat Amaya to her cheesecake and handed her money to cover it. It was a wonderful cherry on top of our night out, to meet such a thoughtful stranger.

The Cline men had a fantastic time at Dave and Busters. We ended our night out with dessert and they started with dessert. Sammy got a pieces of cake called the “Big Daddy” and Steven got Strawberry Shortcake which he says was too sweet but finished, none the less.

This is a happy boy!

Lots of gaming fun! The men decided that, rather than cash in their tickets, they’d save their cards so the whole family could go back this weekend.

Just two pictures of the boys at school this week. 🙂

Jason got some quality time with Amaya and Sammy on Friday night. Amaya showed Jason the book she got from the school library and Sammy showed Jason how to make a really cool paper airplane. Paper airplanes are all the rage in our house right now.

Sleeping brothers

On Saturday morning, Amaya learned how to make the paper airplane, too. Sammy was a patient and thorough instructor.

Amaya is loosing teeth like crazy right now! One of her top teeth bit the dust in the early morning hours. Her mouth is a patchwork!

We spent the afternoon at Dave and Busters which, of course, the kids loved

Nana and I both play the daily Spelling Bee game on the New York Times app and SSA like to help out. Since they like the game so much, I got them Word Wheel books which are the same concept- find as many words as you can using 4+ letters, always including the letter in the middle of the word wheel. Though I told them it’s perfectly fine to also look for 3 letter words. It was a lot of fun to see them working on it together and collaborating on how to spell words. Their favorite yesterday was, “toot”.

Jason and Steven, watching Voltron.

Sunday means Hebrew school! They walk right in and seem to have a great time each week. So grateful for that.

Today, Sally and I are celebrating our 17th Sallyversary. Seventeen years! It is incredible to think about how our lives have changed in that time. Moved to Florida, moved to Michigan, got married, lived in 5 homes in MI, had 3 kids… she’s been a trooper and right by my side through it all. I’m so glad, all those years ago, I told my friend Tony that I wanted to get a cat. He happened to know that our mutual friends’ wife found a kitten that they couldn’t keep so I trekked off to Jersey City to pick up this little girl. She was small, and a little sickly, but was healthy and feisty in no time. She’s truly the best.

Day one!

On my screened in lanai in FL

My kitchen in FL

Daddy!

With her little sister and little brothers, as they showed her off to their first grade class

Last night, on Sallyversary eve. <3

Wishing Sally a happy Sallyversary <3

This morning, the kids surprised me with cat-insprired breakfast treats. Waffles and toast in the shape of cats. I love it!

This afternoon, the kids spent a few hours at their friend Jack & Nora’s house. Jack is in the boys’ class and both kids were on the boys’ baseball team this year. (Nora is in 1st grade.) Amaya’s classmate and former softball teammate, Alexa, lives next door and she and her brother, Asher, came over to play, too. They would have stayed hours longer if I’d let them.

We wrapped up the weekend with a delicious meal that came together with help from two very skilled sous chefs.

And that’s it for us! Have a great week!

It’s definitely shifting to fall here in Michigan. I’m not prepared – I’m never prepared – but finally, this year, I’m reminded that it doesn’t get miserably cold for a while and I’m letting myself enjoy the season more. Cheltenham Drive becomes particularly pretty this time of year and, in the morning at bust stop time, the sun is still low on the horizon out to the east.

Amaya had a make-up for swim on Monday and she was the only one there for a good portion of class! I think they usually cancel classes when that happens for a make-up but Sophia said there was a teacher training so not only did she have 1:1 attention but there were two swim instructors.

Here she is, practicing her backstroke.

Jason and I had dinner plans for my work and I received this message from Steven. Just the sweetest. (I did make it home in time to rub backs & cuddle before the kids fell asleep.)

Another really pretty morning. On quiet days, I stay at the door while the kids wait for the bus. Steven’s getting better at saying goodbye from the door instead of as the bus pulls up. I think this will be important (for me!) as it gets colder out. Fortunately, with the bus tracker app, no one has to stay outside for too long.

I had another work dinner on Tuesday night and, as a thank you to the kids for “letting me go” my colleague and his wife got the kids Halloween pop its! Huge win! Of course Sammy, the bus wheeler and dealer, promptly traded his for a pyramid shaped rubiks cube. I think his favorite thing about riding the bus is making trades. (There were sales, too, but the school has said no selling/buying on the bus lol.)

At school, a few of the girls in Amaya’s class are in the “worm club”. To join, you have to find a worm, pick it up to be sure it’s okay, and then put it back safely in the dirt. Amaya loves it! On Wednesday, on the way to the bus stop, she found a worm on the sidewalk and used her Worm Club skills to transport the worm safely to the grass.

Our girl <3

One of our boys <3 He really liked this picture.

On Wednesday morning, I got this amazing email from Amaya’s teacher. I’m so proud of her for being such a great friend. When I got home from work, I had her read it out loud. I think she was very proud, too.

“Mrs. Cline, I wanted to tell you about your VERY sweet daughter.  She has become good friends with Milan. Today, Milan was very sad.  Your daughter gave Milan a very big hug today when she noticed Milan was sad. It nearly brought me to tears.  To see such kindness, caring, sweetness, is so special to witness.   You have great reasons to be so proud of her for being so kind.
—
Tammy Boomer, Thornton Creek 2nd Grade”

Amaya also made this picture to bring to Milan on Thursday. (I checked with Milan’s stepmom to be sure it wouldn’t upset her more, but she said it would make Milan feel better and she loves how sweet the girls are with each other. I do, too!)

Swim on Wednesday! This time the boys had a class to themselves for part of the time.

Amaya had a bottom tooth barely, barely hanging on so, on Thursday morning while she struggled to eat breakfast, she let me pluck it out. The tooth fairy is spending a lot of time visiting our house!

A mom I’m friends with is leading a Girl Scouts troop for the 2nd graders at Thornton Creek so Amaya and I went to an info night on Thursday evening. She’s sold! It sounds like this troop will be relatively light on engagement and expectations so we’re going to give it a shot. She already knows a bunch of the girls who are joining. I learned there is also a Boy Scouts den for 2nd graders and they have 8 boys already interested so I’m learning more about that for Steven and Sammy.

Groups of girls designed a robot together.

When Sammy can’t sleep, Jason can always fix it for him. <3

Some photos from the boys’ week at school

Love the outdoor learning. I’d have no idea about this without the photos. “How was school?” “Fine.” “Did you do anything interesting?” “School stuff.” Sometimes, at bedtime, I can get more out of them by cuddling a little longer. Steven is often very thoughtful about his answers at that time of day.

On Friday afternoon, Sophia was out picking up Nana (!!!) from the airport so I was available when the kids got home from school. Big kids – let them in, head back to my meeting. I loved these post-school bright eyes from Amaya. She also had her hair in a cute little side bun.

Nana! Amaya took these photos of Nana and Sammy playing foosball.

<3

Toothless grin!

Like last month, Steven and Amaya slept down in the basement with Nana on Friday night. It works well with two beds in the basement guest room.

The Starbucks tradition

SSA love to do KenKen buzzles with Nana so she saves the easier ones for the kids for when she visits. They each take a turn and did great!

And then Nana and Jason worked on a crossword puzzle.

Sammy was upset because one of his favorite shells broke so Nana had the idea that they could make mosaics with the pieces. It was an awesome idea!

Here’s Amaya’s creation. As I type this, she’s coloring in the background of the cardboard.

We rounded out our Saturday with a Radddish Kids recipe – Spooky Ice Cream Pie.

Voltron with Daddy

Today, after Hebrew school, we all headed to Detroit for a visit to the Detroit Institute of Art (DIA). Even after 15+ years in MI, I still hadn’t been! We spent about an hour and a half wandering around.

Steven loved the “eye spy” displays set up throughout the museum.

He found the fan 🙂

A wonderful temporary exhibit was all about Ofrendas. (Is that the plural of “Ofrenda?”) They had many set up, all with different backgrounds and motivations. It was really cool.

One of Diego Rivera’s Detroit Industry murals. I loved finally seeing this in perosn.

The museum gang!

Since it was so nice out, we stopped by a playground on the way home.

Even Nana got in on the fun!

A long day wound down with a game of touch football for Jason and the kids.

That’s it for us! Have a great week!

We have 2nd grade pictures in!

Steven loves his ninjago sweatshirt. It’s one that zip all the way up the face and he said he wanted to wear this sweatshirt and he wanted poufy hair. Mission accomplished, sweet boy!

Sammy has two of these shirts so it was the perfect choice for him, given that he wears one of the two at least 3 times/week. Since this photo was taken on 9/28, both of those top two teeth are gone!

As I’m sure you can imagine, Amaya planned every last bit of this look. I can’t believe how grow up she looks in this picture! Surely not like a 7.5 year old.

The amazing difference one year makes – 2nd grade vs. 1st.

Going back to Sunday night… sometimes these sweet kids need me at bedtime and, on Sunday night, Steven fell asleep holding tight to my hand. As they get older, I can’t help hang on to these moments. It’s just the sweetest.

On Monday afternoon, Sammy was the first Cline kid to lose a top tooth. Lok at that little gap smile. I asked him if he though the tooth fairy could glue it back in. He thinks I’m ridiculous.

This smile is amazing. <3

Steven had a dentist appointment on Tuesday morning so he sent his brother and sister off to school and then entertained himself for an hour while I joined a morning meeting.

Steven and I seem to wrangle a lot of 1:1 time – eye doctor appointments, hair cuts, solo dentist appointments.

I remember the days when the kids would cry and cry at the dentist so it’s awesome to see them just roll with it so easily.

It was a good appointment. You may have noticed in pictures that one of Steven’s front baby teeth has crossed over the other. Meanwhile, an adult tooth is already coming in behind it. The adult tooth is positioned well and he has time to lose the baby tooth before the dentist decides its time to pull it.

Telling me a story. He’s an effusive guy.

The boys’ class did some kind of exercise on Tuesday where they wrote letters to people. Steven wrote one to his friend Jack. Sammy’s friend Nolan wrote one to him. And Sammy wrote one to me! 😍

Sammy has BIG plans for Halloween. Thankfully we have Sophia to help get creative with his costume.

Swim for the boys! Amaya’s class was canceled because her teacher was sick so she’s going to have two classes this coming week.

TV cuddle time. We’re watching Voltron together. Did I mention that last week? It’s the reboot that started in 2016 but Voltron was one of my favorite shows as a kid so I’m really excited to watch the new series with SSA. I was just about their age when I watched, too.

On Friday, Amaya and I headed to the airport for a short girls’ weekend in New York! It’s been about 5 months since we had a solo trip. While I’d like to say she was excited for the time with me, of course the biggest draw was time with Charlie.

Reading while we waited to board

Midflight, with her friend “Bluey”

Lower Manhattan. It looked even better in person. Amaya was thrilled when we saw the Statue of Liberty out her window.

Back at home, Sophia held down the fort with the boys until Jason got home.

And here are some photos of the boys this week, courtesy of Mrs. Bates.

Our flight was early enough that we got to Aunt Sara & Uncle Dave’s house early enough for dinner together. Nana, Papa and Savta came over, too.

Charlie bent down so it would look like she and Amaya were the same height.

Before Amaya left, she spent time on Facetime with Charlie making plans together. On the list: nail polish, play with Coco (the hamster), make-up, make bracelets, make paper squishies, face masks, art hub, watch a movie, sleepover, piñata, fashion show, candy, fidgets, pumpkins, Starbucks, fashion show (repeat), trampoline, and slime.

First up for the girls were face masks and nails!

And, of course, they had a sleepover.

Saturday morning started off with brownie baking – possibly not on the list but still top of mind.

Then it was time for the trampoline. Chase was in on the fun, too. These kids can jump for ages.

Late morning, Aunt Sara, Charlie, Amaya and I went to Savta’s house for a bit to visit with Savta and Auntie. While there, the girls checked “make-up” off the list.

Notice the coordinating outfits?

We also stopped by Nana and Papa’s house to see some work they did on their kitchen. It’s a similar theme, but all upgrade with new appliances, new counters, new paint and, soon, new flooring.

Ring around the rosie.

While we were visiting family, the Cline men went to Fall Fest at Maybury Farm. They hit up the nearby playground while they waited for the event to start and then got busy making candles from beeswax, decorating pumpkins, making s’mores (Sammy), eating donuts (Steven), petting a bunny and milking a fake cow.

In New York, we wrapped up our day with a trip to a store called Sugar Crazy for a treat and some fidgets, plus a visit to Starbucks. The girls did a fashion show, watched a movie and we all got sushi for dinner. Meanwhile, back at home, Sammy lost another tooth!!

Look at that amazing toothless smile!

It’s a short visit to NY and Amaya was tired and emotional after the busy, busy day so Amaya helped her fall asleep, <3

Amaya and I had an early flight this morning so it was an even earlier goodbye. Amaya handled it as well as I’ve seen her. I think the visit was everything she hoped it would be.

We got home around 12:30pm and, after lunch, were quickly sent away so the Cline men could work on their entries for a baking contest. Steven told Jason, “this is my first baking contest but I’m confident.”

While we were sequestered, Amaya made this really cool KiwiCo kit – part of a subscription from Grandma Sunshine.

Late afternoon, Amaya and I headed to meet her “best friend” Milan for a playdate at the ceramics place in Northville. This was the reason we came home so early today. It says a lot that Amaya was willing to leave NY a little early to see Milan.

Sooooooooo sweet.

After dinner, we wrapped up with the judging of the baking contest. Amaya and I voted blindly and independently and both selected Sammy’s desert as our winner! He was ecstatic.

That’s it for us! Have a great week!

Another quiet fall week, getting back into the swing of things. I’m starting to migrate from standing with the kids at the bust stop to watching them at the bus stop from the front door. We’re getting the timing down with the bus app so it’s a short wait – but soon it will be a colder wait.

Bedtime story books! We finished up our Legend of Korra graphic novel this week which works well because the kids have started bringing home library books from school – some for them to read and some for me to read.

Sammy had a hard time falling asleep a few weeks ago but, this week, it’s Steven who struggled. Holding his hand while he fell asleep did the trick. <3

Picture day outfits. Once again, the kids have full authority on what they wear for picture day. Though I did suggest this shirt for Sammy since he has two of them and wears it every other day. Can’t wait to see those school pictures!

It was beautiful on Tuesday afternoon and I was home by 5:30pm so Sophia and I took the kids to a playground. They were excited to bump into one of the boys’ classmates, Eliana, and her brother. It was great for me, too, to get outside in such nice weather.

Pre-bed cuddles for the men

On Wednesday, as the kids were about to leave for swim, I got an email that swim was canceled due to an “incident in the pool”. I’m glad they left it at that! So, with the kids already in the van, Sophia made another playground day out of it. Whoo hoo!

This time it’s Mommy snuggles for Steven

With our apples from apple picking, Sophia made homemade apple sauce. She had the idea for Amaya to do a taste test against store bought. No surprise Amaya could tasted the difference and preferred homemade.

Now that I’m going into the office more often, a treat in my day is seeing the kids come home from school via the nest cam. This week, on Thursday, I was able to talk to them through the nest cam microphone. I love it!

This sweet girl let me put her hair in a ponytail for school on Friday. Miracle of miracles.

Watching a family of deer in our backyard. It doesn’t get old.

After many days out, Amaya’s teacher was back as of Friday. Hooray! And here are some pictures of the boys’ class from Mrs. Bates. I remember sitting at my desk all day in Mrs. Fish’s 2nd grade class. This looks a lot more fun.

Friday afternoon, so we didn’t have to go over the weekend, Steven and I went to JJ’s for a haircut. Some quality Mom / Bobes time.

Overheard…
Barber: Oh, who do you play with in the pool?
Steven: My brother and sister
Barber: How old are they?
Steven: Seven
Barber: Both of them?
Steven: Yeah, we’re triplets
Barber: I don’t think I’ve ever met triplets
Steven: I hear that a lot

Their life experience is so interesting.

Meanwhile, Sophia took the Sammy and Amaya back to the playground while we were out.

Post hair-cut cuddles with my boys, while we watched The Dragon Prince. Steven asked for short on the sides, long on top, and a lightening bolt.

Saturday morning was quiet – magnatiles for Daddy and the boys + some homemade lemonade made by the kids. Truly delicious.

They spent the afternoon at their friend Ruxin’s house for a playdate. Ruxin has a new puppy, Hudson, and it took a Amaya a while to warm up but eventually she was willing to pet him. Sammy was sold from moment one.

Dinner was out at Garage which gave us our first look at downtown Northville’s Halloween skeletons. A favorite tradition!

It’s rainy-ish today so the kids spent a good portion of the day decorating the house for Halloween. When I woke up, they were already at it.

Sally just sits there in the middle of their chaos.

Amaya and I went shopping for dinner and she came up with the idea of homemade muchables. We got salame, pepperoni, cheeses, lox, cream cheese and crackers. Then she put together a menu with check boxes for everyone to decide what they wanted. For example, Steven had one pepperoni “sandwich” and three lox & cream cheese sandwiches. It was a great idea and she was super cute getting it all organized.

Her menu

Taking Daddy’s order

With sous chef Sammy

Yum!!

That’s it for us here in the Land of Cheltenham. Have a great week!