The kids have been sleeping with us a bit more frequently than they had been, which we can chock up to any number of things – but there’s more fear at bedtime than there had been for a while. We’re working on a reset but, honestly, kid snuggles at night aren’t something we take for granted.

Amaya’s with her Nana dog and a pillow of Nana & the kids that I got for my mom back when she had back surgery in 2015 or 2016.

(The Nana dog is vestige of our Disney trip. While we were there, Nana saw these cute stuffed animals of the dog, Nana, from Peter Pan. She got one for each of her 5 grandkids as a reminder that Nana will always be with them. Nana was able to personally give them to Chase and Charlie but I had to deliver them, on her behalf, to Steven, Sammy and Amaya.)

Also, on the topic of Nana, which is my main topic of interest these days, below is a text I got from Sophia. These are some smart girls and we made the best memories.

It was a week with sick boys! Sammy came home early from school on Monday and, by Tuesday, had a fever. Into Tuesday night, Steven was up with a really bad ear ache. Honestly, I think it was the most uncomfortable I’ve seen him, poor kid. So he also stayed home from school on Tuesday. Sophia got the boys to urgent care and both were prescribed antibiotics for ear infections. By Thursday they were back at school but it’s been a cold-filled start to this school year.

Sammy, sleeping on in the car while Amaya was at gymnastics

Sweet, sick Bubba

Sick Bobes. Ear aches are the pits

Amaya got a new school backpack and made no fuss when she went off to school on her own two says in a row

Such pretty mornings in the Land of Cheltenham

An urgent care visit – still have to wait in the car for your turn

The kids love reading in bed before they go to sleep at night

Amaya is getting in some bike rides before the weather turns

I can still pick up my Steven and hold him for hugs. Probably not for much longer.

Steven’s team won their game 9-0 on Friday night! The Yumbas won! Steven had a chance to play catcher.

On Saturday afternoon, Sammy had his friend Owen’s birthday party. (Steven just saw this and said, “I’m so jealous. Bowling is my favorite thing.”)

While Sammy was at the party, Steven had a play date with his friend Brady. (Amaya wants you all to know that she was bored.)

Steven, waiting for Brady to arrive.

Later in the day, all the kids and Brady playing video games.

Amaya wrote a constitution for her bedroom: We the sleepers will not fight, be respectful of all living things, and no fighting.

It’s Erev Rosh Hashanah tonight. Amaya and I made Nana’s Honey Cake and I’m excited to try it (if everyone eats the dinner and gets their act together in time which is looking doubtful so it may be tomorrow).

Amaya did an excellent job peeling and grating.

Tomorrow we’ll got to family services at Temple Israel and ring in a new year. L’Shana Tova to anyone celebrating with us.

It’s still really difficult to write the blog every week. It feels like one more thing that Nana won’t experience and I hate that but I also know I’ll regret it if I stop (and she’d be so sad if I stopped) so I’m doing my best to keep this going for me and for her and for the fact that this is still a great way for the kids to be able to revisit their childhood.

Both Steven and Sammy lost teeth this week – one next to their front big teeth. I can’t believe they’re still losing teeth and have so many to go. It feels like ages since they lost their first!

Sammy and Amaya love to do “last to leave” contests where they gather a bunch of stuff and compete to see who will be last to leave the space. I don’t know what the winner earns for their success but it keeps them contained and quite for a while. 😉

An annual event in Northville is the Northville Heritage Festival and it’s tradition for the 3rd graders to attend on the Friday, dressed in Victorian-era clothing. The town gets very excited about the festival so we joined the fun (with almost every other 3rd grader in the district) and got our old-school on. It was pretty stinkin’ cute.

Moms who volunteered for the field trip sent me photos of Amaya with Milan and Sammy with Owen.

Steven was home sick after school but, in the evening, I took Amaya and Sammy to participate in the festival parade with the rest of the third graders. I told the Bitcherie that I feel like I live in Maybury. 🙂 The kids walk the parade and toss candy to the spectators. They loved it.

Afterward, Jason took Amaya and Sammy to a back-to-school block party hosted by two friends’ families.

I stayed home with Bobes. <3

We had a very lazy weekend but I did take the kids to the library to pick up some books. We love the triplets seated outside the entrance. 🙂

Amaya and Steven participated in a Mexican Heritage event that was happening while we were there.

Today the kids had Hebrew School (steven stayed home) followed by traditional Starbucks.

Another, messy, Last to Leave contest!

Finally… this popped up in my timehop. Beautiful and heartbreaking. I’m so glad for the memories.

I hope everyone has a great week!

This week Steven, Sammy and Amaya started third grade. Amazing! It’s really their first normal, uneventful start to the school year. Kindergarten was kindergarten – a big WOW. First grade was a home. Second grade was their first time back in 18 months. Third grade had the honor of being No Big Deal.

Kids read in bed before going to sleep and Monday night was no exception.

THIRD GRADE!

Here’s the bus! Back at it! (And probably the only day I’ll be at the bus stop with them for a while.) This year they’re picked up at (officially) 7:58am which is 10 minutes earlier than last year and just a touch easier for our work schedules. The kids are the second stop at the end of the day and still home by just after 4pm, which is nice.

Back to morning bus stop pictures, too. Feels like we were just here.

Steven is playing fall ball. It’s a short 6 week season but he’s really excited about it and has a few friends on the team. Wednesday was their first practice – and Friday was their first game.

This coming week the kids have a field trip to the Northville Heritage Festival. It’s a big 3rd grade thing and they’re supposed to go in period attire. Sophia helped us find stuff for the kids to wear and Amaya is obsessed with her outfit.

Amaya is also into oversized sweatshirts which creates the “no shorts” look that I remember from when I was a kid. I think my grandfather used to lift my shirt up to see if I had anything on underneath.

I stayed home with Sammy and Amaya for Steven’s game but he got a great hit at one of his three at-bats. Right back in the saddle.

On Saturday, Grandma Sunshine and Aunt Annette came for a visit. There was football and board games and lunch and sewing.

The Cline 5 went out for dinner, Amaya in her hat with a purse from Nana.

Cornhole in Downtown Northville. They’ve decided to permanently close the two streets that have been closed since covid which I think is a great decision. It’s so nice to be able to walk around on the closed streets. Definitely makes it even more of a destination.

Sammy, on the phone with Savta

The kids had their first day of Hebrew school this morning and were excited to find that one of the boys’ favorite friends, Jack, is now a Temple Israel member and in their class. It’s going to really change their perspective on going each week.

We took the kids to B&N today so they could pick out more books for bedtime reading. Amaya picked a bunch of nonfiction chapter books (including a Nancy Drew and the first babysitters club). Sammy got Legend of Korra graphic novels and a minecraft book. Steven got 9 books from the Who Was? series.

That’s it for this week. The kids had a good one!

The kids and I just got back from three days & three nights in Petoskey & Charlevoix (because it’s nearly impossible for me to stay still) and it’s getting late so, for the first time, I set a timer and decided whatever I can accomplish in 35 minutes is what this blog update will be. It’s a good way to get this done (which I want to do) without spending excessive time (which I do not want to do). After selecting and uploading photos I have 19 minutes left so if suddenly this is just a bunch of pictures with no context, you’ll know why.

Wednesday evening the kids had Meet the Teacher night in advance of Tuesday’s first day of school. Amaya dressed for the occasion. 🙂 This is the first year that all three kids have their own classes. I had to nudge Sammy into this just a bit but he was the boldest of the three, walking into his classroom. I had no doubts he’d be totally fine. And one of his favorite friends is in his class, too.

SSA all got to see each others’ classrooms which are conveniently clustered together. Last year, Amaya was half the school away from the brothers.

After lunch on Thursday the kids and I took our annual trip Up North. It’s crazy to think that, sometime in the spring, I suggested to my mom that she should join us. We had a wonderful weekend but, even outside of the potential of that trip, everything is just a bit paler, duller when I can’t share it with Nana. Even typing this now blows my mind. But we’re keeping on keeping on.

We had a house halfway between downtown Petoskey and downtown Charlevoix – about 10 minutes to each. Right by our house was a little path own to the lake. SSA really enjoyed skipping rocks down there.

Our Thursday night dinner was in Charlevoix right by the drawbridge. Steven has been waiting a full year to see it rise and fall again. He was not disappointed! (Though, again, this restaurant attracts wasps so I’m not sure we will eat outside there next year.)

Waiting…

First drawbridge opening of the season for Bobes!

Sammy, in a MI chair. I loved it. He was not impressed.

We got to bed at a reasonable hour and then had a lazy morning before putting on our suits and heading to Petoskey for lunch. While I was paying for parking I told the kids to “go play on the tracks” which made an older couple laugh.

Lunch at Duffy’s, three years running.

We spent the afternoon at Petoskey State Park. The weather was perfect, sunny and not too hot. The kids spent most of the time using their metal detectors and a bit of time in the water. Even I went in and enjoyed the lake waves.

Steven, trying to decide if he was willing to go with Sammy to get me (Mommy Salty Cucumber, as he calls me) a bottle of water. He did!

Sammy and I spent some time relaxing together <3

We had some real waves on Friday! Today the lake was totally calm.

Not a filter in sight, just pure MI blue sky.

After a trip home for showers, we headed back to Petoskey for dinner where we had dinner (three years running) at Beards Brewery.

Amaya has taken to wearing some of Nana’s bracelets along with the Pandora bracelet she got at Disney. I love this so much.

After dinner we had obligatory ice cream.

As a surprise on the drive home, we went back to the little beach pull off to see the sunset over the lake and skip more rocks. It was beautiful. Again, no filter, just Michigan.

This sky! On Saturday we headed to Charlevoix in the morning where I bumped into my old friend Ginny! So wild. She lives in NY now (Westchester) and we haven’t seen each other in almost 4 years. We spent a while together walking on the pier with the kids and talking while they played on a beach playground.

Then it was back to Petoskey for shopping and snacks before heading to the Petoskey pier to hunt for Petoskey stones.

I can’t believe our luck with the weather.

(Three minute countdown!) Today we made the most of the day after checking out of our Airbnb. We had brunch in Petoskey at Roast & Toast, did more rock collecting on the shore and then visited a mini golf place that we all loved when we were there two years ago.

Sammy, proud of his rock tower

Amaya said, “Wait, I have to look sad.”

It was a lovely way to end our summer. I will admit I’m ready for the school year to start and to move into a new season. Next week will be an update on SSA’s first week of third grade!

And I did it, with 0:55 on the timer!