This week’s BIG adventure was a weekend trip to Cleveland to visit with my friend Hannah and her family. Hannah lives in Baton Rouge but is spending a few weeks at her parents’ house with her 6 girls, including her 2 yo triplets. Steven, Sammy, Amaya and I headed out after lunch on Saturday with time to nap in the car and more than enough playtime left in the day.

The visit was so much fun!!

SSA are always excited by new toys and Hannah’s big kids were off with her parents when we arrived which gave us time to settle in with a smaller group. Here are Steven, Sammy and Amaya with Abby, Bonnie and Betsy.

Hannah cooked dinner for everyone and prep-time involved all 9 kids playing in the kitchen. I think every pot, pan and cooking utensil was out on the floor. The kids were so generous. Evie (6) brought presents for my kids and Josie (3) wanted to be sure that everyone shared.

Evie and Amaya. Evie has 5 younger sisters so I thought she’d be more interested in the boys but she and Amaya were buds.

Dinner outside! Pizza, broccoli and watermelon.

After dinner, Steven and Josie had a very serious conversation about trucks and bikes.

Bedtime was tough. Interestingly, it was Steven who was the most nervous about sleeping in a new place. He cried any time he talked about me leaving the room so I promised to stay with him. We got into bed at about 7:50pm and it was after 9pm before the kids were all asleep. Hannah was kind enough to bring me some wine and chocolate while I waited. (To which Sammy said, “Mommy has a big wine cup” and Amaya said, “Mommy’s drinkin’.”) Once the fell asleep it was smooth sailing, though. I was able to take the monitor and sit outside with Hannah for a few hours. Another local triplet mom even came by to say hi.

Here we are well rested in the morning!

Breakfast time! Interestingly, both Amaya and Sammy wanted to sit in booster seats, not just on the chair. They said they wanted “coasters”.

After breakfast we walked to a beach on the lake. It was a good chance to see how Steven, Sammy and Amaya do with sand after last summer when Sammy was so, so hesitant. It took a few minutes for Amaya and Sammy to warm up but then they were off!

See Steven and Sammy there in the distance? Amaya was sitting on my lap because she was upset about being bit by horseflies. (“No bugs on legs!”) The boys were off playing totally independently which I love to see.

We had a taco lunch at the park.

Then it was back to the house and a drive home to Novi! We had such a great time. Hannah, her parents, and her girls were such gracious hosts and I’m proud of myself for diving into this awesome adventure.

On Monday, we did a quick finger paint project. Though “finger paint” is probably a generous description. It’s more like hand painting. Amaya was totally into it. She made 4 or 5 paintings and loved the whole process. Sammy was a little more tentative but was still willing to get his hands dirty and give it a try. Oddly, Steven did not want to touch the paint. The closest he got (besides the paint on his clothing) was a finger in the yellow paint. One look at it and he wanted us to clean him up.

Tuesday morning was beautiful so we got outside early. We went for a 45 minute walk around the neighborhood, spent some time playing on the front lawn, and then had fun with bubbles in the back. This was all before Grandma Sunshine arrived to take Steven to her home for a sleepover.

After Megan left on Tuesday we decided to mix things up a bit. Usually we watch a little bit of tv to wind down but it was gorgeous weather outside and I only had 2 of the kids home with me. Instead of tv time, we ventured outside for 45 minutes of play time. So much fun! We ran around the grass, did somersaults and just generally had a great time breaking routine.

I don’t have any photos of Steven at Grandma’s house but I do have a story to share. Grandma and Steven were talking about Daddy going to the workplace so she put his big head in the car. Steven said, “Big Daddy can’t drive. He has no hands.” That’s good thinking, Steven!

While Steven was adventuring with Grandma at the tractor supply store and the local airport, Sammy, Amaya, Megan and I went to Maybury Farm. It was a beautiful day and we were able to meet up with another triplet family while we were there. Sammy even got up the nerve to touch a donkey and a pig. He sure did miss Steven, though. He told me he wanted to “hold Bobo’s hand.”

The farm has a story time which gave us a chance for our first ever story time! Sammy and Amaya did great. They sat patiently on their carpet squares waiting for the stories to start and were engaged through 2 stories. I can’t believe how old they are!

Then, before we knew it, Steven was home to us! (But very sad to say goodbye to Grandma Sunshine.)

Thursday we had plans to meet up with another triplet mom at the Toledo Zoo. The weather was terrible, though, so we made a last minute call to go to the Imagination Station in Toledo, instead. One of her sons got sick on the way so, unfortunately, they didn’t make it. But we had a fantastic time! This was one of my favorite recent outings with the kids.

When we arrived the preschool area was empty which gave the kids time to really explore on their own terms. After a quick visit to the tree house (Sammy) and the doll hospital (Steven and Amaya), everyone got busy at the grocery store.

SSA also loved the water table area just as much as last time. It’s such a great play space for little kids.

Construction man Steven!

We had a lot of fun at this little station where balls float over a column of air.

Sammy’s face!

Amaya was beside herself putting her face in the airflow. I can’t remember seeing her get such a kick out of something. It was beyond cute.

Jason’s developed the sweetest bedtime routine with the kids. Their book basket becomes a rocket ship and everyone blasts off into their cribs.

Finally, for the week, on Friday Steffie came by for a play date with Steven, Sammy and Amaya. They were so happy to see her. Nine times out of ten, when we sing happy birthday we have to include Stephanie in the mix. They love their Steffie.

Steven this week!

Mr. Sock Hand.

Sammy this week!

Amaya this week!

Have a great week!