Monday was Sammy’s turn to be class leader! He was so excited and chose to bring a bag of coins for the start of “C” week. I’m loving the leggings over the “nana pants”.

We had a few more days this week where we were able to get outside for after-work walks. I’m going to try to do it daily for as long as we can, before it’s too cold and too dark.

On Tuesday, Megan took SSA to their dance studio to get the paperwork we needed to complete. It was a good chance for them to check out the space before day one.

They also had time for a visit to the playground. It’s really interesting to see the kids’ differences in a play space. Amaya is most likely to want to climb high. Sammy is most likely to want to swing high. Steven is most likely to go down a big slide. And it’s not just “most likely”, it’s very distinctive preferences. Amaya gets nervous if swings go too high or too fast. Sammy is not interested in big slides at all. Steven is still working on his climbing skills.

“I did it!”

Just in time for Wednesday’s dance class, Steven, Sammy and Amaya’s dance gear arrived. They were SO READY to dance!! Their enthusiasm and joy is the best. I can’t love this more. ♥ ♥ ♥

Books, books, books these days. It’s awesome.

Wednesday was dance day! But first, school. And this gem of an outfit. Amaya is an original, lol. I can’t wait until she’s older and I get to show her some of these photos. (Actually, I can wait. Time really needs to slow down.)

Dance class!!! Their teacher is Miss Christina. I love that they can see Megan in the window to help with the transition and I also love that it’s a relatively small class.

Megan said that Amaya was too cool for school at first and didn’t initially join in with the group activities. Sammy teared up when he first went into the room but, quickly, he and Steven were with the program.

Stretches!

Pliés in second position. The cuteness is killing me here.

This video is everything. I feel like there are these parenting moments where you think, “I can’t believe these are my kids and I’m at this stage.” Such big kids! In dance class!

I had to watch the video three times so I could follow Steven, Sammy and Amaya each through their routine. If you focus on Sammy and Amaya holding hands, you might miss Steven walking on tippy toes and vice versa. I can not get enough.

Thank you, Megan, for the photos and video! It was almost like I was there!

Nana flew in to visit on Thursday so, on Friday, she went with SSA to their weekly Shabbat service at school. Instead of the usual fair, rabbis from local synagogues came by and there was a Simchat Torah celebration. I was telling Jason that I distinctly remember the exuberance of Simchat Torah from when I was a kid. Everyone would carry the Torahs out into the street and there was so much singing and dancing.

Friday, Steven was the class leader. He brought a car! You can see him leading the line in the photo below. 🙂

Pony rides on Daddy before bed!

Saturday morning I was able to get the playroom organized, including reassembling the train tracks. The kids have been asking for a while but it takes time and they always break it apart again shortly after. This time, Jason came in behind me and used double sided velcro to keep the tracks together.

5-4-3-2-1 Blast Off!

Steven, Sammy and Amaya got new rain coats on Friday, just in time for a rainy Saturday. Steven was insistent that they could play outside in the rain now that they have rain coasts. It was a warm day, and not raining too hard, so I decided to say “yes” and off we went for a walk! Sammy said it was his favorite walk ever. 🙂 I think jumping in puddles was the highlight for everyone.

Our afternoon activity was painting canvases. Steven has asked that we hang these in the playroom.

Love that little tongue.

Jason and I went out for dinner on Saturday night with Nana holding down the fort. Happy kids! (Except when we forgot to honk the horn as we passed by the front window. We always forget!!)

This morning, at 7am, only Sammy was up! It was a rare opportunity for quiet Nana cuddles and a slow roll to start the day. Such a different experience.

Today was Amaya’s turn to go to the grocery store with Daddy and she was ready before he was even out of bed!! “I’ll just wait for Daddy.” ♥

Daddy!!

Waiting for Daddy to honk.

Once again, Nana came to visit with a suitcase full of clothes from Charlie. I feel like Charlie was just wearing this faux leather skirt Amaya has on. She’s so lucky to get all of these awesome hand-me-downs from her big cousin and she knows it!

Lunch out with Nana. This was a regular trip to Deadwood where the manager always takes time to come over and remark on how big the kids have gotten from the days we kept them in their infant carriers at a corner table.

It was a quiet afternoon at home. Amaya asked to “cut lines” and, once again, blew me away with her cutting skills. She has such focus and she doesn’t get rattled if it doesn’t go quite her way.

The finished product! Amaya did all of the cutting with the exception of the top candles which I cut out for her to color. I’m so impressed with how well she did the candles on the bottom of the page.

And that’s it for this week! Next weekend Sammy and I are off to NY together!