It seems fitting that this blog is at the start of Rosh Hashana – the Jewish New Year. This time of year is about new beginnings in the Jewish calendar and it’s also about new beginnings in our family. We’re making the transition from Megan to Madison. Steven, Sammy and Amaya started pre-k this past week. They had their first soccer game on Saturday. Next Thursday starts the new dance season – tap and jazz, this year. Even I’m getting in the game. I signed up for adult tap classes! It’s been 24 years since I’ve tapped but I still have my tap shoes from high school and and I’m ready to go.

SSA were all ready for school on Tuesday. Knowing they have Ms. Bri as their teacher was definitely a motivator.

This year, Steven said he wants to be a firefighter. Amaya wants to be a princess. Sammy wants to be a popcorn seller. 🙂

The progression from 2016 to 2017 to 2018 is really incredible to see.

I tried to do pictures of the kids individually but Steven insisted on a photo with “my sister”. He told Sammy to “go stand somewhere else”. 🙁 I let Sammy know he didn’t have to leave the photo but he said, “it doesn’t matter” and wandered off. Of course I worried that it did matter. It’s so hard to know and I feel like there are two lessons that need to happen in those moments. 1. Don’t exclude people. 2. People will exclude you sometimes, so how can you persevere without letting them get to you.

It’s hard to navigate because Steven has a right to a photo just with his sister but he needs to be taught how to articulate that differently. In hindsight, instead of bringing Sammy back into the photo after taking one of Steven and Amaya, I think I would have suggested he have his own photo with Amaya afterward and immediately coached Steven on how to make his request more kindly. Or maybe I overthink it too much. We’re all learning together.

But Sammy was excited to jump back in and link arms with Amaya for this next picture and didn’t seem particularly phased.

The chaos of taking pictures.

Heading in like pros.

Two years ago it took us foreeeeever to get up and down these stairs. The Cline Kids were always at the back of the pack on stairs. No more!

Amaya and Steven dove right in to their new room but Sammy was a little nervous about me leaving. As soon as Ms. Bri took his hand, though, he was totally fine. No tears!

Funny faces for Madison at the end of a great first day. Yay!!

Me: “Why do your signs say 20?”
Steven: “Because that’s our birthday day.”

Tuesday night was the 2nd soccer practice and this time I was able to stay the whole time. Madison dropped the kids off and I met them there.

Steven is both the first to want to sit and the most competitive. There was a game where you kick the ball at the coach and, if the ball touches him, he’ll make any animal sound you want. Steven was determined to catch coach. (He picked a monkey. Sammy picked a lion. Amaya picked a unicorn.) In the second part of the game, you had to catch the other kids with the ball. Amaya was the last one standing! Steven was determined to get her and he finally did.

It was HOT. Steven spent about 1/3 of practice just sitting down.

Sammy spent about 1/3 of practice picking flowers. 🙂

This big kid was in it from start to finish. I’m absolutely shocked at how old Amaya looks in this photo. Bye bye, my baby!

Madison has learned that the way to Sammy’s heart is letting him help prepare food. 🙂

Amaya showing off her new sneakers, and her crazy pattering mixing lol.

Afternoon playtime on Thursday

We had a slow start to mornings as everyone got used to the new routine. The mornings are longer, because we leave at 8:15am instead of 8:20am, and Madison’s taking the kids instead of Mommy & Daddy. It’s been particularly tough for Sammy who was going through a rough patch at drop off as it was. By Friday, though, he was all smiles and ready to roll when it was time to head off to school. Whoo hoo!!

Friday was officially Megan’s last day. It’s really hard to believe. I can’t help but replaying the last 4.5 years over and over again in my mind. Megan’s been with us from the beginning so this transition feels as much about their care as it does about a recognition that we no longer have babies. I’m remembering our first walk with the babies. How I’d make us stop at the gas station on the way to those early, early dr appointments to be sure they were still breathing in their car seats. Putting the kids on a schedule. Starting solids. Early intervention. The first year of preschool.

Megan was part of navigating so much of Steven, Sammy and Amaya’s early years and, with the start of pre-k, I can’t help but think about all we shared together and how far these kids have come from little 33 weekers.

Here’s Megan’s first photo holding all three babies and one taken on Friday afternoon. <3

Sillies. 🙂

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Steven and May May, a portrait by Steven.

Megan, the kids and I went out for dinner at Garage together on Friday night. Not for a “last” hurrah, because there will be more, but for a “new beginnings” celebration.

A last selfie after our tears.

As a parting gift, Megan took the kids to make me this keepsake. It’s an amazing compliment to the footprint piece she made for my first Mother’s Day. It’s perfect, and I love it.

Saturday was our first soccer game!! Steven powered up by recreating the pancakes on the pancake box. 🙂

Ready for our first game. Go Airtime Tweeters, Go!!

Amaya and Sammy, out huddling with the coach and two teammates.

Sammy, ready at the line.

Halftime powwow.

“Amaya, are you doing a great job?”
“Yeah, I am!”

Amaya and Sammy went right in to play. Amaya chased the ball but seemed nervous to actually get in the mix when everyone was was kicking and getting aggressive. Sammy runs like the cutest little guy every but needs to remember to run to where the ball is. Steven absolutely refused to play for the first three quarters of the game. We finally got him to go in with a promise of visiting the on-site playground after the game. That was all it too, after three quarters of whining! In he went and, when asked, said he had a great time! Of the three kids, he was probably the most aggressive about going after the ball.

The Cline Trio. Coach G was great and let them all go in together during Steven’s first turn out of the field.

Numbers 2, 3 and 4 – ready to play!

Amaya, throwing in the ball.

Made it to the playground! Next week we’ll think to bring sneakers. Cleats aren’t great for running on wood.

Amaya can actually do monkey bars!

Under her jersey is an inside out, silver and black sparkly cardigan, paired with her Frozen leggings. As you do.

Steven, Sammy and Amaya have a new freedom as of this weekend. We now let them play in the backyard while we’re in the house. Previously, we’d only let them on the deck if we were inside. It’s a flight of stairs down to the grass and sight lines aren’t great. Also, it’s not a fenced in yard. But SSA seem to clearly understand the boundaries of where they can go and we can hear them easily with the back door cracked. On my watch, I checked in every once in a while and so far, so good!

I’m taking Amaya to CA the first weekend of October and we were talking about how we’d bring presents back for the Cline men. I told Amaya she’d get a souvenir from the trip and she burst into tears. “What’s a souvenir?!? A souvenir isn’t a present!!! I want a present!!” Poor kid, thinking all she’d get is a trip to CA with her mom. 😉

SSA made Rosh Hashana cards at school and Steven wrote his in Hebrew! שנה טובה means “good year”. He did a great job!

This morning, the kids made hammocks and got comfy to listen to music. Steven started it all with a fort but, once Amaya made a hammock, the boys wanted in on that fun.

For lunch, it was a Daddy/Sammy adventure to Benihana! Sammy even dressed just like Daddy for their lunch date.

 

This guy loves his Daddy.

“Don’t leave me, brother!”

Steven’s still really into the Statue of Liberty lol.

For Rosh Hashana eve, we were invited to the home of one of the kids’ classmates. They’ve been in class with Shoshana all three years they’ve been at the JCC and her parents generously invited us to dinner with her family.

Amaya decided she should wear her “wedding dress”, a bun and a tiara. Then she suggested we tell Shoshana’s family that Amaya is in the “hostipal” and so we had to bring Princess Aurora with us, instead.

I asked if she wanted to pose for a photo and this is what I got lolol.

<3 <3 <3 At dinner, Amaya said she wanted to tell me a secret. The secret was “I love you the most”. That is quite a gift from my daughter who is very careful to keep her emotions guarded. Steven is the child who tells me he loves me with practically every other passing breath, while Amaya shares those feelings with me much less frequently.

Steven and Amaya were quick to play when they saw all the new toys. Steven, in particular, dove right into to pretend play with Shoshana. Sammy was more hesitant, which wasn’t surprising. For a good part of the evening, he wanted to stick close to Jason or to me.

After a while, we did convince Sammy to open up the chair next to him and convince Steven to sit with the kids. I think it was their first real “kids table” that included people they don’t know.

Amaya and Shoshana put on fancy shoes. I asked if they were dancing and Shoshana said, “no, we’re rock stars.” 🙂

They even got up on “stage” for a performance. Steven was insistent that the overhead lighting be turned off with just the fireplace lights on to shine down on the stage. He had a very strong sense of how everything should be, which isn’t surprising.

I’m off from work tomorrow for the holiday and will take the kids to an afternoon family service – our first together, and I’m looking forward to it!

For all of those celebrating, Shana Tova. And to everyone reading, have a great week!