out with a bang

The kids definitely made the most of their last week before school starts again. They had a fun adventure almost every day starting with the zoo on Monday. It’s been over a year since they visited and long overdue. It’s so nice that they’re old enough to go with nothing but a little extra sunscreen and their masks. A far cry from the days of triple strollers and diaper bags.They had a great day!

I’m told by the kids that this is not a wishing fountain.

In the kangaroo enclosure a Joey hopped right in front of Sammy.

Giraffes!!

The kids were not at all interested in a photo together but Steven and Amaya were totally game for solo pics. (Speaking of their individuality, I was filling out some info for their teacher and I was curious what Amaya thinks about being referred to as “the triplets”. I asked if she prefers when she and her brothers are called, “the triplets” or “Steven, Sammy and Amaya” and she said, “Definitely Steven, Sammy and Amaya.” I just asked Steven and he said, “I don’t care.” Sammy said the same. Which is an interesting connection to Amaya being the one who wanted her own class.)

Sammy exploring Jason’s Fantasy Football draft binder.

Penni sent me this picture and said, “I love that they take pictures and are sooooo invested in making them look they way they want.”

Sammy was wearing his Disneyland buttons which motivated Steven to sell his preference for Legoland. Eventually they agreed it was a matter of opinion.

On Tuesday afternoon, Penni took SSA to an orchard for some apple picking. They got lucky because Amaya was not a fan of the bees that live at the zoo and I was a little worried the orchard would be buzzing, but it wasn’t! Now we have a ton of hand picked apples to enjoy.

Looking at Delta planes. I hate flying so much and still can not wait to get on an airplane again.

Sammy, Steven and Amaya were playing a game where Sammy was the boss and he kept saying things like, “Let’s keep these people on task! We have to meet our goals!” I have no idea where he heard things like that lol!

The kids had baseball Tuesday and Wednesday this week. I had meetings all day on Tuesday so Gabby got the kids ready for their game and had them ready and in the van just after 6pm. We headed to Thornton Creek, got out of the car, and I realized that there were two teams on the field and neither was ours. So I double check the schedule and realized we had a game on a different field. We got back in the car and headed there. Through very poor planning on the part of whoever gave us the address, it took us another 15 minutes to figure out how to get to the field parking lot. But we made it and played for an hour before it started to rain on us. (Which didn’t cancel the game for a good while, which we spent in the field.) So Tuesday was rough. The highlight was Amaya’s monster hit at her first at-bat.

Wednesday’s game was a lot better and it was at 6pm! All the kids got hits. At least I think they all did. Amaya got at least one hit, maybe two. Sammy hit the ball twice but was tagged out at first both times. I think Steven got a hit but now I’m second guessing myself. I told Sammy he did a great job and he complained that he got tagged out twice. I told him that he’s still learning to play and hitting the pitched ball is a big important step. He said, “It’s also important to learn not to get tagged.”

On Thursday, before heading to the pool, Penni got the kids’ Schoology accounts set up on their chromebooks. We’re getting close!

Possibly the final JCC pool day of the season. With a possible exception on Wednesday, it’s unlikely to crack 80 degrees again this season and the pool is too cold to swim in the 70s. (For me, at least, and they expect me to get in the water with them when we go to the pool.) At least we’re less than 4 weeks from the start of swim lessons.

Two years ago, compared to this week.

Penni said that, after a rough morning together with fights over seats and cereal, peace was restored between the brothers with talks about She-Ra.

On Friday, Penni and Gabby took the kids to Greenfield Village. Another great day to round out their last full week of summer vacation. It’s so nice that Gabby and Penni like doing these activities together. It’s definitely special for the kids.

Jenga (which is Steven’s and he’s clear about that) has been a big hit lately. Sammy wanted me to take pictures of the game at every angle. He couldn’t believe how high it was.

Juuuuuuust before it tumbled.

On Friday night Jason and I went out for an early dinner in downtown Northville and, while we were there, I picked up our finished ceramics pieces. They came out great!

Amaya’s unicorn.

Steven’s tank.

My hedgehog. 🙂

Some serious Minecraft business. I love when they collaborate.

On Saturday morning we stayed home all day, in PJs, and relaxed together. Steven and Jason built a train city.

Amaya started on a Lego hospital that she got for her birthday and hadn’t opened yet.

Prepping for Fantasy Football

This morning we went out for a yummy family brunch at The Sardine Room. Jason wowed us all by killing 3 wasps that buzzed around our table.

Homemade Lego necklace!

The kids and I had a plan to go for a hike after brunch but Sammy and Amaya were worried about the rain so Steven and I headed out on our own. He talked the whole time and I smiled the whole time. It did rain but, thanks to the tree cover, we didn’t get wet. Steven determined our path and we spent about 45 minutes walking together. I’ve really missed the quality 1:1 time I got from traveling with the kids but, on the way home, Steven and I talked about how we don’t need an airplane or even a car to have special time together. (As long as we have our imaginations, “so we do need our brains”.)

We hiked around a pond that Steven named “picture pond” because every time he saw a “pond trail” he wandered down and asked for a picture. I probably have 7 or 8 different photos of him in front of thd pond.

For dinner tonight we dove into another Raddish Kids kit. This time it was roast chicken and vegetables, with roasted red skins, followed by apple cider donuts. Amaya was on chopping duty while Sammy prepared the chicken. A whole chicken!

He thought it was gross but necessary. I can agree with that. I was really proud of his work. He stuffed the chicken with salt, pepper, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme and chopped garlic.