Fun Sunday*

Happy Sunday!

In a book on crystals, Amaya found instruction on making geodes and this girl was off to the races. First she mixed 2 parts hot water with 1 part salt. Then she stirred in food coloring and poured into egg shells. After that, we waited for the water to evaporate so crystals could form.

Pretty!

The kids are working on book reports about animals and had to look through dozens of options.

Sammy: Steven, come to page one hundred twenty four. It’s really cool!

Steven: Sammy, come to page one hundred thirty six! There’s a red robin.

Sammy chose a polar bear. Steven picked an octopus. Amaya picked a dolphin.

My first best girl and I.

Muscles. Grrrr.

February was CARES month at school. I think I shared the cards that the kids made for the Novi Police Department. This month, the school is visiting the various recipients to deliver the cards and care packages and all kids are welcome for all drop-offs. This week Steven, Sammy and Amaya went to Providence Park Hospital to thank the health care workers.

March is also reading month. Every night, Monday- Thursday, different teachers are reading bedtime stories on Zoom. SSA have really enjoyed it, so far, and there seems to be great participation from kids at school.

Friday was Harry Potter day at school. The kids have awareness of Harry Potter but not details. (Though I can’t wait to read the books with them in a few years.) Steven and Amaya did want to dress up, though, and pulled out their wizard and witch costumes.

Penni got into the spirit, wearing Amaya’s witch hat.

“Charlie is the only person who can do a handstand not on a wall. Everyone else has to do them on walls.”

On Friday night, Steven fell asleep right on top of me. It’s been a weekend of “I love you, mama” and “Mama is the best.” He’s definitely got the gift of expressing his love for his family. <3

We played a lot of Animal Crossing this weekend. Lots of swimming, fishing, chopping, building, selling and visiting. Also a lot helping each other out.

SSA were playing out back yesterday when Sammy came in kind of sheepishly. I asked what he needed and he asked if he could give me a hug. Kind of unusual for Sammy to come in for hugs but I’m always game for Sammy hugs. While we’re hugging he said, “hold on a second, I need to give Amaya a signal” and ran back outside to give Amaya a thunbs up. I still don’t know what that was about!

Up to something…

Amaya and I played a game of Go Fish and I asked for the same card every time. She lost it when she finally drew the card she knew I’d ask for.

Discovery Channel shows with Daddy.

Amaya worked hard throughout the day to make a fort that she, Steven and Sammy could sleep in together on Saturday night. She made Sammy his own “room” – his preference. She and Steven were together under the big blanket and she needed something to hold it up over their faces but she also wanted to be able to see Steven. Her solution was to open up a cardboard box so she and Steven could look through it but it could still support the blanket.

Amaya is so creative and focused. We saw her working on a project that turned out to be a brick oven pizza with pineapples and olives – her favorite. I love watch the kids execute their wide variety of ideas.

It was a beautiful, cool, clear day so the we planned some playground time today. The kids couldn’t agree on where to go and there are a ton of playgrounds near to each other so I agreed to do one hour at their school playground for Sammy and Amaya and another playground at a “fort” playground of my choice for Steven.

Only kids at the school playground.

Amaya’s trick.

Steven’s trick.

The 2nd playground was packed. It’s really interesting to me that masks are so normalized in our area. All of the kids over toddler age and almost all of the adults were wearing them.

A whole group of kids spent ages in this contraption that has 2 levels and spins around. When it was time to leave Steven was super bummed and told me, “Every time we make friends on a playground we never see them again.” He was also excited to tell me that he, Sammy and Amaya “made an entire group of people become friends.”

When we got home, Jason, Steven and Sammy went to the basement to organize the exercise room. I asked Amaya to go downstairs and report back on what the men were up to. She came back upstairs with a report. I’m dying over this lol.