A nice playground near out house got an upgrade and it’s even nicer now – and fun for the kids because so much is new – so they’re playing while I sit at a picnic table under a tree in the shade and write this blog. For so long SSA were tentative on playground equipment but they’ve really come into their own lately – especially Steven who had always been the most hesitant. It’s great to see them play and climb so freely. (Side note: This playground also has a number of wheelchair accessible features which is very cool.)

It’s hard to believe but Nana was still here last Monday. Our weeks feel so full that it seems like eons from one Monday to the next. The kids got out to a playground but the highlight of their day was making homemade squishies with memory foam. It was an idea Amaya got from one of her library books.

Amaya’s donut

Sammy’s cupcake

Steven’s creations.

We’ve been very into the Olympics over the past two weeks. Steven liked most sports but was particularly interested in women’s gymnastics. So much focus while he watches.

Olympics + a foot massage from Daddy

A mom of 4 year old triplets was asking if it ever gets easier and I showed her this picture from Tuesday morning. I came down to get coffee for work and found Sammy sitting at the island eating oatmeal that he made on his own. I’m sure I’ve talked about the kids’ independence with breakfast but it really is amazing to look at how far we’ve come.

In fact, on Saturday, Steven prepared breakfast for me. He even reminded me to say “when” once I had enough milk. 🙂

Amaya and Sammy spent time making Lego trophies. Two are shaped like toilets, complete with flushing mechanisms. They’re saving them for when Nana comes back in Sept and they have foosball and air hockey tournaments.

Tuesday afternoon was a trip to a big playground in Ann Arbor. Maybe Gallup Park? I’m not really sure. But they were there for hours. Penni even thought ahead and brought their shovels for the sand area. It was a big hit.

More Legos this week, and it’s nice for me to see the Lego tables in use. Steven got a big police station set for Hanukkah and just dove in. He powered through the whole thing pretty quickly!

Amaya liked this picture of her eating with a big spoon. 🙂

More Olympics! First just Daddy and Bubba were cuddling but then we all joined in. I think Jason and I could have stayed there, snuggled with the kids, forever.

Wednesday was another lake day and, this time, we resurrected our llama floatie from last summer! Still works well and was even bigger than we remembered. I’d love to find a weekend to get to the lake with the kids and the llama before the summer is over.

Swim day! The kids are doing so well. Honestly, before we know it Amaya is going to be in level 8 and I’m sure it’s not long until the boys graduate to level 4. I had the opportunity to see Amaya swim at the JCC this weekend and her strokes look so strong. Both of the boys are getting more and more confident. We’ll have to see if there’s a way to maintain swim lessons in the fall.

Back at the face paint – this time Lindsay turned Amaya into an adorable teddy bear.

Steven and I saw that Lego and Adidas have a shoe collaboration and we needed some. (I think their first grade teacher would challenge our definition of “need” here but it sure felt like it!) Mine didn’t fit well but Steven’s are perfect.

On Friday night we had friends over to grill. It was supposed to be two families but Ruxin’s dad and brother have strep throat so only Claire’s family came over. It was Claire, her 5 year old sister Ellie, and her parents Laura and Rob. They stayed until about 9 and I think most of the kids would have kept going if we’d let them. (Sammy was ready to conk out.)

Sammy, Laura and I ate inside together

On Saturday, we spent a while cleaning & organizing with the kids. Jason went through all of the kids’ clothing with them – with special attention focused on Amaya – to whittle down her mountains of clothes to a manageable assortment that she’ll actually be able to find the clothes she likes best.

In the afternoon – while Steven stayed home with Jason – Sammy, Amaya and I spent a few hours at the pool. It was overcast earlier in the day so the pool was very, very quiet but the same eventually came out and the heat was in full force so it was a great way to spend the afternoon. Despite not planning on it, I even ended up in the water for a little while.

Sammy spent a while relaxing on this big chair.

Steven was obsessed with his bread bowl!

Olympics with dinner. This time it was artistic swimming (or whatever it was that they renamed synchronized swimming?). Seriously amazing to watch.

The play date on Friday night absolutely destroyed any semblance of organization in our playroom. (And that’s after the kids and Lindsay spent a long time cleaning it on Friday.) I’m determined to get it back in shape. Definitely made progress today but I think the work will extend into the week. Someone named Steven has a little extra personal cleaning to do.

I was traveling so often in late June through mid July that we had three Raddish Kids kits to catch up on. We did two with Nana last weekend and are tackling the third today. We made key lime tartlets (loved them!) before lunch and it’s pineapple shrimp tacos for dinner.

The boys weren’t sure they wanted to bake but I knew they wouldn’t be able to resist smashing up graham crackers. Sammy was also excited to juice some limes and make line zest. Amaya was there helping from start to finish.

Steven, playing a game with remaining pieces of our backsplash.

Hours at the playground today. I love it. To be honest, tracking outdoor time has been great for us because I’m really mindful about getting outdoors.

Amaya’s got such a defined sense of style. This shirt is a little small on her but it’s comfortable so we cut under the arms to give her a little more room. This hat will definitely be a forever connection to Summer 2021 for me.

This is wheelchair accessible play equipment that Steven deemed a “boat” and promptly anointed himself boat captain. We had many rides around the world together.

It’s amazing to me that pine cones are still so interesting. They can search for and organize pine cones for a shockingly long time.

The Pineapple Shrimp Tacos were a hit. All of the kids helped prep the pineapple and salsa. Steven worked very, very hard prepping the shrimp so it could be seasoned. Amaya seasoned the shrimp, and her chicken, cooked her chicken and helped with the guacamole. It was a really nice time cooking together.

Amaya said this was the first time she cooked chicken by herself.

That’s it for us! Have a great week!

*Blog title from Amaya