We have 2nd grade pictures in!

Steven loves his ninjago sweatshirt. It’s one that zip all the way up the face and he said he wanted to wear this sweatshirt and he wanted poufy hair. Mission accomplished, sweet boy!

Sammy has two of these shirts so it was the perfect choice for him, given that he wears one of the two at least 3 times/week. Since this photo was taken on 9/28, both of those top two teeth are gone!

As I’m sure you can imagine, Amaya planned every last bit of this look. I can’t believe how grow up she looks in this picture! Surely not like a 7.5 year old.

The amazing difference one year makes – 2nd grade vs. 1st.

Going back to Sunday night… sometimes these sweet kids need me at bedtime and, on Sunday night, Steven fell asleep holding tight to my hand. As they get older, I can’t help hang on to these moments. It’s just the sweetest.

On Monday afternoon, Sammy was the first Cline kid to lose a top tooth. Lok at that little gap smile. I asked him if he though the tooth fairy could glue it back in. He thinks I’m ridiculous.

This smile is amazing. <3

Steven had a dentist appointment on Tuesday morning so he sent his brother and sister off to school and then entertained himself for an hour while I joined a morning meeting.

Steven and I seem to wrangle a lot of 1:1 time – eye doctor appointments, hair cuts, solo dentist appointments.

I remember the days when the kids would cry and cry at the dentist so it’s awesome to see them just roll with it so easily.

It was a good appointment. You may have noticed in pictures that one of Steven’s front baby teeth has crossed over the other. Meanwhile, an adult tooth is already coming in behind it. The adult tooth is positioned well and he has time to lose the baby tooth before the dentist decides its time to pull it.

Telling me a story. He’s an effusive guy.

The boys’ class did some kind of exercise on Tuesday where they wrote letters to people. Steven wrote one to his friend Jack. Sammy’s friend Nolan wrote one to him. And Sammy wrote one to me! 😍

Sammy has BIG plans for Halloween. Thankfully we have Sophia to help get creative with his costume.

Swim for the boys! Amaya’s class was canceled because her teacher was sick so she’s going to have two classes this coming week.

TV cuddle time. We’re watching Voltron together. Did I mention that last week? It’s the reboot that started in 2016 but Voltron was one of my favorite shows as a kid so I’m really excited to watch the new series with SSA. I was just about their age when I watched, too.

On Friday, Amaya and I headed to the airport for a short girls’ weekend in New York! It’s been about 5 months since we had a solo trip. While I’d like to say she was excited for the time with me, of course the biggest draw was time with Charlie.

Reading while we waited to board

Midflight, with her friend “Bluey”

Lower Manhattan. It looked even better in person. Amaya was thrilled when we saw the Statue of Liberty out her window.

Back at home, Sophia held down the fort with the boys until Jason got home.

And here are some photos of the boys this week, courtesy of Mrs. Bates.

Our flight was early enough that we got to Aunt Sara & Uncle Dave’s house early enough for dinner together. Nana, Papa and Savta came over, too.

Charlie bent down so it would look like she and Amaya were the same height.

Before Amaya left, she spent time on Facetime with Charlie making plans together. On the list: nail polish, play with Coco (the hamster), make-up, make bracelets, make paper squishies, face masks, art hub, watch a movie, sleepover, piñata, fashion show, candy, fidgets, pumpkins, Starbucks, fashion show (repeat), trampoline, and slime.

First up for the girls were face masks and nails!

And, of course, they had a sleepover.

Saturday morning started off with brownie baking – possibly not on the list but still top of mind.

Then it was time for the trampoline. Chase was in on the fun, too. These kids can jump for ages.

Late morning, Aunt Sara, Charlie, Amaya and I went to Savta’s house for a bit to visit with Savta and Auntie. While there, the girls checked “make-up” off the list.

Notice the coordinating outfits?

We also stopped by Nana and Papa’s house to see some work they did on their kitchen. It’s a similar theme, but all upgrade with new appliances, new counters, new paint and, soon, new flooring.

Ring around the rosie.

While we were visiting family, the Cline men went to Fall Fest at Maybury Farm. They hit up the nearby playground while they waited for the event to start and then got busy making candles from beeswax, decorating pumpkins, making s’mores (Sammy), eating donuts (Steven), petting a bunny and milking a fake cow.

In New York, we wrapped up our day with a trip to a store called Sugar Crazy for a treat and some fidgets, plus a visit to Starbucks. The girls did a fashion show, watched a movie and we all got sushi for dinner. Meanwhile, back at home, Sammy lost another tooth!!

Look at that amazing toothless smile!

It’s a short visit to NY and Amaya was tired and emotional after the busy, busy day so Amaya helped her fall asleep, <3

Amaya and I had an early flight this morning so it was an even earlier goodbye. Amaya handled it as well as I’ve seen her. I think the visit was everything she hoped it would be.

We got home around 12:30pm and, after lunch, were quickly sent away so the Cline men could work on their entries for a baking contest. Steven told Jason, “this is my first baking contest but I’m confident.”

While we were sequestered, Amaya made this really cool KiwiCo kit – part of a subscription from Grandma Sunshine.

Late afternoon, Amaya and I headed to meet her “best friend” Milan for a playdate at the ceramics place in Northville. This was the reason we came home so early today. It says a lot that Amaya was willing to leave NY a little early to see Milan.

Sooooooooo sweet.

After dinner, we wrapped up with the judging of the baking contest. Amaya and I voted blindly and independently and both selected Sammy’s desert as our winner! He was ecstatic.

That’s it for us! Have a great week!