This week Steven, Sammy and Amaya started third grade. Amazing! It’s really their first normal, uneventful start to the school year. Kindergarten was kindergarten – a big WOW. First grade was a home. Second grade was their first time back in 18 months. Third grade had the honor of being No Big Deal.

Kids read in bed before going to sleep and Monday night was no exception.

THIRD GRADE!

Here’s the bus! Back at it! (And probably the only day I’ll be at the bus stop with them for a while.) This year they’re picked up at (officially) 7:58am which is 10 minutes earlier than last year and just a touch easier for our work schedules. The kids are the second stop at the end of the day and still home by just after 4pm, which is nice.

Back to morning bus stop pictures, too. Feels like we were just here.

Steven is playing fall ball. It’s a short 6 week season but he’s really excited about it and has a few friends on the team. Wednesday was their first practice – and Friday was their first game.

This coming week the kids have a field trip to the Northville Heritage Festival. It’s a big 3rd grade thing and they’re supposed to go in period attire. Sophia helped us find stuff for the kids to wear and Amaya is obsessed with her outfit.

Amaya is also into oversized sweatshirts which creates the “no shorts” look that I remember from when I was a kid. I think my grandfather used to lift my shirt up to see if I had anything on underneath.

I stayed home with Sammy and Amaya for Steven’s game but he got a great hit at one of his three at-bats. Right back in the saddle.

On Saturday, Grandma Sunshine and Aunt Annette came for a visit. There was football and board games and lunch and sewing.

The Cline 5 went out for dinner, Amaya in her hat with a purse from Nana.

Cornhole in Downtown Northville. They’ve decided to permanently close the two streets that have been closed since covid which I think is a great decision. It’s so nice to be able to walk around on the closed streets. Definitely makes it even more of a destination.

Sammy, on the phone with Savta

The kids had their first day of Hebrew school this morning and were excited to find that one of the boys’ favorite friends, Jack, is now a Temple Israel member and in their class. It’s going to really change their perspective on going each week.

We took the kids to B&N today so they could pick out more books for bedtime reading. Amaya picked a bunch of nonfiction chapter books (including a Nancy Drew and the first babysitters club). Sammy got Legend of Korra graphic novels and a minecraft book. Steven got 9 books from the Who Was? series.

That’s it for this week. The kids had a good one!