The moment Lisa has been waiting for all of her life has finally come. She gets to take her daughter to dance school!
Stella enrolled in the Creative Movement class at Sherri's (aka "Bubbles") studio.
Stella was lookin' great and she participated in some (but not all) of the dances. This is pretty much her style as this is new to her and she's pretty shy. Sherri tells us that Stella was especially cute doing the "frog" dance.
Check out Sherri's studio at www.creativeartsstudio.com.
On Saturday we headed to Karen and Glenn's to meet their new dog, Macy Cake.
The first 10 minutes were chaos as the dogs and the girls collided. Eventually things calmed down. Stella was shy but curious. Marni was fearless. She bounced around between Brody and Macy like a pinball machine ball.
Glenn and Karen whipped up a fantastic lunch.
As the day progressed, the tables turned and it was the dogs that were looking to find a safe place to hide. The girls poked, prodded, and petted Brody and Macy with new confidence (as the dogs tried to sleep). The girls had a blast and we had a blast watching them.
The family traveled north to Natick for Rosh Hashana. Since Marni is in the middle of her "girlie-girl gone wild" period, I didn't hold out much hope that we would actually spend a lot of time in services. Stella and Lisa headed to the pre-school services where Stella actually participated! Nana, Papa, Marni and I headed to the main services. The Tasmanian Devil behaved herself for at least 20 minutes before getting cranky. Then she was banished to the lawn. But while she was in services, she entertained everyone around her for several rows. Day 2 was similar to day 1. Stella started in pre-school services (at her request). Marni behaved herself in the main services until we split just before the Rabbi's sermon. All in all, not nearly as traumatic as I expected.
While visiting Aunt Toots and Uncle Glenn, Stella picked up an Ikea catalog to read while she headed to the "potty". Glenn asked her why she needed it. Stella responded "it helps my poop come out better". Like father like daughter.
The girls headed off to year two of daycare (aka "school") today. First we dropped off Stella at Raindrops. She was thrilled to be wearing her new M&M shirt. Marni had a great time playing at Raindrops as I read a book to Stella. Then, it was time to go. And, unlike last year, there were no tears.
Next, Lisa dropped Marni off at Kiddi City. Again... no tears.
Both girls had a great time at school. Marni didn't even bother to acknowledge Lisa when she came to pick her up. She was too busy playing.
As if someone had flipped off the Summer switch, Maine was cold, dreary and deserted when I flew up for the last time on August 31. Marni and Lisa greeted me at Portland Field. Stella was already in Natick with my parents.
It was a very unusual and wonderful experience having Marni around as an only child for two days. Taking care of one child never seems easier once you are use to taking care of two.
Friday was taken up with packing.
Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day. We said goodbye to Steve Goodman, Barbara, and Linda and headed to Stonewall Kitchen in a car bursting at the seams.
Leaving The Cottage has never been more difficult. The girls absolutely thrive there. Both of them have grown up so much in the past month. I only pray that The Cottage (or something like it) stays in our family for many more generations.
Now.. onward and upward. They head back to school tomorrow, and the adventures continue.
Turns out Stella ate all of Papa's spaghetti!
She had a wonderful time at Nana and Papa's house. They took her to a petting zoo/orchard where she fed goats, saw llamas, and picked apples.
This was a real milestone for Stella (and for my parents!).
When Lisa and Marni and I showed up at my parents' house on Saturday afternoon, I was greeted by a big smile, a hug, and stories about everything she had done for the past two days.
The moment Lisa has been waiting for all of her life has finally come. She gets to take her daughter to dance school!
On Saturday we headed to Karen and Glenn's to meet their new dog, Macy Cake.
The family traveled north to Natick for Rosh Hashana. Since Marni is in the middle of her "girlie-girl gone wild" period, I didn't hold out much hope that we would actually spend a lot of time in services. Stella and Lisa headed to the pre-school services where Stella actually participated! Nana, Papa, Marni and I headed to the main services. The Tasmanian Devil behaved herself for at least 20 minutes before getting cranky. Then she was banished to the lawn. But while she was in services, she entertained everyone around her for several rows. Day 2 was similar to day 1. Stella started in pre-school services (at her request). Marni behaved herself in the main services until we split just before the Rabbi's sermon. All in all, not nearly as traumatic as I expected.
The girls headed off to year two of daycare (aka "school") today. First we dropped off Stella at Raindrops. She was thrilled to be wearing her new M&M shirt. Marni had a great time playing at Raindrops as I read a book to Stella. Then, it was time to go. And, unlike last year, there were no tears.
As if someone had flipped off the Summer switch, Maine was cold, dreary and deserted when I flew up for the last time on August 31. Marni and Lisa greeted me at Portland Field. Stella was already in Natick with my parents.