Christmas Break 2008

Christmas Break started on December 24th with a road trip to Nana and Papa's in Natick.

On Christmas day we headed to Karen and Glenn's for dinner. After the initial 15 minutes of girls-meet-dogs mayhem, we all settled down to a lovely afternoon. Dinner was spectacular. The best turkey I've ever had. The secret is brining.

On Saturday we moved the show on to Albany. Tyler, Brian and Delia joined us for the weekend. It was one packed and crazy house! We played inside. We played outside. We played upstairs. We played downstairs.

By Wednesday it was time to go home. The only thing standing in our way was a big snow storm. It was slow going on the road to Brooklyn, but we eventually made it safe and sound. That night was New Years Eve and we rang in 2009 quietly.

Thursday was our annual New Years Day at the Asanovics party. This year we were joined by Lisa Stefanoff's boyfriend's four girls.

Friday was a relaxing day that included a trip to the grocery store for Daddy, Stella and Marni. On Saturday we headed off to New Jersey to spend the day with the Hoffmans. And Sunday was spent in Prospect Park.

Great Wolf Lodge

Stella and Marni (and mom and dad) have found their new favorite winter place to visit.

Last Friday we headed out to Great Wolf Lodge for a weekend of wet and wild fun. It only took me about a half hour to chip the car out of its icy casing. A nasty snow, sleet, hail and rain storm had passed through the day before and really did a number on the car. Only one door would open and the other four were frozen shut. Finally, I hacked away enough ice to open the other doors. I quickly shoved in our bags, and then our children, and we were off!

The trip was fast and we got to the lodge at around 1:00. But our room wasn't ready and we decided to do some shopping and lunching while we waited. I got a nice pair of Merril boots and the nearby outlet center. Then, off to Friendly's for lunch.

We finally checked in at 4:00.

The room was fantastic. Two separate bedrooms. A living room, kitchen, two bathrooms, and a gas fireplace. The kids were loving it. After we decided who was going where, we changed into our bathing suits and headed for our first water park adventure.

We were greeted at the entrance to the water park by a blast of hot and humid air. The building was gigantic and filled to the brim with every imaginable type of water gizmo. Water was squirting everywhere. The ladies and I did a recon mission to scope out what our options were. It was decided to go for the wave pool first (which eventually became known as "the beach").

Stella and Marni immediately started playing in the warm water and very realistic waves. Next stop was the kid pool where it never gets more than about 2 feet deep. Stella decided to try out some of the small water slides and did great. Marni tried once or twice, but eventually chickened out. We then took a leisurely float down Crooked Creek.

Dinner was some yummy pizza from the in-hotel Pizza Hut Express. We ate in front of the fireplace and then changed into PJs (the kids that is). First stop was a visit to see Santa Claus in the lobby. As expected, they wouldn't actually sit on his lap, but agreed to stand near enough to him for a photo op. Every night at 8:00 is story time in the lobby in front of an enourmous animatronic stage. The show lasted about 15 minutes and was surprisingly well done. Then, as an added attraction for the winter, the animated characters sang holiday songs as "snow" fell from the rafters. Well done.

Day two included a morning and afternoon trip to the water park separated with lunch, naps, and some fun in the snow. Lisa also managed to fit in a trip to the gym and the spa. My high point of the day was my first ride down a big, scary water slide. We escaped the lodge for dinner at Red Robin. Then... Hanukkah gifts.

Our final day included, of course, one more trip to the water park. And this trip included my first ride down the super-big water slides (on a raft). Lisa and I each took turns trying to outdo each other with the scarier rides.

A trip to the outlet mall rounded out the perfect weekend. The girls slept all the way home. We're already planning the trip back there next winter.

Class of 2021

Marni and Stella dance to Tom

The girls have long known about Tom Jones.

They know we played his song at our wedding ceremony. They know we danced to his song at the reception. I sing them two Tom Jones songs almost every night. But they hadn't really ever seen Tom perform before.

So the other night I threw on a DVD of Tom's 1970's tv show. While Stella danced on and off, Marni danced steadily through both "It's Not Unusual" and "What's New Pussycat".

Later they threw their panties and diapers at the tv set.

Thanksgiving 2008

This was our 5th Thanksgiving with Stella and our 3rd with Marni. And this year we celebrated in Natick.

Traffic up to Natick on Thursday morning was reasonable. Audrey, Harold, Karen, Glenn, the dogs, and Glenn's sister Kathy and family joined us later in the afternoon. At 5:30 we all headed to The Sherborn Inn for a delicious turkey day dinner. We even had our own room, so the girls could roam free without disturbing others.

Friday we headed to Audrey and Harold's hotel to make use of their pool. The girls had a blast and made quite an impression on the other guests as they walked through the lobby in their swimming attire. Later that day Audrey and Lisa went on a shopping spree at the Natick Collection.

On Saturday I broke out the Lincoln Logs from my youth. An instant hit with the kids. I also brought out the toy soldier stuff which was a bit dirty and a lot less interesting to the girls. A little later we went outside so Stella and Marni could run through the giant pile of leaves that Papa Art left for them in the backyard. Much fun. That night Lisa and I headed off to the Natick Collection and Metro 9 for "date night" and the girls enjoyed "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" with Nana and Papa.

We headed home Sunday morning. We tried to miss the traffic, but ended up sitting in it most of the way home. It also snowed, hailed, and rained most of the way.

All-in-all a very relaxing and fun visit (even though Marni tumbled down the stairs a couple of times).

Makeup Time

Overheard #13

Marni did something to Stella and apologized to her by saying sorry. Stella's response was "Sorry doesn't cut it".

Halloween 2008

Ooops. It seems that I forgot to mention Halloween 2008.

This year, Stella was dressed as Ariel (from The Little Mermaid) and Marni was Flounder (also from The Little mermaid).

My concern about these choices is the stereotyping of Stella as the princess in the family and Marni as the chubby fish. Now don't get me wrong, the girls each chose their own costumes. We didn't force them into anything. But maybe next year we can suggest that Marni dress as Marilyn Monroe and Stella dress as Buddy Hacket. Enough of that for now.

Mommy Lisa created each of the costumes with great skill. I am more of a "buy the damn thing" kinda guy, so she was on her own. And she did a great job. The Ariel costume even allowed Stella to buy and wear her first bra. Great!

This year Stella and Marni had special guests to accompany them on their trick-or-treating... Nana Beverly and Papa Art.

The six of us made our way up 5th Street toward the Halloween Parade on 7th Avenue. Stella and Marni did a great job going from house to house doing their trick-or-treat thing. Stella even told us that "it was hard work".

We all watched the parade go by and then worked our way home on 3rd Street (still trick-or-treating). The girls scored a lot of yummy stuff and mommy and daddy were more than happy to help them eat it.

Cousins

Tyler and Delia came to visit on Sunday.

Once all the toys in the house became boring, it was time to wreak havoc in the playground. Four kids and only two scooter/bikes equals a lot of crying. Marni, not so happy. Delia, not so happy. But once we got there, all was ok. Marni biked and scooted while the big kids played on the slides and swings. Delia was very happy climbing up the steps and sliding down the slides.

On the way home Marni got the scooter. A little more crying from the big kids who had to share the bike.

Once we got home, we put on the Disney Channel and cooked up two pizzas.

Overheard #12

Stella is now very fond of "What the heck!?" She uses it all the time for all sorts of reasons. It is accompanied by a goofy face.

At least she is using the "clean" version. One less battle to fight.

NYC Marathon 2008

This special artwork was commissioned from Stella Shepard to commemorate the Shepard's Marathon Brunch 2008.

Overheard #11: Marni channels Sinatra

It seems like Marni has started to channel Frank Sinatra and The Rat Pack of the 60s.

She's started calling me Daddy-O and she's now calling her sister Stella-Bella.

I'll let you know when she starts walking around in a tuxedo with a drink in her hand.

Overheard #10

Don't mess with Marni.

If you do something to piss her off she will respond with a very angry "You are not my best friend ANYMORE!".

She didn't make this one up on her own. She stole it from Stella who really doesn't use it anymore. Where Stella got it is anyone's guess.

It's kind of hard to catch this on tape because you never know when she is going to unleash it. But I'll try. Maybe I need to deliberately piss her off (with the camera rolling). Anything for the blog.

The Thawing of Stella

Stellie and I headed off for school this morning, a little late because she and Marni slept until 7:30. She was in a good mood because she had her ChapStick (chopstick to her) and she was good to go. You can see her slipping it into her pocket in the video.

Along the way she spied Uma and called for her to join us. We all walked together to school and were soon joined by Ava. All three girls walked side by side and were very excited about getting there together. Stella was having a blast.

Once we got into the classroom, I handed Stella the little picture book that we made over the weekend. She took it right over to Ms. Cassens and asked that she read it in circle time. This is a big deal because, first of all, she is very shy about talking to Ms. Cassens first thing in the morning. Secondly, she is shy about talking in circle time. So, for her to ask the teacher if she can talk in circle time is HUGE!

In less than two months we have noticed a definite change in Stella. She is very excited about the things she does in Pre-K. She mentions some of them to us at home. She is not always the center of activity there, but she is making friends and bonding with some of the other children. I realize this is not a big deal to most people. But Stella is a shy girl (although we don't use that word in front of her). To see her making noticeable progress like this is thrilling. You go girl!

Prolific

It all started with Popcorn Man (see the April 2008 posting), Stella's first foray into drawing people. Pretty rudimentary stuff.

Then she started drawing the "big head people". Heads so big that they filled every inch of the paper. Two eyes and a nose right between the eyes.

Recently, her people have begun to look like people. Heads. Bodies. Limbs. Faces. Hair. And each drawing signed by her. Drawings for Marni have Marni's name written on them.

The latest change has to do with volume.

Stella has become a drawing machine. Each day she draws almost a dozen new pictures of people. Some for Marni. Some for me. Some for Lisa. Picture after picture. These pictures are all over the place!

Her progress has been amazing. In a short period of time she has gone from Popcorn Man to full-feature people, with her name written on all.

Dancing Queens

Marni has officially joined Stella in her creative movement class at Sherri's Creative Arts Studio. As seen in this exclusive secret surveillance footage shot through the studio's front window, Marni is giving the big girls a run for their money. And a skip for their money. And a hop for their money.

Stella has been on-again off-again in her enthusiasm about dance class. Some days she did great and other days she cried, or only watched from the sidelines. With Marni in the class, they draw off of each others energy and fun is had by all.

Marni absolutely loves the class and is very attentive.

Overheard #9

Yesterday we went to the Great Pumpkin Blaze. So it was dark out as we got to the entrance of the event. I was trying to wrangle Stella and Marni to hold my hand as we entered. One of the event workers saw me with the girls and commented:

"Looks like Grandpa has his hands full."

Ouch!

"Daddy... Why Don't All My Wishes Come True?"

Stella picked up her head while I was putting her to bed last night and asked me this question. How do you answer a question like that?

She and Marni have been doing a lot of "Star light, star bright, first star that I see tonight..." stuff. Inevitably, they both wish for "downtown" or ice cream. "Downtown" is their word for the amusement park in Old Orchard.

So how do you answer a question like that?

I had no real answer. I suggested that maybe the Wish Fairy didn't hear her. I also suggested that it may not be a good idea to wish for "downtown" during the off season.

We'll see if those explanations will suffice.

The Fall Classic - 2008

It was back to Outhouse Farms yesterday for our 3rd Annual Pumpkin/Apple Fest. The usual cast of characters were there (the Asanovics and Stefanoff) plus, we had some fresh blood. Kathy joined us as did Ricky and Laurie with their nephew Alex.

Outhouse was more crowded than ever this year, but we still managed to play on the swings, see the goats, take a hay ride, eat lots of food, run around, ride a pony, and jump on a lot of pumpkins.

And, at the end of the day, we managed to get yet another photo of the group sitting in the back of one of our cars.

New tooth

One possible cause of Marni's recent fever may be her continued teething (she may be teething until she's 20).

Yesterday I discovered that her lower right canine had popped through and more seem to be on the way.

I've lost track of how many that makes for Marni. I think she's at 10 right now. I'll have to do an inventory the next time I can get to her mouth when it isn't crammed with food.