Return of the Happy Campers

Less than 24 hours after the end of their school year, the girls were sun-screened, lunch-boxed, and outfitted in their stylish Park Slope Day Camp t-shirts, and... off to camp!

Only minor resistance this year.

A few months ago I reached out to each girls' classmates to see if I could arrange for friends to join them at PSDC, It seems to have worked out.

Stella has best friend Sasha with her from day 1. This has made her adjustment painless.

Marni will have 4 or 5 classmates from PreK joining her, but none the first week. So she's been a little sad, but no major meltdowns.

Just like last year, the girls come home dirty and tired (just like we like them). And, they seem to be having fun.

Although Stella complained that she thought camp was supposed to be fun. I said it was, and she replied that it wasn't fun if she had to learn something. And by something, she meant swimming.

Toothpocalypse

Stella's teeth are fleeing her mouth like rats on a sinking ship. How's that for a tasty metaphor?

For the past couple of weeks there have been three squatter teeth that have refused to vacate her premises. They were so loose that every time she would open her mouth, they would be pointing in totally new and individually different directions.

It was creeping me out!

Stella's front tooth finally gave it up yesterday at school (prompting yet another visit to the school nurse by one of the Shepard kids... 4 out of 4 days so far).

That was tooth 5.

Tooth 6 decided that it couldn't live without its wobbly friend, and later that day at Beansprouts committed suicide by bagel. Sadly, the tooth went the way of the bagel bite and was swallowed.

This has left a rather prominent and not entirely attractive configuration of teeth in this poor girl's mouth. The lone tooth looks like a holdout building refusing to be razed in an urban renewal project.

Stella had an initial fear that the tooth fairy would not compensate her for the missing tooth. But we assured her that the tooth fairy is all knowing and very trusting and that she would receive adequate compensation. And true to form, the tooth fairy laid a nice Hamilton on Stellie.

Now, off to the supermarket to buy some corn on the cob, apples, and caramel candy. Tooth number 7... I'm comin' for ya!

Stepping Up... Marni's Pre-K Graduation

Marni's year of Pre-K began winding down today with the official "Stepping Up" ceremony (otherwise known as "graduation").The proceedings took place in Prospect Park and consisted of a performance by each class, handing out of diplomas, and then a pot-luck picnic.

After bringing Marni to class, we stuck around and then walked with the class up to the park. The kids had some running-around time before they were lined up on a hill to start their singing. Marni's class belted out a spirited version of "Bazooka Zooka Bubble Gum" followed by the "Days of The Week Song".

Once they were done wowing us with their singing talents, it was time to hand out the diplomas. And then... time for food and fun.

Marni grazed the various food tables in between running, kicking balls and swinging a bat.

By noon it was all over and most of the kids marched back to PS39 to finish out the remainder of their school day.

Preparing for the performance.

Proud grads holding up their diplomas.

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State of Their Art - June 2011

The annual PS 39 Art Fair was last night.

That's the event the PTA throws where they get your kid to paint or draw something and then sell it back to you. As if you don't have a more than ample supply of their precious treasures already.

Ok. Ok. Yes, it's all for a good cause and it's a lot of fun to walk around the gym and see all the artwork that the kids have come up with.

Actually, it's a good way to compare how you kids' artwork stacks up against the others. To make sure your kids aren't losers.

Ok. Ok. It's all about the fun!

Unfortunately (or, "as it turns out" as Apple would say), the girls and Lisa couldn't actually make it to the Art Fair last night, so it was daddy's responsibility to deal with the extortion event.

Ok! Ok! It raises money for the school!

It was a lot of fun to walk around and see what the different classes are up to. (Each grade paints on the same theme). There was a spectacular painting done by a 2nd grader that I wanted to purchase for myself. (Which brings up the interesting question... can you purchase another kid's art?). I liked what the 3rd grade was up to, but not so much the 4th grade. The 5th grade stuff was pretty good. The Kindergarten theme was adorable.

I also tried to pick out the artwork that each of my kids did from all the others in the class. That never works.

First I found Stella's painting. She did a really great job (if I do say so myself).

Then I searched around for Marni's. Her teacher told me that she spent a lot of time on it and was very particular about every detail. When I heard that she spent a lot of time on it, I began to worry. That usually means that she has taken the time to mix every color together with the end result being that the artwork looks like mud. But I was very pleasantly surprised. I like it! Although I may take it to child psychiatrist to have them evaluate it.

So now, off to find a hammer and nails and a very special spot in the house for our latest masterpieces. Watch out Papa Art!

Marni's masterpiece

Stella's masterpiece

The 2011 PS 39 Dance Festival

We were first introduced to the PS 39 Dance Festival two years ago when Stella was in Pre-K. Back then, Stella was so shy that her teachers had to create a special role for her so that she's be comfortable enough to perform. And Stella performed magnificently!

Last year Stella shed her shyness and joined her classmates in an adorable performance of "Celebration" and "Footloose".

This year things changed again as Marni joined the PS 39 dance world.

As show day approached, neither girl gave us any clues as to what they were going to perform. This is quite unusual for a pair of girls who can't keep a secret to save their lives. I dropped off both girls at school and scooted across the street to grab a primo seat at Camp Friendship (the school's gym). Only an hour earlier the performance was moved indoors because of the threat of rain.

At just after 9 o'clock the parade of Pre-K munchkins walked into the building. Marni scanned the crowd for us and burst out into a big smile when she saw the large "GO MARNI" sign that Lisa was holding up for her. The teachers got everyone into place and then the performance began.

The kids did a great job during the organized chaos that was their performance. Spins and dips and leaps. Marni's years of dance training were put to good use for the 3 minute spectacular. More big smiles from Marni when it was all over, and then she and her class were lead back to school to make room for the Kindergarten show.

Stella and her class marched in after the kindergarteners finished. The whole class was decked out in custom made yellow t-shirts. Unfortunately, Stella's dance group lined up on the opposite side of the gym. Nowhere near where we were seated. Lisa made a mad dash to the other side of the building just before the performance started in order to record the dance.

When the music started, once again Stella was stellar. She didn't miss a beat to the tune "What Time Is It?" from High School Musical 2. All smiles.

When they finished their number, the 1st graders marched out of the building to make way for the 2nd graders. That's when we took our leave (not meaning any disrespect to the 2nd graders).

We picked up each girl in their classroom where they were coming down off their showbiz highs and took them down the street for a congratulatory treat at Colson's.

But the dancing bug hasn't departed. Almost nightly we get dance performances from each girl (decked out in their finest dresses) to the sounds of the Glee CD. And we get the best front row seats every night.





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Painting Ladies

Usually on Memorial Day weekend the family heads up to OOB to open the cottage for the new season. "Opening" consists of equal parts work and eating fried clams.

This year the traditional takes a slightly new direction with the introduction of Cottage 2.0. Instead of washing the porch screens, the work this year shifted to painting the place.

The painting crew consisted of all of us Brooklyn Shepards, Nana and Papa Shepard, Karen and Glenn, and the Brenner family.

This was out first opportunity to see the inside of the cottage... and we liked what we saw. The girls zoomed around getting a feel for the place and they eventually picked out what will be their new bedroom. Marni even picked out the location of her future bed.

Everyone picked up a brush or roller and quickly got down to business. There was a fried clam break around 1 and by late afternoon it became apparent that this job was going to take a little more time than we expected. Stella and Marni did a great job of keeping themselves busy on a day that was just a little too gloomy to spend on the beach.

We all retired to our hotel rooms at the end of painting day 1 and, after some dinner, headed off to bed to be well rested for the next day of painting.

After a nice breakfast at the hotel, we all headed back to the cottage to resume working.

Unlike Saturday, Sunday ended up being a great beach day and Cousin Janet volunteered to take the girls down to play in the surf and sand. By the end of the day we had most of the first floor painted. As we departed, we fueled up for our trip back to Natick with a stop at Dairy Queen.

We still need to finish painting, and move in the furniture, and buy appliances, and install the tv and cable. But its apparent that this summer is going to be a lot of fun!

The first supper.

Stella The Poet

Stella must have been channeling her inner poet tonight. Without warning or fanfare, Stella whipped up this little number and then performed it for me, Marni and my parents.

Pretty good for a first poem.

In case you can't read the image...

Oh flower

You glow like a star

Oh how much you glow

Do you know that in New York

There is a little girl named Stella

And far away...

Her name is "star"

Field Trip... Two Years Later

In March of 2009 I accompanied Stella and her Pre-K class on a field trip to the Brooklyn Museum. Fast forward two years and now I'm doing the exact same thing with daughter Marni.

How.

Time.

Flies.

Same teachers. Same destination. Even the same museum volunteer to guide us.

This time we had plenty of teachers and parents to assist with the trip. Nine parents and teachers for seventeen kids! Not even a two-to-one ratio.

The night before the trip Marni was a bit apprehensive. The kids had been warned that there were guards in the museum to protect the paintings. I think this scared her a bit and she was worried about being arrested or even shot if she touched something she shouldn't.

One of her classmates was also nervous the night before. They had been warned not to talk to or go anywhere with strangers. And now her classmate was afraid of being kidnapped.

But all nervousness disappeared when they got on the bus. Marni sat herself in the back (a sign of trouble to come in future years) and waited for me to join her. The ride was quick and soon we were standing in the museum, ready to begin. In addition to Marni, I was in charge of Mia.

The kids were well behaved as we walked from location to location. Marni raised her hand and participated with everyone else.

Interestingly, this visit to the museum took a path through a room filled with paintings and sculptures of naked people, just as Stella's had two years earlier.

There were some smirks and titters... from the kids.

By 11:15 it was all over and we got back on the bus for the ride home.

And just like two years ago, the adventure ended with a crying daughter who didn't want their daddy to go off to work.

PS... A little bonus to my morning at P.S. 39 was getting to see Stella playing on the newly created "play street". She was also happy to see dad (and no tears!).

Marni and Astrid discuss art.

Ready to board the bus back to school.

Bonus sighting. Stella playing outside (back to camera in green).

More photos and video here.

Overheard #35

So I asked a group of people at Stella's BBQ, "You know what was the best present that we ever got for Stella?" To which Marni replied... "Marni!".

Stella's 7th Birthday

There were actually at least 4 separate celebrations for Stella's birthday. One in her 1st grade class. One for her after school Beansprouts group. One at our house for a select group of classmates. And one at our house for family and adult friends.

I'm sure that 4 celebrations seemed like a bare minimum to Stella, but for Lisa it may have been enough to send her to the loony bin.

But lets back it up a bit...

Preparation started months ago as we tried to keep up with Stella's ever-changing desires for party theme and guest list. Eventually she settled on a tea party theme and about 3500 guests. We pared the guest list down a bit.

Meanwhile, Stella began to experiment with online shopping. She would put key words and phrases into a web browser in order to find things to buy.

One evening she stumbled across a beautiful, white confirmation dress on Amazon. She printed out the page and brought it and her wallet to me so that I could help her buy the dress. I tried to explain to her that the dress cost over $90, while her wallet contained about $60. I also tried to explain that websites don't take cash. It was touch and go for a while, but I eventually convinced her to abandon her purchasing attempt and let me look into finding an alternate dress as a birthday present.

Now, as Lisa toiled to prepare the 4 birthday celebrations, I needed to find a cheaper white wedding dress.

The perfect dress was finally located at the wonderful Burlington Coat Factory store in Brooklyn.

Stella woke rather slowly on her birthday morning. But as soon as she comprehended that this was her special day she leapt out of bed and ran for the living room.

After tearing through some other presents, she spied an envelope on the table with the number "1" written on it. She opened it and read a little note that instructed her to look in the freezer. A scavenger hunt!

Note number 2 (in the freezer) told her to look in daddy's closet. So off she rocketed, up the stairs, with Marni in tow. She flung the closet door open and there it was... a beautiful, white confirmation wedding dress.

And Marni burst into tears.

But Stella was ecstatic.

She wore the dress all morning and placed it carefully aside, after getting ready for school, so that she could put it on again for her after-school tea party.

Stella's 1st grade celebration went off without a hitch as Lisa dropped by with Popsicles for the class (and teachers). And, again, Marni burst into tears when she was invited into the 1st grade class to help celebrate, but was too afraid to attend.

Then, Lisa brought 45 cupcakes over to Beansprouts for the next celebration.

Finally, I picked up Stella, Marni, and 7 other children from school and brought them back for the grand tea party.

That's where we lost control.

All told, there were about 13 girls and 3 boys at the party. Everyone started running around. The girls quickly formed a "girls club" which the boys, just as quickly, wanted to crash. Tempers flared, feelings were hurt, a couple of eyes were punched.

And that was just me!

We calmed things down and regained control.

Everyone enjoyed the "frost your ice cream cone cupcake" project and the "make your own notebook" project. We stuck a candle in an ice cream cone cupcake, sang Happy Birthday to Stella, and then everyone was off to run around in our parking lot with squirt guns and bubbles.

Finally it was 5:30 and parents came by to pick up their kids. They may have been shell-shocked, but they were all still alive... and Stella had a good time.

Event number 4 was yesterday... a friendly little BBQ with family and friends. My parents and sister came down and we were also joined by the Stefanoff/Imhoff clan, Nana Audrey, and the NJ Hoffmans. Sherri also dropped by later. The festivities culminated with the opening of some fantastic gifts.

So now we bring down the curtain on Stella's 7th birthday extravaganza. No doubt that in a few months discussions will begin on the 8th birthday celebration. It'll be a smaller kid party next year. But as long as Stellie is happy, that works for us.

Home Made... Tooth Number 4

This morning Stella broke from tradition and ejected her 4th tooth at home. A home birth, if you will. None of this "bit into an apple at Beansprouts and this is what happened" nonsense.

She went to sleep last night fretting about her very wobbly and slightly bleeding tooth. Then, precisely at 6 am, she awoke and proclaimed... "My tooth is out!".

Luckily, she didn't swallow it.

Now it awaits placement under her pillow tonight and daddy needs to find some dollar coins. Maybe I should stock up. There's a lot of wobbling going on in that mouth.

Table Dancing

As if I wasn't already worried enough about Stella's desire to wear her bikini everywhere (see here), I now have to deal with Marni's desire to table-dance.

And damn if she's not good at it!



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Scooter Cousins

Mother's Day weekend in Albany gave the cousins plenty of opportunity to practice their scootering skills. The weather was so warm that Stella decided to do her scootering in her bikini. I'm a little worried.



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Ode to Mom

Stella was caught practicing a little ditty meant to be performed for Lisa (and Nanas) on Mother's Day. She came down with an extreme case of shyness on Mother's Day, so this recording of the practice session will just have to do.



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Marni's 5th Birthday

After 364 days of waiting and planning, Marni's 5th birthday party finally arrived last Friday. This year her party took place a week early because her actual birthday falls during spring break.

Not only did her party take place a week early, it was also an after-school party. A dozen of Marni's Pre-K classmates stampeded to our house right from school.

Even though she knew she was having a party, Marni was blown away when she stepped in the door and saw the apartment decorated for her. Lisa received a big smile and hug for her efforts.

In between trashing the place, the kids completed two art projects and a dance-and-freeze contest. Lisa's made-from-scratch birthday cake was a hit with some kids asking for seconds and even thirds.

The sangria was a hit with the moms who decided to stay and drink.

At around 5:30 the guests departed and the dust settled to reveal that a substantial cleanup job was needed.

And then, it was time to open the presents. Marni (with Stella's help) ripped open everything. Wonderful presents from wonderful friends (including a very special musical jewelry box from boyfriend Ishaan).

The next day was birthday party #2 for Marni (a shared birthday party with other April babies at cousin Randy and Ro's house). Then another birthday brunch for Marni and Papa Art on Sunday.

The whirlwind will end Friday on Marni's actually birthday with more presents and the much-awaited new tradition of "ice cream for breakfast on birthdays".

And a month from now, we do it all over again for Stella.

State of Their Art - March 2011

Marni - March 2011

Stella - March 2011

Stella - December 2010

A Fish Called Stella

After a year or two of complaining, Stella finally seems to be enjoying her trips to the pool. This past weekend she was proud to show me and my parents what she's been learning at her swimming lessons.

How shocked was I when water-shy Stellie assumed the "dead man float" position and plunged her head into the water for, what seemed, an eternity.

Great job Stellie!



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My Little Big Girl

Photo courtesy of Arthur Shepard

When did my little girl get so big?

And Baby (tooth) Makes Three

After several weeks of wibbling and wobbling, Stella's third baby tooth ejected itself last Wednesday. Stella was understandably excited and relieved when tooth #3 departed as it was really cramping her eating style.

This tooth fell out while Stella was eating some pasta at Beansprouts. She felt something rattling around in her mouth and thought it was a piece of uncooked rice.

Luckily (unlike tooth #2) this tooth was recovered and went under her pillow for a cash transaction. And the tooth fairy did not disappoint.

Hot and Cold Running Fun

We may have packed more fun into this past weekend than is allowed by law.

For the third year in a row we headed for a weekend at a water park hotel. This year we headed back to Six Flags Great Escape Lodge.

After check-in, we headed for the water park. It was interesting to see how braver the girls were this year. They both hightailed it to the kiddie pool and conquered the slide that had challenged them last year.

The river ride that had made them a bit nervous last year was no sweat to newly-brave Stella. She not only floated down the river... she did it this year with no inner tube to cling to. She propelled herself down the river so fast that, at times, daddy was left far behind. Marni, on the other hand, was still a bit timid.

Also new this year was the girls' willingness to take on the big water slides. Both girls went down the slides with mommy and daddy; and Stella even went down the slides by herself!

The final conquest was the Avalanche Family Raft Ride. Lisa and I had screwed up enough courage to take on that ride last year... sans kids. This year we took the offspring along for the ride. Stella was all for it, but Marni was reluctant until we got to the front of the line. We all got in the large raft, and away we went down a pitch black tube at breakneck speed.

Lisa and I had a very firm grasp on Marni as we rocketed down the tube. Lisa also had a hand on Stella. Luckily, when we reached the bottom, there were still four of us in the raft. And... we were all smiling!

Marni allowed us to do the same raft ride again the next day, but she put her foot down when we tried to do it a third time. Maybe next year.

This year our visit to the Lake George area coincided with the Winter Carnival. At Lisa's insistence, we headed to the carnival Sunday morning. After playing with some ice sculptures, we walked down to the frozen lake where the three ladies took a real-live dog-sled ride around the lake. And, because that wasn't fun enough, Stella and I took a helicopter tour of the Lake George area. That was fantastic!

Before we left the lake, the girls got in a couple of strings of ice bowling. But instead of a ball, they tried to knock over the pins with frozen chickens.

We headed back to Brooklyn on Monday which also happened to be Valentine's Day. And in keeping with the romantic theme of the day, we stopped off at Canfield Casino where Lisa and I got married eight years ago. The girls were very excited to see where the event of the century took place.

Who knew that we would have two wonderful cutie-pies when we walked down the aisle that June day?

Attempting to stay seated on their ice sofa.

Dog sled ride.

Stella ice-bowling with a frozen chicken.

Marni ice-bowling with a frozen chicken.

Stella and daddy on their Stellicopter ride.

The girls visit our wedding location.

Marni playing the "jump across the beds" game.

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