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.

Illin

With the precision of a Swiss watch, the cold and flu season started at the Shepard house within days of the opening of school. A month later the sniffles, sneezing, and fever are still sticking around.

Each girl has taken a trip to the doctor. During Marni's recent trip, she got so upset at the doctor that she threw up all over herself, Lisa, and the examination room. She really has a dislike for doctors (unlike Stella who loves to go to the doctor).

And, for the first time ever, all four of us have been sick at the same time. This was the "perfect storm" that I was always afraid of. But neither Lisa or I were sick enough to keep us from handling the kids.

Handwriting Breakthrough

Last night Stella asked me to help her write Marni's name. I wrote "Marni" on a piece of paper, gave it to her, and forgot about it.

A little while later she called me over and showed me what she did. For the first time ever, she correctly wrote out Marni's name (or anyone's name for that matter). I wrote Stella's name on a piece of paper and a few minutes later she had correctly written it out herself.

Ok, so other boys and girls her age can easily do this. But, in our house, this was a milestone.

Marni's Pirate Dress

She loves it. When she isn't wearing it, she's carrying it around with her.

Question: Exactly how many times does the Pirate Dress appear in The Daddy Diary prior to this post?

Rosh Hashanah

The Shepards went on a two-city Jewish New Year Tour this past week.

On Saturday we were off to Albany with a brief stop in Saugerties to visit the Garlic Festival. Then, on Sunday, over to Troy to take part in Grandpa Sidney's unveiling. The trip to the cemetery got Stella very interested in death and Grandpa Sidney. So much so that she continued to talk about Sidney for days and eventually requested a photo of him so that she wouldn't miss him.

On Monday, Carol and Norman hosted Rosh Hashanah dinner for 29. The kids had a blast and really enjoyed seeing baby Hannah again.

Tuesday we were in Natick for services. The kids behaved themselves in the big service and in the kids' service.

Theo and Cindy joined us that night for dinner as they continued their visit to New England.

On Wednesday we went to services again and then headed back to Brooklyn.

Tickle-Teeth Update

I haven't updated the tooth-brushing status since last January. A lot has happened since then and most of it is due to Marni.

The combination of Marni growing some teeth, and wanting to do everything that Stella does had led to teamwork and healthy competition in the tickle-teeth department.

Now, whenever we announce that it is time to brush teeth, Marni screeches with joy and rockets down the hallway into the bathroom. Not wanting to be left behind, Stella chases after her and gets on her pink stool. And the dual teeth-brushing event is off to the races! I think Marni would gladly brush her teeth 15 times a day if we let her. And Stella is finally done with her tooth brushing battles.

Visiting Tyler and Delia

It was time for a road trip to New Jersey for an afternoon of fun in the sun with cousins Tyler and Delia. Nana Audrey and Papa Harold were babysitting along with Grandma-In-Law Carol.

It was boiling hot outside, so the kids stripped down and "painted" the deck with water. Next, time to play on Tyler's new mega swing set. The slide was broiling from the sun, so we cooled it down with water. This led to wet and muddy bottoms. This, in turn, led to a fun-filled play time in Brian and Jills mega-shower.

It didn't take long for both girls to pass out on the ride home.

Sisters

Overheard #8 (Stella)

Over the weekend we pulled into a gas station to fill up the car. Stella asked why. Lisa explained that the car needed food just like people so it would have energy to move. She went on to explain that instead of food like people eat, cars "ate" gas.

Stella then asked: "The kind of gas that comes out of our tushies?"

We wish that was the case because the Shepard family could then solve the energy crisis!

Stella Starts Public School

Today was a milestone for our big girl, Stella. This morning the four of us walked over to P.S. 39 to start Stella in Pre-K.

We met Ms. Cassens, Stella's teacher, and got a look at her new classroom. Stella was very excited and in good spirits. She told Ms. Cassens her name when asked and even told everyone what her sister's name was.

After the one hour orientation, Stella went over to have a little chat with Ms. Cassens and thank her for sending her the book Owl Babies.

Tomorrow Stella goes back to school on her own (for an hour). Hopefully no drama. It's hard to believe that we have a girl in public school. How did this happen!!!

Bye Bye Summer

And so the three New York Shepards sadly packed up the cottage; said goodbye to Beverly, Dana, and Steve; and motored back to Natick to join up with Stella.

Lisa and I kept looking at each other in disbelief as we prepared to head home. How did the summer go so fast? Even Marni seemed a little confused by it all. I have to say that the summer in Old Orchard is the highlight of my year. It's what I look forward to most in the year. And to have it slip away so fast is devastating.

Although the idea of staying at the beach for a whole month seems heavenly to some, it is really quite an undertaking for Lisa. She has the kids 24/7, and is running a virtual bed and breakfast most of the month. She did a fantastic job as the head of the household, but next year we may have to make some changes in order to reduce her stress.

Just before we headed home from Maine, we added a set of super-cool bike roof racks to the mini van. This will make it a lot easier and a lot less stressful to carry our bikes all over the place.

After a 24 hour visit with Nana and Papa Shepard, we found a few square feet of extra space in the Odyssey to shove in Stella, and headed back to Brooklyn. Stella slept part of the way. Marni didn't sleep at all and never shut up for one second!

Brooklyn was just as we left it. The girls were happy to be home and were thrilled to be reunited with the toys they left behind. Soon the apartment was in shambles.

That night Marni work up crying at about 12:30. That's a bit unusual, but I guess she wasn't quite use to her bedroom yet. After I got Marni back to sleep, Stella came up to sleep with us. This marks the one year anniversary of the beddy-buddy truce (when I decided not to fight with Stella if she wants to come up and sleep with us).

Today we took a walk with Stella (and Marni) to see her new school. Then we biked to Prospect Park and had a picnic. The girls are now asleep and tomorrow is Stella's first day of public school! Marni starts back at Raindrops on Wednesday.

I've been asked by a lot of people if the constant commuting between New York City and Maine in August is disorienting. Not really. The most disorienting event is the end of the summer when we all come back from Maine into the city. I feel completely lost. It will probably take a week or two to get back into the regular flow of life. But for right now... things are just strange.

Fun with Nana and Papa

Nana and Papa Shepard came up to OOB last Wednesday and brought Stella back with them to Natick for a few days of fun.

The main event was a trip to Boston with a very ducky theme. The threesome took the T into town and headed for the Boston Public Garden to ride a swan boat and see the statue of the ducks from the "Make Way for Ducklings" book that Stella loves so much.

Next stop was a ride on the Boston Duck Tour, where they all took a sightseeing adventure on land and sea.

The next day Stella got a haircut and played a lot around the house in Natick.

On Saturday we were greeted by a crazy-happy Stella who met us at the top of Nana and Papa's driveway as we arrived from OOB.