Tooth Two

Stella's second baby tooth ejected and then promptly disappeared yesterday. After hanging on for dear life for a few weeks, tooth two let go during lunch yesterday.

Valiant efforts by teachers and students alike couldn't locate the tooth in the cafeteria garbage.

The tooth fairy still came by though.

A Tale of Two Daughters

On their first Coney Island roller coaster ride:

Marni...living life.

Stella... sheer terror.

Marni and Mom Take On BP

Marni and mom take on BP in this news story about our neighboring stinky construction site...



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My Other Beauty

Marni's 2009-2010 school photo from Raindrops Day Care. Beautiful even with the road rash.

What A Difference A Year Makes

Last year Stella was a bit reluctant to participate in the PS 39 Dance Festival. So her teachers crafted a solo performance that allowed Stella to feel good about taking part. She did a fantastic job even in the cramped gymnasium where the festivities were moved due to rain.

Fast forward to 2010.

It was a beautiful sunny day and all three Kindergarten classes lined up for their performance as soon as Pre-K got out of the way. Stella was far right. Next to her best buddy, Sasha. She was in great spirits. Smiling and already bopping to the music that had yet to start.

First up... "Celebration" by Kool and the Gang. Man! What an improvement from last year! Happy and totally into it.

Next... "Footloose". Adorable. Especially the parts where the boys and girls dance towards each other. Stella's partner was Sean.

To say that Lisa and I were over the moon about today's performance is an understatement. Stella has come so far in only a year. She is so much more confident and far less shy.

What a cool kid she is becoming.

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Overheard #30

Homework is getting tougher for Stella and the math questions have now gone beyond ten. In order to figure out one question last night, Stella asked, "Can I borrow your fingers?".

Pajama Love

Saturday night was a pajama party/book-reading party at our local Barnes & Noble. Proceeds of books bought went to benefit Stella's P.S. 39.

Several of Stella's classmates were there. The the most special of the classmates was Nello. Stella says that everyone likes Nello. He's smart. He can already read.

Earlier in the day Nello attended Stella's birthday party. And if you look carefully at the group photo in the post about the party, you can see them holding hands. That's because Stella is sweet on Nello.

Nello this. Nello that. Nello, Nello, Nello!

I'm very happy that Stella finds "smart" to be attractive. That's a good thing. Interestingly, Stella is also sweet on Nello's older sister, Milla. She loves this entire family!

Now, flash back to the pajama party. The book-reading portion is done and all the kids are walking around the store... talking, playing, reading. I'm wondering where Stella is. So I look around and eventually find her and Nello tucked away in a corner behind the little stage, talking and reading. She sees me and gives me a big, sly smile. I walk away. Happy girl.

Stella at Six

Stella celebrated her 6th birthday this weekend with a fabulous get-together for friends and family alike.

This year's theme was "Fashion Girl" (which was absolutely thrilling to the invited boys). Pink and purple prevailed along with pictures of pocketbooks and high heel shoes (again, thrilling for the boys).

After sand-art time, the crowd moved on to the nearby park for blaster balloon chasing, relay races, and a limbo contest. Then, back to the house (with the same 14 kids we left with) for lunch and cake.

Later... frenzied present opening followed by a pajama party book reading at Barnes & Noble.

The Magic 8 Ball

Aunt Toots introduced Stella to the all powerful Magic 8 Ball this past weekend. Uncle Brian stepped up to help Stella put some questions to the orb. Stella wasted no time with the little questions and grilled the ball with some Stephen Hawking size queries such as:

• Who is God?
• What happens when you are dead?

This morning she explained to an inquisitive Marni that the ball is God. And that, while the ball is smart, she is smarter.

I am still trying to explain to Stella the concept of only asking yes and no questions. Because the ball ain't all that.

Reading?

Yesterday was Family Friday at P.S. 39. Stella was very excited to read me a book. She pulled out a favorite and, low and behold, she began to read.

Now a lot of it may be from memory. But I definitely see some progress here. There is hope!

PS... please note Marni's mimicking half way through the video.



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What A Bunch of Maroons!

The latest thing? The girls now like to eat carrots while they watch their hero "Bugs the Bunny" on the iTouch.

What's up Doc?

Ramblings of a Lunatic

Stella, May 2010

Rock Star Marni

Marni performs "Yankee Doodle Dandy" in front of her adoring stuffed-animal friends.




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Happy 4th Birthday Marni!

Congratulations to Marni on her 4th birthday! She's an amazing girl who greets every new day with a giant smile and a squeal of joy.

Here's how her birthday celebration went at Raindrops...




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Making A Stink

The girls lent their help last week in our fight against the stinky construction site next door. They both appeared in a photo accompanying an article about how the smell from our neighboring construction site was really bumming everyone out.

So far no one has asked for autographs from either Norma Rae wannabee.

The Era of the Whistle

A week or two ago Stella finally figured out how to whistle. I think it's more of an inward whistle than an outward whistle. I guess that doesn't matter.

She's very proud of herself.

But now she's got a bit of a tic. A cute tic though. Almost every time she finishes a sentence, she ends it with a whistle.

"I think I want Cheerios please (whistle)."

"Let's play the mommy and baby game (whistle)."

"Did you know that God made everything (whistle)?"

I'm going to assume that this will pass. Or else she is going to be a very annoying girl.

God's #1 Fan

A few months ago I wrote about Stella beginning to ask questions about God. Her curiosity slacked off for a while but returned over the past few weeks.

Now we get almost daily sermons from her on how God did this and God did that and how God is in charge of everything. Luckily I have managed to maintain a respectable 3rd place in the order of who is in charge of the world (coming in behind God and Rabbis).

Lately Stella has been curious about the age old question, "if God made everything, who made God?". She insisted that we ask one of our Rabbis this question upon our next visit to temple.

Rabbi Shira was first in sight so she got the honor of answering Stella's question. Upon hearing it, she paused, got down on one knee and explained to Stella that no one made God. God was always here.

This seems to have appeased Stella. For now.

Here Comes the Tooth Fairy

Weeks of living with a wibbly, wobbly tooth came to an end yesterday as Stella lost her first baby tooth.

The bottom front tooth had been loose for weeks now, but it was only a few days ago that we noticed the replacement tooth has already begun to come up behind it. This discovery made Stella even more excited about the promise of a visit from the tooth fairy.

So, yesterday while at Beansprouts, the baby tooth made its exit as Stella played. She felt something moving around in her mouth, and when she reached in to see what it was, she came out with the tooth! She excitedly took it to her favorite teacher, Beth, who had her take it inside so another teacher could wrap it up.

When Lisa came to pick her up, Stella squealed with joy and ran to tell her the good news. I found out about the momentous event via three emailed photos and then spoke with a very excited Stella via phone.

Last night the tooth was placed under Stella's pillow. When she wakes up in less than an hour we expect that the tooth will be replaced by a shiny silver dollar.

Although I am relieved that the loose tooth is gone (because it really creeped me out), I'm a little sad the my Stella's beautiful smile will never be the same.




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Successor

Millions, crowded into the plaza, erupted in frenzied cheers last night as a small puff of white smoke curled out of the famous chimney announcing that Stella had finally chosen a successor to Bear.

For many years there had been worries that if Bear, Stella's inseparable stuffed animal from birth, ever got lost that all hell would break loose and that life on Earth, as we now know it, would cease to exist.

With the announcement that surprised all last night, humanity breathed a sigh of relief that civilization would now continue even if Bear does not. The successor? "Black and white dog".

Bear, who has been getting a little worn and a little ratty over the years, could not be reached for comment.

Thin Ice

Today we grabbed Brooklyn by the throat and squeezed a ton of fun out of it.

Event number 1 was a trip to Wollman Rink in Prospect Park. The girls wanted to try skating and their wish was our command. Only problem... neither Lisa or I have skated in years and the girls have never skated at all. Even at my best, I could barely skate to save my life. So who was suppose to teach these girls?

We paid our money, laced up our rented skates and headed for the ice.

Disaster.

In the one hour that we played on the ice, we barely moved 10 feet away from the entrance. Lisa eventually remembered enough about skating to take the girls for a drag around the ice. I was pretty much stuck. At one point Marni wailed, "I want to skate, but it's hard!".

Our ice folly was cut mercifully short at 1 o'clock as the rink was closed for Zamboni time. No one was more relieved than Marni and I. While prying off the rental skates we made the decision to continue the Brooklyn adventure by driving out to Coney Island for winter fun on the beach.

We fueled up at our favorite Coney Island eatery, Nathan's. Quite a freak show; even in the dead of winter. Then the girls mixed snow balls and snow men with digging in the sand and collecting shells. I think they would have jumped in the water if we let them.

Our final Brooklyn adventure was a visit to Sherri Bubbles at her beautiful Bay Ridge apartment. We snacked, played games, tortured Kobi the dog, and watched big ships sail by her window until just past sunset.

Thanks Brooklyn. We had a real nice day playing with you!



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