My Beauty

Official kindergarten school photo.

Giftwrap Giftnap

Yesterday Lisa sent Stella to school with three envelopes in her backpack containing gift cards to Dunkin Donuts. The idea was for Stella (or Lisa) to hand them out to Stella's three main teachers at her after-school place, Beansprouts.

When Lisa got to Beansprouts to pick Stella up, the cards were gone and no one, not even Stella, knew what happened to them. Understandably, Lisa was very upset and no one at Beansprouts got a holiday gift. I suggested sending Stella's kindergarten teacher an email asking if perhaps she had seen the cards anywhere. So that was the plan.

Later that night, after the kids had gone to sleep, the telephone rang. An unknown number. Lisa answered, and it was Jennifer, the mom of one of Stella's classmates in kindergarten. I listened to one side of the conversation and then Lisa burst out laughing when the mom asked if Stella really meant to give Lucy two Dunkin Donuts gift cards.

Mystery solved. Almost. What about the third card?

Lucy happened to be standing next to Jennifer during the phone call, so she asked Lucy if she knew anything about a third card. Lucy said she saw Stella give a card to a boy in the class, Alexander (the card was addressed to Stella's Beansprouts teacher, Alex).

So at least we know Stella has begun to read.

All turned out well though. The call from Jennifer resulted in a playdate being set up with Lucy for New Years weekend (to return the cards and have some fun).

And now, I have an awkward email to write to Alexander's parents.

Overheard #27

Marni to Lisa while in the rocking chair at bed time...
"Mommy, I don't like curly hair. I want straight hair like Stella and daddy. Stella's hair and daddy's hair are perfect. My hair and your hair are not perfect. I want straight hair, and then I can marry Cassius." (Cassius is a boy at Raindrops)

Marni to daddy while holding up a note she had just scribbled on...
"Daddy, I want to give this note to the boy at Raindrops with the hat. He sits next to me at circle time. I don't know his name, but I love him. I want to marry him, but I don't know his name."

Celebrate Me Home

The other night I was lying on the floor in my girls' darkened bedroom. They were both drifting off to sleep, snug and cozy in their beds as the frigid winter winds whipped by outside the window.

Their breathing was getting deeper and slower as they slipped away into dreamland.

Playing quietly in the dark was Christmas music from the radio. A song came on that I had never heard before. It was released by Kenny Loggins in 1976 and has become famous in its own right. But I had never heard "Celebrate Me Home" before. I'm no fan of mellow Kenny (with the exception of maybe "Danger Zone"), but this song was really nice.

I listened to it as my two precious girls slept on either side of me. And then, without fanfare or ceremony, it became one of those songs that you associate forever with a special time and place.

So now "Celebrate Me Home" is my magical Christmas lullaby song. And every time I hear it, it will remind me of my two most wonderful gifts... Stella and Marni, as they slumber peacefully on a cold winter's night.

Click here to hear for yourself.

Overheard #26

This morning Marni called me "despicable".

Yes, she watches a lot of Bugs and Daffy cartoons.

Meet the Press

Please join our round-table discussion on poop, already in progress...

God Has Arrived

It could be worse.

Stella could be asking about sex. Or about first marriages. Or about Glenn Beck.

But, instead, she is asking and talking about God.

It started over the weekend when she asked me if I knew about God. I said yes, and then quickly changed the subject. I was caught off guard.

Then she did it again the next day. She asked me something about God. I asked her what she knew about God.

She said that God was the biggest guy in the world. He made everything. And he lives up in the sky.

I asked her where she learned about God. Her response was predictable, "I don't know".

And then she started to explain God to Marni.

Nebulized

The call from Lisa started with "Don't worry, Stella is ok". Now that's a nice kinda phone call to get!

Lisa went on to explain that Stella visited the school nurse's office complaining that she couldn't breathe. The nurse checked her out and couldn't find anything wrong. Stella finished the rest of the day as usual and Lisa set up a doctor appointment to check her out.

The 6:45 p.m. appointment ended up being a 7:30 p.m. appointment at our perpetually late pediatrician. All I have to say is thank goodness for the iPhone! It kept Stella occupied all the way through the process.

When we finally got to see the doc, she asked Stella some questions and then listened to her chest. The prognosis? Some sort of minor bronchial infection that was keeping Stella from exhaling smoothly.

The doc disappeared for a moment and returned with a nebulizing machine in the shape of a yellow race car. She told Stella she would need to wear a mask like an astronaut and breath "clouds" for 10 minutes. Mask on. Machine on. More iPhone games while the clouds made Stella better.

After the treatment, Stella said she felt fine. The doc listened again and said she seemed to be breathing out a little easier.

We left the office with a prescription for some home nebulizing stuff to give Stella over the next few days plus a prescription for a precautionary chest x-ray.

Luckily there has been little drama with the at-home treatments (with the exception of Marni also wanting to breathe into Stella's machine).

The x-ray is happening as I write this and hopefully all will be ok. For now, Stella is happy and no longer complaining about breathing.

Now I can breathe easier.

Born Free

Last June America fell in love with the story of a little Brooklyn girl and her two pet snails. Rescued from the wild, the two snails soon learned to live amongst people and became domesticated.

The two snails (whose names changed on an almost daily basis) went with us everywhere. To Natick. To Albany. To Old Orchard Beach. They became a part of our family.

Eventually, Stella agreed with daddy that the snails missed their real families and should be set free.

So today the snails bid our fair family ado. We took them to Prospect Park (after a brief visit to temple this morning). There, we said our goodbyes. We placed the snails on nice damp leaves in a wooded area that we know well. The snails immediately started to move towards freedom. Stella and Marni were happy.

As the snails slithered deeper into the leaves, they turned back towards us and roared a little farewell. And then, they were gone.

Perhaps next spring we will visit this part of the park in search of the snails. If we see them, will they still remember us? Will they come up to us, without fear? And maybe, just maybe, they will let us see their new pride of baby snails.

"Born free, and life is worth living
But only worth living
'cause you're born free"

Overheard #25

At dinner, Stella was recounting her exciting field trip to the New York Aquarium. Sharks! Stingrays! Walruses!

Then Marni pipes up...

"Excuse me daddy, but nothing was fun at Raindrops."

(Photo courtesy of Meike Discher)

Photo Op

I just had to put this picture up. It's so perfectly Marni. As we were rushing out the door to grab the plane to Germany, Marni decided she needed to wear a crown.

And as we waited to check our luggage, Marni set the tone for the trip by being a total goofball.

EuroTrip 2009 - Part 3

Day 7 was a stay-near-home kinda day. We took the girls into downtown Gengenbach for a little looking, a little shopping, and a little eating.

This is one adorable town. Beautiful, clean, quaint.

After an hour or so of shopping (and the accompanying whining of "can you by me this"), we met up with Meike's sister Silke and her new husband Michael. We caught up on old times over coffee and pastries at the local bakery.

Later, Lisa and I took the monsters grocery shopping. They each got their own kid-sized shopping cart with which to haul our goodies and bruise the shins of innocent Germans.

That evening was a birthday party for Mieke and Silke's dad at their house. Delicious food. Poorly behaved children (ours). The usual.

Next morning... pack, jump in the car, and off to Basel for our flight home.

The flight to London was mercifully short and uneventful. We negotiated the sprawling Terminal 5 at Heathrow much better this time since we weren't suffering from sleep deprivation. We killed time by having lunch at a Gordon Ramsay restaurant in the terminal. Good and pricey.

Our flight home was on a new(ish) 777 rather than on the old(ish) 747 that we flew out of New York on. A little less cramped if you ask me. Dinner. Movies. Sleep (for the kids). Marni actually slept through the landing.

Luggage. Car service home. Bed.

All in all I would call the trip a total success. The girls had a wonderful time (as did we grownups). Our hosts were fantastic and took excellent care of us.

The girls are still getting up at 4 a.m. due to jet lag. But this will pass. So let's do this again!

In a year. Or two.

EuroTrip 2009 - Part 2

Ok, not soccer. Badminton. These people love badminton!

We pulled up in front of the "sports pavilion" in Offenburg. Meike asked us what we called such a building in America. My answer was that we didn't have such a building in America. But, then again, we live in the big city. Maybe in the real America there are such places. The fascination with sports and fitness in Germany is amazing.

We walked into a giant building filled with badminton courts (?) from end to end. Two of the Discher boys were competing in this championship. In between watching the matches we ate delicious food and practiced badminton ourselves. The girls liked learning a new sport except when daddy whacked Marni in the mouth with the racket. Moving on...

A short drive later we were at the foot of a small mountain topped by a ancient castle. Access to the castle was via a precipitous path covered by slippery wet leaves. Deep breath. The sure-footed Dischers helped us up the path with no fatalities. Once up top the girls ran off in search of new dangerous places to be. They ran up spiral staircases that ended at breathtaking views and breathtaking danger at the top of the crumbling castle walls. Despite my anxiety, the girls enjoyed themselves to the maximum allowed by law.

At the foot of the mountain was a quaint restaurant where we ate a late lunch outdoors amongst geese, chickens and snails. The girls devoured their soups as I ate possibly the most delicious and unhealthy meal of my trip. And so ended the official program of day three. Once the kids were asleep, Meike, Claus, Lisa and I slipped out for a drink in downtown Offenburg. I ordered a traditional Long Island Ice Tea.

Day four was a doozy. We met up with more Dischers and with the Schmid family in Freiburg for a day on a farm. Chickens, pigs, cows, horses, goats, cats, dogs and bunnies. All on a working farm. It was great fun watching the six new children, who didn't exist during our last visit to Germany, all play with each other despite the language barrier.

After terrorizing the barnyard residents, we made our way to a fantastic playground in the back of the farm. We spent hours there playing and eating. Stella and Marni even ascended the 10-foot high, inflatable "bounce mountain". Without exaggeration I believe that 90% of the playground would be deemed illegal in the U.S. due to safety concerns. Which is why this playground was so much fun.

After the farm we visited the Schmid and Baier family homes where we ate (of course) and where the ladies played with their German counterparts without international incident. Beautiful homes and wonderful families.

Day 5 was kid-free as Lisa and I slipped out of town and headed for Paris before the girls awoke. While we were away, Meike took the girls on a train to an indoor swimming pool. Later in the day was a nature walk and art time.

On day 6 Meike bravely took the girls grocery shopping. This is never a pleasant experience. Later, a trip to another farm where Stella and a goat butted heads (almost). That evening the girls came to pick us up at the train station as we returned from Paris.

Today was Europa Park! The Disney World of Germany.

This place was huge! And fantastic. We were accompanied by Meike, Samuel and Simon. The girls worked their was across the park from ride to ride to ride. At one point we brought the girls to a giant indoor playground. Inside the building was a large play structure, several stories high. Kids could go in, but parents had to watch from the sides. So the girls headed in.

And this is where we lost Marni.

We watched them run into the play area and saw Marni scamper up and up and up to the higher floors. A few minutes later Stella came out. Alone. She told us she couldn't find Marni. We were sure she would show up soon, so we waited. Several minutes later, no Marni. We looked and looked but couldn't find her. Now we were beginning to worry. Lisa described Marni to a worker and then persuaded her to allow Lisa to go into the structure and search. Lisa took Stella with her and began the rescue mission as I stood by the entrance. A minute later I looked down and saw two boys holding Marni's hands and bringing her to one of the workers. The boys spoke English and explained that they found her crying on one of the upper levels and brought her down to safety. I asked Marni what happened and she told be that she got scared. Lisa and Stella returned and we were reunited at last.

We ate and played our way through the park for a few more hours and made our way out just as the fireworks began. Marni hooted and howled. Then we shoved her in the car and took off for home. Day 6... another success.

Overheard #24 (International Edition)

We were walking around a farm in Germany and came across a gaggle of cows standing outside a barn. Stella took a look at the largest cow (pictured on the left) and said "that cow is a girl". We thought it was "utterly" understandable how she figured this out. But when we asked her how she knew, she explained, "because it has long eyelashes".

EuroTrip 2009 - Part 1

I was anxious beyond belief about this trip. Packing. Security. Plane boredom. Lost luggage. Lost kids. Language issues. But off we went to Germany to visit Lisa's longtime friends, The Dischers.

The kids were perfect on their car ride to the airport and all through security. They ate their way through their airport wait. Luckily, British Airways boards families with kids first, so we lucked out. Once we reach our "steerage" seats we made ourselves at home. Takeoff was exciting for the kids and soon we were watching movies on the individual t.v. sets.

After dinner the kids went to bed. There were occasional territorial disputes involving which kids could sleep with their feet where, but for the most part they slept until landing in London. That was 2 a.m. New York time. We groggily made our way through security again and through the labyrinth that is Heathrow's Terminal 5. Then onto the short hop to Basel.

The pressure changes at landing did a number on Stella's ears, so she was not a happy camper. Soon we were in Basel in the most underutilized airport that I've ever experienced. Lisa's friend Claus was waiting for us with candy and snacks for the kids and we set off on the 90 minute drive to Gengenbach, Germany.

The girls and I slept on the way. Lisa and Claus caught up on life.

Once in Gengenbach the Dischers finally got to meet the Shepards. Within an hour the girls were off with the boys, trashing the place.

Bedtime was at 9 and the girls were bone tired. They slept straight through until almost 9. Waking up was slow, but soon both girls were back in rare form.

We finally got our act together at about 2 and headed for Schwarzwälder Freilichtmuseum Vogtsbauernhof. The girls had a great time experiencing what appeared to be the German equivalent of Old Sturbridge Village. Grist mill. Cider making. Wool spinning. Pottery making. Geese. Cows. Goats.

My favorite part was the authentic Black Forest meal of mashed potatoes, sausage and sauerkraut. And beer. There was an accordion player and a table full of locals singing (I believe) authentic German songs. Marni found this all very satisfying and even attempted to sing along.

Our next stop was the alpine slide just down the road. To summarize: Marni yes. Stella no. Stella would absolutely not do it. So Marni got to do it twice. And loved it.

Both girls napped on the way home. When we got back to the Discher's it was Stella's first chance to see boyfriend Philipp. Luckily, the magic was still there (at least from Stella).

Dinner. Play. Bed by 8.

Tomorrow, soccer and a visit to a castle.

Jailbreak

This past weekend there was a major jailbreak. And by "jailbreak", I mean an unauthorized exit from the kids' bedroom.

We've had jailbreaks before. For the past 2-plus years, Stella has been getting up in the middle of the night (not every night) and calling for me to come down and bring her up to sleep in our bed. But last weekend's jailbreak was unique.

It was about 6 a.m. and still dark outside. We were all asleep.

I heard the bedroom door open downstairs. Not unusual. But then the door closed again. Did someone peek out and realize that it was still night time? Weird. So I went back to sleep. A moment later I thought I heard some rustling downstairs. And then more.

"Lisa, I think one of the animals has escaped."

We continued to listen as more little sounds came from the blackness downstairs. Then, footsteps coming up the stairs. What the what!

We peered through the darkness as a little form appeared. To our surprise, it was a mop-topped form. Little Marni had broken out of jail, left her sister behind, and ventured upstairs to sleep with mom and dad. Or play.

She hung out in bed with us for another 30-45 minutes and then went to play quietly in the walk-in closet.

So Marni has gone where no Shepard girl has gone before. Upstairs, without waiting for permission. To this date Stella still does not come up on her own. But is anyone really surprised that it would be Marni to push the envelope?

Overheard #23

Today I am wearing one of my more "flamboyant" shirts.

When Marni caught an eyeful of it she remarked, "Daddy, why are you wearing a girl shirt?"

Then Stella chimed in, "Actually daddy, you wear a lot of girl shirts."

The Kid Ain't Right

I believe it was Hank Hill who once said of his son, "the boy ain't right". I'm not quite sure why I think of this line every time I see Marni do her thing. This video was taken at Stella's P.S. 39 Pot Luck Dinner. Marni had just witnessed a salsa performance and was, I guess, inspired. Is she "right"? You be the judge.

Party Girls

Last Saturday the Shepards attended Aunt Toots' birthday bash at a restaurant outside of Boston. Lots of friends. Lots of food. Lots of fun.

Three particularly cute things happened at the party.

First, Stella gleefully tap danced for Toots right in the middle of the festivities. A lot of guts for a shy girl. Maybe we have some progress here.

Second, Stella decided that that everyone at the party needed to Purell their hands. She took Lisa's little bottle of Purell and went around to every single person at the party (about 20) and asked if they wanted to clean their hands. And every person did! Then, before I could stop her, she went to three tables that weren't part of our party and did the same thing. Every person smiled and then complied.

Finally, at about 8:30 the kids began to get tired. Lisa created "beds" by putting two chairs together for each of them to stretch out on. By 9 pm they were sound asleep in a corner of the party room. They slept through everything except the cheers after Karen's birthday song. At which point Marni got startled and had a heart attack.

A Crummy Thing To Do

Thanks to Uncle Glenn the girls have now shown up on their fourth professional website. Check out the "Celebrations" page at crumbs.com. Celebration #546 is pretty cute.

Can you guess the other 3 websites?

Overheard #22

Stella, Marni and I upon opening a package of gummy candy:

Daddy to Stella: Make sure you share with your sister.

Stella to Daddy: Only if my brain says.

Marni to Stella: Your brain says!

Stella to Marni: You don't know what my brain says!

This is Serious

Tonight I activated Stella's account on a thing called ARIS. It's an online service provided by the NYC Department of Education that allows parents to track their child's academic progress.

Ok. She's 5!

There's not much there except for her attendance at this point. But looking at this site and working with Stella on her homework earlier this evening really had me thinking. Things are going to start getting a little more serious in the not-so-distant future.

Up until now it's been all fun and games. Coloring books and dolls. Now, the world is expecting Little Miss Stella to step up and apply herself. She doesn't realize this, but I do.

As I helped Stellie with her homework tonight I was struck by how, maybe for the first time, she really had to put her mind to work. Not that she didn't do great. She's a wiz at detecting patterns. And she completed her whole week's worth of homework in one day.

What does this all mean? I'm not sure. But I'm getting the feeling that a little bit of carefree innocence has been lost. Just a tiny bit.

Homework

Did we have homework in kindergarten when we were young? Anyone? Hello?

Well now we do.

Stella came home today with her first homework assignment. And yes, it did confuse me. But we put on our thinking caps and thought our way through two pages of exercises.

When we were through, Marni complained that it was now her turn to do homework. Soon enough Marni. Soon enough.

And Now... Tap

It's time for a new season of dance lessons at Sherri's Creative Arts Studio. This year, Stella is in "Taps & Tutus". Get it?

Marni is in a completely different class, "Creative Movement 1".

Two kids, two different classes.

Would they do it? You bet!

Marni danced up a storm (with teacher Storme Sundberg). And Stella tapped like her new favorite movie star, Jimmy Cagney.

Later in the evening, Stella gave me a recap of what she learned.

Overheard #21

Here is a wrap-up of interesting words and phrases that have come out of the mouths of our babes:

• "Humongous", both
  
• "Awesome dude", Marni
  
• "What the heck!", Stella
• "Super" (as in "super, super heavy" or "super fast"), both
• "I'm only" (which actually means "I'm lonely"), Marni
  

So You Think You Can Dance

This is what I came home to last night. Two very cute girls doing their interpretive dance to The Little Mermaid soundtrack. Nothing much more to say. Just watch the videos and enjoy.

Kindergarten

Today was Stella's first day of Kindergarten. After a rocky start, we are cautiously optimistic that Miss Stella is going to do just fine.

Lisa, Marni and I all accompanied Stellie to P.S. 39 where we met up with all of her former Pre-K buddies in the playground. A lot of clinging and shyness, but ok.

We moved into room 106 with Ms. Diaz and settled in. Actually, Marni settled in better than anyone, but that's just Marni. Pre-K friends Lucy, Adam, Sean, Zachary and Henry all joined Stella in the class.

Her favorite Pre-K teachers Ms. Cassens and Ms. Henry came by to say hello. Big smiles for that!

As it became time to leave, the waterworks began. After several minutes, Stella was pried off of Lisa and sat down with Ms. Diaz. Lisa, Marni and I went outside and a few minutes later Ms. Henry came out to tell us Stella was just fine.

Day 1 was just a half day and Lisa and Marni headed back a few hours later to pick up our big girl. So what did Stella have to say about her first day?

Over dinner she told us she was getting used to it. She mentioned that she better get a lot of sleep tonight because the teacher said it was going to be a busy day tomorrow. She also was excited about eating in the cafeteria for the first time (where the big kids eat). She said she sat next to some new kids which was fun.

Tomorrow is another half day and I'm beginning to think that this Kindergarten thing won't be as hard on Stella (or me) as I thought it might be.

Stay tuned.

Beach Wrap-Up

When Stella gets hurt, she says "ouch". When Stella gets really hurt, she says "ouchie".

Well all I have to say is this... ouchie!

And, with that, I shall wrap up my usual end-of-summer gloom-fest. Closing up the cottage and not seeing the kids the last few days was torture as usual. But let's move on.

August 2009 was fantastic! Great weather, an extra week, and two amazing kids. Plus, I increased my OOB vacation time from one week to two.

In the past, I would always have to brace myself a bit in anticipation of day-after-day of kid time. But either they got easier or I calmed down (or both) because every minute with Stella and Marni was wonderful. They got right back into the OOB swing of things in no time.

Some of their highlights:

• Stella and Marni sleeping in a big bed together. They loved it and so did we.
• The girls bonding with cousin Janet.
• The girls bonding with cousin Rachel.
• Finding and loving the outside shower.
• Losing their fear of the water.

And this year's guest book at The Cottage B&B:

• Nana Bev and Papa Art
  
• The Rapps
• Nana Audrey
• The Hoffmans of NJ
• Lisa Stefanoff
• Laurie and Ricardo

And special thanks to Lisa, who makes it all run smoothly.

Only about 262 days left until we start it all over again.

Sheppie's Choice

I found myself in a Meryl Streep moment last week when I had to choose between saving Marni from drowning or keeping my beloved iPhone dry.

Hurricane Bill had whipped up the surf at OOB and we were keeping the girls close to shore. Stella and Marni were happily frolicking in the ankle-deep water. Lisa and Nana Audrey had things well in-hand nearby, so I decided to make a call to Nana Bev.

No sooner did I start to chat with my mother than a rogue wave knocked Marni off her feet. The surging water was tumbling Marni end-over-end up to the dry sand, but when she stopped tumbling, she was face down on her hands and knees in the water.

The moment I dreaded was upon me. Do I save my child, or do I save my iPhone? Evidently instinct overruled reason. The next thing I knew I was scooping up Marni with one arm while trying to hold the iPhone out of the water with the other. But the scooping action resulted in the iPhone taking a dip.

I brought a sputtering Marni up to safety. After making sure she was ok (not even crying), I glanced at the iPhone. Not good.

Power off. Dry as much as possible. Search the Internet for solutions.

After a day packed in a container with a commercial dampness-ridding product, the iPhone mostly came back to life. But it was mute. No sound.

I resigned myself to the fact that I would have to send the phone into the shop for repair or replacement. Even more horrible was the realization that I would be the first nincompoop in the company to ruin their iPhone.

And then... "click, click, click". A miracle! After a day of use, sound began coming out of the phone.

What a lucky guy I am. Not only did I save my Marni, but I also saved my iPhone.

Now, Marni has a great tale to tell all who will listen about the wave that knocked her over. The dad that scooped her up. And the phone that got broke during her rescue.

So the Sophie's Choice question of Marni or iPhone has been answered. Next up... Stella or the GPS, and Lisa or the DVR.

Overheard #20

The American flag is known to both girls as the "Barak Obama Flag".

Beddie Buddies

One of the social experiments we have undertaken at the cottage is the "share the bed" experiment.

Last summer, Marni was in a crib. Earlier this year she graduated to a big-girl bed. So the plan has been to have the sisters sleep together in a real big-girl bed. It's never been done before. Would it really work?

We warmed them up to the idea a few weeks prior to moving up to the cottage. Night 1 went without incident (almost). We read them some books in the bed and then turned off the lights and laid down with them. But Marni went ballistic when she realized that she wouldn't get her usual few minutes in the rocking chair. There is no rocking chair in their cottage bedroom. We faked it and rocked her in the bed.

So far so good until about 3 a.m. when Stella came into our room and climbed in bed. Just like what she did all last year. So I moved next door and slept the rest of the night with Marni. She's cute.

No rocking chair meltdown on night 2. But instead of one visitor in the middle of the night, both girls came into our room and climbed into bed. No room for daddy, so I went next door again and had the whole pretty pink room all to myself.

Night 3 went smoothly also. But I had a little chat with Stella before lights-out and asked her if she thought she could sleep all night in her bed. She said ok. I didn't really expect my request to work, but we haven't had any midnight visitors since then!

We're up to about night 21 now and, without exception, the girls have slept very well together. They sleep soundly all night and come out of the bedroom together usually between 7 or 8 a.m.

I would have to rate Operation Beddie Buddies a rousing success.

We're 2!

Happy birthday to The Daddy Diary (if I do say so myself).

159 posts and still going strong. Now if Mr. Spielberg would please contact me for movie rights then maybe I can make some money off this thing.

Stella's First Installation

We finally got to see the installation of some of Stella's best finger-painting work, tastefully displayed in the bathroom of a Salem, Massachusetts law office.

If you ever have to do a real estate closing (and poop), this is the place to be.

Splish Splash

I haven't gone into the water past my knees at OOB since I was in my twenties. It's cold! And I don't swim all that well.

Last weekend I broke that 30-year streak.

We were a couple days into a 90 degree heatwave. And the water temperature actually warmed up so much that hypothermia was no longer an issue.

At one point I actually stripped off my shirt (down girls!), grabbed a boogie board and went in. Alert the media! But I wasn't the only one enjoying the tropical weather. Stella and Marni went koo-koo and embraced their inner mermaids.

Marni romped and splashed and "high-fived" in the surf wearing nothing but her Dora underwear. Stella went waaaaay out into the water with new BFF, cousin Janet.

Overheard #19

As I slurped a soda while eating at a restaurant with the family, Stella asked "Daddy, do you love me more than Pepsi?".

I paused...

4-3=0

Maybe when you're counting jellybeans then 4 minus 3 would equal 1. But when my girls are in Maine and I'm in Brooklyn then 4 minus 3 feels like zero.

I used to count down the months, weeks, days, and hours until my "summer freedom".

"Summer freedom" being defined as the month in the summer when my wife and kids stay in Maine and I have many days all to myself back in Brooklyn. I would get giddy with the possibilities. Watch t.v. Turn it up loud. Stay up late. Go to movies. Leave kitchen cabinet doors open.

Over the years though, the joy has leached out of the freedom. I began to miss those kids (and my wife) more than I valued my bachelorlyness.

I stopped going into the girls' room because it was depressing not to see them there. Eventually I started to shut the door to their room for the entire month. I didn't even want to see their room if they weren't playing in it. Now I've stopped sleeping in my bed. Instead, I sleep downstairs on the couch. I don't like sleeping in an empty bed (except, of course, if it's in a luxury hotel room).

Yesterday I walked past Marni's school on my way to work. The owners were out front as I approached. We chatted about Marni and how she was missed at school during August. I teared up and ended the conversation.

As I walked down the street I passed many, many Park Slope parents with their kids. I smiled at them. But I was missing my essential Park Slope accessories... Stella and Marni. I felt the need to wear a bumper sticker saying "Hey! I've got kids too!".

Tomorrow I fly back to Maine to rejoin the family for the weekend. Then, zero plus 3 will equal 4.

The Girls Do Cohan

As I mentioned previously, the girls have become big George M. Cohan fans ever since watching Jimmy Cagney in Yankee Doodle Dandy.

Tonight the stars aligned and Stella and Marni performed a couple of tunes on camera. We're still working on the lyrics.

Old Orchard Beach: Take 52

Old Orchard Beach (OOB) is the most constant place in my life.

I was born in Hartford but moved away by the time I was in first grade. I grew up in Natick, but haven't lived there in at least 29 years. And those past 29 years have been split between New York and New Jersey. But nothing compares to the 52 years that I've spent "summering" at Old Orchard Beach, Maine.

My father spent every summer there as a kid. I spent every summer there as a kid. Now my kids are spending their summers at OOB.

So begins summer 52 for me. Summer 6 for Stella. And summer 4 for Marni.

Even though the cottage remains the same, there are some slight changes this year...

This year there are no diapers. There are no cribs. And the girls now sleep together in the same bed.

Stella and Marni have picked up exactly where they left off last year. They have their beach routine down. They know their way around the cottage as if it was their year-round home. They know their cousins from across the street and down the road. And they know that less than a mile away is their favorite amusement park (sorry Coney Island).

Now begins their new summer adventure. Take 6 and take 4.

Yankee Doodle Dandies

A few weeks ago the girls joined me for an outdoor screening of one of my favorite movies, Yankee Doodle Dandy. Anyone who knows me well knows that James Cagney is my favorite movie star of all time. Not only could he play roles that ranged from gangsters to song-and-dance men, he was also a very fine human being.

Well, much to my delight, the girls have picked up on the title tune from the movie and we all go around the house singing Yankee Doodle Dandy. They can both pretty much sing it on their own. It's even become one of our nighttime lullabies.

So things like this blow my mind. I've been watching this movie for probably 40 years. And now I have 2 kids who are also watching (and digging) this movie. How can you even imagine this stuff?

Fun at Nana and Papa's... Again

While we were away at Randy and Rochelle's wedding this past weekend, the girls had a nice couple of days alone with my parents.

From what I hear, activities included a trip to Boston Common, a swan boat ride, a trip to the Children's Museum, and lots of ice cream and french fries. You know, the normal grandparent stuff.

The highlight was when Marni got stuck in a large climbing tower at the Boston Children's Museum and had to be rescued. But they had a lot of fun and were returned to us in good health (except for a splinter which daddy removed from Marni's finger).

This visit was a milestone in that it was the first time my parents had both kids on their own. Job well done!

Your Normal Voice

Sometimes Stella can get a little over-tired near bed time if she's had an exhausting day. This leads to irrational behavior. You parents all know what I'm talking about.

On this particular evening, Stella decided to have a meltdown as she prepared to go to bed. She was inconsolable about... whatever, and there was nothing we could do to appease her. At this point, she was pissed off at me so the only person she wanted to talk to was Lisa.

Stella sobbed and screamed and tried to explain to Lisa why she was so upset. But Stella got it into her head that Lisa was talking to her in a funny voice (she wasn't). No matter what Lisa did, every time she spoke, Stella would scream "Talk in your normal voice" and would get even more upset. Over and over again Lisa would try to speak to her to calm her down but all Stella would do was scream louder about using a normal voice.

At this point I was rolling on the floor (I know I shouldn't).

Eventually a time-out was invoked to defuse the situation and peace eventually returned to the household.

Luckily there hasn't been a repeat of the "normal voice" episode. But boy do kids get wacky when they haven't had enough sleep.

Summer Love

It seems as though Stella has a boyfriend.

Ok, he's 18 and lives in Germany, but no big deal.

We've had two very nice German teenagers staying with us for the past week while visiting the U.S. for the first time. Manuel and Philipp. Philipp is the son of friends of Lisa's and she's known him since birth. Now, evidently, he is going to be our son-in-law. At least as far as Stella is concerned.

After a few days of visiting, Stella began to warm up to Philipp. Eventually she would slip into bed between the two boys when we were all getting up in the morning. She would cuddle with "the blond boy". Once Lisa caught her staring at him from inches away while he was busy texting. Yesterday I noticed her playing with the hair on his leg while snuggled next to him in bed. He was texting and oblivious.

A day or two ago she started actually referring to him as her boyfriend and said she loved him. Yesterday, before he left, she took a video of him promising that he was her boyfriend and that she could come visit him whenever she wanted.

Smart girl to get it on tape. Next, I will teach her about pre-nups.

But, sadly, like most summer loves, this one had to end. Philipp and Manuel headed off to the flughafen and I had one sobbing girl on my hands ("I miss my boyfriend".). I actually had two sobbing girls on my hands. Marni was sobbing "Mommy!" as Lisa drove off to JFK.

Only time will tell if this love will last. We are scheduled to visit with Philipp and his family in October. But, by then, Stella may be on to the next love of her life.