California Gurls

With Reddy (the car).

(November 3, 2011)

When we last left our intrepid left-coast travelers, the family had narrowly averted a Marni meltdown at the airport...

The California Gurls had an uneventful flight. Food. Movies. Naps. We landed at LAX around 9:30 pm and headed to pick up our rental car. A little snafu resulted in us getting a nice, red SUV which the girls loved and quickly named Reddy.

We got to our hotel in Orange County an hour later and transferred the sleepy kids to their beds. So ended Day 1.

Day 2 started early because we needed to get to DisneyLand to meet up with Uncle Theo and Aunt Cindy. Mr. Theo hooked us up royally. First ride... "Soarin' Over California". Then, "Ariel's Underwater Adventure". And more, and more, and more! Everyone (including Theo) was having a blast.

We did hit a bump though when we tried to take the girls through the Haunted Mansion. As the lights dimmed and the scary noises got louder... the two girls went mad! And not in a good way. Time for an emergency extraction out the closest exit.

Things went smoothly the remainder of the day.

Even though Theo had made special arrangements for us to view World of Color, the girls' energy was gone after dinner. So we bid Theo and Cindy a fond farewell and headed back to the hotel and to bed.

Day 3 was also spent at DisneyLand, but sans Theo and Cindy. The wet whether didn't dampen our enthusiasm and we spent a full day doing everything! The favorite ride? Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters.

On Day 4 we attended the Bat Mitzvah of Lisa's friend Mark's daughter Kira. The girls' first Bat Mitzvah! In the afternoon we took the girls to meet the Pacific Ocean at Balboa Beach. Then, it was time for the main event... Kira's Bat Mitzvah Party Spectacular!

Stella and Marni busted out their most awesomest party dresses and headed for their first ever grown up party. Their heads almost popped off when they got a load of everything going on. Candy galore. Photo booth. DJ. Dancers. Food. Pinball machines. Custom hat makers.

The daughters did a great job of keeping up with the teenagers. They ate. Ran around. Danced. Played DJ games.

But by 10 they were begging to go home. And so ended day 4.

Petting sharks.

Day 5 started with brunch at the beautiful Rapp home in The O.C. Then we jumped into Reddy and headed for the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Pretty nice place. There, the gals got to pet sharks, sting rays, and jelly fish. We also let exotic birds sit on our heads.

On Day 6 the Shepard family moved north for a very special visit to Disney Studios. Uncle Theo gave us a great tour of the lot. We even got to watch them mix sound for a TV show.

After our tour we went into L.A. to see the sights. Hollywood sign. Kodak Theater. Hollywood Walk of Fame. Grauman's Chinese Theater.

We wrapped up the day at Theo and Cindy's house for delicious dinner. The girls even met Kendall (the dog).

Our last night was spent at a rather nice Embassy Suites Hotel at LAX.

On Day 7 we headed for home. All was on schedule until we checked out and got onto the airport shuttle bus. It was then that we noticed that Marni's Bear was missing. Everyone off of the bus. I quickly retraced our steps in the lobby. Nothing. Then I headed back to the room, where I found Bear sitting on the bedroom floor.

Back on the bus.

The flight was smooth and without meltdowns. By early evening we were back in Brooklyn and getting ready for bed. Tomorrow was a school day.

As I write this post almost 2 months later, the girls are still talking about the trip. Pretty much every day Marni talks about wanting to go back to California.

But we have lots of other places to explore. They want to see the Great Wall of China. They want to go to Clearwater, Florida. And I think I've heard them mention something about visiting penguins in Antarctica.

Hanging with The Man

Meeting the Pacific.

Marni, Stella, and Bat Mitzvah girl, Kira.

Surrounded by candy and covered by bling, Marni is wiped out after the party.

From the Bat Mitzvah photo booth.

Stella (Adler) the star.

With Theo and Cindy at DisneyLand.

A wet day 2 at DisneyLand. 

Bird on head.

Marni and Kendall.

This post contains video that can only be viewed from the website. So go there!

The 2011 PS39 Winter Concert

Backstage with the superstars.

The buzz started a couple of months ago.

"I want to be in the Winter Concert! I want to be in the Winter Concert!"

It appeared that my chicken-shit kids were finally ready to perform on stage.

I would believe it when I saw it.

After a few weeks, notices began to show up from school outlining the rehearsal schedule and various other logistical items for the annual performance.

I half expected one or both of them to drop out as rehearsals progressed. But they didn't. They actually seemed to be enjoying it.

More details of the performance filtered out to us...

• They would be performing in their pajamas. Cute.
• Marni would be standing front and center. Huh?

And before you knew it, it was time for dress rehearsal on the actual stage. Lisa attended the rehearsal as a chaperon and sent me a video showing Marni up on stage, doing her thing.

Hmmm... this thing might be pretty interesting.

The performance was scheduled for 6:30 on December 20th. I showed up at 6:15 and visited the girls in the cafeteria where "the talent" was being prepped. Absolute bedlam with 170 hyper kids. Stella and Marni were raring to go.

I moved to the auditorium and situated myself in a good location for videotaping.

Moments later, the stage began to fill up with kids. Stella was nowhere to be seen. Too short to be seen from her position in the second row. But little Marni was in her spot... front and center. Right in front of music teacher, Mr. Trust.

The crowd hushed, the music swelled, and the performance began.

I'm sure Stella was probably awesome. But no one could see her.

On the other hand, Marni could be seen... and she was totally awesome!

She had every move down and was selling it like no one else on stage. I was amazed. Her enthusiasm never flagged through the eight songs.

So proud.

Afterwards, every parent that knew me or Marni came over and complimented her on her amazing performance. Marni just glowed with all the attention.

Marni's kindergarten teacher, Ms. Imperiale, bragged to all the other teachers at the performance that the little firecracker in the front row was from her class!

The next morning Marni was a minor celebrity in the schoolyard as parents came over to tell her what an amazing dancer she was.

So now I'm thinking we may just have something here. Time to think about how to nurture this talent.

Watch out world... superstar Marni is coming your way!

PS... You can catch a glimpse of Stella in the last video (Jingle Bells). She's in front of Marni.


This post contains videos that are only viewable from the website. So go there!

The Littlest Busker

On our way home from visiting "The Tree", little Marni gave everyone quite a performance on the D train platform. We should have put out a collection hat.

This post contains video that can only be viewed from the website. So go there!

California or Bust (Introduction)

(November 2, 2011)

She had been warning us for weeks that she wasn't going to California with us. But we just thought Marni was being her kooky self and didn't pay much attention.

That was a mistake.

We were now only a couple of hours away from wheels-up and Marni wasn't changing her tune as we busily finished getting our bags ready to head to the airport. As far as everyone but Marni was concerned, we were heading off to California for 7 days to attend a Bat Mitzvah, go to Disney Land, and visit with friends. Flights, hotels, and car rentals were all booked. All we had to do was get into the car-service mini van to Newark Airport.

And then, all hell broke loose.

As we began to wheel our suitcases out the door, Marni began a meltdown of biblical proportions. Screaming, crying, fighting with me, and refusing to leave the apartment. We let her be as we moved the suitcases to the car. But I eventually had to carry her to the building's front vestibule. This is where she attached herself to anything solid and refused to be moved, all the while screaming and crying in terror in a way that we had never experienced before. She pleaded with me to find someone in the building that would stay with her in the apartment for a week so she wouldn't have to go on the trip.

I eventually detached her from the woodwork and stuffed her into the car where she stiffened her body and refused to get into the car seat. Screaming! Luckily, our driver was understanding... because this pretty much looked like a kidnapping.

The intensity of Marni's terror was shocking. It's something I never want to see again. Where this terror was coming from is anyone's guess. She's flown before. Happily. Something was surely spooking her now.

All that was going through my head was the possibility Marni was somehow prescient about an impending disaster. Maybe she sensed that our plane was going to crash and she was trying to save us. But we weren't listening, and were foolishly dooming the whole family to death. Or, then again, maybe she was just a scared 5 year old.

We drove for a while with a sobbing Marni standing in the car. Eventually she relented and we buckled her into her car seat. I gave her my iPhone and fired up Netflix so she could watch a show and get her mind off her fears.

She was calm when we arrived at Newark. A trip to an overpriced but brilliantly located kids toy store in the terminal resulted in a lighter wallet and a calmer kid.

By the time we reach security, Marni was back to her normal abnormal self. Joking. Dancing. Singing. Playing with the conveyor belt that fed our bags into the x-ray machine.

The girls played happily as we waited to board. I slipped away to the check in desk and had a chat with the lady behind the counter, explaining that we may have a terrorized tot boarding the plane. She understood and agreed to allow us to board early so we could deal with another potential meltdown.

But the meltdown never happened.

Marni skipped down the Jetway and into the plane where the captain invited her and Stella (yes, Stella was with us too) into the cockpit for a tour. Marni in the pilot's seat and Stella as co-pilot. Stella even got to wear the captain's hat.

After the tour, we made our way to our seats, settled in, broke out the iPad, and took off for California. Without further incident.

And, no, we did not crash and die.

The smile high club.

Shaking it with J-Lo

We don't own a Wii, or an X-Box, or a Playstation 3. So our poor, deprived children cannot play Dance Central or Just Dance, or whatever.

Instead, they dance along to music videos or other live performances. Below, the girls shake it with J-Lo on the American Music Awards.

(PS... I think Marni has the moves down pat.)

This post contains video that can only be viewed from the website. So go there!

Papa Harold

On November 20th, Lisa's dad and Stella and Marni's Papa passed away. Harold was 81 years old. The girls had been told that Papa was not well and that he may die soon. And even though we had prepared them the best we could, the news was still devastating.

We were in Albany at the time of Harold's passing and the funeral was planned for the next day. The kids, despite their protests, did not go to the service or the cemetery. They stayed at Nana Audrey's house with their cousins Tyler and Delia.

For them, the high point of the day may have been playing in the stretch limo that pulled up to take us to temple.

Stella and Marni have taken Papa's death as well as could be expected. They seem to understand, but come up with questions from time to time. They've both tried to make things easier for Lisa and Nana Audrey.

When I think back about Harold, two things make me smile:

• Harold was an optometrist... and the first day I met him, he immediately took me to his office and changed my glasses. He didn't like what I was wearing.
• He was the king of St. Maarten. We visited him and Audrey several times at their time share on the island and he was truly in his element when he was there.

We all love and miss you Papa Harold.

You can read more about Papa Harold here.

The State of Their Art - October 2011

From the Marni collection. Things are beginning to get a bit more intricate.

The Fall Classic - 2011

Damn! We look good!

Evidently the kids have done nothing spectacular for the past month considering I haven't blogged anything since the first day of school.

So, a little more than a month later... the kids are still in school and doing well. Which brings us to October and our annual three-family trip to the pumpkin patch.

We've.

Done it.

Before.

But we did it again.

We joined up with the J-Girls, the Asanovic boys and various parents at our favorite farm, Outhouse Orchards.

Ponies. Bounce houses. Hay rides. Food. Pumpkins.

The usual. But still lots of fun.

And speaking of NOT lots of fun... let's talk about Marni's adventure.

We were all minding our own business when all of a sudden Marni starts screaming in pain and holding her neck. We had no idea what happened, but we saw a little boy spinning around next to her with his arms out and we figured he hit her by accident. But no. She was really screaming.

Lisa pulled open the collar on Marni's shirt and found a yellow jacket in there. Ah ha! A bee sting!

Lisa killed and removed the bee and we all watched to see if Marni was allergic to bee stings.

Apparently not.

After a few minutes of very loud screaming, Marni return to normal (or her version of normal).

The remainder of the day went well and, after the obligatory yearly group photo, we all headed off in various directions.

Our direction took us to Sherri Bubble's house to say hello to new baby boy Raine Alexander Hellman. The girls took turns watching him, feeding him, and commenting on his stinky poop.

The yearly photo.

First Day of School: 2011

I must say that there seemed to be a lot less drama about the first day of school this year as compared to some previous years.

Not that there have been a lot of previous years.

The process started weeks ago with the procurement of appropriate lunch boxes, backpacks, and footwear.

Last night the girls had their last meal at the "ribs restaurant" and then headed home to pick out their outfits for tomorrow (Marni changed her mind a couple of times).

This morning we got back into the usual routine of Daddy the Drill Sargent keeping the girls on track for an on time departure.

Luckily, the monsoons that we had been experiencing for the past two days cleared up just before departure time and the sun actually poked out from behind the clouds.

We left plenty of time for photo ops and then headed for school.

I was glad to see that the school wasn't scared off by the rain and opted for outside drop-off. This gave us a chance to reunite with long-lost parents and kids while waiting to go in.

I hung out with Stella, who was thrilled to see who her teacher was (Ms. Calhoun). Lisa went to the Kindergarten line with Marni.

At 8:20, the 2nd grade headed into the building. All Stella needed was a high five, and she was off.

I then joined Lisa and Marni in Kindergarten and hung out for a while as Marni drew and we reconnected with parents from Pre-K.

I left about 15 minutes later with no protest from Marni. A little while later Lisa texted me that she had left with no tears from Marni.

All in all, a good start.

And away we go!

The Animals of Maine

I bet you thought I was talking about Marni and Stella, right?

Well, in this case, I'm talking about the little wild creatures that played a big part in this year's Maine vacation.

Number One: Sara the Ladybug...

Stella has always loved ladybugs. She finds them. Befriends them. Let's them crawl all over her. This year she found a ladybug and named her Sara.

Stella brought her home from the beach and made Sara a little house in the basement. She would go down and visit her and bring her upstairs into the cottage to "play" with everyone else. She had me look up on the Internet what ladybugs eat so that she could feed Sara (they eat aphids). She even took Sara on car rides.

A couple of days later Stella came up from the basement with sad news. She took Lisa aside and told her "Sara has passed". Then Stella burst into tears. She didn't want anyone to mention Sara's name or even talk about ladybugs after that. The next day we said prayers and buried Sara.

Number Two: Hermit Crabs...

I've been going to Old Orchard Beach for 54 years and I never knew we had hermit crabs in the surf. But our neighbor, Patrick, knew. He and his kids caught a few, which greatly amused my kids.

It took me a few days to see the hermit crabs in the surf myself. But the first person to catch one was Stella. She picked up the shell, saw it was occupied, and promptly shrieked and threw it back in the surf. When she regained her composure she located it again and placed it in a bucket. Shortly after that, I caught one. We placed my crab into the bucket. They didn't like each other and began to fight. But it was fascinating to watch.

Luckily for the crabs, we enforced a catch-and-release policy so that the crabs didn't end up dead in our basement like Sara the ladybug.

Number Three: Sharks...

While taking Stella, Marni and cousin Tyler on a trip to Camp Ellis, Lisa stumbled upon the Downeast Maine Shark Tournament. Fishermen were bringing in the shark catches and displaying them on the town dock. It was fascinating and a bit gruesome, but the kids (mostly) enjoyed it. When the knives came out for "cutting up" time, Lisa quickly moved the curious kids along to the next activity.

Number Four: Crabs...

Crabby Marni

Not hermit crabs. Real crabs.

For the past few years we've watched other families catching little (4-5 inch) green crabs at the Camp Ellis town dock. Looked like a lot of fun.

This year we did it ourselves.

Over the weeks, we gathered little nets and ropes. The kids were very excited. On "crabbing day" we grabbed a bucket and our other supplies and headed for the dock. The nice lady at the bait shop gave the girls free chopped up frozen fish ("Disgusting" according to Marni). I put the fish into two nets (along with a rock for weight) and attached the nets to the girls' jump ropes.

Don't ask me. That's what they wanted to use.

The crabs were plentiful and after about an hour of fun we had caught about 20. When we were done we let them go.

And according to Stella and Marni... crabbing was the funnest part of the vacation.

This post contains video that is only viewable from the website. So go there!

The Maine Event - Weekend 5

Stella, Marni, and Stella

The final weekend in Maine did not go as expected.

Hurricane Irene knocked out power at Nana and Papa Shepard's house in Natick for 5 days. This caused the cancellation of Stella and Marni's annual end-of-summer trip to Natick. Disappointing for some. But I was thrilled, because it allowed me one more weekend with my girls.

After being picked up at the airport, we did a little grocery shopping and then I took the girls to lunch at a new place on the beach... Pirate's Patio. The rest of Friday was spent playing on the beach. Glorious!

Stella: When being crabby is ok.

Stella and Marni finally got to do some crabbing on Saturday. We headed down to the town dock at Camp Ellis with our home made crabbing equipment. The nice lady at the bait shop gave the girls some free chopped up fish. And away we went!

Our first few "casts" we not successful, but within a few minutes we had our first bite. No one was more surprised than Daddy!

As soon as we pulled up the first crab, both girls went screeching up the ramp and off the dock. They eventually returned and repeated this reaction a few more times (entertaining the other people on the dock greatly). We called it quits about an hour later and let the little critters go. Lots of fun.

After a quick lunch of pizza and ice cream in downtown OOB, we headed back to the beach until sundown. Another glorious day.

Then... it was Sunday. Packing up and moving out day.

Luckily, Cousin Janet agreed to take the girls to the beach while we packed and cleaned the cottage. The kids came back from the beach around 2 and we were pulling out of OOB by 4.

And yes, there were tears.

We did an overnight at Nana and Papa Shepard's in Natick. On Monday morning we continued a new tradition of adding this year's sea shells to a "shell garden" in Nana and Papa's pine grove.

By 4 o'clock we were back in Brooklyn. The girls quickly reacquainted themselves with their long lost toys. All of them. All at the same time.

I took the girls for a walk in the "hood" and we picked up some pizza for dinner. By 8:30 they were tucked into their beloved bunk beds and drifting off to sleep.

So ended the 2011 summer in Maine. The first summer in our wonderful new cottage.

We are truly blessed.

This post contains video that is only viewable from the website. So go there.

The Maine Event - Week 4

A mugging on the jetty.

Mother Nature wreaked a little havoc with the beginning of week 4 in Maine. Bad weather delayed my flight out on Friday night and I didn't step foot into the cottage until 4 am. Three hours later the kids came storming into the bedroom to greet me. So much for sleep.

We celebrated my return to the cottage with one of our favorite bike rides to Camp Ellis. Nice, flat roads... pretty scenery... and yummy seafood at Huots. The girls romped up and down the stone jetty and then we went over to check out the crabbing action at the town dock. The return trip included a stop in Ocean Park for ice cream and shuffle board (not at the same time). This year the girls were introduced to Raspberry Lime Rickeys. Loved them!

On Sunday, Nana and Papa Shepard joined us for an overnight visit and we inaugurated our new charcoal grill. It's been a long time since I've used charcoal and the girls were fascinated with the process.

And then... it was time for the "Vacation from the Vacation"!

Last year I got it into my head to take the girls to Mount Washington in 2011. Not sure why. But we headed for the White Mountains early on Monday morning. The ride was pretty, via roads we had never traveled before.

We arrived around lunch time and as soon as we stepped out of the car the girls realized that we were not in Kansas anymore. It was cold, wet and windy as we ran for the restaurant.

For those who have never seen the Mount Washington Hotel, it is quite an impressive sight. There were ear-shattering shrieks as the 109 year old grand hotel came into view. It helped that the hotel kind of looks like a princess palace.

We wandered through the awesome lobby as our room was readied and then the girls got to "drive" the manually-operated elevator up to the 4th floor.

Our room happened to be located in one of the two towers of the hotel. And when you have rooms in a round-shaped tower, you end up with odd-shaped rooms. Our crescent-shaped room was wacky and amazing. The girls loved it. We even ended up with a view of the mountain.

Stella summed up the hotel as follows...

"Some old places are, you know, like rusty. But this old place is WOW!"

Off to play in every one of the three hotel pools. One inside and two outside. My little fish loved it.

Hot chocolate and olives on the back veranda and then time to dress for fancy dinner.

We all got into our fancy clothes and headed for dinner in the formal dining room. Lots of excitement and smiles from Stella and Marni. We ate, and we danced to the small band. As can be expected, Marni put on quite a show on the dance floor.

The next morning we were up early to catch the first steam train up to the top of Mount Washington on the Cog Railroad.

I had warned the ladies how cold and windy it would be up there, but they were just not prepared to experience 37 degree weather with 40 mile per hour winds.

We dragged the frozen kids up the last 25 feet to the official top of the mountain for a photo op and then we hightailed it for the cafeteria and hot chocolate.

After the train ride back down to the bottom of the mountain, we headed to the hotel for check-out and then headed over to Franconia Notch State Park... a place that I hadn't visited since childhood.

We rode the tram to the top of Cannon Mountain and did a quick hike. Then we took a 2 mile hike at The Flume Gorge. Spectacular.

On Thursday the New Jersey Hoffmans came for their visit. Lots of fun in the sun.

On Sunday Hurricane Irene paid us a visit.

By the time Irene got to Maine she was all tired out from ravaging the more southern and western states. By afternoon we were so bored with it all that we headed to the movies to catch Spy Kids 4.

On Monday the Hoffmans headed home and I enjoyed a bonus day with the kids thanks to a hurricane-delayed flight.

Meanwhile, the end of summer is slowly creeping up on us.

Raspberry Lime Rickey time

Tips on lighting a charcoal grill

Ready for fancy dinner at The Mount Washington Hotel

Unhappy popsicles at the top of Mount Washington

Cousins

Cowabunga baby!

This post contains videos that are only viewable from the website. So go there!

We're 4!

Four years ago today, while at the cottage, I started this blog. I had no idea if I would keep it up, or if it would just fade away.

289 posts and 3679 page views (not a lot, really) later, I'm still going strong.

Luckily, I still love doing this... and some people actually like reading this.

Now if only I could make money off this thing!

The Maine Event 2011 - Weekend Three

Weekend 3 started with a late night Friday arrival on JetBlue. The next morning, both girls rushed into our bedroom for the usual routine of snuggling, wrestling and laughing.

Later we broke out the bikes for a ride on the Eastern Trail. Half way through our adventure we took a break for lunch at the Dunegrass Country Club. Then, back on the bikes to complete our 14 mile trip.

Afternoon was beach time with our Hurwitz/Supovitz cousins. This included burying poor cousin Lily.

We invited all our cousins over in the evening for a cocktail party. The grownups talked, argued and imbibed. The kids ran around and played.

Sunday was a bit gloomy, so we headed out to our first-ever family miniature golf challenge at Pirate's Cove. Lots of fun. The girls did a great job and, on some holes, beat their parents. Stella even got a hole-in-one on the 18th hole.

But when the numbers were totaled up, the results were definitive:

Stella 76
Marni 80
Lisa 56
Steve 48

Now, to the kids, it appeared that Marni won (highest score). But we all know who really won.

Late Sunday afternoon Nana Audrey, Papa Harold, Aunt Carol and Uncle Norman arrived for their visit. After taking a tour of the new cottage, we headed down to the beach for Stella's now-famous bike-riding breakthrough.

The next morning the big metal bird took Daddy back to NYC until Friday.

This post contains video that is only viewable from the website. So go there!