Summer Re-cap

Summer is officially over tomorrow morning. To re-cap: I rode a pony named Trixie, I saw Carly Jepson at the US Open, I jumped on a trampoline in the Berkshires and saw the Fresh Beat Band live/in concert in Saratoga. It is fun to "re-cap."

Daddy: Wow, oh boy. The hard thing about going on a family vacation is it is just your family. It is like survivor. Where are all the baby sitters? Grand parents? Someone to help me? Our room at the Cranwell Hotel was named the "Griswold." Which reminds of the Griswolds from Vacation, trying desperately to make it to Wally world, and finally getting there and finding it to be closed. Well we made it up to Saratoga and the Fresh Beat Band sang there up beat tunes and Emma bought a fanzine with pictures of the band and lyrics to the songs and it warmed my heart to see her reading along and having so much fun. The Griswolds get a V for Victory.

Ladybug Land

Maddy got this strange birthday present, Ladybug Land. My dad left the present in the back of the closet. AFter a couple of monthes, I found it. Then, after must of saying, "Mommy, please order the ladybugs" "Mommy, did you order the ladybugs" mommy send away for ladybug larvae. Larvae is the caterpillar for ladybugs. Ladybug Land Inc. sent us the larvae came in a cardboard tube. My dad thought it was a silly mailer.

Well, no amount of indifference could stop these little life forces. They crawled around and made a cocoon and became ladybugs. I knew we had to set them free so they could live the glorious life of a ladybug. I learned about how living creatures develop in science class. Only five ladybugs were supposed to survive from the larvae. We had 14 ladybugs. Maybe more. They loved our hot humid apartment. We could have just let them live out their lives in our living room. My parents are currently watching the Olympics on TV. The ladybugs would have brought the USA good luck for more gold medals. Maddy cried as we set the ladybugs free. I think she was sad and scared, when she realized that ladybugs were actually bugs. Spiders and ants came around. It was super fun ladybug party.

Daddy: We did not kill the ladybug larvae. I repeat, we succeeded in giving birth to the baby ladybugs. I am so relieved. I could see my little girls crying for the rest of the summer, “The ladybugs are dead.” For the rest of the summer? For the rest of their lives, "The ladybugs are dead." No, in fact they lived: 14 of them! We set them free in what is now called Ladybug field. The ladybugs bonded with Emma and Maddy, who think my girls are their ladybug mothers.

The Sound of the Sound

The great thing about the Long Island Sound is you let out a high pitch piercing yell just for the heck of it because at the Sound you can make any sounds you want. My Mom yelled as loud as she can, "I am so grateful to be alive!" And my dad yelled, "Listen to me, king of all men. Deny me no corn muffins!" Yep, people were a little weird at the sound. The beach is really rocky. I wore my water shoes into the water. They are still wet.

Emma and Maddy met with Oona, the lovely daughter of Kathleen who lives in Wilton, Ct. Thanks to the Hilton Garden Inn we can vacation in Connecticut. Kathleen gave us helpful tips on how to get in with the "chubby set." No, I mean "clubby set." Besides the sound we also went to a large, well air conditioned Dunkin' Donuts, a Walmart which is open on Sunday at 7AM, which is "devoid of all beauty." Ate at Bobby Q's Barbecue, which is a tongue twister, had yogurt and chilled with Georgia, Picasso, and Squishy, the blind, one eyed, and three legged cats.

Private Shoe Store Experience

Spontaneous surprise: We went by our neighborhood shoes store. The door was locked. My dad tapped on the window and the sales team unlocked the door, reopened the store and let us in. "Maddy and Emma are our best customers!" they said. You can see, the sale sign that is usually out on the sidewalk is inside. I got a shoe you can walk in water with, because my other pair was too tight. I am a size 2 now. Plus I got some light up sneakers. I didn't even know they lit up until I stomped on them and these white lights sprang on. Then we went to Pinkberry. There web site has a silly song apologizing to ice cream.

Daddy: Emma and Maddy got the real Cinderella service. The store has my shoe buying history on their computer, which explains my girls super-star Shoe Tree status.

Piano Lessons

I started piano lessons. If I practice more than 3 times a week I get to pick out some stickers. I am only playing the black keys. My fingers are different numbers, like my middle finger is three and the one to the right is two and the one to the left is three. I even wrote my first song!

I took Emma for piano lessons with Asuka Fu. She lives in the building across the street above the Duane Reede. She teaches Emma's good friend Natalia. Emma is excited to learn a new skill. Today I had to remind her to practice. "Emma, have you practiced this week?" I said. The answer was, "I was really busy this week." At her first lesson I sit on the couch across from the piano for a half hour, the super proud daddy. Now I just drop her off, but I can sneak in whenever I like.

My first full year of a one hour ballet class

Hee-haw, I'm dancing ballet, partner.

The Company. We will be performing next at the Garden State Plaza Mall, a blending of jazz fusion and ballet to Usher.

Dedication, single minded focus, placing your hand in the hair in a way that makes audience members want to cry.

Even though it is super hard work, you have to remember to dance from your heart. Or at least, that's what Sally Fields says. This was my first full year of a one hour ballet class at Steps, which is a dance center that means business. I deserve a rest! Daddy: Pictures taken with my new Nikon 1. Ashton Kutcher's been hawking this camera on TV. I could be the next ad campaign, a nervous, desperate dad, under the gun, his wife next to him, asking, "Do you really know how to use that thing?" Nikon had better come through for me. Nikon comes through for me, could be the tag line. Nikon comes through for me or I sleep on the couch.

The sea of blue balls

You might think it is strange, "A sea of blue balls," but really, in the world of New York birthday parties, it is within the typical modern day normal. I have done Marcarana with neo Nazis and been terrified by existential puppeteres hunting for lost elephants.

Mommy and Maddy were in the sea of blue balls. Mommy wouldn't jump in.

Daddy: I am ready for anything at today's kids birthday parties. The sea of blue balls is at Chelsea Piers. Emma takes the search for the site of her upcoming 7th birthday party very seriously. "Daddy, it's my choice," she tells me. "Chuck E. Cheese is out of the question," I told her, for the 50th time. "But, it's my choice." Is it wrong to fight Chuck E. Cheese?