Penelope's World

It's fashion disaster day at school

2012-01-20T11:40:00.001-05:00

How did we do?

First Swim Meet!

2012-01-08T21:17:00.002-05:00

It's Sunday and at 6:45 this morning Z and I were up preparing breakfast which was delivered to Penelope in bed at 7am. This may not sound all that unusual to you but I should explain that in this family we just don't do early morning. During the week when P must be at school by 8:20, she typically wakes shortly before 8 and dresses, eats and brushes her teeth in 15 minutes. On the weekends, it's unusual to see P before 9am. So, why you ask has our routine changed? Penelope had her first swim meet! A four hour extravaganza that began at 7:45AM sharp. I know nothing of the world of swimming and competitive team sports. And I don't know where Penelope picked up this gene. Her aunts were swimmers but this endeavor is strictly hers and I am in awe of her ability. I feel as though we've entered a new phase where parenting centers around driving our kid to and from her own independent activities. It's definitely a "sea" change, no pun intended.

She swam 4 heats - freestyle, backstroke, butterfly and a relay. We are not focusing on time but this is the record book so here are the stats:

-25 Meter Freestyle: 33.64, 12th out of 14
-25 Meter Backstroke: 34.66, 8th out of 14
-25 Meter Butterfly: DQ (disqualified - all the 6 year olds were - they don't really know how to do the correct, "regulation" stroke yet, just practicing)

Starting block (in lane 2)

Quick High Five with Coach

Last Minute Questions

Ready. Set.

She finished 3rd in the Backstroke in her heat!

And, here's some of the real thing...

We are so proud of our girl. I have a feeling there are going to be many more early mornings in our future.

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T22:27:00.001-05:00

Christmas 2011

2011-12-30T22:40:00.001-05:00

Tis the Season

2011-12-21T21:59:00.000-05:00

I've skipped so much posting that we are practically at Christmas! So, here are the broad strokes.

After receiving the requisite 1st grad school picture (will reluctantly publish soon), all I wanted for Christmas was for Penelope to get a hair cut. Then, Penelope lost her upper tooth and boldly pronounced she was ready for a hair cut. I made an appointment instantly. And we now have a beautiful, bobbed, happy, toothless first grader. Hooray! None of the pictures here do the cut justice. It's adorable...of course, I am her mom.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, it's all about the holidays.We've had a girls day in New York - tea, the windows, the Plaza, the lights, you know...girls stuff.

Face Painting at FAO Schwarz

Admiring themselves in the mirror.

We've been to The Nutcracker.

We've decorated perfectly awful cookies.

I got in the spirit by knitting this hat.

We've had pre-Christmas with our nephew who is now on solids and still totally adorable, despite my lousy pictures. Penelope gave him his first whirl in his new high chair, passed down to him from Penelope.

And, yesterday, Pippi got a letter in the mail from Santa which pretty much blew her away. She wrote back, of course.

Translation:

Dear Santa,
I just put a christmas present for my favorite friend in the house Mio (her robot dog) under the tree. I was wondering if Ben (a friend) was on the naughty list. I might have some cinnamon sticks for Rudolph and you. Love, Penelope PS - Are you fat? Do you have a beard? What do you look like?

Finally, this morning we visited the Princeton airport where Santa flew in for a quick visit.

Waiting patiently on the tarmac with a friend.

He made it!

I've left out celebrations at school and many more things. As far as P is concerned, the 4 advent calendars can't bring tomorrow quickly enough. It's 10PM and her head has just hit the pillow, after leaving the requisite cookies and milk. There will be lots more to post soon.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Rio Medley

2011-12-06T23:51:00.001-05:00

On a recent trip to Maine which, much to our lament, is now 8 hours away, we loaded up on things for Penelope to do. After the fact, Z thought we should have insisted that she only be allowed to watch the movie she brought once so that she would spend more time listening to books. Instead, she watched Rio FOUR TIMES IN A ROW!!

When I was a kid, I spent hours in my room singing and pretending to be on Broadway. Annie was a particular favorite. Lately there has been a lot of discussion about Penelope's interest, or lack of interest, in music since she is showing little interest in learning an instrument. Though I'm dying to have her take up the cello, I try to keep my biases to myself and haven't pushed too much on the instrument front.

I was pleased, though, to find that the Rio over-exposure did not kill all of Penelope's brain cells. In fact, they were hard at work on that long car trip. And, we do share, at least, a love of singing. Though the end of this video is a bit blurry, perhaps Penelope (unlike me) shows a flare for the drama too. You go girl!

All I want for Christmas...

2011-12-05T19:44:00.001-05:00

is my daughter's baby teeth back...sniff, sniff.

House Tour

2011-12-04T15:44:00.001-05:00

Belated Happy Thanksgiving. We missed posting about that but there are many pictures here, if you're interested... The star of the weekend was Hoyt.

Penelope has returned to making movies. Her last was a tour of our apartment in New Haven. And, now she's here to show you our current house. I can't say that her cinematic skills have improved much but her commentary still cracks me up. This was taken the day Zach finished the marathon.

We have moved seamlessly to December and all the month has to offer. We have four advent calendars that are beckoning Penelope out of bed every morning. Thinking about Santa and the Tooth Fairy (the top two teeth are really wiggly).

Philadelphia Marathon!

2011-11-20T20:20:00.001-05:00

Daddy finished his first marathon today in under 4 hours! He ran with his friend Alex and we were all there to cheer him on.

Moments After Finishing

The Dynamic Duo

And their Cheering Section

Flush with Success

Post Mortem

Actually, the real post-mortem is happening as I write this and it's not pretty...

Ice Skating!

2011-11-16T19:47:00.001-05:00

Team Piranha!

2011-11-15T20:12:00.001-05:00

Clearly, this was a good move. As was this. And this milestone. Why you ask? Penelope made the swim team! The real deal team, complete with practices, gear and meets! I'm not sure I would have guessed where all the water fun would have led us but it turns out that it is kind of her thing, at least for now. We are really proud of her.

Dear Tooth Fairy,

2011-11-09T21:46:00.000-05:00

We are moving dangerously close to claiming "all i want for christmas is my two front teeth." I am bracing myself and trying to heed the words of my friend Laura who once told me "they are still cute. It's just a different kind of cute." Meanwhile, the child is oblivious. She does nothing but wiggle the two in question and dream about what she might get from the Tooth Fairy. Take, for instance, this note which she wrote yesterday and then asked me innocently this morning if I knew the Tooth Fairy's address. I, of course, said I did and she diligentily confirmed this afternoon that the note was sent. Of course it was.

Translation:Dear tooth fairy,I know that you gave my friend sea shells and sharks teeth teeth. Why can't you bring shark teeth and sea shells to me? Love, Penelope

On the backside:P.S. I like shark teeth better

Anyone know where to buy shark's teeth? Pronto!

PS - Dear Pippi, someday you will see this. I hope you forgive my deception.

Halloween 2011, the movie

2011-11-05T14:47:00.001-04:00

Curses, Foiled Again!

2011-11-05T09:29:00.001-04:00

Part of my life plan was to happily stand in judgement of any parent who took their kid to Chuck E. Cheese (really? who made up this name?). But I am sorry to say, the best laid plans...blah, blah blah... were changed by a birthday invitation and a visit to the dreaded place last night. You know, it really wasn't that bad. Now I've got a new goal: not to have one of P's birthday parties there which she is, of course, already asking for.

The Many Faces of...

2011-11-01T23:42:00.000-04:00

CLEOPATRA!

Halloween Eve, I kid you not...

2011-10-30T21:22:00.000-04:00

PS - it will be first white Halloween in over 40 years! We just got our power back. Waiting to hear if there will be school tomorrow. We're ready to hit the trick-or-treating slopes. Bring it on!

The Sixth Birthday Party in Living Color (FINALLY!)

2011-10-23T21:59:00.000-04:00

Pip Speak

2011-10-21T16:36:00.001-04:00

These days, I am rarely compelled to blog the funny things that Penelope says. Somehow it seemed more appropriate when she was littler and just learning to talk. But this is too funny to let go by. Last night we were visiting Penelope's school and looking at some of her school work. I remarked that a poem she wrote seemed really different from the others. She matter-of-factly replied.

"Yeah. Why do I ALWAYS think outside the box?"

RIP Grandma

2011-10-16T21:29:00.003-04:00

Penelope was lucky enough to know one great grandma, more than most girls of 6 can say. And I am sure she will remember "great g-ma," who died peacefully yesterday. Great g-ma was lucky enough to see 5 great grandchildren come into the world. She will be missed.

Great G-ma meets Penelope for the first time.

Crazy Hair Day

2011-10-13T00:07:00.002-04:00

This really is an actual day at school...

6-year-old stats

2011-10-11T18:43:00.003-04:00

48 1/2 inches - finally 4 feet! - 95%
51 pounds - 75% (only 4 pounds in a year, wish I could say the same...)

Six

2011-09-30T20:41:00.000-04:00

The Sixth Birthday Party

2011-09-26T22:21:00.000-04:00

This year we filled a tall order. A real old fashioned home birthday party with twelve girls and many activities. Billed as a Top Chef Dessert Party (Penelope's choice), one may wonder about the wisdom of the combo of children and a lot of sugar. But everyone had a great time and we are still breathing a sigh of relief that it's over. What might you ask do you do at a kid's dessert party? Well, let me share with you.

1. BLIND TASTE TESTING

Each child was blindfolded and asked to taste or smell a number of ingredients from curry to gummy bears. The results were hilarious. The unanimously right answers? Gummy Bears and Kiwi - not sure what that says about our households. The funniest answer? "At first it smelled like ice cream and then it smelled like magic marker." That about vanilla. They were uniformly good sports and had a great time.

Receiving the results

2. PIN THE CHERRY ON THE CUPCAKE

Need I say more? This classic game still holds up.

3. THE MARSHMALLOW DANGLE

A surprising challenge and THANK GOD THE WEATHER WAS GOOD ENOUGH TO GO OUTSIDE. I can't repeat that enough. Needless to say everyone eventually got a marshmallow - one way or another.

4. BALLOON TAG

No pictures of this. It was too fast and too crazy. They ran around with balloons attached to their ankles, trying to pop each other's balloons. There were only two minor injuries. Not bad.

5. MARSHMALLOW TOWER BUILDING

Who would have guessed that this would hold the most attention? But it did. Kids just love crafts, especially when they can eat the building materials.

6. "SUSHI" ROLLING

This craft was inspired by this blog post but our results were decidedly less successful. It took so much supervision, I didn't even get any pictures. Let's just say it was a rice krispie, twizzler, gummy worm mash packed up in a sushi to go box with chopsticks. Each kid took theirs home. Sorry parents!

7. CAKE!!!

Well, not exactly. Penelope opted for root beer floats instead. That's my girl. This blurry shot is the only one I got! I even missed the blowing out of the candles! What kind of mom am I?

8. PINATA

The number 6 pinata was caught on video (I'll get to that sometime). Believe it or not, I showed some restraint there and did not fill it with candy.

We sent everyone home all sugared up with goody bags filled to the brim.

We even made a CD to share with our friends. And, now you can enjoy it too, by clicking here. Is that cool or what?

There's much more to share, including these 400 pictures. Penelope actually turns 6 on Friday. We will be out of gas by then.

PS - The fabulous peace sign dress was made by the fabulous Nanny, of course, with fabric picked out by Penelope on a joint shopping spree this summer in Wisconsin.

The View From Behind

2011-09-21T14:50:00.001-04:00

I am loving biking to school with Penelope. She's fast and quite able now. It's a great way to start the day.

First grade is a whole new world. She started homework tomorrow. Her teacher is terrific and the time out chair is now called "The Reflection Center." It's not an accident that we know the name...

Gearing up for birthday celebration central. 2 big ones coming up this weekend.

Have Wheels, Will Travel

2011-09-13T09:31:00.001-04:00

I'm so proud of our 1st grader. She rode her bike to school today. No training wheels! Her first long solo ride. Yippee!

There's nothing better than a new crayon box

2011-09-08T17:57:00.002-04:00

The first day of first grade was a success.
A far cry from kindergarten.

P is thrilled to have her friend Aurelia in class

Checking out her new desk.

Although, she quickly found Maya when
the day was done.

And they celebrated.

The night before first grade

2011-09-07T21:34:00.001-04:00

It's been a good last week of summer, despite the tension and anticipation of the start of another year. In this week, Penelope has suffered a cold and pink eye, started to ride a bike without wheels, learned to roller skate, spent time with a growing gaggle of cousins and - as usual - logged in as much play time as possible. Speaking of those cousins. Where did all these children come from? In the last year, the child count in my family has doubled! We are in close danger of the kids outnumbering the adults. And, there's quite a range. From bottles and naps, to first steps, floaties and full on swimmers. The focus of our family gatherings have certainly changed.Here's a sampling:

Xander. 10 months. He's been walking since about 7 months!

Aunties Michelle and Laura with Abria, Pippi and Xander.

The oldest (and the wisest, of course). P and her cousin Alette.

The youngest. The boys. And the ones who get the most attention these days, naturally. Xander and Hoyt with Aunties Janet and Keri.

My nephew is pretty cute, huh? Just 2.5 months of pure baby cheeks and thighs. Doesn't get better than that.

And, how about that birthday cake? Made by yours truly. For my brother.

And here's more.

I'm managing school re-entry solo. Z's on a business trip. Feeling excited and nervous for P. School made us wait until yesterday (!) to know classroom placement. Unfair, if you ask me. When we found out that she was going to be in a different classroom from Maya, we (the adults) were a bit heartbroken. We gingerly broke the news to the girls who took it stride saying it didn't really matter. They would see each other at recess and lunch. As they parted ways today, they were still thick as thieves. We intend to keep it that way. We love Maya.

In a pre-bed phone call, Daddy reminded Penelope to make a good first impression on her teacher. "Do you know what that is?" he asked. "Yeah. An impression is when you pretend to be someone else." There are many people I would hope she doesn't pretend to be...let's hope she really does get the concept.

As I was saying goodnight to Penelope tonight she said. "Mama, can you walk me to my classroom tomorrow? It's not that I want you with me or that I'm shy, it's just that I may not remember where the room is..."

I suspect that will be the last time I hear that again.

More from the other side of first grade soon.

Wisconsin Bonding

2011-08-28T12:21:00.013-04:00

Penelope has become quite the traveler. She loves airports and hotels.

We finally made it to Wisconsin! In the time since we were there last, Nanny and Poppy built a new house and Penelope's cousin Addison was born. Clearly, a long overdue trip.

We were excited to finally meet Addison. Penelope was an excellent older cousin, and appointed herself babysitter. She was mostly up to the task. Check out this cuteness.

She even made Addison a friendship bracelet.

Addison promptly decided to wait a few more years for it.

A highlight of the trip was Noah's Ark, which Penelope would be quick to tell you is America's largest waterpark. It was an overcast day which turned out to be perfect. No lines. Lots of thrills here.

It was easy to bond with Aunt Meghan.

Who wouldn't love an aunt who lets you do this?

This picture cracks me up - it reminds me of a photo one might see on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post. Despite the face, we always enjoy Nanny's cookies.

But don't be fooled by all of these pictures with people. Penelope spent most of her time with the animals, Parker, Nigel, Riley and Sophia. Thanks to this trip, we will be fending off many requests for a pet.

Penelope would tell you that she walked Parker every day which is, again, mostly true.

As always, if you haven't seen enough click here.

PS - while we are talking about things that are "mostly," Irene was mostly a disappointment. A few moments of wind. A lot of rain. Some flooding - not near us. But the hype was just that.

Irene. Irene. Where are you?

2011-08-27T23:02:00.004-04:00

It's 11 p.m. in New Jersey and we are tracking Irene. She better bring it on...since we cut our vacation a day short for her! Lots to share from Wisconsin but, until I get those pictures processed, here's a weather report from New Jersey. Just a few minutes ago, we all headed out with head lamps and rain boots for a hurricane walk. Lots of rain. Lots of water. Nothing ominous. Hoping for some drama...nothing too dangerous please.

Flying High in Wisconsin

2011-08-25T12:51:00.001-04:00

We're having a great time in Wisconsin - there will be lots of pictures to show soon. For now, here's a teaser.

We hope to make it back on Saturday. Irene better STAY AWAY!

Ode to a kid's smile

2011-08-16T19:41:00.005-04:00

I was pretty excited when Penelope lost her two bottom teeth. It brought back memories of wiggly teeth and the anticipation of the tooth fairy. But, when she discovered the other day that a top, front tooth was loose? Not so much. Those big front teeth - the ones that are all anyone wants for Christmas pretty much change everything. It's not like I haven't noticed her long legs or the fact that I can't even begin to carry her. But a smile? That one with the cute LITTLE (and straight!) kids' teeth. It's different. Just like crawling or walking, adult teeth - in an obvious spot - portend the future and scream braces and acne. Didn't I lose my top teeth in like second grade? What's the rush?

So, for the next few weeks...or hopefully longer, I'll be cherishing every minute I've got with the baby teeth and hoping that the fairy is on summer vacation.

Cousin Bonding

2011-08-01T16:20:00.001-04:00

Summer Progress

2011-07-26T15:56:00.007-04:00

Penelope has turned into a great swimmer this summer. In fact, it may be the first thing she does a lot better than me (i'm sure there will be many more of those). Here's her latest feat. The 10 ft. high dive!

The first jump.

And the last of the day. CANNONBALL!

Broadway Stars

2011-07-17T14:34:00.003-04:00

Here's all 10 minutes of the final show from the week-long Broadway camp. I can't believe how much they taught them in one week!

July Log...so far

2011-07-11T16:51:00.012-04:00

It's been a busy month and we aren't even halfway through it. Friends Camp was a huge success. Penelope is now a convert, not necessarily to Quaker life (don't think much of that sunk in) but definitely to the quintessential outdoor camp life. We loved it.

We then jumped in the car for the long journey to Maine. A belated Happy Fourth to all of our friends out there. We didn't get fireworks this year...too foggy. We made our own.

But we did make an awesome dessert.

Plus we did the local parade...very local.

How about this for scenery when you are on "the scrambler" at a carnival?

After our fill of crab and lobster and the ocean, we raced back to see Nanny and Poppy! What a treat to have them in town. Despite record heat, we were undeterred, visiting New York, New Hope, and Princeton, of course. We are looking forward to seeing them again in another month.

In between, there isn't a moment when Penelope doesn't want to be outside with her friends. Playing is the activity of the summer, and there has been a lot of it.

This week Penelope is at Broadway camp. What a life. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer as much as we are.

We love Summer

2011-06-30T08:59:00.007-04:00

This is the most vivid summer we've had since Penelope was born. She is old enough to truly get into the summer swing of things and has the stamina to keep up...well, sometimes. Life is all about play. Play. Play. Play. The first two weeks of Friends Camp have been exhausting but so fun. As soon as I pick her up, the question is usually what's next? By the time we get home, the neighborhood kids are on our doorstep and it begins again until we beg her to come is as the fireflies are are just beginning to glow. Good, hard activity - you gotta love that. Stopping for dinner is only a means to stoking the body with more energy.

It feels like stuff that memories are made of.

Ah Joy!

And a joint bath to follow...heaven!

This week Penelope is in school with Charlotte. Hard to believe that these two have been goofing off together since they were babies. Here's a very silly (translation= tired) renedition of their camp cheer.

It's Summer and We're Off!

2011-06-22T08:58:00.012-04:00

Now that we've moved into the first grade realm, the real summer fun begins. On Monday, Penelope began camp - a "big girl" camp with "big girl" hours (8:00 AM - barbaric! - to 4:30), during which she swims, plays, and spends time a lot of time outdoors. It's the kind of camp that memories are made of, complete with camp cheer, tall tales and lots of play. She came home the first day tired, dirty and happy - that's the way I like it.

But let me back track a bit. Here's our little lady on father's day. Ready for the races, don't you think?

We had a terrific father's day picnic. Though we were there for the dads, someone (aka Hoyt) stole all of the attention. Sorry parents if you don't want pictures of your perfect baby on the web. Get used to it.

Penelope was overjoyed to see her cousins, with a new one added to the mix. Where did all of these children come from?

Can't go wrong with a dessert like this.

It was a great day to work hard on acquiring jump rope skills.

To all of the great dad's in our family - Neill (the newest), David, Mitch, Andy, Kevin, Zach and Zeb - a belated happy father's day. You bring up the father's curve BIG time. I'm proud to say that not one of the dad's in our family shows even the slightest resemblance to what I think of as a typical dad of the past - uninvolved and disconnected. And, as far as I know, they all change(d) diapers! Our kids are so lucky.

We have started a new tradition - backyard movies! Last Saturday, we had 16 kids in our backyard to watch Madagascar. And the parents had a great party. It was a blast! Is it too dark to see the scene? We can't wait to do it again soon.

Happy summer to all.

When is a Dress No Longer a Dress?

2011-06-17T09:02:00.004-04:00

On the last day of kindergarten!

TODAY

FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

PS - and note the hair which Penelope has been trying to grow out all year long.

Parenthood, of a different sort

2011-06-16T10:51:00.004-04:00

Since I am in a bit of denial that tomorrow is the LAST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN!!!!, I thought I'd back track a bit to last fall when we welcomed Max and Ruby into our household. Max and Ruby were praying mantids that we caught just as the summer was coming to an end. They lived with us all fall. We fed them crickets and meal worms. It was pretty fascinating to watch them devour their prey. Then one day, much to our surprise, they both laid egg sacs! We came home and there they were. This was more than we bargained for! Thanks to youtube and a lot of library books, we learned everything we could about praying mantids so we weren't surprised when both Maxine (she had to have a slight name adjustment) and Ruby died in the late fall - the fate of a female praying mantis post birth.

We waited patiently all winter and spring to see what might happen to the sacs. As the weather heated up in the last two weeks, we figured it was possible but not likely that the sacs would actually produce babies. Then, a few days ago, Z glanced at the bug jar on Penelope's bedside stand and thought it looked a bit dirty. He looked closer - BABIES! MANY OF THEM! LIKE MAYBE MORE THAN 100! WOW!

We were not up to the task of caring for 100 praying mantids, which apparently involves fruit flies and hamburger pieces on a piece of thread. So, as quickly as the arrived, they left. We let them go in the field where we their mother's had first conceived them. It's not that easy to capture these little guys on film but see for yourself.

A portion of the bug catcher covered with them.

Free at last on Daddy's shirt & finger.

Their new home.

End of the Year Poetry Project (with translation)

2011-06-10T18:46:00.009-04:00

The Warning
by Penelope White

I am culerfull
(I am colorful)

I am a worning
(I am a warning)

I have red eys
(I have red eyes)

I am a red eyd tree frog
(I am a red eyed tree frog)

The Sparkling Icicles
by Penelope White

Drip Drop the frezing
(Drip Drip the freezing)

usuklls melting boy the hot suns rays
(icicles melting by the hot sun's rays)

Brrrrr. Drip Drop Drip Drop

The Gigantic Hungry Seal
by Penelope White

The gigantic seel swimming in the deep blue sea.
(The gigantic seal swimming in the deep blue sea)

Srchng for yume clams with his seel frents.
(Searching for yummy clams with his seal friends)

Asparagus
by Penelope White

I am sliymee.
(I am slimy)

Pepl put lemin on me
(People put lemon on me)

I am asperagis.
(I am asparagus)

I am pwoyntee.
(I am pointy)

I am green!

The Small Praying Mantis*
by Penelope White

A big spykee preying mantis
(A big spikey praying mantis)

laying an egg sac

on a big pes of bork
(on a big piece of bark)

feeling vere layzy
(feeling very lazy)

Chrp Chrp Chrp!
(Chirp Chirp Chirp!)

Though it is hard to see the detail, I'm impressed by the asparagus drawing.

The end of kindergarten is very, very near.

*reference for this coming soon

A Very Happy Memorial Day

2011-05-31T11:10:00.009-04:00

OK, I lied

2011-05-28T00:43:00.003-04:00

I'm just going to sneak one little picture onto the blog. Penelope's first meeting with her new cousin Hoyt. He's even cuter on day 2.

Penelope drew this picture in the hospital for Hoyt.

Translation: Hoyt is zero. I love you. For Hoyt from Penelope

Welcome Hoyt!

2011-05-26T23:00:00.000-04:00

Baby Hoyt, my brother's first child, and my first nephew, was born this evening at 8:32. I will resist posting any pictures. His parents are a tad bit shy of this whole blog thing (I'm working on them). I will only say that he is healthy and beautiful and amazing and we are so happy.

Firework!

2011-05-24T16:11:00.004-04:00

Part One of the fabulous kindergarten show. Katy Perry's Firework!

(with apologies to the other kids for my Penelope-centric recording).

If you just have to see more...

SUPERSTAR!

2011-05-24T10:48:00.004-04:00

Here's a grainy preview of the big kindergarten show. Stay tuned for the complete (and clearer) video. BOO YAH KAH SHAH people.

Catching Up

2011-05-16T20:14:00.011-04:00

Much has happened in the month since I have posted, perhaps the longest I've gone since Penelope was born. But, since one of the events is misplacing my camera, I have a minor excuse. Thank god for the iphone - it has saved me so many times.

So, here is what I can tell the few readers I've probably got left about life P.D. (that's post-Disney).

We had a terrific visit to New Haven where Penelope was "guest teacher" at her beloved nursery school. I for one was pretty happy to crawl back into the nursery cocoon where all are loved and nothing has changed. We saw lots of friends and managed to visit the weekend of the Bethesda fair. This year Penelope got her own tickets and went wherever she wanted, without a grown up! She was in heaven.

a blurry shot of morning meeting with one of Penelope's faves - Sarah!

We spent many hours after school trying to master the monkey bars at the Bethesda park. Imagine our surprise when Penelope found, sadly, she's too tall now to do these monkey bars!

I don't know which was better - reconnecting with Sylvia or getting to eat cotton candy.

Back on the home front, We celebrated "Communiversity," an annual fair in town with lots to do. My organization hosted a table with a craft for kids - making musical shakers. Penelope was a great helper. Here's one of my favorites.

And here she is with my colleague John.

We've been gathering at friends houses on Monday nights for dinner - finally the weather is warm enough. Last Monday, Penelope led some friends in a meditation retreat. Honestly, some of the stuff she retains cracks me up.

And, recently, we went to Doug's birthday party -a reptile party! Snakes, alligators, and snapping turtles made appearances.

The end of kindergarten is hurling towards us at a mind-bending speed. Where did the year go? Zach and Penelope are on book 12 of 13 in Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events. Penelope and I are on god knows which book number of Magic Treehouse and just today Penelope was allowed to take out her first chapter book from the school library, a privilege that goes only to kids who can read. At the silent auction to raise money for her school, she won the prize of being teacher's helper for the day. A role she covets and will take on happily.

Much to my own dismay (and private fascination mixed with glee), Penelope will perform in her school show - two "real classic" songs - Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry! When I hear her in her room practicing the line "moving my hips, oh yeah" I cringe and then kind of crack up at the pre-teeny bopper behavior. I can't wait to see how it all comes out.

Then there's the closing picnic, school hike, and - gulp -graduation. And somewhere in there, we will welcome a new cousin - baby Hoyt due in two short weeks.

I will find the camera and I will document it all.

Friends and Fun

2011-04-26T18:23:00.005-04:00

We spent Easter Sunday celebrating, well sort of...a mixed celebration, mainly of the impending arrival of Neill and Keri's baby - due in a few weeks! Penelope was an excellent older cousin to her super cute cousin - Xander.

I thought going back to school might be difficult but this morning Penelope pronounced this "one of the most important days of my life." When asked why, she said it was because she had never gone back to school after spring vacation before. She was incensed that Z was still laying in bed when she left saying "Why isn't he awake on the most important day of my life?" She picked out a pretty dress. It was a gorgeous day and she was thrilled to reconnect with her friends on the walk to school. May she like school so much...always.

Two down...many to go.

2011-04-23T21:24:00.002-04:00

but now we are presented with a dilemma. Who will visit tonight? The Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy? Hmmm....

We drank the Kool Aid.

2011-04-21T22:19:00.010-04:00

And it was good!

Not much commentary here but that's because I'm rushing back to the real world which, let me tell you, is a BIG contrast to The DISNEY world. More soon. In the meantime, have a magical day!

They hook you from the moment you walk into your hotel room...

Breakfast with Cinderella...

From princesses to scary black snakes...we covered a lot of terrain.

Penelope was allowed to pick out one keepsake. Rupunzel had an excellent ride home.

And many more...

Ready for Disney!

2011-04-16T21:33:00.001-04:00

Many more pictures to be posted soon.

I'd like to be a grown up now, please!

2011-03-30T09:24:00.003-04:00

Yesterday morning (after the tooth fairy had been to visit) Penelope and I had a conversation over breakfast that went like this.

"Mom, you know how baby's skin is really soft and adult skin is really hard?"
"yeah..."
"And, you know how it is especially hard under the feet?"
"yeah.."(wondering where this is going)
"Well, I have some exciting news. I found a little bit of hard pieces under my feet which means I am getting a lot older!"
"Wow"
"Do you want me to tell you all of the things that mean that I am getting older?"
"Of course."
"Well, I am almost done with kindergarten. It's almost my birthday. I lost a tooth. I have some freckles. AND, I have some hard parts under my feet!"

The yearn to grow, grow and grow is so exciting, while leave mommies and daddies in a pool of nostalgic tears. Someday I hope she can look back with some of that too.

Gone Baby Gone!

2011-03-28T16:27:00.001-04:00

Pi Day

2011-03-17T20:48:00.006-04:00

Last Friday, Penelope got a message on our answering machine from her friend Maya. "Hi Penelope. It's Maya. I just wanted to tell you that I am so excited about Pi Day. I can't wait to go with you." Princeton is a unique place. I'll give it that. But how bad is it to know who Einstein was and what Pi is and to love both at age 5? I can think of worse things. On Saturday, the entire town of Princeton transformed to the land of Einstein. It was Pi Day - 3/14, of course!

We took a ride on the train with Einstein himself. He talked a lot about liking ice cream "mit schprinkles."

There was a "pi" throwing event. Daddy was an excellent sport

The highlight of the day was the Pi recitation contest, where Maya was the youngest (and most formidable if I do say so myself) contestant. We were there to cheer her on. She recited 53 digits. The winner, at 7 years old!, recited 315 digits. Afterwards, we found out that his dad was one of the top 10 mathematicians in the world. Guess he comes by it honestly. The adult winner recited more than 1000 digits. That was just weird.

It was a great day - and great to see Penelope and Maya having so much fun together.

Girls Day!

2011-03-15T18:16:00.009-04:00

We had a great girl's day in New York. Penelope actually got to miss school for it. Her friend Maya told her mom, "Penelope wasn't in class today and I think it was for no reason!" But there was a reason - a girl's mission. First there was lunch with our dear friends Seldy and Isabelle. Isabelle was the flower girl in our wedding and now Penelope loves Isabelle! Isabelle just got back from Paris where she picked out her prom dress! How cool is that? Is she looking chic or what? They had a lot to discuss. Much more than their first meeting.

After two horribly rainy days, the sun shined on us as we walked across Central Park.

Girl's Mission Number Two: The Metropolitan Museum of Art where Penelope had her sites set on seeing Monet, Degas and Van Gogh. Mission accomplished, and more.

Stop Three - high tea to celebrate Nana's birthday at Alice's Tea Cup. This is my kind of place. Penelope was sprinkled with fairy dust upon arrival and given a choice of wings. She even got her own entire tea pot of "cold" chocolate.

Go girl power!

Happy 95 Great G-ma...we are getting there soon, apparently

2011-03-06T20:46:00.004-05:00

Today we celebrated my grandmother's 95th birthday - Penelope's Great Grandma (yes, she's not looking so great). It is amazing to see so many generations in one room and in just a few months all four of her grandchildren will have children of their own. In the meantime Keri's belly is looking great ("Hoyt" is due in two months). Penelope had a terrific time with her cousins and we were all amazed to see a 3-month-old Xander, now with a tuft of red hair, full of smiles and strong legs.

So could anything be more significant that 4 generations happily celebrating a 95th birthday? The answer, of course, is yes.

Here's a hint...

Penelope has her first wiggly tooth! With an adult tooth clearly headed up right beneath it. I am so not ready for this. Not ready for her perfect little mouth of baby teeth to show the signs of adulthood. As my friend Laura says, it's a different kind of cute. I guess I have to keep that in mind. In the meantime, does anyone know the tooth fairy's going rate? Better get prepared. Fast!

Happy Birthday Grandma. As I said, we are ALL headed in your direction.

What's up here?

2011-02-28T19:48:00.004-05:00

Went to Maya's piano recital - she was great!

Went to the movies with Maya.

Celebrated Maya's birthday (awesome cake)

Had fun celebrating Janet's birthday.

Maya, Maya, Maya...and a bit of Janet.

Welcome to kindgergarten...

2011-02-24T22:32:00.001-05:00

hbde duptee sat on a wall
hbde duptee had a greyt foll
ul the cingz horsis and ul the cingz men
duint put huptee together agen

A Happy President's Day

2011-02-22T15:51:00.004-05:00

Oh yeah, did I mention?

2011-02-15T15:45:00.005-05:00

That Penelope had her first sleepover this weekend? No biggie. Just two girls hanging out for 12 hours straight. Super gulp.

It's true. Penelope was invited to her friend Maya's for a sleepover. Maya's mom took it all in stride (if you are reading this and care to comment, please feel free). I was, let's just say, not taking it in stride. What if she got scared in the middle of night? What if I had to come get her in the middle of the night? What if she felt like I left her in a foreign place? What if? What if? What if? When I returned the next morning, she barely acknowledged me for fear that I might tell her it was time to leave. They feel asleep around midnight. They were up by 7AM - didn't even bother to wake Maya's parents. Just went straight to playing. The next day? I've never seen her so tired. So tired that she was calm and quiet (two words that do not apply to Penelope...EVER) all day long.

So, I guess we're over that hurdle. It seems like a big one to me. But apparently, no biggie to Penelope. They are already planning their next date.

(lousy pic of sleepover heaven, taken right before we left)

Story Pirates Rock!

2011-02-12T23:49:00.008-05:00

(the official picture that will go on the Story Pirates wall)

To all my friends with children who visit New York City - you MUST read this post. We had an incredible experience today. The Story Pirates is a non-profit in NYC that celebrates kids' stories and nurtures a love of the written word, theater and the arts. They do many things but one of them is bring kids stories to life in a live performance every Saturday at the Drama Bookshop in Manhattan. Here's how it works. First your kid "writes" a story - of any length, quality, subject - the only requirement is that you must send in the story exactly as it was written/told by your kid. Penelope submitted two stories. Here is the one that was "accepted:"

Once upon a time long, long ago, before I was born
there lived an artist named Vincent van Gogh.
He did lots of paintings.
He painted his brushstrokes very, very thick.
When he painted his brushstrokes very thick,
they came out beautiful.
He painted this pretty painting called Starry Night,
not to mention that he cut off his ear.

Well, he had a friend who was a camera guy
and he helped him paint in his art studio.
But one day, the day came.
The day of death.
That he would be dead.

Well, everybody in life now always hopes
that someday they will pray to paint like him once more.
The End.

Here is what the Story Pirates did with it...

They were awesome and it was thrilling.

Here's how Penelope was introduced by the pirates...

And here is how the show ended...

a rare pic with Mama...

Post-show let down...

Please go and support these guys. They are awesome. And, invite us to your "premiere." We will be happy to go back many times.

Go Packers! (not Indiana)

2011-02-06T19:52:00.006-05:00

It's happening...

2011-02-02T20:58:00.002-05:00

and so fun to see.

It just keeps snowing

2011-01-29T10:24:00.003-05:00

In the last few weeks, we have logged in two full snow days off from school and what seems like countless delayed openings. It feels like Chicago. This morning (a Saturday) Penelope actually came in our room and asked, Mom is it a delayed opening or a snow day? She has just come to expect it. And is loving it. The University was actually closed this week. I had a great day with Penelope and her friends...and got to finally take some pictures!

Change of Scenery

2011-01-26T00:48:00.002-05:00

Major technical difficulties are preventing me from posting new photos. Here's one from the recent past. Cheers!

"Hoyt" is coming!

2011-01-17T20:21:00.006-05:00

We are so pleased to announce that Penelope will gaining yet another cousin. Baby Boy Seltzer/Hoyt - known now as Hoyt - is due at the end of May. I'm pushing hard for another blog - a daddy blog - but so far dad-to-be has been reticent (hint to all of you who want news - begin applying pressure now). In these pictures (3D ultrasound is amazing) I see a good mix of genes.

Some Hoyt?

Definitely Seltzer

Either way, he will be beautiful and we can't wait to welcome him to the family.

Arts Downtown

2011-01-06T16:13:00.003-05:00

One of the highlights of Penelope's Christmas was this....do you know what it is?

Penelope now has her own art studio in our basement - she calls it "Arts Downtown." Move over Vincent. There's a new artist in town.

Christmas 2010, a belated look at our holidays

2011-01-04T09:28:00.011-05:00

Before school closed, it was pajama day! Sounds awful to me but Penelope thought it was great.

We got a small peak at what she has been working on...writing books.

On Christmas Eve we headed out to the Princeton Airport where Santa was reportedly flying in for a quick visit (video to follow soon). This may become a tradition - if we plan more wisely. He landed and took all 300 (!) waiting kids into the hangar where he began dolling out presents. THREE HOURS LATER!!! Penelope was called up to meet him. (spoiler alert: my fault, presents were given out in the order that they were received - since I dropped ours off the day before the event, it was given out just about last)

This is what "Santa" brought her.

That evening, the requisite letter was written and food was left out. Translation: Dear Santa, I hope that I am on the good list. Enjoy the cookies. Love, Penelope (in kindergarten they are "not afraid of their words" which means they are encouraged to write everything on their own - no spelling help for now)

We were surprised on Christmas morning (all on video) by Penelope's restraint. She insisted on waiting to open any presents until her cousins arrived. Even the adults were eager to get started. Penelope loves her cousins.

The dragon in Penelope's lap is one of her all time favorite gifts (go figure).

Meeting Penelope's newest cousin - Xander Ramsey - was by far the biggest highlight. Isn't this the perfect new mom shot? (sorry Laura).

Post Christmas, we rushed home to pack for our trip to Chicago. We were looking forward to seeing the White family and to meeting Penelope's other cousin Addison for the first time. Unfortunately, our trip was cancelled because of this!

We built a snow turkey on our front yard.

We made the best of our new found free week - visited New York and Philadelphia, saw several movies, went sledding, cooked, and just generally enjoyed the time together. We look forward to a rescheduled Chicago trip soon.

Video to follow shortly. In the meantime, Happy New Year to everyone.

Determined

2010-12-31T23:46:00.002-05:00

Check the time stamp. Yup, this one is determined to see her first ball drop in real time...

This gives a whole new meaning to "countdown."

Happy New Year 2010!

2010-12-31T20:02:00.004-05:00

PS - No, I didn't forget Christmas. I've got lots of footage which I will post. We are still recovering from having to cancel our trip to Chicago because of the snow! Happy new year to all.

Holiday Card Rejects

2010-12-22T21:51:00.007-05:00

This is about all I've got at the moment...but the holidays will get my sorry picture taking a** back into shape. No voting please because I am already a little paranoid that we made the wrong choice...oh well. Let's just agree that they are all perfect. Happy Holidays everyone!

NYC, what is it about you?

2010-12-18T23:49:00.003-05:00

P and I enjoyed a great mommy/pippi day in New York today. It was crowded but gorgeous. The highlight for Penelope (and the low point for me) was the numerous photo ops. It seems in the spirit of the holiday that the homeless are dressing up in costume. A good ploy. It was a bit shocking how agressive Elmo and friends were after these picture were shot...

Cookies, a tradition.

2010-12-11T21:46:00.010-05:00

Earlier this week we got a letter home from Penelope's school asking us to share what we traditionally eat at the holidays and to make it for a holiday celebration at school. This kind of sent me into a panic. It's not that we don't have traditions - we have many - but at Christmas we don't really have a traditional meal or food. In Z's family, they make sugar cakes and deliver them early Christmas morning. In my family, we all celebrate my Christmas Eve birthday with chocolate and champagne and poetry, but that isn't exactly something Penelope can call her own. I was feeling the pressure, until today.

Every year my mom has a cookie exchange party - bring 3 dozen, leave with 3 dozen. Every year we miss it (but we usually reap the benefits over the holiday.) This year my mom graciously made a small tweak to her annual fete - she added kids - a lot of them! It originally started as Grandmothers, Moms and Daughters. A "small leak" at school widened the circle just a bit.

Cookies + Children + Fun. I think we have found our tradition. There will definitely be more of these in the future and at the holiday celebration at school - they can expect COOKIES!

Take a look.

No party that involves kids is successful without an activity. Early this morning, Z and I constructed graham cracker houses. For the kids to decorate. Martha Stewart was encouraging but take it from me, it was not as simple as it looks.

Still, the project and the final products were great (and much sugar was consumed in the process.)

One friend came dressed almost the same as Penelope - that was funny.

Check out the array of cookies - it was impressive.

I discovered the joy of cake pops. Bakerella can just move on over. Are these cute or what?

It was a great afternoon and we feel lucky that all of us - Penelope included - already have such lovely and creative friends in Princeton. Let the tradition continue!

5-year-old stats (a bit late)

2010-12-05T23:29:00.003-05:00

47 lbs! ( no wonder I can't pick her up anymore. (85%)
3'10 inches - close to 4 ft. Wow! (95%)

Look who this 5-year-old just happened to run into today...really, just walking downtown.

Happy Hannukah.

2010-12-01T20:40:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving Holiday

2010-11-29T00:12:00.008-05:00

This is the first real stretch of time any of us has had off since I went back to work and Penelope started kindergarten. It was a bit of an adjustment, especially since Penelope was keeping adult hours.

We had a terrific Thanksgiving feast. We woke up to a wee bit of snow - it didn't last long and didn't stick. My honey and pine nut tart was a hit - and gorgeous.

As you saw (but didn't guess), we all saw Tangled in 3D. It was utterly charming.

We headed into New York yesterday to visit friends from New Haven. Turns out that Penelope didn't forget how to swim! And, she loved seeing Aden. Before heading back, we even managed to see the windows at Macy's.

We were happy to attend the annual tree lighting in Princeton. We've been in the past several years but this year Penelope ran into lots of friends...now that we are residents!

I have no idea where the fall went or how we could already be at December. Onward.

We Loved It!

2010-11-27T08:54:00.002-05:00

A Thanksgiving Story

2010-11-23T09:11:00.002-05:00

Happy Holiday Everyone!

Requisite (not so great) school photo

2010-11-20T14:06:00.002-05:00

Welcome Alexander Joshua Ramsey

2010-11-08T09:09:00.003-05:00

We woke to the news that our next cousin - Alexander (Xander) Joshua Ramsey - was born to my cousin Laura and her husband Zeb shortly after midnight. 9 lbs. 4 oz. , 21 inches. All are well. We can't wait to meet him.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-07T22:54:00.007-05:00

finally...

No Halloween Video Yet...

2010-11-02T22:50:00.007-04:00

but, I bet I can make you laugh...

This year Penelope owned trick-or-treating. Confident, sly, quick, independent - she moved from house to house with a sense of assurance and a zeal that can only be worn by a seasoned 5-year-old. She loved every minute. At one point, she headed up the walkway of a house that look relatively out of business (by the way, we were not allowed to go to the any doors with her). Two older trick-or-treaters were headed out saying there was no one home. Penelope was undeterred. She continued right up to the door and began ringing the bell. When I called to her to say I didn't think anyone was home she turned around and yelled "Oh, yes they are. I can see them on the couch." Shortly after that a begrudging hand poked a few pieces of candy out the door. Busted!

Speaking of busted...After Penelope went to bed tonight I was sitting in the living room sifting through her candy bag. I look up and there she is standing in front of me. "Mom, she says, I hope you aren't trying to eat any of my candy. Put that bag back on the shelf right now. I'm going to look through it tomorrow and I will know if you took anything. If you took anything, I'm going to have to put it on a shelf up high where you can't reach it. I might even have to hang it from the ceiling." And, she headed back to bed.

Pre-Halloween

2010-11-01T21:44:00.010-04:00

So, I know I'm supposed to be sharing the juicy details of Halloween but can I just say that I love my iphone! It does absolutely everything and at this point I simply cannot live without it.

As I was preparing to sit down tonight to coordinate the clips from all of the various pieces of technology I've used (including an expensive video camera, a digital camera and the flip video camera), I suddenly realized I could actually use the video I took WITH MY PHONE to make a movie WITH MY PHONE. Amazing! Granted, it's not all that sophisticated or intricate but here's the first video (more to come from trick-or-treating) of the lead up to Halloween, which included a parade at school, a parade in town led by the Princeton University Band, a costume party on the Town Green, a gargoyle walk on campus, a story walk through the woods of the local Waldorf School and a pumpkin carving party - all before trick-or-treating! It was a packed weekend.

Here is my phone's movie debut. Costume, of course, by fabulous Nanny!

Some photos of the fun.

We went trick-or-treating with Charlotte.

before heading out:

hot on the trail:

It just won't be Halloween without my traditional trick-or-treat video but that will take some more time (since I didn't shoot it with MY PHONE!!!) So, for now - take a bow Penguin.

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T14:37:00.003-04:00

So much to show and we haven't even gotten to trick-or-treating. Here's a small preview sans costume, setting up the house for several parties.

And one sneak preview of a certain penguin in a heated conversation with a pumpkin...there must be a joke in there.

Happy Halloween to all.

More documentation soon. I promise.

Random Pictures..because I am officially a bad blogger

2010-10-24T21:21:00.002-04:00

At celebration for the Public Library's 100th Birthday:

At school picnic with new friend Nadia:

A happy morning before school (they are few and far between....waking up is still really difficult)

This is all I've got!

PS- There is no shortage of things to do in Princeton

Sylvia!

2010-10-17T19:59:00.006-04:00

Penelope and Sylvia were reunited this weekend with an overnight visit to Princeton, their first sleep over. It went well. There will no doubt be many more in the future.

As we waited on the stoop for Sylvia's arrival, Penelope set up an "animal orchestra."

Sylvia brought Penelope her old tap shoes and they immediately got to work on a routine.

That night, after settling into a secret fort with lots of animals and pillows, they fell asleep surprisingly quickly. In the morning, there was a quick run to the playground (Sylvia wanted to see Penelope's new school).

A visit to the apple orchard. I think Zach was more excited to get through the corn maze than the girls.

They claimed that they found the last two apples on the trees.

At the children's library, they happened on an unexpected guest.

It was a great and welcome visit after a very stressful week. Thank goodness for friends.

Costume Party

2010-10-05T21:32:00.002-04:00

The Best Laid Plans

2010-10-02T19:01:00.003-04:00

are sometimes not the best. After feeling totally guilty all week about just barely making plans for Penelope's 5th birthday, about inviting friends a family to come to a party at the last minute, about not getting it together to have a proper party with her kindergarten class, turns out that not planning may perhaps be the secret.

Penelope's cousins and her friend Charlotte (plus sib & adults) happily agreed at the last minute (have I said that enough?) to come for a party. There were no planned activities. No goody bags. And, you know? It was just perfect. The kids had a great time. The adults actually had a few moments to themselves around the dinner table. Penelope got terrific gifts, all of which she loved. And, she got lots of phone calls from friends afar and family. She pronounced it her best birthday ever - so go figure!

Apparently, I have lost all of my picture taking skills since going back to work. Almost everything I took was a complete blur. Here are few for the record books.

Everyone played together nicely. Penelope's room was only half destroyed. Putting on costumes was the first unplanned activity.

Singing and candles went with dinner because I found this amazing blooming candle which could only be mounted on a big bowl of macaroni and cheese - the oh so difficult dinner. You must click through to see the video of the candle. It was dramatic.

The reason we couldn't put multiple candles on dessert is that Penelope requested rootbeer floats (might sound easy but I have to admit that Zach made fabulous pink mini cupcakes which she brought to school for snack).

Penelope was happy to share her present opening. We are a sea of playmobil and play figures. Penelope is in her own world and is thrilled.

Thanks to everyone near and far for making it a memorable one. Penelope is now 5!

Happy 5 Penelope!

2010-09-30T23:11:00.005-04:00

There are 40 minutes left of the day in which Penelope turned 5. Such is the new life of her mom who has been traveling for two days and wasn't even home this morning to wish her a happy birthday when she first woke up. Right before I left, I asked her if she could just stay 4 - it's been the greatest age and already I see some of her innocence slipping away, as she declares many things she loved just two months ago way "too babyish," comes home from school with speaking in a new code - a language only reserved for her kindergarten buddies - and shows signs of certain self-consciousness that is starting to replace what was just plain unfiltered enthusiasm for the world. Boo Hoo.

So back to my question. "Can you just stay 4?" "No, Mom!" she said with great seriousness. "I am sorry but I really can't" When I asked why she said with all candor "I need to learn how to read and then I have to be an adult. I'm sorry mom but I just have to keep growing. And you do too."

Z & P met me in NYC this afternoon - we took Penelope out of school. We had an idyllic day - first at FAO Schwartz and then having tea at American Girl Place. Fortunately, for our pocket books, she is still more into her animals than dolls. Priscilla, the owl, was her trusty companion today at tea.

Tomorrow will be a party for a few friends and family. Haven't really faced whether or not to do a big party with all of the kids from her class - none of whom we really know yet.

So, I guess it's a bit low key - or I'm feeling a bit low key as I adjust to having so little time with her and to knowing so little about her daily routine. Zach even made the cupcakes for her class birthday snack tomorrow. I swear her teacher wonders if Penelope has a mom at all.

My picture taking was lousy today. What can I say? I'm out of practice. I'll do better tomorrow....after I get home from work.

PS- Thanks to all of our friends from New Haven and Chicago who called today. Penelope loved geting the calls and it made me miss you all.

Happy Birthday Daddy (or kick off to Penelope's Birthday)

2010-09-26T20:47:00.009-04:00

The countdown has begun. Although my due date was actually Z's birthday, Penelope was nice enough to wait and let him have his big day all to himself. Problem is, now his big day is simply the official kick-off to Penelope's big day (just 4 days away). In an effort to deflect attention off Penelope, we celebrated Z's birthday with a "pepper party," a variation on a theme of last year's party. The guest list was small, since we still have no friends (sniff, sniff) but it was a great celebration.

Penelope and I set the table (do you like our new dining room? It's finally finished)

I made menus - of course.

The cake was better than it looked. In fact, I highly recommend this recipe.

Can't wait to see what he does with all of the hot sauce he got.

Penelope was nice enough to loan Zach her Happy Birthday tiara. I should say he was nice enough to work outside with it on most of the morning.

Happy Birthday Zach! And now onto 5...gulp!

Happy Autumnal Equinox

2010-09-22T21:18:00.006-04:00

Kindergarten!

2010-09-08T22:12:00.010-04:00

Day #1: Waking up was really difficult.

Not much enthusiasm at breakfast.

Things picked up a bit when we headed out the door.

Finding a new friend to sit with was exciting.

Day #2: Waking up was really difficult. Opted for breakfast laying on the floor just outside her room.

Playing with a new friend (Valentina) after school was the best.

We might be in the swing of things.

Coming home and reading (aka sleeping) with Daddy in the porch swing was much needed.

Here is what I have learned:

-the school mascot is a bear named Parker
-the school song is really fun but "I can't remember it"
-the science teacher is very funny and is named Mr. Emmons, not Mr. M&M's!
-you may not talk in the hallways. "We" say zip it, lock it and throw away the key.
-the music teacher and the gym teacher are married.
-recess was "only 5 minutes!"
-you can't go on the tire swing until you are in third grade - the indignity!
-holding up two fingers (as in the peace sign) means quiet.
-a timeout in kindergarten is called the take a break chair ( "No, I have not been there!")
-Sofia had to go to the take a break chair because she was blowing in someone's face
-You cannot talk while the teacher is talking
-Penelope would like to study the American Flag in science class
-the toilet is really small
-Penelope will be wearing her new school t-shirt to school everyday so "mom, make sure it's clean."
-"we haven't done anything yet" (translation - no kindergarten work, as in reading and writing)
-there are an alarming amount of papers coming home every day - hope that slows down.

This seems like a frustratingly small amount of intel to me but I can only report what I know. All the tears have been saved until after school. She seems to like her classmates and her teacher and that is about all I can say.

Day 3: thankfully, a holiday. we need the sleep!

And Now We Arrive at Kindergarten...

2010-09-06T21:54:00.016-04:00

It may be unclear whether this post is about baking or kindergarten but I assure you the baking is only a diversion. Kindergarten is the main event - and it is happening TOMORROW!!!!!

Let me digress just a bit. It was a big holiday weekend with three major celebrations - birthday parties for Uncle Neill and Uncle Peter and a baby shower for my cousin Laura. Around our house, we were in high party giving mode. For the birthday party the Rainbow Cake, in a new more artful format, made it's second appearance.

Shown here in three pans before cooking it:

And, the final product, which Penelope assured everyone was just a "plain, old, vanilla cake" until it was cut open by its recipients:

My husband gets all of the credit.

The baby shower was a whole other matter all together - move over Martha Stewart. Our contribution? These gorgeous cupcakes:

A jelly-bean filled centerpiece:

The table was eventually filled with tons of extraordinary food, all made by Neill, including hamachi with grilled peach, grilled steak on a homemade chip with chimchurri sauce, gazpacho, potatoes with three dipping sauces, corn with chipotle cream and ginger pear punch - non-alcoholic of course.

The honorees were wowed.

And 4 generations of women were there to celebrate.

Penelope took her job as waitress and babysitter of the only other child there very seriously. She could be overheard asking people "may I interest you in anything special today?"

She, of course, helped open every single present.

As I pack up tonight for tomorrow's trip to Kindergarten, I'm still sort of amazed that Penelope seems so un-phased by all of the changes. Crossing fingers that it doesn't hit her as we say goodbye to her tomorrow. And, of course, there is also the problem of sleep. As at write this at 10:30PM, I can hear her still very much awake, despite being in her bed since 8:30. It will be a tough morning wake up.

Two recent conversations give me some assurance.

A few days ago I said to Penelope: "So, big girl kindergarten is kind of a big deal. How are you feeling about it?" She replied: "Well, big girl work is kind of big deal too. How are YOU feeling about it?" Touche!

Yesterday she suddenly remarked: "Oh, now I understand why I might need to stay in extended day at school. If Daddy gets a job and you are at your job, no one will be able to pick me up." I said, "Exactly. How do you feel about that?" No pause there. She immediately said: "Great! I love school."

The summer, the move, the parties are all behind us. And now we arrive at Kindergarten. You can be sure I will keep you all posted.

End of Summer Days

2010-08-29T21:45:00.004-04:00

One more week until kindergarten. We are denying this fact as best as we can. This weekend we spent the day with Penelope's cousins - Alette & Abria. The girls had a great time.

Still perfecting her dive...this time with Daddy.

The Grass Isn't Greener on Either Side

2010-08-25T20:24:00.007-04:00

Penelope has shown remarkably little push back to the huge sea change that is taking place in all of our lives at the moment. She has spent hours in the car going between Home Depot and Bath, Bed and Beyond and random spots in NJ to check out things on Craigslist. She has played on her own happily for long stretches. Her latest creation - this clubhouse she built in our backyard. Judging from the name, she seems to be embracing the change.

In between, we've done fun things, like a visit to our local Grounds for Sculpture (an awesome place) where Penelope had a "brush" with a few famous paintings. Recognize them?

We have also reconnected with one of Penelope's first friends in New Haven who, lucky for us, now lives in Princeton - Charlotte. They picked up right off where they left off two years ago and Charlotte's adorable baby brother, Sebastian, joined the mix.

Penelope has also made a new friend - our next door neighbor Helen who is thrilled to have a girl her age right next door. We are trying to set a few boundaries on running in between the houses but they are already finding work arounds.

I've worked 3 days now and I'm already outraged that Penelope's new Kindergarten scheduled her play day to meet teachers, kids and families on a Wednesday at 2pm. What about us working moms? I don't want to miss that. (Oh no. I'm already one of them.)

Two more days this week and then I'm officially back to work fulltime. I've been trying to enjoy every last minute of being at home with Penelope, a job that I have had a love/hate relationship with for the last 5 years. I know either choice isn't perfect. Change is good. I keep telling myself that.

Zach is furiously job hunting. Send him good vibes.

Missing all of our friends in New Haven!

Happy Birthday Nanny!

2010-08-14T09:45:00.006-04:00

Wishing you a great day from Penelope & Lobster Lucile...

Hello from scenic NJ where...

2010-08-07T22:36:00.009-04:00

the climbing is good...

the sprinkler in our new backyard works...

the bees are buzzing...

they have chickens, just like they do in New Haven...

we are having a good time...

First dinner on our porch tonight. Boxes are getting opened. We are settling. It's hot. We miss our friends. But life is good, and so is change.

In like a (fill in the blank), Out like a (fill in the blank)

2010-08-02T08:40:00.017-04:00

Our first month in New Haven:

Our last day in New Haven:

Really incredible what the last four years have held. Some good, some bad but all in all A LOT of growth.

I think we've done everything we wanted to do on our New Haven bucket list. That is, except, Dairy Queen which Penelope insisted be on the list despite my counter that you kind find "DQ" pretty much anywhere. Penelope continues to maintain a truly positive attitude about the whole thing. Every time I say something like, "this is our last time to...." she follows it up with some reason why it is not our last time, or that we can do the exact same thing in Princeton.

At the beginning of the summer, we began a weekly trek to the summit of East Rock park where you can get a birds eye view of New Haven to picnic with friends. The group is ever changing but a core has remained the same. Last night, we had a final picnic. The weather was glorious and the kids had a great time. Here are a few shots:

(penelope with her sweert friend Alexander)

(the group negotiates turns for kite flying)

(and she's off...)

(see New Haven in the background?)

(eventually, silly climbing took the place of kite flying)

(the goodbyes were very silly, and touching. there were a lot of kisses)

This short video clip was taking atop a ferris wheel on top of East Rock park a few weeks ago. Pretty much says it all.

Goodbye New Haven. Hello Princeton.

To all of our New Haven friends: PLEASE KEEP IN TOUCH!

Hugs For All

2010-07-30T22:27:00.009-04:00

(teacher Sarah)

(teacher Jack)

Today was Penelope's last day EVER at her beloved nursery school, although the teachers are quick to remind us that they don't do those kind of goodbyes. It's just the last time to say "see you tomorrow." And, it's true. Even with the impending move, we will definitely make a point to visit again.

When we arrived this morning, one of Penelope's favorite teachers eagerly laid out her plan for the day - to give Penelope 100 hugs before the end of the day. When I showed up at lunchtime (Penelope's idea - she wanted to bring all of the teachers "Moe's" for lunch), they were on number 65. At pick up, they were on 106!

I arrived at pick up feeling a bit wistful but the kids were energetic and silly. I remarked to a friend that they just didn't seem to get it. That same wise friend reminded me that she thought they got it more than we did. They understood that saying goodbye to people you love should be nothing but joyful. So true.

(a last photo of the teachers)

Penelope waved a final goodbye to the teachers through the "goodbye window," the very window that I have waved goodbye to Penelope every morning for the last two years. A fitting end to a great pre-school experience.

Goodbye Bethesda, for now...

Moving Day

2010-07-28T11:46:00.006-04:00

It's happening....GULP!

Penelope's Moving Monologue

2010-07-25T16:05:00.007-04:00

or 4-year-old + no parental supervision + flip video camera
equals this...