Another video shot nearly six months ago just seeing the light of day.
Over the summer of 2011, Bella practiced and mastered the monkey bar rings at the playground. She also mastered the other triangle-rings on chains at Riverrun Park. Parents and children would stand and watch her, amazed that someone so young/little could conquer the bars with such verve and ease. It made a parent proud!
So this video shows her doing the rings - albeit slowly - because what she really wanted to do at this point was skip a ring like the big kids do. She worked at it for a while that evening and the second part of the video is actually the second time she managed to do it.
Now, of course, she does it all the time and it teaching her friends to skip a ring as well. Next up: gymnastics!
Showing posts with label Videos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Videos. Show all posts
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Saturday, March 31, 2012
IT'S A WISH
Forgot I had this video. Just downloaded a lot off a camera, so a few more coming up.
This was in November 2011 at Hippo Park. The sun had just about set, and Bella and I were among the last ones in the park when we saw something floating in the air...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO9cqqh-uP4
This was in November 2011 at Hippo Park. The sun had just about set, and Bella and I were among the last ones in the park when we saw something floating in the air...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO9cqqh-uP4
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
BELLA YEAR FOUR
Finally - FINALLY! - got around to putting this together. What a year!
More posts coming soon... I've got a week off!
PS: In case the embed above does not work, here's a link to the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwjlJrFUwlo
More posts coming soon... I've got a week off!
PS: In case the embed above does not work, here's a link to the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwjlJrFUwlo
Thursday, December 22, 2011
HER FIRST DANCE RECITAL
Bella signed up for ballet lessons, the same class her dear friend Sophia is in. So every Saturday morning for the past two or three months, we trek down to 72nd Street, get on a leotard and tights and toe shoes and dance with Lanie Sakakura. Bella and the girls (and Theo) have been working on this performance basically from the beginning, and on Monday night - Bella had her stage debut! In case you can't see/tell, she is the second girl to hit the stage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WSsMHQpo0g
And since the video is taken from a distance here's a closer look at those costumes!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WSsMHQpo0g
And since the video is taken from a distance here's a closer look at those costumes!
Saturday, October 1, 2011
HER FIRST FILM
Been a while, but here's a doozy. Not long after we got one of those Flip video camera, it ended up in Bella's hands. And it ended up in her hands pretty much anytime we left it sitting around within her reach. What we have here is footage she shot herself over the course of several months in two locations. You hear her parents offering camera instructions at first, but later she's got the hang of it and the pacing picks up. Enjoy!
And here's a link to it for full screen action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7gtDBA-rOU
And here's a link to it for full screen action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7gtDBA-rOU
Sunday, July 31, 2011
CRAZY ISLAND
Bella's good friend, Sophia, invited Bella to go to the New York Aquarium on Coney Island with her and her mom and sister a few weeks ago. We'd been meaning to take that hour-long subway ride, and that seemed like the perfect opportunity to take it. So we met up near Central Park and hopped aboard a train. Sophia's sister, Tamara, made booklets for each friend going so they could each record their visits to the aquarium, which made the train ride pass quicker.
The aquarium itself was fun. We saw a sea lion show in an aqua/amphitheater, and spent probably two hours seeing penguins, walruses, jellyfish, sea horses, sharks, rays, and all sorts of colorful fish and sea life. At one point, the girls sat on the floor beside a jellyfish tank and drew pictures in their books. But there were several youth day camps at the aquarium and no room was empty for long. We even made it past the gift shop without buying anything!
Up next was a visit to the beach at Coney Island, something Bella's dad was not prepared for. But we did have sun screen. So we avoided broken glass in the sand, made it to the shore, Bella stripped to her underwear and got slathered with sun screen. She had fun in the six-inch waves, digging in the "sand" and dipping her fanny. I even took a photo of her that looks like she's surfing. But it was hot and we were hungry, so we dried off as best we could, got dressed, and hit the boardwalk.
The boardwalk at Coney Island is 100% crazy, hence the new name: Crazy Island. The kids made it as far as the first amusement park, stopped at the entrance, and took in all the rides, colors, people and music. Bella, of course, felt the music in her soul and couldn't help but show it (though the video was taken after the real bumpin' song was over).
We made it to Nathan's Hot Dogs, ordered more food that any human should consume from that place unless there is a large sum of money and mustard-colored belt on the line, and sat down in the only shade available - right outside a public restroom. We ate, and ate, and took in the rides we could see over the strip of eateries. Then it was off to an amusement park where we bought a $25 pass good for 10 rides, and the Bella and Sophia rode two little kid rides - the whale ride and the choo choo train - and Tamara and her friend, Noah, rode a bigger kid roller coaster. Then the kids reluctantly left, and Sophia's mom and Bella's dad relished the air conditioned train ride home.
For people watching, there is likely no better place that the boardwalk at Crazy Island. Yes, any street in New York City is prime real estate for such expeditions. But I've rarely, if ever, seen such a concentrated mass of cross-generational, global and pan-economic display of humanity. There were well-to-do older Italian type couples strolling in black linen suits, grubby teenagers with multiple piercing, tattoos, and dumb shirts, Asian families, groups of young men from Europe, drunks, sketchy old dudes sitting around, carnival barkers, kids with attitudes as large as the Cyclone, and women with not enough bathing suit on. I could sit there for hours - in the shade - and never be bored.
So, Crazy Island, we'll be back. And next time, we'll be ready for you.
The aquarium itself was fun. We saw a sea lion show in an aqua/amphitheater, and spent probably two hours seeing penguins, walruses, jellyfish, sea horses, sharks, rays, and all sorts of colorful fish and sea life. At one point, the girls sat on the floor beside a jellyfish tank and drew pictures in their books. But there were several youth day camps at the aquarium and no room was empty for long. We even made it past the gift shop without buying anything!
Up next was a visit to the beach at Coney Island, something Bella's dad was not prepared for. But we did have sun screen. So we avoided broken glass in the sand, made it to the shore, Bella stripped to her underwear and got slathered with sun screen. She had fun in the six-inch waves, digging in the "sand" and dipping her fanny. I even took a photo of her that looks like she's surfing. But it was hot and we were hungry, so we dried off as best we could, got dressed, and hit the boardwalk.
The boardwalk at Coney Island is 100% crazy, hence the new name: Crazy Island. The kids made it as far as the first amusement park, stopped at the entrance, and took in all the rides, colors, people and music. Bella, of course, felt the music in her soul and couldn't help but show it (though the video was taken after the real bumpin' song was over).
We made it to Nathan's Hot Dogs, ordered more food that any human should consume from that place unless there is a large sum of money and mustard-colored belt on the line, and sat down in the only shade available - right outside a public restroom. We ate, and ate, and took in the rides we could see over the strip of eateries. Then it was off to an amusement park where we bought a $25 pass good for 10 rides, and the Bella and Sophia rode two little kid rides - the whale ride and the choo choo train - and Tamara and her friend, Noah, rode a bigger kid roller coaster. Then the kids reluctantly left, and Sophia's mom and Bella's dad relished the air conditioned train ride home.
For people watching, there is likely no better place that the boardwalk at Crazy Island. Yes, any street in New York City is prime real estate for such expeditions. But I've rarely, if ever, seen such a concentrated mass of cross-generational, global and pan-economic display of humanity. There were well-to-do older Italian type couples strolling in black linen suits, grubby teenagers with multiple piercing, tattoos, and dumb shirts, Asian families, groups of young men from Europe, drunks, sketchy old dudes sitting around, carnival barkers, kids with attitudes as large as the Cyclone, and women with not enough bathing suit on. I could sit there for hours - in the shade - and never be bored.
So, Crazy Island, we'll be back. And next time, we'll be ready for you.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
PATRIOTIC SPEECH
On July Fourth, one of Bella's new friends, Emma, was at the lake and during dinner shared a speech about the American flag that she memorized and for which she won a school-wide prize. She's 12, by the way. It was a remarkable presentation lasting about three minutes and full of facts.
Afterward, Bella told me she also wanted to talk about the American flag. So we got everyone's attention, and all eyes turned to Bella who stood at the front of the porch and delivered an impromptu speech about the American flag. It was pretty amazing, so I ran to get the video camera and captured the last minute of the talk.
Afterward, Bella told me she also wanted to talk about the American flag. So we got everyone's attention, and all eyes turned to Bella who stood at the front of the porch and delivered an impromptu speech about the American flag. It was pretty amazing, so I ran to get the video camera and captured the last minute of the talk.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
DUCK, DUCK, GEESE!
As mentioned previously, Bella really enjoyed feeding and meeting over 100 ducks and geese (and two swans) during her vacation at Lake Junaluska. This video gives you a glimpse of what those encounters were like: a section of Sweetie and Bella in the side yard of the house, feeding a gaggle of geese and ducks during a walk around the lake one evening, and Bella's first successful attempt at getting a duck to eat bread out of her hand (twice).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCYOSMp_r1U
It should be noted, too, that her daddy did in fact kick a goose in the head one afternoon. And Bella will tell you that if you ask her. We were walking by a group of geese that were chomping grass next to a sidewalk and we pretended to offer bread to young geese (goslings?). Well, one of the adult geese felt threatened or insulted by Bella's action and charged her as ominously as a Canadian goose can. Her dad's protective instincts kicked in and - despite years with the Humane Society and teaching his daughter to love all creatures great and small - bapped the goose upside its head with his Sanuk shoe. Not very hard, but hard enough to redirect the goose and make Bella laugh for a long time and tell the story anytime we have dinner guests over now.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCYOSMp_r1U
It should be noted, too, that her daddy did in fact kick a goose in the head one afternoon. And Bella will tell you that if you ask her. We were walking by a group of geese that were chomping grass next to a sidewalk and we pretended to offer bread to young geese (goslings?). Well, one of the adult geese felt threatened or insulted by Bella's action and charged her as ominously as a Canadian goose can. Her dad's protective instincts kicked in and - despite years with the Humane Society and teaching his daughter to love all creatures great and small - bapped the goose upside its head with his Sanuk shoe. Not very hard, but hard enough to redirect the goose and make Bella laugh for a long time and tell the story anytime we have dinner guests over now.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
THE NEXT MILES DAVIS?
Eh? Maybe not, but this is pretty funny. Bella really got into her instruments a while back, and her improvement on the trumpet was of particular note. There'll be some guitar songs forthcoming as well!
Friday, March 25, 2011
RUNNING THE HALLS
A few months back - January and February - for some reason Bella started wanting to run down our hallway and back. Mind you, we don't have a hallway in our apartment. This is the hallway outside our apartment. It is, I would estimate, 60 feet long. At first, she just ran down and back. Then she started wanting to run two or three times back and forth. Then she wanted to do it, but with our door closed (and her dad watching out the peephole). She did this every night for a while, always in her pink slipper boots. Was this a good idea so close to bedtime? Doubtful. But it saved us fighting about it with her, and made some some cute videos.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
MARBLE CITY
Bella and her dad have become quite fond of building large scale (for us anyway) cities out of building blocks and this amazing marble run construction set her Uncle Reid and Aunt Claire got her for Christmas. We can use it to assemble Rube Goldberg/Mousetrap the Game style mazes for marbles to roll and drop along. When we add them to the building blocks given to her at birth by Cameron and Carol and the killer Twig blocks Aunt Lindsey got for her, we can build a pretty remarkable minitropolis if we do say so ourselves. Especially if the marble makes it all the way down to the spiral landing pad at the end!
Video to come...
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
SIMON
Still so much to post here - videos, photos, rambling descriptions - but I wanted to get this up quickly as it has ben blowing my mind for the past 24 hours.
Yesterday, Bella and her dad made sock puppets. Bella wanted a flamingo, so he made her a pink sock flamingo puppet. Then he just sort of threw another one together using a yellow sock and some felt and a feather. The result is Simon, who is kind of silly. Well, Bella took to Simon instantly and they started playing together, working at first on a speaking alphabet puzzle. The crazy part is Bella talks to Simon as if he is real, even though she knows he is a puppet. She will talk to Simon, then talk to her daddy, and then back to Simon.
It makes me wonder if this is a good idea or not, especially when she asked her mommy to be quiet because she was talking to Simon. But she LOVES him - gave him goodnight kisses last night and asked for him first thing this morning. So we'll see, but here's a clip of some of there interaction from yesterday.
Yesterday, Bella and her dad made sock puppets. Bella wanted a flamingo, so he made her a pink sock flamingo puppet. Then he just sort of threw another one together using a yellow sock and some felt and a feather. The result is Simon, who is kind of silly. Well, Bella took to Simon instantly and they started playing together, working at first on a speaking alphabet puzzle. The crazy part is Bella talks to Simon as if he is real, even though she knows he is a puppet. She will talk to Simon, then talk to her daddy, and then back to Simon.
It makes me wonder if this is a good idea or not, especially when she asked her mommy to be quiet because she was talking to Simon. But she LOVES him - gave him goodnight kisses last night and asked for him first thing this morning. So we'll see, but here's a clip of some of there interaction from yesterday.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
PROFESSIONAL DRIVER
Bella got her second taste of video games at her friend, Greyson's, third birthday party at Suburban Lanes in Decatur. She also got her first taste of bowling, which she thoroughly enjoyed. But once she got behind the wheel of this bad boy - it was game time. Thanks to Grey's folks for hosting the party!
SLEDDING
For those of you enjoying a snow day today, Bella wanted to share an image and video from her first big snow storm. On December 26, New York City got about 20 inches in 24 hours. It was very windy, and the drifts covered cars.
The next day, we all ventured into gusts up to 50 miles per hour to sled down the hill next to Hippo Playground in Riverside Park. The snow was dry, so the wind really kicked it up and Bella didn't enjoy that so much. Honestly, it was cold as heck. But fun to venture out!
If that doesn't work, go here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU7PKsKZ16o
The next day, we all ventured into gusts up to 50 miles per hour to sled down the hill next to Hippo Playground in Riverside Park. The snow was dry, so the wind really kicked it up and Bella didn't enjoy that so much. Honestly, it was cold as heck. But fun to venture out!
If that doesn't work, go here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU7PKsKZ16o
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
WEE!
During our Christmas visit to Aunt Lindsay's in Boston, Bella got acquainted with her step children's Nintendo Wii and its Wii Fit module. For those who might not know: the Wii Fit is a a 2' x 1' platform that the player stands on and uses her feet to move a character through a video game. The idea is that you play a game while burning calories. Nice idea.
So Jen and her mom and I were in the kitchen talking when we got the call to come down to the basement where everyone else was. We found Bella on the Wii Fit platform with a rapt audience glued to her efforts at the virtual obstacle course. 3, 2, 1, Go!
Or head here for the full sized version...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgC1W7WXamM
So Jen and her mom and I were in the kitchen talking when we got the call to come down to the basement where everyone else was. We found Bella on the Wii Fit platform with a rapt audience glued to her efforts at the virtual obstacle course. 3, 2, 1, Go!
Or head here for the full sized version...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgC1W7WXamM
Sunday, December 26, 2010
BIRTHDAY FOOTAGE
Highlights (that we got on video, at least) of Bella's third birthday.
She's still opening presents, though! This could go on for another week!
She's still opening presents, though! This could go on for another week!
Sunday, December 12, 2010
PARADE OF CHARACTERS
I feel the need to write, since I've basically been posting photos and videos for a long while now.
One thing that has become nearly impossible to control since we moved to New York City is Bella's exposure to advertising and pop culture. It is literally everywhere one turns up here: on the sides of buses, on the sides of phone booths, on the subways trains and platforms, in store windows, on children's backpacks, you name it. So Bella immediately hones in on new movies that are coming out and surprises her parents when she seems to know that a movie about owls or bears or girl princesses is coming out just because she's noticed the new ads up and we haven't.
As a result, she has come to learn the names of many characters and shows and products. This, seemingly, cannot be helped. So we roll with it and try to make the best of it, prodding her toward the characters who actually might teach her something and away from those that only exist to sell merchandise or entertain.
All of that goes out the window on Thanksgiving Day when we MUST walk a few blocks to Central Park and take in the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. It is cold, but not terribly cold this year. And by the time we get a move on and get over there, the crowds are in place. The best hope for viewing is for Bella to climb into our backpack carrier and get her dad to make his way as far forward as he can. From there, we can see the tops of the heads of marching bands, most of the float, and every bit of the humongous inflatable characters. Bella knew almost all of them and looked with anticipation as they came into view around the corner of a building.
This presentation only gives you half of the screen for some reason, so you can go to Youtube and see the full shots if you wanna.
One thing that has become nearly impossible to control since we moved to New York City is Bella's exposure to advertising and pop culture. It is literally everywhere one turns up here: on the sides of buses, on the sides of phone booths, on the subways trains and platforms, in store windows, on children's backpacks, you name it. So Bella immediately hones in on new movies that are coming out and surprises her parents when she seems to know that a movie about owls or bears or girl princesses is coming out just because she's noticed the new ads up and we haven't.
As a result, she has come to learn the names of many characters and shows and products. This, seemingly, cannot be helped. So we roll with it and try to make the best of it, prodding her toward the characters who actually might teach her something and away from those that only exist to sell merchandise or entertain.
All of that goes out the window on Thanksgiving Day when we MUST walk a few blocks to Central Park and take in the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. It is cold, but not terribly cold this year. And by the time we get a move on and get over there, the crowds are in place. The best hope for viewing is for Bella to climb into our backpack carrier and get her dad to make his way as far forward as he can. From there, we can see the tops of the heads of marching bands, most of the float, and every bit of the humongous inflatable characters. Bella knew almost all of them and looked with anticipation as they came into view around the corner of a building.
This presentation only gives you half of the screen for some reason, so you can go to Youtube and see the full shots if you wanna.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
TRANSLATION PLEASE!
As I explain at the start of this video - which we submitted to the day on Earth project on youtube - Bella started saying this one morning repeatedly. Try as we might, we haven't been able to decipher it yet. And she's said it again several times over several days. Can anyone offer a translation?
UPDATE: Turns out this is some sort of quote or inspired pirate talk from Henry and the Buccaneer Bunnies, one of Bella's fave books of the Summer of 2010.
UPDATE: Turns out this is some sort of quote or inspired pirate talk from Henry and the Buccaneer Bunnies, one of Bella's fave books of the Summer of 2010.
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