Cows!

Sandra Boynton is evil.

I recently purchased for Melody and Julianne a combo CD/book of songs written by well-known greeting card designer and children’s book writer/illustrator Sandra Boynton. Called Philadelphia Chickens, the collection is a whimsical pseudo-musical review of songs about various animals and other silly topics performed by Boynton’s very talented musical collaborators and a bunch of celebrities such as Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline. The music is catchy and can be enjoyed by both adults and children alike.

So why is Boynton evil? The answer: a song called “Cows.”

“Cows” is the opening track of the album and is very much in the style of “One” from A Chorus Line. It’s exactly the kind of silly song that I might be inclined to write if I had to make cows its topic. I certainly thought it was amusing enough when I first played it and was hoping Melody might enjoy it as well. As it turns out, she didn’t just enjoy the song; she became absolutely obsessed with it.

At first, I thought it was absolutely adorable when Melody would point at our music player and say “Cows!” Then I thought it was pretty cute that she’d keep asking me to repeat the song when it was finished. But after the umpteenth time playing the song (and eventually setting iTunes to loop it after that), things started getting a little less charming.

Now, I’m the first to admit that any song with lyrics such as “Cows! We’re remarkable cows/And where we go it’s quite a show/Yes you know we are cows” and “If you thought that all we could do is go moo/Then you ought to come and see what we do” should be endlessly giggle-worthy. But I challenge you to read the above words one hundred times (not ten, not twenty, but one hundred!) and see if you’re still giggling.

Cows indeed. Curse you Boynton!

Melody: From Twelve Months to Eighteen Months

At long last, Melody’s eighteen month album is now posted! Included are photos from Halloween, the winter holidays, and the arrival of Melody’s new little sister Julianne. Check it out.


And don’t forget I’ve just posted Julianne’s very first online album covering her first two weeks (see my previous post). Take a look.

By the way, you can access all of our online albums (including all of Melody’s albums, several theater-related collections, photos from my trip to Tokyo in 2005, and lots of other stuff) at The Shapiro Files: Photo Albums page.

Finally, as I mentioned in my last post, I’ve also updated Melody’s Shutterfly collection and created a new Shutterfly album for Julianne.

Julianne's First Online Photo Album Now Posted!

I’m proud to announce that I’ve finally had a chance to create a new photo album featuring Julianne’s first two weeks in the world! Check it out.



But wait, there’s more! Just as I did with Melody, I’ve also created a Shutterfly album for Julianne for quick posting of new unedited photos before they make their way into the official albums. There are several photos posted there that didn’t make their way into Julianne’s above-announced two-week album. So if the official album left you craving more, then I hope you’ll take a look at the Shutterfly album.

But wait, there’s still more! I’ve made some very good progress with Melody’s long-promised 18 month album and am hoping to have that posted in the very near future. In the meantime, tons of new unedited photos are already available for your viewing pleasure at Melody’s Shutterfly page.

Enjoy!