14 Best Photos from Thora's 4th Birthday

Thora turned 4 in March and given Thora's love of Theatre, musicals, singing and dancing, and all things performance, we were thrilled to find out about Kidstock in Winchester, MA, this great children's theatre that hosts birthday parties for budding thespians. Prior to the party, we picked the Castle Capers theme, which would allow Thora and her friends to act out 3 short plays involving princesses, kings, queens, knights, dragons, etc. It was an incredible experience. Bob, the party director, was amazing with the kids, so fun and engaged. And while performing on stage in front of friends and parents might not have been all of the kids' dream come true, it was definitely Thora's. (To view the whole album, click here.)

While waiting for all the friends to show up, the kids decorated a castle-themed mural.




Then, once everyone had arrived, the kids warmed up their acting muscles, playing some ice-breaker games. Here they are practicing looking sad. Thora is looking sapped of the will to live.


Here, they're looking surprised.


Once they were warmed up, they began the first of three plays. Bob would begin to tell the story, and as new characters were introduced, he would ask for volunteers. Being Thora's birthday, she was always asked first and when asked what she'd like to play, she always picked a princess. Here she is as a magical princess.


Some of Thora's friends felt really comfortable on stage, and Jack was one of them! He hammed it up in the most hilarious way. Here he is, playing the heck out of the role of "Dragon #1."


At the end of the first play, all the actors take their bow and get applauded by all the parents and other friends.

From left, Zach, Jack, Olive, Clarissa, Ally, and Thora.

The second play found Thora as another princess, this time starring with her dad, King Zach and her mom, Queen Olive.


The final play incorporated all the friends in any role they wanted. So there were several queens, a king, and multiple princesses.

From the left: Jack, Aiden, Zach, Olive, Thora, and Ally

After the three plays were done, the kids got cupcakes and ice cream. I'm not sure what Thora's expression is trying to say here. But I'm pretty sure that despite appearing as if she's glaring at the cupcake tower, I think she was intimidating that candle as she prepared herself to make her wish.


The following morning, a Monday, was her actual birthday and she enjoyed modeling this silly birthday hat before school.


As a special birthday treat, the whole family took her to school. However, Auric couldn't be bothered to get out of his pajamas. But you take what you can get with that kid.


Thora's special day ended at her favorite eatery, Four Burgers. And as I'm noticing now as I review these photos, Auric is still in his pajamas! Sheesh!



For a very cute video of Thora as she's being sung "Happy Birthday," (and actually appearing embarrassed), click here.

Happy Birthday, Thora! Your family loves you!!! (Even if we embarrass* you in your favorite restaurant.)


* You're 4! What are you doing being embarrassed by anything at all, let alone being sung "Happy Birthday"?!? I mean, considering what you wear on a regular basis, I just figured...)

17 Best Moments from March 2011

March... it seems so long ago. How did we fill those long, cold days? We'd finally sent back our Netflix copy of Singin in the Rain and then purchased our own copy. That month saw Thora's interest in classic musicals only broaden in scope. She was fascinated for a long time with the Fred Astair and Ginger Rogers classic, Top Hat and the Gene Kelly and Judy Garland hilarious pirate movie, The Pirate. (Is it crazy that I mark the time by Thora's favorite movie of the moment?)

The snow melted (as we knew it would, and yet somehow couldn't imagine really happening) and we emerged into the outside world again. But there was still a lot of indoor fun, as captured below on camera. (For a look at the whole album from March, click here.)


I had to include Thora wearing this shirt, since I begged her to wear it dozens of times, only to be told how "hateful" of a shirt it was. (She likes to be dramatic.) To tell you that I was crushed each time I heard those words, or how I defensively launched into a lecture/scolding about not using the word "hate" would not entirely capture my disappointment. Let this be a lesson to me: if I want a shirt with Bill Murray from Stripes on it, just buy one for myself. (I've since done so.) Oh well...

I love Auric in the background of this one.

This borrowed pajama outfit is more Thora's style. And of course, we had plenty of opportunities to capture her embodiment of the dragon on her front.

Again, we have another funny Auric in the background, surely trying to mimic his idol.

One of our activities during the last cold breaths of winter was creating this recycled-materials castle. Here is the artist. (This is the "before" shot. You'll have to wait until the April update for the "after".) It is funny to see this castle after so long, since it sat on our kitchen table for months! And it's no small construction. It was quite a step when we finally put in the recycling bin. We'd all grown so attached to it, in the rituals of moving it for meals, cleaning around it, adding new paint and decoration, etc.


All winter, Thora kept begging us to take her to her beloved Inside Playground. And while her logic was sound, (the winter is the perfect time to go), it was hard for her to grasp the grown-up reluctance of driving through a blizzard, or moving the car and risking having to shovel out a whole new spot upon the return. But finally, in March, her request was granted! Here they are enjoying the bliss of running in open space!


This one doesn't really have an explanation. It's just typical Thora, always performing some kind of drama or singing the narrative of her thoughts. Although, Thora never seems to sing at a normal volume (every song is belted out), she has added one nice bit of flair at the end. Click here to watch a 20-second video of this.

"Who me? Expressive?"

Thora continues to love playing dress-up. She loves it even more when she can cajole me into being dressed up as well. Sometimes that means pulling her stretchier dress-up clothes over my grown-up frame. Other times, it's what was captured below, namely the raiding of my jewelry box. One evening, after getting dolled up, we played around with the timer on the camera and managed to capture a very nice family photo.


Below, her and Zach get dolled up!


Auric LOVES puddles. Running through them, bouncing balls through them, long-jumping into them, racing strollers through them, this kid get no end of happiness with a simple puddle. Really, it makes me want to re-evaluate my priorities. Click here for a short video of this.



Auric and Sean were caught in this silly, and sweet, moment. Too cute!


Thora's appreciation of the Theatre took a turn for the grand, when we got tickets with Zach and his mom, Hilary, to see the Broadway sensation Mary Poppins at the Boston Opera House. Both kids had seen the movie and loved it. And yet, a 3-hour event that doesn't even start until after their bedtimes? It was kind of risky. Hil found discounted tickets, and we decided to risk it. We only made it through the first half. (Although the kids didn't realize it was just intermission, so we were able to leave without confusion or protests.) However, the experience of being in that stunning theatre I'm sure left a mark on Thora. You should've seen her acting the princess in that place, including the chandelier-laced ladies' room! We look forward to seeing the musical again, both acts next time, when she's a bit older. But it's a fond memory, despite the abbreviated experience.

Thora and Zach pose in the lobby of the Opera House.

Just prior to Thora's birthday, we got a visit from Baba and NuNu. Both kids had a mighty virus and we spent the first few hours of their visit laying on the couch, watching My Neighbor Toturo and nibbling crackers and sipping ginger ale. But over all it was a great visit which included Thora's birthday party just a few hours before their return flight!



Thora models one of her more famous dresses. Will we ever forget these dresses with frilly skirts and the gem-encrusted tops? Could there be anything more perfect for Thora's continued love of all things pink and/or glamorous? A big thank you to Hilary's mom, Sandy, who saw not just one of these, but a second one in black and pink, and thought to pick them up for Thora!


There are more pictures of Thora's birthday in an album to come, but here is one shot with her fourth birthday present from Sean and I, a big kid bike (it converts from a balance bike without pedals, to a pedal bike).



To help us out with Sean's surgery (during his time in the hospital and the recovery time afterward) Sean's parents visited us. We all had a great time (considering the circumstances) and they were an incredible help to me as I bounced back and forth between the kids and Sean in the hospital. Below, Grandpa Brian and Auric bond over a book.



Look at this kid! What can I even say about this? Seriously, he is too cute. His use of language has really boomed since spring. In March, he began saying his own name! Click here for a video of him being cute and saying his name, and a lot of other names.


One one afternoon, Brian and Beverly took Thora and Auric to Thora's dance class. Here she is enacting something, probably a flying unicorn princess. This was a great class for her. They used their imaginations, guided by the excellent instructor, Katy, and got to do lots of twirling, jumping, leaping, and galloping.


In addition to Thora's Creative Movement (dance) class, Thora continued with her Taekwondo lessons. She's an Advanced Tiger. Click here for one of my better videos (thanks to Foreigner) of Thora practicing Chon Ji, a 19-move routine. In the video, they practice the first 8 moves.

And that's it for now. Stay tuned for photos of Thora's birthday.