24 Great Moments from September 2011

We started this month with a trip to Chicago. We had a great time (despite the heat wave that rolled through). We did a lot of the usual (the playgrounds, our traditional dinners at the Silo and the Rainforest Cafe) and a few things for the first time, like two trips to the LF beach and the LB beach. And miraculously, thanks to that heat wave at the end of a hot summer, the lake was warm enough to swim in. We had some great times. Behold! (For a look at the whole album, click here.)

We had a mini birthday celebration for Auric, even though he wouldn't turn 2 for another week. I'm glad we caught this on camera. The picture at the right is him having just been sung to. And it was by far his favorite experience EVER! Check out his giggling fit in the video below.

I like this one, although sadly this moment caused a ban of kids on the piano. Oh well. I have this photo, at least.














We spent a great time with my sister. As always, she drove all over Chicagoland from her place in the city to hang out with us.

We made our traditional visit to the Rainforest Cafe, which the kids love, and is conveniently located near my mom's place. Here is Auric with Grandma Jane.













A big hit after dinner is always the prospect of rides on the coin-operated vehicles. Auric absolutely loves this part of the tradition.














Just for fun, I wanted to juxtapose the photo of him from the previous January, 9 months earlier, in the same Garfield car. Look at that little baby boy!










Anyway, back to our trip in September. This was another highlight: riding in the wagon on the back of Grandpa Terry's tractor! If you can believe it, I'm squeezed in there with them, too.








This day up north included a trip out onto the chain of lakes. The kids loved the trip on the boat, even though it was windy and we had to wrap the towels around us when we were moving fast. However, that didn't stop the hot-blooded Thora from taking a dip when we anchored near the sand bar. This outing also saw Auric's first try at fishing. It was very cute.





On our last day in Chicagoland, we took the train downtown to the Lincoln Park Zoo. The outing as a whole was pretty much a bust (motion sickness on the train, poorly timed travel in relation to Auric's naptime, etc.) Ugh. It was not good. But while that wasn't a "Great Moment from September 2011," I'm quite partial to these two photos taken of the kids on the train down.






























When we got back, we had an incredibly active few days. To start, Thora had her first day of school on the Thursday after Labor Day. Here she is in a great First Day of School photo. She is in a Chinese Immersion program that does 4 out of every 8-hour day in Mandarin. It's a great program, and one that I'm so happy she's in.










Here she is, holding up her Chinese name, pronounced Ing Lay, which means ballet dancer. The transition to school and a language immersion program was a little rough, which is to be expected. But within a week, she was looking forward to school each day.








Here we are, celebrating Thora's first day of school with dinner at her favorite burger joint in Central Square.








The very next day it was Auric's actual birthday. Here we are celebrating it by doing his now all-time favorite thing: being sung "Happy Birthday." While yes, this is in fact another video of him being sung to, I like it for his attempt at showing Two with his fingers. Enjoy.

And then, the day after that was Sean's birthday, and the joint birthday party for Sean and Auric. Here are there cakes. (I show them only for their cuteness, and not because I made them!)




And yes, I'm about to share with you a third (yes, I know) video of Auric being sung to. But I like this one because it shows everybody, something our other videos don't capture. We had the party on a very windy, and unseasonably cool day in the park across the street. A lot of friends were there to help us celebrate.

Ok, now that you've seen that one, I promise, there are no more videos of us singing "Happy Birthday" to Auric. Just a bunch of photos of cute kids, for the most part with birthday cake all over them. Here is Auric and one of his friends, Ellie. Don't you just want to squeeze her?!?

Here is Thora being photogenic with a bouquet of flowers.


















Here are the birthday boys.













We got an informal game of t-ball going. I really like this photo because it highlights Auric's unconventional batter's stance and grip. Surprisingly, he actually hit the ball a remarkable number of times, considering.










Here are the kids going to town on the remnants of poor Elmo and Cookie Monster.











The big kids playing some sort of game. I'm guessing it involved chasing and killing invisible aliens or "bad guys" with super powers.









Daddy Thom was awesome. Not only did he pull wagon load after wagon load of kids, he also brought along his balloon twisting kit and made some wild hats and animals and swords for the kids.









Auric got some really cool gifts for his birthday, like this incredibly realistic recycling truck, which for months, he referred to has the "garbage can."










And we expanded his train set with two accessories, including a great bridge. Needless to say, these toys went over really well. We know our boy.






The second half of September was spent on a wonderful trip to England. See that post here.

But when we got back, Sean had the great idea (I admit, I was very skeptical) to go to the Southwick Zoo. Despite the rain, it was a great experience. We were one of just a few families there. And perhaps because it was less crowded, the animals were so active. In fact I've never seen such activity at a zoo in my life! It was a great time and the kids took a nap in the car on the way back, which helped them get back to EST.





One of the highlights of this zoo is their fawn meadow. The fawns were very friendly, while not being aggressive. We bought some feed from the coin-operated dispensers, and made a lot of deer friends.






And then finally, here is a video of Thora's new skill, acquired in the month of September. In this video, she's giving her friend Zach a Monkey Bar tutorial. She's saying, "And then I swing. And then I do this a little. And then I swing. And then I do this a little again." You can see, she's got the idea that she's supposed to be trying to create momentum between swings; however, as she demonstrates, you can see that she doesn't quite grasp how to create that momentum by swinging her body side to side. She basically just pauses and while dangling there, she twists her body back and forth. It was still a big accomplishment for her after working on this for years now. Enjoy.

Stay tuned for the next update of October's photos and videos!

20 Favorite Photos from August 2011

August was a month of sun and laughter and ice cream. It also marked a few milestones, namely Thora's last day at her beloved preschool. She started there way back in February of 2010, when she was a wee little 2 year and 10 month old baby.






Because I'm suddenly feeling nostalgic, here she is on her first day of preschool.
















And here she is this past August, running up the hill in her favorite sundress and, yes, a blue cape, on her last day of school, a year and half later but somehow lifetimes older. Uggh, it's bittersweet, the feeling a parent has watching their child grow up.










Anyway, on to my favorite moments captured on camera (there are a couple videos below, too). For a look at the whole photo album, click here.




In early August, my friend Hilary and I took 5 kids (four of our own, plus one) down to her in-laws place on the Cape. We had a great time. And as luck would have it, Zach's family friend Hannah came down too. Hannah is 8 and yet she gets along really well with Thora and Zach who are both 4. Here they are hunting for minnows and crabs.









Here is Auric eating some raw corn, the only way he would eat it this summer. He loves to shuck it and dig right in. I can't blame him. The corn is so sweet, we barely warm ours through when we eat it.










This moment just breaks my heart. We had dinner at Zach's grandparents' house and then hit the road, around bedtime. Thora sacked out almost immediately, but Auric took a while to go to sleep. At one point I looked back and saw him holding his sister's hand while she slept. This kid! Just when I think he can't do anything sweeter than honey, he goes and proves me wrong.






This month also marked Auric's first trip to the movie theatre. We saw the recent Winnie the Pooh movie. It was great. The kids did pretty well. Although, at one point, Auric's slow progress down the aisle took a turn for the embarrassing when he wandered right in front of the front row and through the doorway marked EXIT. Sean caught him, before he could actually get to the exit door. These things happen when you try to get a toddler to sit still for over an hour. And the theatre was only about 1/3 full with families just like ours, with antsy kids who needed to wander around. However, it was slightly more embarrassing than normal since several other kids had decided to follow his lead. Oops. (Sorry, other parents.)






During one of my Tuesday afternoons with Thora and Zach, we went to Ricky's flower market down the street and picked out some summer annuals to spruce up our front steps prior to my birthday party that weekend. Here they are helping me re-pot the flowers.









One of Auric's favorite outdoor activities is STILL jumping in puddles. He comments on all the puddles he sees, no matter how small or random. (One time he identified a dime-sized "puddle" in the recessed bolt of a manhole cover.) Here he is, strutting his stuff in his much-loved fireman rain boots. (He also has an impressive strut these days.)








And surprisingly, this outfit of jammie top, diaper, and firefighter rain boots is not unique to this one moment. In fact, unbeknownst to me until just now, there's a very similar outfit in the below video, "Auric Loves to Race." Enjoy.



And while we're on Auric and his cuteness, here is another short video, "Auric's Budding Vocabulary Part 5." This footage was all taken during August, when he was 1 year and 11 months. I captured on camera one of our favorite Auric-ism: "Slop Shoe" for "flip flop." Also, at the end, he is asking Kitty if she's okay. This footage was taken during the infamous hurricane that swept through the northeast. We were very lucky and suffered no damage and only a 40-minute long power outage. However at one point, the wind blew a tree branch into a power line or transformer across the street and there were two, firecracker-loud pops that startled us all, but particularly Kitty. Auric was super sweet to her when he found her cuddled on the far side of our bed. Enjoy.







And now for something completely different, here are Thora and Zach, dressed to the nines, and probably right before, during, or after one of their weddings. They're too much.






Later in the month, we traveled out to Kimball Farm with Zach's family and River's family. Hilary and Summer took the three big kids on a fun, tethered hot air balloon ride. I have a significant fear of heights and so I was perfect for the job of babysitting the three little kids, Auric, Ellie and Lila down in the parking lot below. For a great post, some pictures, and a video of the trip 300 feet in the air, and the rest of the day, check out Summer's blog post here.

Here is my favorite shot of the big kids at one point in the day. I think this was after the balloon ride and after the most ridiculous game of mini-golf I've ever witnessed but before lunch and chasing away chickens, and incredible ice cream. Now back to that mini-golf game, if you can, imagine three 4 year-olds, and three 1 year-olds, and despite us getting extra balls for the the little kids, they keep trying to take the balls of the big kids. There were golf balls flying everywhere, and I had to jump into about 4 streams for missed shots. It was hilarious.




In mid-August, I had my second annual kid-friendly kegger celebrating my 35th birthday. The festivities ping ponged between our place, where the keg was, and the park across the street. It was loads of fun. I was happy to have so many friends with whom I could share the celebration. We began the festivities early with our friends Greg and Dana, and their daughter Etta.







And here are some of the infamous Cambridgeport Moms.













I don't think there's a story behind this one. I just love it.
















Here is what Thora and Zach's green thumbs created! And yes, Thora's classic red boots were reincarnated as planters. She wore them everyday through June and July, and at some point she wore holes in the soles. I wasn't willing to let go of them, so I was glad to give them a new lease on life. And in case you're wondering, she is currently wearing to death a new pair of red boots.









Back to Thora's big milestone, she finished up preschool in late August. It was only tearful for me and her teachers. Thora was blissfully unaware that she would never see these people again, friends and teachers who'd been such a large part of her life for the last year and a half. Instead of being sad, she was proud of her new big girl step of becoming a kindergartener. Her time in preschool was great for her and I'm glad she had this wonderful environment. Here she is getting a surprise hug by her favorite teacher, Stephanie. Actually, maybe she wasn't as blissfully unaware as I thought, since I couldn't get her to go give Stephanie a hug, hence Stephanie's surprise hug.





I made sure to have a fun playdate planned for after her last day of school, as much for Thora as for me. (I was realistic about the likelihood that it would be a tearful experience for me.) And this afternoon proved to be a great diversion. Here is Thora, Zach, River, and Aidan, enjoying treats from the ice cream truck, while taking a break from the playground near Harvard's campus.









And here's Auric and his friend Lila, being photogenic as usual.















August also saw Thora's first cognizant trip to Fenway. (We took her when she was about 17 or 18 months old.) Each summer, when the Sox are away, the minor league teams get to play a double-header in the legendary stadium against their league opponents. It's called Futures at Fenway. The tickets are cheap, the concessions are cheaper, and it's a great way for a family to see some baseball. Here's Thora eating her first-ever cotton candy.





I love this photo for two reasons. It shows one of Zach's many great qualities: he is happy-go-lucky! Here he is laughing about a single peanut (as opposed to the more common double peanut). And secondly, it shows what a major production it was for them to eat these peanuts, as is visible in Thora's expression as she navigates biting through the shell, with residue from a former peanut on her face. (If you click the above link and look through the album, you'll see that residue in several photos.) Their endeavor with the peanuts involved a 4 year-old's sense of wonder as they examined the strange shapes and contours of almost every peanut, the work of cracking them open, and the glee at finding peanuts at their feet that they previously thought were lost forever. Oh, to be 4 and at the ball park.




August brought us the annual Middlesex County 4-H Fair, which brings Thora and Auric, and this year their friends River, Lila, and Aidan, up close and personal with farm animals and their kid caretakers from all over the county. Our kids loved our day at the fairgrounds. And for the record, Thora was the only kid with pink hair there.



And I had to include this picture for Thora's expression as she gazes at River. Is that telling or what!?! Thora has known River since she was an infant. But it was this past April, when Hilary and I took Thora, River and Zach to the Big Apple Circus, that their relationship became more complex. Regularly, when telling a story about that night at the circus, Thora will say, "You remember that night, Mom? The night River and I fell in love?" Sometimes I forget that she's four, when she talks like a character from a Gene Kelly musical.


And on that note, stay tuned for my September photos!

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...)