Thane Turns 8

Hard to believe, but Thane just turned eight years old! 

 

The Friday before his birthday we went to the park with friends and brought cupcakes to share. Thane loved this idea, but when the time came to sing to him and pass out cupcakes he refused to come over. If you look carefully at the picture, you can see Thane in the background playing basketball. He wanted to share cupcakes, but did NOT want the attention. Typical Thane.
(As a humorous aside, as Thane spent the entire weekend trying to avoid being the center of attention, Graham saw a picture of himself as a toddler and commented, "I was sad." Without prompting, he continued, "I was sad because no one was paying attention to me!")

The night before his birthday, Thane chose to go out to eat at Panera Bread. 

Since it was his birthday, they let him choose a free pastry. When he got home, he insisted on sharing with his siblings. He probably only saved a couple bites for himself. Also typical Thane.

His birthday fell on a Sunday this year. In our primary, kids who have birthdays put a giant cupcake cut-out over their faces and get to dance in front of the group while everyone sings to them. Thane was not interested in participating, but we explained that refusing to participate would draw more attention to himself, so when the time came, he went up, but definitely didn't dance!

Sunday afternoon Katie and her kids came to help us celebrate.

In addition to the traditional birthday CD mix, Thane got board games and Legos. He was most excited about the Legos, but was super happy to have a chance to play one of his new games, Loot, that afternoon.

Finally it was time for the part of his birthday Thane was really looking forward to - eating! For his birthday dinner, Thane chose cheeseburgers, frog-eye salad, watermelon, and chips. He packed his plate FULL.

He ate himself stuffed, but 10 minutes later announced, "When I finished dinner I was too full to eat another bite, but now I'm ready for dessert!" For dessert, he chose to get a Costco cheesecake. 

Then he proceeded to eat his cheesecake and ice cream with... chips. He certainly keeps things interesting around here!

We loved the chance to focus on and celebrate Thane. He is uniquely himself; a walking paradox. 

Hyper-competitive and generous to a fault.

Independent and loyal.

Demanding of justice/fairness and unfailingly merciful.

Tough and sensitive.

Thane is also compassionate, clever, intense, and inquisitive. He always has a million questions. When I read aloud, he's constantly stopping me to ask question after question (some applicable, some veering off into randomness). He is not a crowd follower. If anything, he intentionally chooses to be different (the nickname he had as a toddler, "Mr. Contrary," is still applicable).

He loves to play Legos, read, play board games, eat, argue, and play soccer. In the last year he's become a super-reader. Right now he is plowing through the Fablehaven series.

An Interview with Thane:

Favorite Color?: "Blue."

Favorite Candy?:  "I don't really have one. Maybe Twix."

What do you want to be when you grow up?: "A game inventor. Not video games, board games.”

Where do you want to go on your mission?: "Someplace random, like Germany."

Favorite Primary Song?: "'Gethsemane'."

Favorite Animal?: "Penguin."

Favorite Movie?: "'Meet the Robinsons.'"

Favorite Thing to Do?: "Play board games and eat."

Favorite Food: "Waffles and pizza."

Best Friends?: "Finley, Collin, and Lydia."

Favorite Book?: "'Fablehaven.'"

Favorite Toy?: "Legos."

What makes you happy?: "Playing Legos, eating, and playing board games."

Favorite thing to do with Mom?: "Play games and eat."

Favorite thing to do with Dad?: "Father/son outings."

What do you do really well?: "Eat, play board games, and play soccer (if I'm trying hard)."

What makes you laugh?: "Writing silly things on a Mother's Day paper."

What’s the best time of day?: "Snack time, lunchtime, dinnertime, and breakfast."
What's your favorite day of the week?: "Saturday, because we have more time to play around."

What are you afraid of?: "Public speaking."

What do you like to do with your family?: "Play board games and eat."

What do you love to learn about?: "Random stuff."

What is your favorite class/subject?: “Math.”

Where do you like to go?: "To my room to play Legos.”

If you had one wish, what would it be?: "To play Legos, read, and eat more."

What would you do if you had $1,000?: "Buy more Legos and Fablehaven books."

What is your favorite song?: "'Thunder.'"

What do you hope you can do before your next birthday?: "Get a lot more Legos and finish all the Fablehavens." 

What's your favorite Super Hero?: "I don't really have one anymore. I don't really like them."