Sam's 4th Birthday - Celebration of Life

We had Sam's Celebration of Life at school on his birthday. When we arrived they got the classroom ready and crowned the birthday boy. Sam then came out to invite us to his celebration. This is the info the school sent home about the Celebration of Life ...

A birthday is an important milestone in the life of a child. Celebrations play an important part in our classrooms. We celebrate birthdays, not with a party, but with a special Celebration of Life: instead of birthday presents and party bags, there is a special ceremony which helps the children understand their own personal history, and their place in the Cosmos. With the help of their parents, children bring to school their own time-line of life, with photos of birth, one for each year of age. They walk around the "sun", one full circle for each year of life, and as they learn about time, they also realize how important they are, and how their lives are part of the Human Family History ... The Earth's History ... and the History of the Universe.



They put the globe next to May which is Sam's birthday month.



After showing each year's pictures he put them on the mat.



He would then walk around the mat which signifies the Earth going around the Sun.



While Sam was showing his classmates his pictures we told everyone what types of things he was doing at that age.



As you can imagine, he kinda loved being the center of attention.

These are the pictures we brought for him to share ...



At just a few days old, Sam was the first grandchild and great-grandchild on both sides of the family.



He did all of the normal baby things in his first year including getting his teeth, crawling, and walking.



Just after his first birthday he had his first surgery to put tubes in his ears.



The rest of his second year he spent learning new skills like talking, jumping, and feeding himself.



The weekend Sam turned two we moved into the new house. He also became an avid Thomas the Train fan and learned his ABCs over the next six months.



At two and a half, Sam moved out of his crib and into his big-boy bedroom. He also learned new skills like riding a tricycle and skiing (and potty training!).



At three years old Sam started playing soccer, taking swimming lessons, and learned he was going to be a big brother soon. He got his second set of tubes and had his adenoids removed. We also went to Disney World that summer.



At three and a half, Sam became a big brother. He started attending The Montessori School where he learned how to write his name. He also started taking ice skating lessons.

It was fun to look through all of the old photos and put together a set that showed the transition from baby to little boy. I think the Celebration of Life is a great tradition and really makes you stop and think about what is important about your child's birthday.



After the celebration and lunch, we got to have cupcakes ... strawberry (pink) Spiderman cupcakes of course with a white chocolate web and Spiderman rings on top. Sam is making his wish in the picture above.



Blowing out the candle.



He got a little too close to that flame, so I had to make sure he was ok.



Yep, he's okay. Time to eat some icing.



And maybe a little cupcake too.