Lorax Party

Ever since we took the kids to our town's "Flicks on the Field" this past weekend, featuring "The Lorax," Julia and Madeleine have been absolutely obsessed with both the book and the movie.  In fact, the day after we watched it on the field, Ethan purchased the movie from On Demand, and the kids have unfailingly watched it EVERY SINGLE DAY for the past four days.

One would think that after four consecutive viewings, Julia might begin to tire of the movie.  But no - quite the opposite.  She has now gotten it into her brain that this weekend we should have a "Lorax party."  Without even getting confirmation from me that this idea is a go, she began making party preparations.  Starting with posters advertising the event, "just like the signs hanging up at the movie theater!"  She in fact made a poster to hang in the dining room, just outside the entrance into the living room, "so that people will know that the movie is being shown in the room through the doorway!" 

JULIA: Don't you think this is a perfect picture for advertising "The Lorax?"  Because it's a picture of fireworks, so it's, like, so exciting?  Well, it's like, to make the Lorax look like, he's SO good, because he's trying to shout to the Once-ler that you need to take care of the EARTH?

Interesting choice of fireworks to represent the Lorax being good and trying to take care of the environment.  Exploding fireworks into the sky is one sure way to take care of the earth, all right.


Her other poster is directly inside the living room, and shows not only the Lorax, but the Humming-Fish, the Swomee Swans, the Barbaloots, and the Truffula trees:

And in Julia's wildly effusive enthusiam over this "Lorax party," she didn't want to stop at just posters: "So, Mama, to make it fun, we need fun activities.  See those stuff?  (pointing at a crafts basket)  We could use those for fun activities.  (thoughtful)  What about SNACKS and things?"

I began to wonder just exactly what she thought this party was going to be.



ME: So, Julia, tell me.  What IS a Lorax party?

JULIA: Like, we invite friends over and have a Lorax party.  We watch "The LORAX! "
ME: What friends?
JULIA: I don't know.  Anybody?
ME: So it can't be just our family?
JULIA: Well...how is it a PARTY without people coming over?
ME: Well, the thing is, this next weekend is Labor Day weekend.  A lot of people we know are going to be away.  I know Nate and Anja are going to be in Vermont.  But maybe the next time they come over, we can watch "The Lorax."
JULIA: But will Nate be SCARED of the Lorax?
ME: I don't think there's anything really scary in "The Lorax." 
JULIA: What about when the Lorax comes out and there's all that THUNDER and LIGHTNING and stuff?
ME: I don't think Nate is scared of thunder and lightning.
MADELEINE: (chiming in) But...I am't!  I'm not gonna be scared of thunder and lightning.

Phew.  Glad to know Madeleine am't scared of thunder and lightning, because I certainly know someone else in this household who is.  (Or perhaps I should say "who am?")

"And Mama, what else do we need?  I know!  BALLOONS!"  Julia mused, running upstairs to get her ginormous dentist office balloon and bringing it down to decorate a dining room chair:

Despite the fact that Madeleine keeps grabbing the balloon and inciting screams of protest from Julia, it is simply out of the question to put the balloon back up in Julia's room.  I actually called Neva to try and set up a viewing of "The Lorax" with Nate and Anja, just to appease Julia, and even though we won't be able to do it for nearly two weeks, Julia just absolutely needs to have her decorations in place RIGHT NOW.

I can't wait to see what other Lorax party decorations will fill our dining and living rooms in the coming days as Julia anticipates the big screening event.

Madeleine has not contributed to any of the Lorax posters, although she did color two pages in her Hello, Kitty! coloring book in her typical creepily morbid fashion:

On second though, perhaps she was trying to contribute after all, by covering Hello Kitty, her friends, and their hearts with thick, black, smogulous smoke.