Talya is 7!

When Talya woke up on the morning of her birthday, she found a beautiful crown waiting for her - thank goodness I had a birthday surprise in mind for her!
My 7 year old girl is almost too old for stats.... but not quite!
Talya is 45 3/4 inches tall and 49.4 lbs. She so happily and proudly rides her bike and loves to spend time in the water. She is always asking if she can go out and ride her bike or she is asking us to take her to the pool. At home, she loves to do "work" and spends time working her way through workbooks for fun. She loves to write, anything and everything and has been known to meticulously document everything that happens to her. She is a great negotiator and works hard to get her way, especially when it comes to her screen time! Her biggest birthday request was for "rock out" music, as another one of her favorite pass times these days is to have dance parties. She adores her sisters - she looks up to Michaela with adoration, Michaela can do no wrong. And, she takes care of Ayelet in a very loving way. I can't wait to see what this next year brings her way!

April Is The Month Of Birthdays!

First up - Talya!
Birthdays are a BIG deal at the Yancey house and this year, Talya caught the fever! Her birthday weekend began with a special birthday Shabbat, celebrated with her birthday soul sister...
and of course, her bff!

And, lots of others who love her dearly!

She had SO much fun on the eve of her birthday that before she went to bed, she came to me (I was doing dishes in the kitchen) and she said, "Mom, I am going to set my alarm for 9:31 am, so if you have any surprises that you are planning for my birthday, you should make sure to have them ready by 9:30 so that when I come down I will be surprised." Oh, she is too cute!

On Sunday, she and her friend celebrated their birthdays together in style!

When she went to bed on Sunday night, she was a happy 7 year old girl!

The Tulip Festival, 2010

This week we took advantage of Talya's time off from school and took a day trip to the Tulip Festival in La Conner, Washington. All three of us had a wonderful day. Our first stop was at Country Time Alpaca Farm, a farm that houses more than 40 of these camel cousins. In addition to the animals, one of the owners has a fiber workshop where she turns the alpaca wool into yarn and then into other beautiful creations. Ayelet was enamoured with the alpacas as they are very friendly engaging animals, she loved walking around and talking to them, it really seemed like they were listening to her. I couldn't get her to leave them. I think they were in love with her as well.

After our visit with the alpacas, we went to lunch in La Conner. Sunset Magazine did a story on the Tulip Festival and featured the cafe in the La Conner Fruit and Produce Market. It was a delicious and fun place to be and one that I never would have tried had it not been for Sunset Magazine! After a leisurely lunch, we were off to see the tulips, and boy were they stunning.

Talya liked the flowers well enough and she loved splashing in the puddles that were abundant in the fields. Ayelet on the other hand, wasn't so happy, she really didn't like the puddles at all and much preferred to be in the safety of my arms, scolding Talya for splashing in them.

We just couldn't get enough of the beautiful flowers and of course, we had to take some home. We finally left the fields and headed home, just in time for dinner.

Talya Can Ride a Two-Wheeler!!

Over the break, Michaela taught Talya how to ride a bike... unbelievable, she is unstoppable!