Talia's Five

With one hour left in the month of November, it seems wise to finally blog about Talia's birthday.

Just over two weeks ago, our sweet Talia Lily turned five. The celebration began a couple days early with some yummy carrot cake for our princess, courtesy of Grandma Susie.

Although we hadn't originally intended on traveling north, we ended up passing through Hyde Park while driving to and from Idaho for my Uncle Darrell's funeral. While my uncle is dearly missed, the chance to see so much family was a happy occasion.

Eli seems delighted to be back in the arms of his Grandpa Charles...

...while Charles seems equally happy to hold his grandson.

A very happy Grandma Susie as well.

Opening presents in Hyde Park. Too bad I forgot to take a picture of the adorable puppy purse!

And here's Talia getting a special sisterly hug on her first morning as a five year-old.

Talia awoke to discover that ten special presents had been hidden all around the house in the most unlikely of places.

After hunting for all the gifts, Talia opened her special Dora the Explorer doll and accessories from NomiAnn and Papa Kay. Thank you!

As luck would have it, Talia's birthday fell on a Tuesday--our family's busiest day. Still, we managed to celebrate here and there all day long: Papa K-cakes for breakfast, party hats in Spanglish class, mac-n-cheese for lunch, cupcakes at preschool, play time at gymnastics, lasagna for dinner, birthday songs at Girl Scouts--the fun went on and on. Once the chaos finally died down, Talia found time to open a few presents from Mom and Dad. Good thing gymnastics is building her muscles!

Puppet theater for our poppet.

When time runs out for birthday cake, sometimes a candle in ice cream has to suffice. Better hurry up and make a wish before the good luck melts!

In an effort to simplify our lives, our family recently decided to switch off years between friend parties and family celebrations when birthdays roll around. Since this year is a family year, Talia got to choose a restaurant and activity. Later in the week, we all dined at the Brick Oven and played at Fiesta Fun in honor of our favorite five year old. So wouldn't you know, hers was the only face that got cut out in the family photo! Go fig.

Sometimes I've worried about Talia being squished in the middle of two other wonderful children. I've hoped and prayed that her unique talents and abilities won't get cut short because she must share so much attention. Fortunately, our little Redi-Whip seems to have found a niche all of her own. As of late, she's been flourishing in her own unique Talia-style.

At this age, Talia will forever be etched in my mind as a white blond with crazy fly-away hair, a brightly colored T-shirt, a mismatched knit skirt, and scuffed-up black dress shoes, invariably on the wrong feet. Totally Talia.

Yet despite her wild appearance, Talia is definitely maturing. Academically she's really progressing, thanks to her afternoon preschool at Dixie Sun and an UPSTART computer school. During her morning preschool at the park, she interacts with her peers so easily that I'm almost envious. A natural musician, Talia loves to sing and is quite talented at picking out harmonious chords on the piano. And of course, this bundle of energy is constantly escaping out the front door so she can scooter all around our driveway.

Happy Birthday, Talia Lily! No matter how squished the photos may be, our family would never be complete without you.