A Mexican Birthday

Tova turned 9 yesterday, and as we were in Playa del Carmen, she got to celebrate in a vibrant, fun, and occasionally violent way. Tamar and Aurora whipped up a batch of crepe batter the night before (making it in the blender is their new super-efficient method). So early the next morning (not that early) we crept in, sang Happy Birthday, and Tova got to enjoy our good old Norwegian tradition of breakfast in bed. She liked the crepes with Nutella and kinder egg, but she *loved* the yo-yo she got as a present. Her sisters made her a really big treasure hunt which was a big hit too.

The day was a mix of fun and adversity; we walked 45 minutes out to Parque del Ceiba to meet some other kids, but it was inexplicably closed and Tova was disappointed. We hiked down to the beach and frolicked in the waves; with sunshine and breezes, this was definitely a highlight of the day. Afterwards we tried to walk south along the waterfront, got stymied by strong waves, explored some ruins until Jakob accidentally wandered up to a gate and got kicked out; apparently we'd been in a condominium area. 

We ended up having tacos for lunch and nachos for dinner, which is as Mexican as you can get. Tamar had got Tova a massive star-shaped pinata, and stuffed it full of lollies and little toys. We hung it from a tree, and much whacking ensued. Tova was all in favour of blindfolds, so it took a good 15 minutes of swinging a broomstick before it caved in. In the evening, the girls saw the first bit of Toy Story, and enjoyed Aurora's birthday brownies. Tova got a couple more prezzies, like a little basketball flip game, a video compilation of a pirate song she recorded back in Fethiye, a belt to keep things in, and some exploding caps from her uncle Yshai, and so to bed.

Tova's had a great year; she really thrives with travel and home-schooling. She's created tons of art, made friends in many countries, hiked across the Alps, grown closer to her sisters, and added a ton of life and energy to our family just by being who she is. Hopefully her tenth year is just as stimulating, imaginative and unpredictable as her ninth!

Tova struck a *lot* of poses between blows

Body language less aggressive

Feeding frenzy!

Tova wore the carcass all the way home