2 years old

Today was Berit's second birthday.  Doesn't seem appropriate to keep track of her in 'months' anymore.  She's practically ready for kindergarten (so it seems).  This kid is a riot.  She's so funny and very opinionated and sassy.  Just when you think you've had enough sassiness for one day, she'll grab your leg and tell you she loves you.  Recently I picked her up at school and I told her I missed her and she says 'I missed you too.'  Lately we have started walking Daddy outside when he leaves for work and she will stand on the front porch and blow him kisses and yell 'I WUV U'.

cupcake! 

Here's what she's up to:

• 23 lbs. 8 oz. which is the 15th percentile.  33.5 inches tall which is the 45th percentile.  
• Loves to play with credit cards.  Seriously.  She asks for credit cards-- which are old expired gift cards, old credit cards, hotel cards etc...
• Repeating everything you say.  You say it.  So can she.  I can't keep up anymore.  She is even starting to put together some decent sentences.  'I do it.'  'I hear it.'  ' mommy read book.' 'hang on.' etc..
• Really getting good at her ABC's and counting to 10.  She doesn't get it right every time (or at all), but she's pretty dang close.  
• Really starting to care about what she wears.  I usually give her choices and let her pick out her clothes.  Also, just in the last week, she's tried to actually dress herself.  It takes awhile, but it's very entertaining.  She says 'I got it' if you ask her if she needs help.  
• She has learned to open the drawer in the living room where we keep the keys-- so just recently we couldn't find my car keys for almost a week.  We finally found them in the cabinet where we keep the dog food.  
• Speaking of dog food-- after we feed Maya, it is her job to give Maya a treat.  And she tells her to 'sit' while she feeds it to her.  
• Bossy, bossy, bossy.  
• Tells Daddy 'no drums Daddy'...meaning, you better not think of playing the drums because they are too loud.
• Calls herself 'Bet-it'...says 'Bet-it do it'  'Bet-it sit'
• Her obsession with gum and footie PJ's has gone to a new level.  Loves to unwrap gum and hold it.  When she gets caught licking it she assures me she is only going to 'hold it mom.'  I had to go out and buy her some summer PJ's that had footies on them b/c PJ's without footies just won't cut it anymore.  So we've had 80 degree days and she insists on napping in flannels  OK, whatever you want.  So now she has some light weight ones that may just do the trick.
• Has started climbing up on the chairs (and eventually onto the table and the island).  This is a big issue because you can't really leave her alone for a split second otherwise she will be up on the table.  Loves to 'cook' with mom.  
• Loves wagons rides after dinner and playing with the neighbors.  
• Loves to look at the computer.  Asks for 'pictures' (a slideshow of pictures of herself), or asks for Judy and Poopie (so we can skype).   
• A renewed obsession with the mailman.  When she sees a mail truck she yells 'man!' (same with Fedex and UPS)
• When she sees a bus she says 'round and round'

I've always loved every stage of her life (newborn, baby, toddler etc..) but this age is just so fun.  It's so great to see her becoming her own little person.  

We think she's the best. 

3 days old- home from hospital.  You can tell how happy I am.

Birthday Breakfast- chocolate chip pancakes!

Birthday trip to the Littleton Museum

After dinner cupcake!

One year down...

This past weekend we celebrated Mother's Day.  We had a great day-- we made chocolate chip pancakes, did some errands, and went swimming with some friends.  Then, Steve made fish tacos for dinner.

Ready to go swimming

She loved it

Much more comfortable in the water than last year

Then, today Berit had her last day of school!  I cannot believe the school year is already over and she will no longer be a little Bunny.  Next year she will be in the Kitten class.  Most of her class will be going into next year's Kitten class so she'll have lots of familiar faces.  She has blossomed so much since last August when she started.  I'm so happy I decided to put her in school one day a week because going forward she will have a better time adjusting being away from me.  Plus, she learned so much-- she went to music class, said her prayers, painted and did fun crafts, socialized with other kids, and learned to nap at school.  Plus, I LOVED her teachers.  They were so sweet and good with her and she loved them and today gave them hugs goodbye.  When we drive by her school she always points at it and says 'school' and it makes me so happy because I know she loves it.  

Picture of Berit on her first day of school August 2011

Berit on her last day of school May 2012 (same kid, just a bit more sassy).

Not wanting to have her picture taken

Sittin' in her chair

Cheese!

Cards she made for Ms. Meredith & Ms. Lesley

Goodbye Ms. Meredith & Ms. Lesley (she had just woken up)

What we're up to....

Berit had a music program and an art show at school

Best picture I could get

Showing off her catepillar

Handprint

She's still obsessed with Moo.

Sticking her hand in Moo's bowl even though she knows she's not supposed to.

More fun stuff...

Smelling the peonies

Visiting the dentist (didn't go so well).

Standing on the island like I'm not supposed to.

Playing in the pantry like I'm not supposed to. 

Practicing her glare for when she's a teenager.

23 months!

We're almost at the two-year mark.  I can't help but think this time two years ago I was almost 9 months pregnant and wondering how this little person inside me was going to change my world.  I had no idea.

• New words:  pickles, necklace, zipper, broken, burp, dirty, look, jeans, paint, i did it, backpack, robe, giraffe (affe), dropped it, hold it, gum, hiding, birthday, tomorrow, pillow, PJ's, fork, knife.  I know I'm missing tons.  She is spouting off so many words everyday.  It's basically impossible to keep up with all her new words now....so I'll stop trying to keep track when she turns 2 ( a nice even, round number) :)
• Loves to wait for 'the man' (mailman).
• Loves to hide in the entryway closet.
• She loves to drop her spoon just so she can ask for a new one.
• If you ask her how old she will be on her birthday she says "two"
• Obsessed with PJ's.  She would wear PJ's all day everyday.  She loves to pick out her PJ's each night and also during nap time. 
• Loves to sing 'Happy Birthday' and 'Tomorrow' (from the movie Annie).  
• Still uses her Popo at night and tries to steal it out of her crib during the day. 
• Favorite food these days is cucumber.  Today she almost ate an entire english cucumber.
• Loves to watch mom cook while she sits on the island.

Enjoying lunch

Smelling the tulips

Sticking her hands in Moo's bowl- even though she knows she's not supposed to.

Sister weekend

It's very rare that I am together with all my sisters.  And when we are, it's usually with our entire family (parents, husbands, kids, etc...) which is great, but sometimes it's nice to be together alone.  This past weekend we went to visit Judy and Peter in Greensboro and had a blast.  They are so happy and love their life there.  It was so nice to see their world, and Greensboro is the cutest town ever.

We enjoyed being together-- walking, eating, shopping, and visiting Peter's classroom.  Let me say a few things about Peter.  He is wonderful.  It takes a special man to put up with all the Vogt sisters at one time.  We're loud, constantly talking, obnoxious, act like children, and he took it all in with a smile.  There really is no such thing as peace and quiet when we are all together.  We love him and are so happy he could share the weekend with us.  Oh, and he's a great cook too.

First day walking the campus at Guilford College

Our gracious hosts

Out to dinner

Evening walk (followed by playing on the swings)

Scallops and lemon risotto

UNCG- Peter Villella, Phd

Can't wait to do it again sometime.

I'm jumping....

That's one of Berit's new favorite things to say.  We are those people.  We now have a trampoline.  Berit was obsessed with Emma's trampoline when we were in Dallas and so we knew we would get her one for her second birthday.  Well, the weather has been so nice that we decided to get it for her a little early and she has been loving every minute.

22 months!!

This month it's almost as if a light switch has gone off.  I'm not even sure I can keep up with all the words she is saying now.  

• Can repeat the alphabet after us and tries to say them by herself (A,B,C,O,P,Q, T,O,A,B,C etc..)
• LOTS of new words:  beans, rice, night night, egg, happy, broccoli, out, snow, poopie, i know, pizza, peas, ice, car, plane, walk, Grover, rock, park, plate, tofu, bananas, avocado, pancake, birdie, boots, star, noodles, kiss (along with a MUAH! at the end), on, off, bubbles, open it, goose, hen, piggy, fishy, ducky, horsey, ruff ruff, meow, neigh, quack quack, oink, LOVE YOU (melt me).  I probably didn't even get them all.  
• Loves to tell people to 'go away'.  It used to only be Maya that she told to go away.  Now, it's everyone she sees in public that she feels is in her space.  We'll be at the grocery store or Target and there will be someone who passes us on the aisle and she tells them to go away.  Quite embarassing.  
• Loves to throw things in the trash.
• When she drops her Popo, she asks me to put it in the bath (run water over it) to wash it off.
• Really dislikes being in the stroller or the wagon.  Would prefer to walk by herself.  
• Her mystery word is ' bobby'.  We think it means 'Big Bird'.
• Loves her friends and asks for Luca, Elena and Noah all the time. 

Impossible to get her to pose for a picture in her chair.

Loving Little Gym

Loves hats all of a sudden.

Berit & Luca.

Little Gym with Noah, Luca & Elena

Oh, and did I mention that we got a fish?  We said that Berit could name it, and whatever came out of her mouth first would be the fish's name.  When we asked her what she wanted to name her fish, she first said 'Butt' (don't know where she heard that one) and we said...'OK, whatever is the next thing to come out of her mouth'.  When we asked her again what she wanted to name the fish she said 'Moo'.  So, Moo it is.