Happy Easter!

We had a wonderful weekend at the cabin. Much to our surprise, the weather turned nice. The 50 degrees outside felt like summer as it had been snowing all week. Sophie got to spend lots of time with her cousins, and Grandma and Grandpa. Sophie especially loved seeing her cousin Elly, who is almost 3. Sophie followed her everywhere, including- much to our embarrassment- into the bathroom. Oh well, maybe it will motivate her to potty train. I think Sophie and Elly are going to be great friends this summer- most of the time- they are 2 and 3 after all.

Dying Easter Eggs was a new experience for Sophie, one that she did not quite understand at first. She kept trying to reach in and grab the egg, or dump the water out of the container. It took a couple of tries, but she finally got it.

Unable to resist touching the eggs.

It was also Sophie's first Egg hunt. She did not understand this concept either and got 2 eggs and decided she was done.

Stopping mid egg hunt to pick some Dandelions.

Grandpa was kind enough to show Sophie how to unwrap her chocolate candy. After trying her first piece of candy she said, "mmm."

The beach at the cabin is being redone, so there are lots of big dirt piles in the driveway. Grandma gave Sophie an icecream scoop and she happily played in the dirt for hours. Literally, she was outside for 3 1/2 hours, and came inside filthy but had a wonderful time.

2 year Update

Sophie recently had her 2 year checkup and here are her new facts:
Height- 36 inches, this puts her at the 95th percentile. If you believe in the "double the height at 2 philosophy" she will be 6 ft. tall.

Weight- 30 lbs, this puts her at the 70th percentile, which I think is the lowest percentile since she was 6 months old.

Favorite Foods- Sophie is still very picky, and we still dream to order her food off of a menu. In the meantime, she eats oatmeal, any fruit, yogurt, crackers, cottage cheese, mixed veggies in her applesauce- yes, its gross but she eats it- and now toast! We are very excited that she is eating some kind of grain.

Favorite toys- puzzles, balls, books, little people animals. Her favorite activity to do with these toys is to move them to one area, then move them to another, again and again. Sophie also loves music and singing. She is now starting to request favorite songs by name, and when I sing those songs, if I stop she will fill in the word that comes next. Carl thinks we should take our act to Vegas.

Speech- Sophie is starting to talk, which is really fun. It seems everyday she has a new word. We are officially entering the age where we have to watch what we say around her, as she repeats everything.

Dislikes- She still hates getting her diaper changed. I was hoping that this would translate into being potty trained easily and early, but alas that has not been the case.
Another major dislike is being forced into doing something that is not her idea. Sophie has definitely entered the "terrible twos" and will let you know if she does not want to do something. The neighbors probably also know. My mantra lately has been, this stage will pass. Hopefully soon. Very soon.

Aside from her sassyness, Sophie is a pure delight. She has a sense of humor, she gives great belly laughs that make everyone around her smile, and in general is a wonderful little girl. It's hard to stay mad at her for too long when she smiles at you, or comes to snuggle in your lap. I am anxious to see what this next year will bring.

Birthday!!

Sophie had her 2nd Birthday this Saturday. It was a Barney themed birthday party with everything purple and green. Carl decided that this year we were going to make her cake, which proved to be a little stressful and time consuming. After 3 hours of decorating the cake, we didn't really care what color Barney's eyes were supposed to be. But, when it was all done Sophie seemed pleased with all the Barney decorations- or as she calls him- Marney- and we were glad to say good-bye to Barney. Since the party Sophie has refused to watch Barney, she is now onto Elmo. I think she's Barneyed out. At Last!! By the time it was over, Carl and I were exhausted and very thankful that birthdays only come around once a year.

Carl decorating Barney the night before. Finished product.

Sophie with her cousins Vivi and Elly watching Barney after her nap.

Nana flew out for the big party! Sophie was thrilled to see her again.

Sophie opened her presents in a manic crazed speed that only a 2 year old can do. At one point, she was literally taking gifts out of bags so quickly, that they sailed over her shoulder and up into the air. Poor Elly was sitting behind Sophie had a couple of gifts fall on her head and in her lap. Luckily she didn't seem to mind. I hope that next year Sophie will calm down enough to stop and see her gifts and thank everyone. I can dream anyway.

Sophie with her cousins- Vivi, Kyle, and Elly.

Eating cake. As you can see there was no time for forks and spoons- she had to pick it up for maximum pigging out. For the record, Sophie ate all of her cake and ice cream. Every tiny morsel and was the last one sitting at the table.

Sophie has only had ice cream a few times before and did not know how to scoop it into her mouth. She tried picking up the entire scoop of ice cream and sticking it in her mouth, but it was too cold. Luckily Grandpa was on hand to assist. He made sure Sophie had the proper cake-to-ice cream ratio.

Even though she did show it at the time, Sophie was thrilled with her new toys and gifts. She has played non-stop with all her new things. Thanks everyone!

Material Girl

Sophie is turning into quite the Material Girl. She loves to accessorize. She has a small collection of jewelry that she wears everyday. No outfit is complete until she is wearing a necklace- or rather-several necklaces. Sophie has yet to learn that sometimes less is more. In her case, more is always better. Note the ever so fashionable pink shoelaces that Sophie wears as necklaces, most of the time they hang sideways like a sash. She must be practicing for Miss America.