Not really ready to be typing this, but Kindergarten is right around the corner. We went recently and had her school physical and immunizations. She had a lot of anxiety about the shots, but we talked about it plenty and assured her that it would be just a small pinch. She handled them really well. There were a few tears as they were getting ready, but when they actually gave the shots, she was a champ! She had 3 immunizations: DTaP, MMR and Varicella. She weighed 38 lbs. (29%tile) and was 42.75" tall (62%tile).
Playing her tablet while we wait, and looking way too grown up!
She earned 3 suckers from the nurses, one for each shot, because of her good behavior!
For memory's sake, I also need to include this. I put the kids to bed one evening and came back downstairs to this sitting on the couch. I thought it was cute. You sure are growing up, Vera Lou!!
#love
In mid-July, we went on our annual Bertke family camping trip. We went to St. Marys to check out the new splash pad there. Our kiddos absolutely loved the splash pad. Vince ran and squealed with excitement. He stomped in the water, got his hair wet, and stayed plenty busy! (No surprise there!) Out of all the kids, he was the last one to leave the splash pad. Vera ran through the water fountains, stayed busy with Blake, and played pretend. (No surprise there either.)
We had lots of little ones. Here are a few of them. Left: Eli, Vera & Blake Right: Vince & Nora
Nora & Amelia
Vince doesn't know what to do next.
Leap frog
Vinners stayed very busy. He and Eli were buddies.
Vera asked constantly to drink Gatorade. Vince didn't want to be left out of that.
Annie was really good all weekend!
Two peas in a pod.
The kids ate and slept really well all weekend. Vince put lots of miles on his Crocs. We lost him once, for a few minutes, in the dark. We were all sitting by the fire, and suddenly no one knew where Vin was. Adam, my mom, dad and I started searching. It was a little scary because it was so dark. We found him sitting on Mandy & Jeff's camper step by himself in the dark. That could've been so much worse!
Thank goodness for the extra adult hands to help with all of the kids. There were lots of little ones: Vera, Vince, Annie, Blake, Nora, Eli, Beau, Amelia and Audrey--ages 5 to 7 weeks. We had 7 campsites, plenty of food, (some) relaxation and fun memories.
Happy Birthday, Mr. Vince, who is now 2 years old! His birthday was on a Tuesday, so we spent the day at home enjoying the little guy's special day.
Good morning, birthday boy!
Vera made her brother a birthday hat.
And of course, she needed one for herself, too!
When Adam came home from work, his birthday celebration began. We ate beef and noodles and mashed potatoes for supper, one of Vince's favorites. He loves mashed potatoes, and undoubtedly makes a mess while eating them! :) He's had to start wearing an oversized tshirt when he eats because he refuses to wear a bib. Seems to help on the laundry load a little.
Then it was cake time! As you can see, this 2 year-old was not interested in posing with his cake.
So we moved on and got the candles out. Vinners knew just what to do as soon as I lit the candles. He started blowing at them before we were even ready to sing or take pictures. :) He loved it, and did such a great job that we had to light them 2 or 3 more times!
Cake for the 2 year-old!
The icing was a hit. The cake, not so much!
We were excited to give him his birthday cards and gifts. It was hard for Vera to not help. Vince knew just what to do here, too!
A lawn chair from his family.
A squirt gun and flashlight from Grandma and Papaw.
And Wrecky the truck from Grammy and Papa.
A cool coloring booklet from his godparents, and a really nice sweatsuit, too. :)
The day before his birthday, we finished the choo choo cake. Vin really liked licking the spatulas from the making of the icing. It didn't happen without him making a sticky mess. No surprise there.
The two year-old Vince has changed a lot in the last several months. He's learning to talk so much more. He says most consonant sounds, but I've noticed that he doesn't use many ending sounds when he talks. But, we understand him and he understands us, and that's worth something. I think he's a lot happier because he can communicate better. He understands things like "hot" and "wet" and uses them in the correct context. His "yuck" is hilarious; it sounds like "blech," sometimes even with the spit and slobber to go with it. He uses that in the correct context too, like when he doesn't like a food, has a stinky diaper, or when Annie spits up. Just yesterday, he started yelling my name from the backseat of the car as I was driving. It was a strange feeling to answer his "mom call" because he really had something to tell me. Just the first of millions of "mom calls" from the back seat. He came to me one morning, pointed to Annie in the toy room, and jabbered something with a concerned look on his face. I went in to see what was up, and Annie had her little hair barrette in her mouth. Good job, Vinners, at looking out for you sister. Speaking of which, he is a good big brother. He tries to give Annie toys when she's playing and brings her paci when she starts crying. Sweet boy!
His play has changed a lot as well. He really likes to play with his farm animals and tractors. Outside, he's very busy. He loves to "ride" his tricycle. He's actually very slick at riding his red trike around the driveway. He uses his little feet and makes his tricycle go (really fast!) Fred Flintstone style, while steering quite well.
He is also a very good worker. Outside, he's often busy picking up sticks, and he knows that they go in the fire pit to be burnt. He does very well at putting away toys and picking things up. Most days, he does better than Vera. One evening, we were cleaning up before bed, and Vinners would not go upstairs to bed until everything was cleaned up exactly right. It was almost OCD at how he methodically picked up toys, blankets, socks, cups, and put them in their place. He definitely knows where things belong!
His favorites right now are...
*grilled meat with ranch or ketchup to dip
*mooching bites of anything from anyone. (When we get something out of the fridge or cupboard, immediately he says "me" without even knowing what it is.)
*pockets in pants and coats (So cute to watch him walk around with hands in pockets!)
*shoes! (He is obsessed with wearing shoes!!)
*Sesame Street
*Chuggington
*Goldie and Bear
*getting dirty
*farm, cows, tractors, Steve and Papaw (In Vin language, "parm, moos, broom broom, Ste, Papa)
*trucks, airplanes, trains, and anything big and loud
*pouring water on his head (He loves taking a shower and does really well at getting his hair wet.)
*running fast throughout the house. (Referred to as "Go Dog Go" by us. It's the name of a book.)
*pretending to be a puppy. (He crawls around, climbs up on us so we pet him, and "barks.")
*scribbling. (We've scrubbed permanent marker and ink pen off of the cabinets in the office twice. All writing utensils must be kept out of his reach! For the record, he is a consistent lefty. Writing, throwing, eating are all left-handed.)
*monkey see, monkey do. (He wants and does everything that his older sister has and does!!)
*climbing. (He's learned to climb on chairs and furniture and push chairs to the counter to get what he wants.)
This drawer is still a favorite play place.
Vera had on an apron. Vinners needed something to wear too!
I was vaccuming when this went on. He was so happy having a snack.
He's sat on the potty a few times. No success in using it, but we're working on small steps. We're also slowly getting rid of the beloved paci. He's willingly thrown it in the trash twice, indicating that paci went bye bye.
For as ornery and crazy as he is, he is just as much sweet and loving. He's developing a very genuine, caring, loving side too.
Happy 2nd year, Vinners! For as much of a challenge as you were as a little guy, you're turning into a fun and sweet toddler. We're having so much fun watching you grow. We love you always!
