Madeleine's Birthday

I can't believe that Madeleine is 2!
She has had a great birthday weekend so far, starting with a trip to Belkin Lookout Farms yesterday to apple pick:



Madeleine spent most of the farm visit sitting atop Daddy's shoulders, holding two apples for dear life. At some point she must have gotten tired of the apples, though, because without any warning, she dropped both, letting them bounce along the ground, guaranteed to become bruised and rotten. The highlight of the trip for both girls was the children's play area, boasting a bouncy house, face painting, petting zoo, playground, and train rides. In her typical graceful style, Madeleine flung and flopped her body around the bouncy house, spending more of the time face-planted than up on her feet jumping, and loving every minute of it.

As we rode the train from the orchard back to the farm store, Madeleine felt the need to point out who was who on the train:

MADELEINE: Look! (pointing to an older woman in front of us) There's GRANDMA!
YIA-YIA: There's Grandma? I'm your grandma!
MADELEINE: (still pointing at the woman) Oh, yeah, that's GRANDMA!

Following our apple picking adventure, we celebrated Madeleine's birthday a day early with Yia-yia and Aunties Shannon and Caitlyn, complete with an apple cake and presents:





This morning, I made pumpkin pancakes for Madeleine's celebratory birthday breakfast, and while she seemed to like them, that didn't stop her from expressing an interest in eating something else as she listened in on a conversation Shannon and I were having:

SHANNON: I don't really like meat that much, but I occasionally eat a burger. Usually a turkey burger.
MADELEINE: (frantically) I want burkey burger??


Now that she's officially two, you may wonder what wisdom Madeleine has accumulated in her past two years of life. Here's a glimpse:

As Madeleine sat on the potty after having peed in her pull-up, Auntie Shannon tried to entertain her and teach her a life lesson at the same time...

AUNTIE SHANNON: Madeleine, where do your pee-pees go?
MADELEINE: In my DIAPER!
AUNTIE SHANNON: My pee-pees go in the POTTY. (picking up Madeleine's new doll) Sleeping Beauty, where do your pee-pees go?
AUNTIE SHANNON AS SLEEPING BEAUTY: My pee-pees go in the potty! NEVER in my diaper.
AUNTIE SHANNON AS AUNTIE SHANNON: Madeleine, where do YOUR pee-pees go?
MADELEINE: (joyfully) In my DIAPER!

Wisdom beyond her years, I tell you.