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I have to take a moment to talk about Miss Ellis' achievements. She really grew up a lot over our week away. She showed incredible patience for a full day of travel and was delightful almost every minute of it. In fact, she made it a lot more fun for me and Mike.

Usually, we share only the delightful stories, but she does throw fits from time to time. They usually come from her being tired or something happening that is unexpected. Even if we want to do something she doesn't want to do, she is usually okay if we have properly prepared her.

Here are some highlights of her cuteness:

• usually asks politely for what she wants: "May I have some raisins, please?"
  
• likes to have her tummy tickled at bedtime as well as her legs, arms and feet -- if you aren't tickling the right place, she will pick up your hand and place it where she wants it.
• when someone sneezes, often says "Bless you, honey."
  
• sings many songs, especially those from "Dinosaur Train" but sometimes pops out with one don't know ("3 little ducks went out to play, over the hill and far away") or makes up her own lyrics ("the dog takes the house, hi ho the derry-o, the dog takes the house").
• makes very strong pronouncements, like "Daddy, worms are not my favorite," or "I need a big brother."
  
• watched the 1st quarter of the LSU game (miserable game - the Tigers looked absolutely horrible) with me to learn about football, and made me sing "Hey, Fightin' Tigers" a bunch today.
  
• starts most questions or statements with, "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy,..." or "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy..."
  
• when asked if she wants something (like milk), says "I do want some milk," with huge emphasis on the "do" as if she had been waiting for you to mention it and is delighted that you finally have.
  
• will grab your face with her hands and pull it toward her to look eye-to-eye and get you to focus on what she wants -- one time she told Mike, "I know what you are doing."
• sometimes strokes your face to show she cares.
• when woke up before us on vacation, sat in bed quietly until we woke up on our own.
• has gotten brave around dogs and will actually pet them now (she also held a hamster recently, which shocked me).
• when contemplating something, says "Hmmmm..." before she asks the question.
  
• tends to put her sunglasses on upside down, even seems to prefer it that way.
• has a very strong opinion about what she wears and often prefers to continually push her hair out of her face rather than wear a barrette.
• if steps on your foot, apologized profusely and offers to make it better: "I'm sorry I stepped on your foot, Mommy. Want me to kiss it?"
• if trips or falls, says "Oops, I trip! Everybody trips sometimes. Mommy trips and Daddy trips and Ellis trips."