Raleigh Raleigh Raleigh...

What can I say about my daughter???  She is growing like a weed and everyday is a new adventure, a new challenge, a new laugh, a new memory.  She reminds us all that I am the boss and not anyone else.  She loves to play hide and seek, but she wants to tell you where to hide and she will tell you where she is hiding.  Her patience is a work in progress, which is no surprise since I struggle with mine.  She's a helper.  She wants to help you cook and clean.  She wants to do everything on her own, like a big girl.  But yet she still insists on crawling in my lap and telling me to hold her like she is a baby.  Which I obviously have no problem doing...She talks all the time, non stop.  She signs and dances and hates to wear clothes.  Everything she eats must involve ketchup.  Just the other day I shared a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich with her and that, too, had to be dipped in ketchup.  She is very aware of her surroundings and she is very aware of what her dad and I went through and continue to grow through.  She remembers everything you say and do, so no secrets with her.  All she wants to do is play and learn and be close to you.  She is so smart and speaks so clearly but she still has her words that make you laugh.  Like lemolade for lemonade, lellow for yellow, B Nana for banana, "I'm stinking" for "I'm thinking," speeghetti for spaghetti.  She loves to know everyone's names and call them by their real names, including me.  I think everyday we argue about my last name, which legally is still Blankenship.  She insists that my last name is Baker.  I just told my mom that if I knew she was going to be so smart about it I would have just changed my name back, but I didn't and I still wouldn't.  She remembers everyone and has an imagination that could only have come from her dad.  I wouldn't trade this little girl for the world!!