Emily has managed to amaze me more and more in the last six months. As her verbal skills have moved along, she can finally verbalize her giant imagination and mind at work. I know they say girls speak much better much earlier than boys but I imagine her having an older sibling around exponentially increases all her skills. That being said, some of what she comes up with is hard to explain.

Last night as I was putting her to bed, she asked me for all her babies - she has 4 that she always wants in her bed with her. The one she got for Christmas was named on Christmas morning by her as "Baby Sunny." As I handed them to her, I realized they didn't have names. So I asked her what all of their names were. She pointed to the boy baby (not sure it is a boy but it has no hair and wears a dark outfit...so sure, a boy) and said this is "Nolie." (not real sure how to spell that) Then she pointed to the oversized giant baby and said it was "Mommy." Then pointed to the last baby girl...the one Christian and I call "Ghetto baby" because she has had her the longest and it looks it...and the pants never stayed on so she is pantless and dirty...She said this is "Miriam Cansey." I shook my head and said "What?" And plain as day, she said "Mommy, her name is Miriam Cansey. Yea, that's right." I have NO IDEA where this name came from and have never heard her say Miriam or Cansey before and know we haven't said those names. Seems really strange to me where in her mind that may have come from...such an old-timey name. So you know me...I tried to google it and came up with not much...an equine dentist in England. ha ha!

Saturday, we took a trip to Target to buy her church sandals. As Christian was trying her white sandals on she looked across the aisle and saw the brightest, most shiny pink shoes you've ever seen. I'm sure to a toddler, they must be like a giant shiny lollipop of shoe heaven. In her not indoor voice, she screamed to Christian "Daddy, I want the dancing shoes!" We laughed it off but she didn't, she was dead serious. So I found her size just for fun to let her try them on. As soon as she put them on, she got this giant smile and started swinging her hips to whatever pretend music she was hearing and saying how pretty they were on her feet. That certainly sealed the fate of those shoes....Guess who brought home "dancing shoes?"
Moving on to tonight with her imagination. I put her to bed with Baby Sunny, Nolie, Miriam Cansey, and Mommy...as well as her ladybug and Violet...full bed! So I hear her talking in there for about 20 minutes...per usual, no biggie. But then I hear a thump and her say "Smile!" So I peek inside the door to the funniest thing yet! She has lined up all 4 babies, the ladybug pillow, and Violet in a group all facing the same way and she is positioned behind them with her arms around them all facing the same direction and saying "SMILE." She has posed them for an imaginary group/family picture. I wish I had the video camera. ha ha ha ha! She's awesome!