Random Acts of Cuteness

Thought I'd take a few minutes to catch up on the latest developments in the World of Sarah:

• She knows just about all of the letters of the alphabet and takes great pride in pointing them out as she sees them.  At storytime today, she pointed excitedly to the lit "EXIT" sign over the door and spelled it out.  She also loves STOP signs.  We have to spell out the titles of books before we read them now.
• She's learned all of her colors (including silver and gold) and her shapes (including octagon and pentagon) from a set of flashcards that her friend Allie gave her this summer.  She's a serious student and insists we practice at least once a day.
• I've been feeling a little guilty about not teaching her some Chinese (or helping her retain what she may have known).  I've been so focused on her speaking at all that I didn't think it was a priority right now.  The other night, while we were reading I Love You Like Crazy Cakes, I pointed to the Chinese character for "love" on the inside cover and said, "Wo ai ni" (I love you).  She whipped her head around and smiled at me.  I repeated it, and she was soon saying "ai ni."   On our way to a gathering of our local Chinese association on Sunday, I taught her "Ni hao" (hello).  She says it very carefully and clearly.  When she says the Chinese phrases, she uses the sweetest little voice.
• She can now make the ASL sign for "I love you" without having to hold her little finger up with the other hand. 
• We were greeters at church on Sunday.  Don and I stood her on a chair between us, and she was shy at first, but after a few minutes, she was shaking people's hands.  Soon, she was looking out the door saying "More!"  She even got offended when a little boy passed by her without offering his hand.  She gave me a look like, "Hey, he's not following the rules!" 
• She's gotten really bossy with Cadi the Lab lately.  She yells "Cay-ji da!" (Cadi-dog) to call her and attempts to whistle like Daddy does by putting her fingers in her mouth and shrieking.  When Cadi ignores her, she marches over to her, gets right in her face, and "whistles."  Of course, Cadi continues about her business, just as she does when I call her.
• She sets the table every night, putting out forks and (butter) knives for Mama and Dada and a spoon and fork for herself.
• She screws the tops on and off shampoo bottles in the tub and goes potty on the toilet after bath every night.
• She has started really dancing in the last couple of days.  After dinner the other night, she repeatedly (about 20 times) played When the Saints Come Marching In on her laptop and danced in the dining room.  She'd push the button, then run to get into place and wait for the music to start.

Of course, interspersed with all the cuteness are various displays of her strong will, but we won't get into that right now.  :)