Seriously too cute

I can't even articulate the number of cute things Ellie does every minute that make me think, "I need to write this down so I don't forget!", but instead I just enjoy the moment and try to keep my heart from exploding with happiness!
But as I'm procrastinating packing, I'll share a few that come to mind immediately.
We had a marvelous Mother's Day. I think it is my new favorite holiday. There were presents, and hugs and kisses, and brunch reservations, a lazy morning nap which trumped the brunch reservations, a visit to the arboretum, a quick stop at the mall, and my favorite dish for dinner, and a movie after Ellie's bedtime. Life doesn't get any better.
One of the presents I received from Tate and Ellie is a locket. There is a picture of Ellie inside and the style is perfect, it goes with everything! The funny thing is, I think Ellie likes it as much as I do. She is always fiddling with it, and then she asks me (no she can't use words yet, but she still communicates as clear as day!) and as I start to open it she starts grinning. When I show her the picture of herself, she lights up! I'm not sure why she is so proud of it, as there are pictures of her everywhere around the house. Is is possible she realizes it is very special that I wear a picture of her around my neck?
Today she was playing in her crib after her nap and she wanted something from her closet. She kept pointing and talking as I held up different objects. After a few tries she pointed to her toes and then I realized she wanted her shoes. When I handed them to her it was obvious they were exactly what she had been pointing at.
At the Arboretum on Mother's day, Ellie was talking so loud several other visitors thought the noises she was making were coming from some kind of exotic bird! The funny thing was, she was talking about the birds she kept seeing.
She likes the outdoors so much that I she frequently stands up at either the front or back door and bangs on it until we take her outside or distract her with something else.
She's starting to use her shape sorter as it was intended. Her stacker might be her current favorite toy. She has become very slightly attached to her teddy bear. She loves to stand on our back deck and take the mulch out of the flower box and throw it on the ground. When she gets tired she starts blowing raspberries and pulling on my hair. Sometimes at the same time. I think salmon is her favorite food, but today she tried strawberries and they might be a new favorite.
Life is just too good!