Pine cones and popcorn & trees and cheese

Anju had a blast picking up pine cones in the yard today with me and putting them in a tiny, toddler-sized wheelbarrow that she couldn't figure out how to maneuver.  She loves pine cones.  She kept pointing to them and wanting to know what they were, and I kept saying, "pine cones".  Finally she made the sign for "popcorn" and got excited.  But alas, although the name is close, they were not popcorn.  She was very defensive of her pine cone stash, and scolded the cat whenever he got near her wheelbarrow.

Then we were working on other words for outside things.  We heard ducks and I showed her what the ducks in her books look like in real life.  She made the sign for "duck" as soon as she heard the word.  She also identified "rocks" and "water" and "snow" (yes, there is still a bit of that stuff around).  I showed her the sign for "trees", showed her some of our trees, and helped her make the sign.   Her eyes lit up.  I thought she sure must love trees or something.  No.  She made the sign for "cheese" and I said, "Not cheese, TREES!" but she was ready to go in and have a cup of cheddar for snack time.

I guess her sense of hearing is fine, and her reading comprehension translates well into real life comprehension.  And she distrusts cats.  And she really loves popcorn and cheese.  A lot.