The new words are coming fast and furious. Yesterday Samantha asked for dog treats and then offered them to each of the dogs, saying "here you go" each time she gave one of them a treat. This morning she discovered pockets on our morning walk with the dogs, picking up every acorn and small rock she could and sticking them into her pockets.

She also said acorn and pocket for the first time, and somehow she's figured out that there's water running below the manhole covers in the street. She stops at each one, points down, and says "water!"

She's progressed from walking to running, where both feet are off the ground at the same time. Still a little unsteady in the way all toddlers are, but she's getting better at it every day. It's also very cute the way she walks down the street holding one hand out to Amy and the other hand out to me, and saying "hand" until we each take of her hands so she can walk between us. She's a very outdoor kind of girl -- she loves the park and the playground. I'm curious how she'll do in the snow this winter; I have a feeling she'll just love sledding down the hillside at the Sheepfold with Ella and Tucker bounding along beside her.

Her favorite thing this week seems to be bouncing and jumping on our bed. She insisted ("bed! bed! bed!") on doing this for almost 20 minutes last night before going off to sleep in her own crib. She's also very fond of the little doll Amy got her last week. When did my daughter start turning into a girl?