Pumpkin Carving

Somehow we ran out of time last year to buy a pumpkin and carve it in time for Halloween, so this year was Samantha's first time participating.  She was a little freaked out by the "yucky" pumpkin, but eventually she got over it.  We had let her pick out her own little pumpkin at the pumpkin patch, so we let her decorate it with markers and stickers while Daddy was carving the big pumpkin.

Pinned It, Did It

I have gotten completely sucked into Pinterest lately.  If you're not on it, it's basically a website where you can gather all of those great ideas that you find on the internet in one place.  I'm trying to be good about actually doing some of them and not just "Pinning" them, so here are a couple of activities Sammy and I have done lately.

Here is a fun and a little different way to practice writing and drawing skills.  It's Elmer's glue and a little bit of food coloring in a Ziplock baggie, and then you write on it with a Q-tip.  I like it because it's all things that most people already have around the house.

Naturally we have to teeter on the edge of danger while trying
out this new toy

Disclaimer: Mommy drew this heart

Just squish it to start over

This is Sammy painting in the tub with shaving cream with a little bit of food coloring.  Next time I think I'll do two or three primary colors so that Sammy can see what happens when the colors mix.

We ended up with some pretty awesome green bathwater
when we rinsed off Sammy's artwork.

What a Difference a Year Makes

Pat and I bought this ridiculously adorable (and a little pricey) Halloween dress at a little boutique in Old Town St. Charles.  Sammy wore it last year, and I was thrilled when I saw it in her closet the other day and realized she could probably wear it again.  What a difference a year makes!

October 2010

October 2011

The Past Month

It's been a little over a month since I last posted,so I thought I'd do a little catch-up post.  Here's what's been going on with Team Vogt recently:

- Pat spent a month training in the desert at NTC in California.
- Sammy and I spent about a week out of that month in Hermann visiting my family.
- We got to see Jo for a night while she was out here visiting her parents.
- My parents spent a 4-day weekend with us, resulting in grandparent-spoiling withdrawal for Samantha when they left.
- We spent a weekend in Westport, WA enjoying the ocean and also spent several afternoons at the lake on post.
- Samantha is talking up a storm, and even putting little sentences together.  Her words are pretty clear, but every once in while she stumps us with an odd pronounciation.
- Pat's current Brigade found out that they are deploying.  Some of Pat's Company will be going with them.  Pat will not be because...
- HRC (Human Resource Command) has told Pat that it's about time for us to move, so we're waiting on the list of potential next assignments.  For now, our future it totally up in the air.

And of course some cute pictures because I just can't resist.

I Hiding

This is one of those posts that Samantha will probably be very unhappy about when she's 13.

Samantha is what I like to call a Poo Fibber. She doesn't like to admit that she needs to poop. She also likes to hide under or behind things while doing her business. I'll see her go into one of her pooping spots, and I'll ask her if she needs to poop. Her answer is always, "Noooooooo...I hiding." On top of her love of hiding, Sammy's also in that stage where she thinks if she can't see you (eyes closed, blanket over head, etc) that you can't see her either. All of this came together this evening when she dumped all of her toys out of one of her toy bins and put it on her head to poop. What a crazy child.

Perpetual Motion

I think that Samantha may have discovered the secret to perpetual motion. That would explain why she never. stops. moving!!!

Staying Busy

As you can tell by my recent lack of posts, summer has finally arrived in Washington State. While the rest of the country has been suffering in sweltering heat, we have been freezing up here! Now that temperatures are finally in the 70s, the Vogt family has been taking full advantage.

Samantha and I try to get outside and soak up some sunshine everyday. We'll either take a walk around the neighborhood, go play at the playground down the street, play in the sprinkler in the yard, or all three. We're also trying to do fun outdoorsy-type stuff with Pat before he leaves for basically all of August.

Sammy's language skills are developing every day. She's gotten pretty good at repeating new phrases and words that she hears, although she usually puts her own spin on them. She likes to say, "Zoom, zoom, zoooooooom!" when she drives toy cars around, but it comes out, "Yo, Yo, Yoooooo!". My other current favorite is yogurt, which she pronounces "yoyuck". This is funny because she actually loves it.

She's also very interested in whether or not different things have body parts. The other day she asked me if her poop had eyes and a mouth. Maybe this is a sign that we should stop referring to really gross diapers as poo monsters. he he

We've also been working on the idea of ownership. Sammy likes to claim a lot of things as "MINE!". I try to correct her when it's something that's not exclusively hers and tell her, "No, that's Momma's" (or Daddy's, or that little boy's). She really likes to point out Momma Go-Go and Daddy Go-Go (go-go is car in Sammy language).

I'll try to post some recent pictures in the next day or two, since I know that's the real reason that you're reading this. :-)