Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! Ellie thorougly enjoyed the day, especially the trick-or-treating part. She actually said "trick-or-treat" when she went up people's houses. Hopefully she's already forgotten about her newly acquired candy!

Pumpkin Carving

We turned our pumpkin into a Jack o' lantern this evening. John and Ellie began the process by sketching out what the pumpkin should look like. Ellie then became an observer, she watched us pick out the insides and then carve its face. She wasn't interested in getting involved with the seeds. Ellie's been practicing saying "trick-or-treat" so we're hoping all goes well tomorrow night.

Brrrrrr...

It was chilly here today. Ellie got to wear the new winter jacket and hat that Mimi and Papa sent her.

23 Months Today

Ellie is now 23 months old. It's hard to believe that she'll turn two in one month. When I picked her up from daycare today, she had a new hairstyle, her first ever ponytail (see above). Ellie also likes to now try to "pose" for photos as you can see below. The poses look really natural, don't they?!

The Little Pumpkin at School

I took Ellie to a concert at school last week and someone took these photos of her. She may not have been very appreciative of the musical talents of my students but she sure liked having her photo taken!

Halloween at the Zoo

We went to the zoo today for some pre-Halloween festivities. Ellie got the hang of trick-or-treating and loved seeing the animals.

Halloween Party

We went to a Halloween party this afternoon with our friends. Ellie and Cate were both flowers, Will was a fireman, Ella was a ballerina princess and Kellan was a frog. Ellie wasn't crazy about keeping her flower headpiece on but she did like eating the pumpkin shaped cookies!

Grandma, Grandpa and Mimi's Visit

Ellie was in her glory this past weekend because she had so many people doting on her. My mom brought my grandparents to visit and we all had a great time together. We began our weekend together by celebrating by Grandma's 86th birthday. The cake Ellie and I made toegther turned out just fine.

Pumpkins

Ellie Bakes a Cake

Today is my Grandma's 86th birthday. What's even more exciting is that she's flying here tomorrow to visit us for the weekend. Ellie (who is named after her) and I made a cake for her this afternoon. It was Ellie's first adventure in baking and it wasn't a total disaster.

she did want to drink the water at first

but then figured out it had to go in the bowl

her favorite part was eating the batter with John

she's all ready to have "cakecups" tomorrow night!
Happy Birthday Grandma, we can't wait to have you here!

Daddy's Girl

The pajamas say it all.

Apple Picking

We spent this afternoon apple picking. Ellie had gone as a baby last year, but she really enjoyed walking around the orchard and filling bags of apples today. We picked a few different varieties and tried some along the way. Ellie was excited about the pumpkins for sale and really thrilled to discover a "zoo" at the farm. Since she has been referring to any group of animals as a zoo, it's time that we had a chat about where animals really belong in this world.

To see the entire album of photos, go to: Apple Picking '08

Oktoberfest

We spent today in Newport at Oktoberfest. Ellie wasn't outfitted in lederhosen but still had a fabulous time. We loved spending the day with so many friends.

Gwyn, Ellie and Liv dancing

Benny and Ellie on the dance floor

Ellie enjoying her German pretzel

Henry and Ellie

Will leading Ellie back to the beer tent