Trick Or Treat?!?! Treat - Of Course!

Ella Kate's first Halloween was quite an adventure! Daddy had to work, but Titi Coco came to hang out and help pass out candy. Ella Kate was an absolute angel, save one meltdown when she realized she had to wear a hood as part of her costume. Check back soon for more videos!

Ella Kate dressed up as a pretty panda bear.


Have you ever seen a cuter panda bottom?


She spent at least five minutes watching neighbors walk past our house on the way to the neighborhood festival. She waved at them all as they passed.


We finally made it to the stroller, ready to walk to the festival. Suddenly, Ella Kate realized that her costume had a HOOD!


We walked about 200 feet and saw Titi Coco driving down the street.


One look at Coco and all was right in the world again. She adores her Aunt Edna!


We finally made it to the festival and what did we find?!?! Another animal from the zoo! Our neighbor, Simon, posed for pictures with us.


On the way home, we stopped by Ms. Kim's house for some trick-or-treating! She was loved and hugged and held for 15 minutes. We told her not to expect that kind of attention at all the houses!


Her face cracks me up in this picture. It's almost as if she's wondering if Mom will actually let her eat that candy. (No, she won't!)


After the festival, all good little pandas had to munch on bamboo to regain their strength. There was lots of candy to give to other trick-or-treaters!


We spread a blanket on the front lawn to pass out candy. We had a space heater on the porch keeping us warm and cozy.


A quick night-time snuggle.


We proudly fly our Bama flag during football season, so the other Bama fans know exactly what to say to get extra candy! How did the dinosaurs become extinct if they were this smart?

(That's "Roll Tide Roll" under a hood.)

After a long day, with only one nap, it's time for night-night.

A Quick Update

Things happen so quickly around here that I often don't remember to update the blog with Ella Kate's new goings-on. Here's a quick list:
* She moved up to the Crawlers' Room at daycare and LOVES IT!

* But, they only take one long nap, which isn't enough. I have Miss Crankypants when
I pick her up from school.

* She's eating all kinds of table food - and LOTS of it. We haven't found much she
won't eat. Today at school she had meatballs, corn and pineapple. What a
combination.

* She chases the dogs, stopping to wave at them and say "Guh, guh." I'm guessing
that means "dog."

Hair Watch 2008

Watching the presidential election is not nearly as exciting as Hair Watch 2008. Family and friends wonder if Ella Kate's hair will come in straight or curly? Fuzzy or frizzy?

Ella Kate's mom, Allison Lowery Pullen, says, "Frankly, we're happy to have any hair at all at this point. There were many months of no hair bows."

Richard Pullen adds, "To date, with what little information we have to work with, it appears we have a mix of straight and curly. It's straight in the front and curling around her ears. The very back is beginning to look like my Puerto Rican hair - frizzy."

Stay tuned for more breaking news as it develops...

She Won't Stop Talking!

I'm trying to teach Ella Kate sign language. We've chosen the first few signs and work on them everyday. The problem is that if she wants more, she just looks at me and says more. No signing involved. She wants a bottle? She says bottle. We're still working on it, but she picks up the word much faster than the sign.

When we're at home alone at night, I talk to her to keep myself going crazy. I talk to her constantly. I guess she's just picking it up early. Or, she really wants me to stop talking so she's learning to talk back.

Everyday she surprises me few new words. Last night we had a mini conversation.
- She crawled into the office calling for me - "MAMA!"
- She saw me, sat up, waved at me and said, "Hi!"
- She crawled over to me, clibmed my leg and said, "up."
- I asked her if she wanted to go night night, and she pointed toward her crib and said, "nightnight."

Really? Already? I need her to be a baby for a while longer. Ten months old IS still a baby, right?

What Does A Puppy Dog Say?

If you're curious, cows say MMMMMMMMMM and Piper says Woof Woof.

Pullens At The Pumpkin Patch, By Ella Kate

Mommy and Daddy took me to pick out pumpkins last weekend. Truthfully, I didn't see what all the fuss was about. It was a long way away, I didn't feel well, and overall I wasn't too impressed. Mommy wouldn't let me crawl around and explore, which ruined the trip for me.

All dressed up and ready to go!


Why did Mommy dress me up like a pumpkin?


I really wanted to crawl and eat the sawdust!


I'm a funny girl!


Daddy helped me pick out our pumpkin.


I'm trying to tell them that I'm done with this pumpkin patch business.


Hey, I wanred them. They took too, too long. They deserved this.

Happy Fall Y'all

Since the weather finally turned cooler, EK and I have been having so much fun outside. We stroll around the neighborhood, touch trees, pull up blades of grass, "talk to" Piper and Penelope in the backyard, etc. She loves being outside. Here are a few pictures of her in her autumn attire.

EK in her farm dress. Can you tell it's very early in the morning? We bought this one for her Poppi in honor of his farm, Cottonwood at Huckaby Hollows. :)




Now that she's crawling, dresses aren't that practical anymore. I'm always looking for adorable playsets. This one is precious AND functional. A mom can't ask for more.

The Fruit Anniversary

Today marks four years since I married the most amazing man on the planet. Richard knows absolutely everything about me, and loves me anyway. That's saying something!

Apparently the traditional gift for a fourth anniversary is fruit. Sounds strange, but it's cheaper than jewelry.

Happy anniversary, Higgins! I can't imagine my life without you.

9-Month Photo Shoot

Due to popular demand, here are a few selections from Ella Kate's 9-month portraits. I'm putting together a movie with more, but these can serve as a teaser. :)

Notice her tongue. At least half of the pictures have her tongue sticking out. Ordinarily, this would drive me crazy. But, that really is how she looks these days, so I'm considering it a moment frozen in time...

Sweet Home Alabama

My fellow Alabamians:

Those of you who live in/around Huntsville. How do you run errands? Richard and I looked at neighborhoods all over Madison County and were disappointed with the lack of immediate errand stores around the subdivision alleys. I absolutely must have a Target/Wal-Mart/Home Depot/Lowe's/Kroger etc within 5 minutes. Otherwise, you spend an hour just traveling to and from stores. Is this normal, or am I tremendously spoiled with our neighborhood?

With the massive growth in Mad Co, wouldn't you think the retailers would wise up and start building? If I'm going to live in an old cotton field, I need some retail outlets to keep me sane!