Obligatory videos of the little walker:

(Did I spell those last two names right?)

Going to NC in winter is always wonderful because it’s at least 20 degrees warmer there. I hope to go back in the Spring, which is usually a whole month ahead of Chicago. By March/April, we all need to see leaves and flowers!

Arlo couldn’t have cared less about the weather–he was happy just to be with his loving grandparents and uncle. He had his portrait taken often–even professionally–and he seemed to enjoy being the center of attention for a good part of the time.

The only thing Arlo didn’t like during his visit was the carousel at the mall.

He had been practicing for weeks and then finally put it all together.

I’m so happy . Now I can put him down on the ground and not worry about him crawling through gross stuff. Now only his shoes will get dirty, unless he falls down, which I hope he doesn’t do too much.

My little boy is growing up fast.

His friends came over for a cowboy party. The menu included cowboy coffee cake, chili, and chocolate malt cake. It was a fun day. Arlo is lucky to have such good friends!

Highlights of the month were seeing the Doyles at the Brookfield Zoo, going to Grandma and Grandpa’s house in Ohio for a few days, and celebrating Thanksgiving in Chicago. Oh yeah, and Kurt grew a moustache for Movember.

Arlo is continuting to be a little chatterbox. Kitty, hi, baby, yum, and mama are in regular rotation, with bubbles and dada sprinkled in when necessary. Today he kept telling Stewart to get “down” off the table. So now there are three of us scolding the cat, yet does the cat listen? No.

Here are some photos from the past month:

We also had tons of fun with yet another cardboard box. This one was big enough to be Arlo’s house–perfect for a baby and a cat, maybe even a grown-up if you squeezed in real tight. I don’t know why we keep buying Arlo toys when all we need to do is fish for cardboard out of the trash. He’ll even fix it up real nice.

Arlo is also going strong with his walker cart. Check him out strolling with Veronica! Truth be told, she is less than impressed by his skills. (She’s walking already.) I, however, find them walking together absolutely adorable.

On Saturday we braved the crowds at Commercial Park and listened to stories being read on the basketball court. Arlo had fun crawling around, but mostly he played with straw. I made these creepy spider cupcakes for the party and I am just going to assume they were a hit since we they were all gone by the time we got there.

On Sunday we met up with Kristen and Veronica, who was dressed as a flower, and marched in a Halloween costume parade that went from Haas Park to the proposed dog park by the freeway. It was cold so we left without finding out who won the best costume prize.

On Monday, we passed out candy to the trick-or-treaters. I think it was the first time I have done that in forever.