The Rest of our Halloween Celebrations

October was filled with dressing up, candy and having fun with friends and family.

At our friend's Halloween party. 

Jude and his buddy Violet.

Han + Leia

 Tom's Farms fun

Jude's first pony ride! He loved it, but kept it to himself.

Trunk or treat!

Walking in the parade. It was one of the cutest things EVER.

October 31st. Our little yoda boy.

Jude and Campbell and Imogen, ready to hit the sidewalks!

Jude got to take it easy since we wheeled him around 

my parent's neighborhood for trick or treating.

He now loves any kind of lollipop.

Another pumpkin patch we visited near our house.

L.A. Date: Conan, Thai-town and Griffith Observatory

 Our cousin came into some Conan tickets and graciously offered them to us. We accepted happily! We love Conan and have always wanted to go to a taping. It was so fun to see how everything went down, walk through the studio and see celebrities! We laughed and clapped and had a great time, even if we were sitting in the back :)
It took a few hours for the taping so after we were starving. We headed to Thai-town for some good food. We picked a restaurant from Yelp called Jitla that had good reviews and a recommendation from Curtis Stone. The food was amazing and there was artwork all over the inside by Matt Groening. I guess he's a fan of it too!
We drove up to the observatory afterward and walked around. It was getting late (for me) and it was cold out so we didn't stay too long. It was SO wonderful to spend the whole day together and not have to worry about getting a baby in and out of the car. We missed Jude and were so glad that he was in good hands while we had our little adventure. Getting away for a little while every so often is very refreshing and gives you a little recharge as a mom. You come back renewed and ready to jump in.

Great Park Harvest Festival

We hit up the Harvest Festival in Irvine at the Great Park for the second year in a row. It was more fun with Jude being able to run around this year :) We met up with cousins this year again.

It was a cold and foggy morning but it warmed up pretty quick.

Jude picked out his pumpkin (and tried to pick up every other pumpkin, too)

We did a little trick or treating and played a few games. It was a successful Halloween activity to add to our long list of October fun! Jude loved playing in the dirt the most.

Watch Me Grow: 13 Months

Now that we've passed the one year mark I won't be doing the normal posed photos anymore, but I want to still record what Jude is up to as much as I can. Now that he's WALKING we are extra busy! Jude started walking at 12 1/2 months. One day he just decided to start taking 7 steps, then 8 steps, then 15 steps.  Last week he mastered standing up by himself from sitting, so there's no stopping him! He bonks his head pretty much every single day now that he's on the run.
He now says dada, mama, baba (for a pacifier, drink, bottle or sippy cup) ba for ball, and yeah boy.
He barks, makes monkey noises, dances to ANY song, claps his hands, plays peek a boo, chomps his teeth and wiggles his toes on demand. He throws and kicks balls, throws toys to Clementine and loves climbing stairs. He plays the piano and guitars at my parents house.
Multiple times a day he goes to the door and tries to turn the knob (he can reach it now?!) so we go for walks or to the park. We get out of the house every single day to do something, whether it's walking around Target, getting lunch or going to visit Grandma.
His 9th tooth, a molar, popped through around 13 months.
Jude is still a good eater but he's definitely slowed down with how much he eats. He drinks two small bottles or sippies a day of milk, lots of water, and sometimes juice as a special treat. He loves yogurt, applesauce, bananas, grapes, oranges, blueberries and cereal bars. He also loves pancakes. He still refuses eggs, fish, avocado, and mashed potatoes.
Now that he wears shoes he loves putting them on. He likes putting on our shoes too. He also will laugh at funny things on tv shows now and we have no idea how he knows he's supposed to laugh!
The kid is obsessed with his pacifier. I try not to think about getting rid of it...
We love every new thing he learns, every smile and giggle, wiggle and dance, and his sweet peaceful slumbering face. He's cuddly and lovey and gives kisses all the time. I love watching him grow and learn but realizing that he's leaving the baby stage behind is so bittersweet.