Happy Halloween, everybody! Atticus decided he'd like to be a bunny this year so he's been hopping or rather galloping around these days. He had a grand old time with Big Momma and Papa hanging out at the mall and then answering the door for trick-or-treaters. He got some great Halloween cards this year (thanks!) which he has taken to bed at night to call on the powers of the Great Pumpkin. I got home from work in time to carve the pumpkin and Atticus got to enjoy the "fire!" of a jack-o-lantern.

Atticus is a sing-songy chatty cathy these days. The minute he feels comfortable in his surroundings your likely to hear him belt out "Chicago! Chicago!" which can sound surprisingly like a sick duck or an "ABC-Baa Baa Black Sheep-B-I-N-G-O-Row, Row, Row Your Boat" medley. We're now having to watch our language as it becomes his language. He definitely has the ability to communicate demand with a sense of urgency such as, "I need cherries right NOW!" It's enough to keep us on our toes and to keep us laughing.

Atticus is entering his 3rd month of school this week and has adjusted pretty well to life as a pre-schooler. He had a slightly bumpy re-entry after our week of vacation but is now clearly back in the swing of things. I accompanied Big Momma for the drop-off last week and as we entered the building he walked right out of his coat and never looked back. He comes home with artwork and new songs -- our collective favorite is "Clean up. Clean up. Everybody clean up."

This month we spent a week in Utah hiking in Arches and Canyonlands National Parks with a little bit of biking and climbing thrown in for good measure. We found out Atticus loves hiking! Heck, he was pacing some adults on the trails. We spent some time with John's climbing buddy Marc in Salt Lake and visited the Mormon Temple for good measure and then we met up with Ronny, Haley and Cainan for some camping in Indian Creek. It was great to see everybody and the boys really enjoyed one another. Cainan shared his dinosaurs and Atticus shared his vehicles. Together, they took over the front seat of our vehicles and created general mayhem with our dashboards. Fun, fun, fun! We're hoping to meet up with Cainan and his folks for a ski adventure sometime this winter.

Since we last wrote, there have been a few other important developments. John's folks were in a rollover car accident in Missouri on their way back from Kansas City. John's mom ended up being hospitalized and, after a frightening few days, made a speedy recovery. John drove to MO to drive them home and the following weekend we brought Atticus to meet them in Chicago. Atticus had a nice visit with them and we were able to celebrate both grandfathers' birthdays. Both Ginne and John are doing well now and we look forward to seeing them for Thanksgiving.

While we were home, we also managed to squeeze in a whirlwind visit with Michelle, Jim & Eliza. Eliza and Atticus, too, managed some interactive play and to share with one another. Atticus got a big kick out of Eliza's musical toys.

This month brings Atticus' second birthday and we're planning a small party for some of his playmates here in town. We'll keep you posted on our party boy and Thanksgiving festivities as well. Thanks for reading and hope all's well with you and yours...