For some reason writing these month in review posts seems to make the months go by a lot faster. Maybe it’s because I’m just more aware of each month as it ends. So instead of jumping straight from summer to “Oh my gosh, it’s Christmastime!” I get to “Oh my gosh!” at each month as it passes. But despite the quickness, October was lovely. And I learned some good lessons.

###1. My baby can survive without me.
We went on a vacation this month. The first time away without Charlie since he’s been born. It was much needed, highly anticipated, and for me at least, a little nerve-wracking. But I needn’t have feared. My boy can not only survive but thrive without me. He napped and slept through the nights without complaint. He impressed people with his good behavior at church. He cleaned his plate at dinner, and breakfast, and lunch, and snacktime. And his grandparents and aunts got in some good bonding time. So basically… I should leave more often.

###2. Life is simpler without children.
**Exhibit A:** As we packed everyone up for vacation, the back of our large family vehicle was full. It took us probably 5 or more hours to get everything packed up. Once the children (by children I mean, our actual child, the dog, and the two birds) were dropped off Chris and I were left with only two duffel bags and a lot of room in our trunk.

**Exhibit B:** While on vacation we had taken a break back at our room for the afternoon and needed to go find some dinner. Once we called ahead to where we wanted to go we started getting ready. We both changed into some nicer clothes. I freshened up my makeup. Chris double-checked to make sure he knew how to get there. As we were heading out the door Chris looked at the clock and said, “Did it really just take us five minutes to get ready to go?” It sure did. We high fived and went on our merry way.

###3. But life is better with them.
As nice as a relaxing weekend away was, I was so happy to see my baby again. Nothing beats a little boy’s giggles, or his hugs. Being a mother is certainly tiring, but at the end of the day it’s always the best thing about it.

###4. I like it when all my clothes are the same color.
My birthday falls in October, so this year my one request was a chance to go shopping by myself for some new clothes. I decided before heading to the store that I would try purchasing items that stuck to a limited color palette, specifically: navy, white, gray, teal, and berry. (I got the idea from [this post](http://family.yourway.net/6-steps-to-a-mix-and-match-wardrobe/).) Already I feel like I have a lot more options for outfits because all my new clothes go with all my other new clothes (as well as some stuff I already had). I might try to write a more detailed post about this later, but for now I’m just enjoying feeling a little more put together.

###5. [This fun app!](http://2ttf.com)
I can now make my own fonts out of handwriting! On my iPad! This is very fun and exciting to me.

And now comes November. For some reason I always think of November as a depressing month. It gets colder. It gets dark earlier. Blah. But November also brings a yard full of yellow leaves and THANKSGIVING! When I remember that I actually start to look forward to it. So here’s to leaf piles and green bean casserole. Enjoy your November!