More Halloween Pics. . .

Cousin Jordan as a purple dragon, Jared as Han Solo. (Wait, which episode of Star Wars was the purple dragon in? Must've missed that one. . .)











Baby Sinead as a very chubby, very cute bumblebee. . .Aunt Clare, Aunt Clare's little sister, and Uncle Dan as various characters from ,One Fish, Two Fish




Newlyweds Aunt Joni and Uncle Aaron as Boots and King (the Olson family's pets, to the uninitiated)





Grandma Olson holding Cousin Sinead

The Olson Family Halloween Party

Our sister-in-law throws a Halloween party every year--since she's expecting a baby girl next week, we ended up having it early this year! Sorry, there are no pics of Elizabeth in her costume--this year it was a party just for the adults, so she got to stay home with Nonny and Papa (and Aunt Amy and Uncle Aaron too--bonus!)



Hmm, maybe we need to get Elizabeth an Ewok costume. . .






Who'd have thought Elizabeth's Grandpa Olson would make such a great Frankenstein? The next picture is of Aunts Sarah and Skylar. . .can you guess who they're supposed to be? :)

The newest addition to our family!

It's the moment we've all been waiting for. . .The Land Cruiser is up and running!

As you may know, Jared has a special affinity for Land Cruisers. He sold his first TLC to go on his mission, and his second to pay for school shortly after we met. Several months ago he came across an ad for a Land Cruiser needing some major engine work--and knowing his love of Land Cruisers, I couldn't say no. . .And so we became the proud new owners of a Land Cruiser that didn't run.

Jared has worked diligently on Project: Behemoth for several months, spending countless hours in the basement and driveway in grease up to his elbows. Yesterday we were able to take it on its first family drive. Aside from the dents on the front hood, it's in fantastic shape thanks to Jared's hard work. . .Holly is beginning to feel vaguely like a soccer mom, now that she's got this huge car that will fit an entire PeeWee team!

"I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. Spielberg."

It's getting harder and harder to get a good picture of Elizabeth. . .She *loves* the camera, and as soon as she hears it turn on she'll make a beeline for it!

Poultry in motion is a beautiful thing!

I first came across this book while working at Barnes & Noble in college. Since then I've fallen in love with Sandra Boynton's charming board books. I ended up buying "Philadelphia Chickens" when I joined a book club for Elizabeth. When the package arrived, I immediately opened the CD accompanying this book and popped it in the CD player.

The CD features celebrities such as Kevin Kline, Meryl Streep, and the Bacon Brothers. . .and it is hilarious! The music is fantastic--from the swinging title track to the bluesy torch song "Nobody Understands Me" to the simple but charming "silly Lullabye" at the end. The lyrics are witty, whimsical, and well-written, just like all of Sandra Boynton's other books.

Shoot--I'll have to cut my critique short, as naptime is fast approaching. But seriously, check out this book/CD--you will love it!

It's all about the accessories.

Elizabeth has finally reached the crucial milestone in any baby girl's life: She now has enough hair to warrant "clippies"!

As a bonus, we're now picking up a couple of extra TV channels thanks to the new antenna.

New Nicknames

For those of you who don't know, we've begun to refer to our married friends with a nickname made from their two names. For example, Cory + Angela = Corgela.

Problem is, we've got babies now. . .so we need new nickames!

Cory + Angela + Jovin = Corjovela. ("Yeah, I like how the Corjovela handles, but I'm really looking for a model that will get better gas mileage.")

Mike + Elizabeth + Lydia = Miklizydia. ("The lab results are in. I'm afraid you've got Miklizydia.")

Any other suggestions?
How about one for Jared + Holly + Elizabeth?