The artist at work. . .

"Elizabeth's works are characterized by bold, repetitive brush strokes. . .Though her early pieces are somewhat lacking in sophistication, they do possess a sort of primitive, uninhibited energy. . .The artist's primary medium is pureed peaches and yogurt on plastic, but lately she has turned her attention toward the new medium of MagnaDoodle."

Happy Halloween!

Elizabeth loves her cousin Jordan!


Elizabeth, baby Madison, and Jordan. . .ready for some Halloween fun.


Kellie and Joseph at the Oakeson family party. . .Major snaps to Kellie and Sarah for creating the costumes. . .Bonus points for anyone who knows which of the Ninja Turtles Joseph is dressed as. (His armbands are *blue*)


Amy and Aaron as the Supers (fitting name for a couple who owns as many rental properties as they do! Ohhhh, that was a bad pun. . .)


"Da" holding his little bug. . .


"Mom-mom" holding her little bug. . .

How big is my baby?

a. Pretty good-sized
b. Enormous
c. So big
d. Little


Answer:


Soooooo big!

A new cousin!

Baby Madison arrived safe and sound Wednesday evening, weighing in at 6 lbs. 12 oz. and with a very respectable head of hair! We went to visit her in the hospital last night--truthfully, Elizabeth was more interested in the box of granola bars she came across than the baby. . .but we're sure that will change soon enough. Holly, on the other hand, could not get enough of baby Madison--what a precious little bundle. Those chubby little cheeks, that tiny mouth, those sweet newborn squeaks. . .not to mention the impossibly long Olson toes! There is nothing quite so precious and tender as a brand-new baby. . .

Congrats to Jay and Lisa and big brother Jordan. . .We're so happy to have a new cousin who lives in the same area code as us! :) (Sinead and Brooklyn, we love you too, of course!)

Murphy's Law of Toys

A child will prefer to play with a toy in all but its intended purposes. I think there are some others, too--like the more expensive the toy, the less appealing it is to the child. . . And when surrounded by a selection of carefully chosen, age-appropriate toys, the child will inevitably choose to play with the doorstop.

Movie star

(You *know* that she only left the sunglasses and hairbow on long enough for me to take this picture!)

Checking the headlines

Hmmm. . ."Canada Stalls on Trade Agreement". . .