Marmee had a little Owl that followed her to:

A very big shout out to my Cousin KJ who actually slaved over this fantastically wonderfully, creative costume for her own son Oscar (Flash back to last Halloween). She graciously borrowed it to Oliver and we had quite a fun time visiting people over the last couple of weeks.

Who??

We found some Pumpkins at Auntie Em's House.

Mormor tried to teach a new bird some old tricks:

Little Owl came to MY work... what a historically cool building I work in...

Oliver attended his moppets class in part of his costume while I went to MOPS (mothers of preschools)

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you KJ for the Owl Costume- Everyone thought it was so unique and well made. I can only say I hope Oliver loved wearing it as much as I loved seeing him in it... but honestly, I don't think he pays too much attention to what he wears.

A monster mess maker

I'm glad you were so happy to make the mess.

Are you going to help clean uP?

Shoes Contest

I'm all about laughing at myself, being silly, and making other people smile in the process.

So when my Boss announced that we'd be having a shoe contest today- I knew exactly what to put on.

With a smile, a crazy outfit, mismatched shoes and a theme/ title... I was off to work.

Serveral smiles, a few outbrusts of laughter and a great day later- I came in second place in the shoe contest. (Yup, that's a size 22 tennis shoe I clomped around in all day)

Pancakes

What better way to celebrate "I took the day off for no reason" kind of day,

than with a Pancake Breakfast!

Oliver enjoyed his first pancakes so much,
poor Copper recieved not one single scrap.

Craft Night returns

While Oliver and I were off adventuring- Daddy stayed home to whip up some yummy creations for "craft night".

Craft night: I invite people who love to craft and/ or socialize to gather. They come from all over to craft the night away. In addition to a great night, Jerimy cooks up appetizers and a dessert.
It a fun time for me, and I get to catch up on my crafty projects. Plus, crafting with others gives me plenty of energy and ideas to continue crafty for several days after. Thanks for joining me and a HUGE thank you to Jerimy for preparing a wonderful Craft night!

Mn Arboretum

Auntie Em and Uncle Jon invited Oliver and I to join them at the University of Minnesota's landscape arboretum. It was a perfect day, starting off cool and crisp then brightening to a sunny, slightly warmer day.

Beauty in surround sound:

There's plenty of walking trails and we ventured forth in awe and wonder. Oliver had the coziest spot to view the fall colors. Boy did we find plenty to gawk at. Colors, a tree kaleidoscope, Panoramic views, and a maze.

THE MAZE:

Its really fun to have Eme back in MN- we can be silly again together:

just because

Playtime

Inspiration for a Bright Idea

Oliver and I went for a walk last week. It was a beautiful Fall day with plenty of colors to see. We stopped for a picture in this little sitting area. The benches are open books!

As we gathered leaves of all colors, I had a bright Idea.

Found a little time last night to put it together.

Why wait till Thanksgiving to be thankful for the things I have. On each leaf I wrote one thing I am thankful for. It's in a simple frame that I can add to at a later date should I feel so inclined. I thought it would also be fun when Oliver gets older. He could make one of his own, laminate it and have place mats for Thanksgiving. Decorations Done!

Back to Oliver...

The Blogger inside

Ta, Da!

Let me kindly explain the art work in the header- It's a TOMTE! (I've said that to a few people and they think I'm crazy.)

A Tomte is a mythical creature of Scandinavian folklore, believed to take care of a farmers home and children and protect them from misfortune, in particular at night, when the housefolk were asleep. Though small in stature, the Tomte possesses immense strength. It is said, that it's hard to catch a peek of him as he likes to stay out of sight.

I'm perfectly Scandinavian, so I fully intend to enjoy the little man in the red hat and should I get a glimpse or two of him- I'll let you know.

In conclusion, the Elf Army welcomes you, sir Tomte.

(I dare you not to have fun saying Tomte!)

I should totally be asleep

Since I have the occasional perfectionist moment, currently it's this addiction to making this new blog layout look exactly how I'd like it too. I guess I have to let it go for the evening and call it a night.

I'll be back to posting about Oliver soon enough.

You're so vain...

you probably think this (story) is about you

Oliver received this book from Nanny Liz for his half birthday: "I love you Through and through" by Bernadette Rossetti Shustak, illustrated by Caroline Jay Church. Super cute book.

I believe he thinks the boy in the book is himself. He loves to flip through the book and kisses the boy, similar to the way he kisses himself when looking into a mirror. I first noticed this when he pulled it off the bookshelf, bent over and kissed the cover of the book.

I suppose everyone has a mental self image.

Great photos

When somebody loved me
Everything was beautiful

Every hour we spent together lives within my heart-

lyrics to Sarah McLachlan's "When she loved me"

"Sleeping with the fishes"

Oliver should really be more happy because he's wearing these fishy PJ's.
I am totally in love with them.


I found them hiding in the 18 month clothes pile I have squirreled away. They must get pretty stretchy. Infant clothes are funny that way. I mean, He still fits into some 3 month labeled onesies.