June 27, 2007

Mallory is always so happy and playful when she first wakes up in the morning. She has really begun to talk and coo. It's so sweet!

Rub-a-dub-dub!

Bath night is always a lot of fun at our house! It's usually a fight between Drew and Elizabeth as to who gets to take a bath with Mallory.

The Fantastic Four

For Fathers' Day I usually have the kids' portraits taken. This is this year's production. On our big portrait hanging on our wall you can really see the dirt in Drew's toenails. That's how his feet will look all summer!

First Smiles

Mallory has just started flashing big, toothless smiles. She is usually the most likely to smile when she wakes up in the morning and anytime Drew is around. Drew gets her to smile more than the rest of us combined.

Sprinkler Fun

We had a fun BBQ at the Marler's recently to honor Nathan & Laura (Marler) Hesmann's graduation from medical school. The kids appreciated Aunt Cathy's idea of playing in the sprinkler on such a hot day.

Cousin Joey isn't so happy about getting squirted in the face.

Ross, Harrison, Grant, Emmaline, and Drew wait for the water. Notice Drew getting ready to bolt.

Aren't big sisters great?

Elizabeth always has a great time dressing Drew up, and he is always a willing participant. He had no problem getting into the pink and white bunny suit. He reminded me of Ralphie in "A Christmas Story," although he was much happier wearing the costume.

Beach Baby

Of course Mallory is still too little to take a dip in the pool, but she was styling in her strawberry bathing suit to watch Daddy and the big kids go for a swim at aunt Joanie & uncle John's pool.

The Gang's All Here!

What a motley crew! For the holiday weekend, the Felker clan converged in Missouri to celebrate Mary Caroline's graduation. We had such a great time catching up with each other. The Reall's travelled from Chicago, the Carles travelled from Pittsburgh, and the Sanders travelled from Crestview, FL.

Jan and her kids - What a great looking bunch! Top row - Mary, Katie, Colton, Jessica, Jan Ellen. Front row - Edward, Jan, and Andrew.

16 and counting! Here is a picture of all of the Felker cousins (for now). Three more are on the way! Top row - Sterling, Edward, Julia, Katrina, Judson, Drew, Ross, Matthew. Front row - Carloline holding Kathryn, Audrey, Olivia, Sammy, Kayley, Elizabeth holding Mallory. It was a wild, fun weekend.

To celebrate Mary Caroline's graduation, a dance party was thrown in her honor. May-May (as the kids call her) danced all night with the kids who ADORE her. A fun time was had by all!

I captured Kayley break dancing.

Audrey danced ALL NIGHT LONG! Every time I looked on the dance floor, there she was. That girl can boogie!

While we were all together, cousins Caroline and Judson were baptized. It was great to be a part of and to see John baptize his first daughter and Jud baptize his first son.

Ross and Matthew had a good time hanging out, playing baseball, and sword fighting.

The "twin cousins, " Elizabeth and Julia share the same birthday (9 hours a part!).

AT LAST!!!!!!!!!!!!! After months of anticipation, Drew finally gets to see his fellow superhero and best buddy in the whole wide world, Sterling. I have been hearing, "I really miss Sterling" since we left. The Sanders live in Florida, so the distance is really hard on us all!

The three newest Felker cousins - Kathryn (2-21-07), Mallory (4-25-07), and Katrina (3-9-07) - three more are on the way!

Words of Wisdom

Drew tries to teach Mallory something each day.

Our daredevil

Elizabeth right after the accident. She looks SOOOOOOO much better now! We're amazed at how well she is healing.

"911... What's your emergency?"

What a week it's been! Three of the four kids are on antibiotics. Mallory is taking medicine for thrush - no big deal.

Then, Ross gave us a chicken pox scare. It's going around in his class. I picked him up from school on Tuesday, and he mentioned something about thinking he might have the chicken pox. Now, I love my son, but he can be quite a worrier at times, so I pretty much brushed him off. When I finally got around to looking him over just to ease his worries, I noticed about 15 spots on his face, neck, arms, tummy, and back. I thought, "Oh, great!" So a quick trip to Dr. Lee ensued where she assured me that it was just bug bites. What a relief! That made sense to me because we'd been at his ballgame the night before, and bugs do love his delicate skin. The next morning a got a call from the school nurse describing EVERY spot on his body - plus he apparently had about 20 more. I explained the situation, and she asked me to come in to have a look. I asked if she really thought it was chicken pox and she said yes. When I got to school, she said he was the 4th kid to be sent home that morning with c.p. So, I immediately took him back to Dr. Lee, who after further inspection, concluded that he had a strep infection. Hence, antibiotic prescription #2.

Now, comes the most traumatic incident. Last night we had just arrived at my parent's house for Ben's graduation party. The kids were playing outside. The adults were inside enjoying good food and good conversation. I went into a back bedroom to feed Mallory when I heard Elizabeth crying that "really, really hurt cry" (you mom's know what I'm talking about). When I walked back into the bathroom, a crowd had gathered around her. She was laying in her daddy's lap with a washcloth on her forehead. (Apparently, our little daredevil was jumping on the trampoline and tried to jump up and grab the highest leaf she could reach on a nearby tree. She crashed into it instead.) Someone pulled the washcloth away to reveal two big lacerations. My sister, a nurse, said, "Oh, yeah. She needs stitches." So, off to the hospital we went, and after five hours in the E. R., she came home with a total of 14 stitches. And that totals 3 Felker kids taking antibiotics!

Please pray that things settle down for us this week!

Little Sucker!

We couldn't resist this photo opportunity of Mallory finding her thumb for the first time.

Mallory - 2 1/2 weeks

It's hard to believe my baby is three weeks old today! The brand new, fresh stage is my favorite, so I'm getting all the cuddling in I can. I think this one is really going to be spoiled, but what's new! All of my babies have been quite attached to me because I can't put them down.

I took her to the doctor today and she already weighs 9 lbs. 4 oz. and is 22 inches. She is becoming quite juicy and plump! I feel the way Drew did when he said, "I can't stop kissing her!"

Ross LOVES his baby sister! He is so gentle with her. It's really nice having another set of arms to hold her when I need to get things done around the house.

The two babies - Mallory & Drew

Our two princesses!

Mallory got tired of me trying to get the perfect shot!

Big Bertha Lee

Elizabeth was recently selected for the lead role in her kindergarten play, The Three Nanny Goats - adapted from The Three Billy Goats Gruff. She was cast as "Big Bertha Lee." She told her Grandad, "I take care of business." She enjoyed knocking down the "nasty old troll." She takes after her Aunt Jessica and all three Wright uncles in the drama department - she was a natural on stage. She hopes to audition for other upcoming plays in our area.

Elizabeth and two of her kindergarten classmates - Abigail J. and Emily S.

Can you tell why she was selected to play "Big Bertha Lee?"

Honoring Mrs. Johnson

When Edward and his siblings were little, their family had a wonderful nanny/housekeeper named Mrs. Johnson. We recently attended her surprise 70th birthday party in Sikeston. It was a really special day, and we all felt very privileged to have been invited. She played a big part in the Felker kids' lives, and it was great to recognize her for the wonderful person she is!

Mrs. Johnson with some of her babies - Colton, Edward, and Andrew

Drew's obsession

For those of you who don't know, Drew has a little earlobe obsession. If he feels comfortable with you, he has to rub your earlobe. Earlobes just feel so soft and squishy to him. Baby's earlobes are his very favorite because they are the softest. Cousin Sterling was so kind to oblige when we spent time with his family in Orlando last fall.

Drew went to wrestling practice with Ross and Edward recently. He got to practice wrestling with a little boy named Austin. Before they wrestled each time, Drew had to reach up and feel Austin's earlobe, then he would shake his hand and start wrestling.

We hope this little phase ends before he starts school.

Our Princess

Every time we go to the shoe department at Value City, the kids pick up the disposable stockings and walk around the store with them on their heads. They all look like they're undergoing chemotherepy treatments. We always get a lot of giggles and stares.

The Bald, Toothless Wonder!

Elizabeth put on a show by trying to touch her tounge to her nose as we got ready to go Trick-or-Treating last Halloween.

Drew's self portrait

This picture is actually several months old, but it cracks us up! I just asked him what he thinks about this picture and he made a face and said, "Ugly!!! I was very naughty to draw on myself!"

Super Dad!

Edward reads books to the whole crew before bed. This is a favorite time of day in our house.

Daddy tries to find some time to play in the yard with the big kids. They all have big plans for him. For Ross, it's always some kind of sport (right now it's baseball because that is the current sport he is in). For Elizabeth, it's usually bike riding, playing catch, or dancing (sorry Edward - but what a great sport you are!). For Drew, it's usually baseball or wrestling.

Edward and Mallory are deep in conversation.

How sweet is this face!

Look at those cheeks!

I'm a sucker for pictures of newborns yawning!

Who do you think she looks like?

Our new toy

Drew is absolutely smitten with Mallory. He can't go 10 minutes without telling her, "I love you baby" and "I'm your big brother." He asked me one day, "Why does she have boy hair?"

He's been so sweet with her. He teaches her many things and likes to show her things as well. He was teaching her a lesson this morning about eating food and not complaining about it. He was very upset today when I spoilled his plans of sleeping with her tonight.

He also wants to protect her always. I stopped by the movie theater this afternoon to buy tickets for Edward and the oldest three to see Spiderman 3. I asked Drew if he would sit in the van with Mallory while I checked the times. He said he would and told me he would beat up any bad guys if they tried to get the baby.

We were so excited to pack up our fresh little pink bundle and bring her home after a two day hospital stay. Drew said, "You mean we get to take her home?!"