GO CARDS!

We had a great time rooting for the Cardinals on Saturday night. They beat the Brewers 5-2. Andrea and Tommie bought tickets to take their family, but Grant was invited to play in an All-Star game, so they couldn't use them. They had to twist our arms to get us to use the tickets. We were able to bring Harrison, Mary Catherine, and her friend Kimberly. Ross has already been to four Cardinal games, but this was the first for Elizabeth, Drew, and Mallory. Elizabeth watched most of the game and then decided drawing was more fun. Drew's favorite part of the game was eating all of the junk food we packed. He was finished with his stash by the sixth inning. On the way home we had lots of questions from Elizabeth about drunks and homeless people. It was a learning experience indeed. Actually it was a lot of fun!

Elizabeth, Harrison, & Ross

Mary Catherine, her friend Kimberly, Drew, and an extreme close up of me.

Mary Catherine is such a good big cousin!

Albert Pujols, I think. It was kind of hard to tell because my nose was bleeding.

The new Busch Stadium with a view of the Arch. Luckily, no one got stuck up there that night. In case you didn't hear on the news, people got stuck up there last Saturday for over three hours because the power went out.

Mallory Sandwich

Anytime I get out the camera to take a picture of Mallory, someone else has to get in the shot too. This one was cute, though, of her brothers "sand-wiching" her with love.

Quatre gamins bêtes! (Four silly kids!)

The kids show off their Canadian t-shirts.

SOOooiee! Here Pig!

So, Edward was having a peaceful Sunday afternoon, relaxing on the blue couch. Elizabeth decided to "tie Daddy up." She used her charm and whit to get him hog tied. She also easily succeeded because he was laughing so hard. After she was done she told him, "Now try to get out."

This couch has been a risky place to relax recently. It has seen it's fair share of "Kid Initiated Attacks." Right Uncle Aaron?

She even shoved a Fantastic 4 Flame On mask onto his face. Keep in mind it is meant to cover a seven-year-old's face. The hard plastic dug into Edward's temples and adult sized nose, leaving marks long after the mask was removed!

You'll notice Drew/Flame On taking advantage of an incapacitated Dad by throwing his famous move - The Earlobe Grab.

PAYBACKS!

Please don't call the authorities. This was all done in good fun, with much laughing and giggling by all parties involved!

Baby Ellie is here!

We have another beautiful niece! Baby Ellie has arrived! Katie, Mike, Matt, and Sam welcomed her on July 17th. She Weighed 6 lbs. 10 oz. and was 20.5 inches long. We can't wait to meet her when we take a train ride to visit their family over Labor Day weekend.

Bonjour! Parlez-vous Francais?

Edward, Mallory and I just got back from Montreal, Canada. It was a very relaxing vacation. We slept in late, ate a lot of great food, napped a lot, walked around the city, and enjoyed the amazing weather.

Luckily for us everyone there could speak English as well as French. I was finally able to put my two years of French from high school (13 and 14 years ago when I was a freshman and sophomore) to good use. I had a blast watching Edward try to communicate there. He could hardly understand what the natives were saying when they spoke in English because of their thick accents. He would call me over and whisper, "What's he saying?" when someone was speaking to him. On our last day there, I thought I would order our two donuts in French. I was very proud of myself because I thought I did an excellent job. The cashier smiled great big as she proceeded to check us out. I asked proudly, "Did I say that right?" She replied in a thick accent, "At least you tried."

Mallory snoozed almost the entire time on each leg of the trip. She did great.

This is the Basilique Notre Dame. We tried on two separate occasions to go in for a tour, but there were weddings at both times. Our friends were able to go in and said it was quite spectacular.

This is the Ste-Catherine Cathedral. Those are life-sized statues on the top. We're assuming they were saints.

This was the dome of Ste-Catherine's. This was our hotel, The Fairmont Queen Elizabeth. Our Elizabeth thought that was pretty cool.

I don't know what this building was used for in downtown, but I thought it looked neat.

Part of Vieux Montreal, or Old Montreal

Bon Apetite!

Edward's district manage, Richard, wanted to hold Mallory at the dinner. The whole time he had her I was thinking, "PLEASE don't spit-up on him!!!" Luckily she didn't. However, a lady came up to him and asked if Mallory was his granddaughter. With a taken-back look on his face he told her he was still in his 3o's. OUCH!

Yes. That's right. Those are flowers on our dinner plates.
On the last night of our trips, American Family always hosts a formal dinner followed by some entertainment. As we were walking in to take our seats, our friend Scott said, "Good news guys! We get to eat flowers tonight!"

Scott was actually brave enough to eat a marigold. After swallowing it he said, "Hmm. It pretty much tastes exactly how it looks."

Little Drummer Girl

After the dinner the company provided some fun entertainment. It was a group called the Rhythmics that they brought in from NYC. They were pretty similar to STOMP, creating music and rhythms from everyday objects. The performance was in the Bell Centre where the Canadiens play hockey. It was LOUD!!!!! We were given some earplugs for Mallory. She actually slept through the whole thing. Everyone in the arena was given drumsticks for a little audience participation. Edward couldn't resist getting her involved before the show.

Suson Park

The day before we left for Montreal, we took the kids up to St. Louis to swim in our hotel's pool, to eat at one of their favorite restaurants, Denny's (gag), and to Suson Park. They enjoyed feeding the ducks and watching the other animals.

This was our favorite shot of the day. In the miniature horse barn, we saw five ponies. Drew saw this one standing in the corner, and as serious as can be he said, "That one's been naughty."

Playing HOUSE

Drew pushed Mallory around in the baby doll stroller the other night while I was cooking supper. He kept doing laps around the dinner table where I could keep an eye on them. He was very happy to entertain her while I cooked, and she seemed content to go for a ride.

Life is Good...for Mallory & for Mommy!

Mallory has begun sleeping like a champ, and I couldn't be happier! She usually sleeps for about 6 or 7 hours for the first stretch of the night and then about 2 to 3 hours until she wakes up in the morning. Last night she slept for 8 1/2 hours! Yeah! I can also just lie her down in her bed at night, and she'll coo and talk to herself until she falls asleep. I've never had a child do that for me! Life is good!

A Special Day

Sunday, July 1, 2007 was a very special day for our family. Mallory Ellen Felker was blessed at church. Later in the afternoon, Edward Ross Felker was baptized by his dad. We felt so blessed to have so much love and support from our family and friends on such a special day. We wished everyone we love could have been there to celebrate with us. As Aunt Jan said, we "know you were there in spirit."

Ross and his proud dad

Mallory looked like an angel in her gown! The pictures don't do her justice! A friend from church made the beautiful gown for her.

Ross looks dapper in his new suit!

Sweet dreams!

Uncle Aaron, of course, is the hit of any party according to his adoring fans - the nieces and nephews. When he was done wrestling/playing with the kids he decided he'd take a little nap on the couch in the computer room. The kids would have none of that! So after waking him up by jumping on his gut, he decided he'd hide from them. He covered his entire body with the cushions and fell asleep. You'll notice someone spied him there and put a newspaper on his head.

A Sea of Shirtless Boys

Ross had a sleep over for his 8th birthday. The boys had a great time playing wiffleball, playing the X-box, watching The Sandlot, and other "guy stuff." When it was time for the lights to go out, all of the boys except one, took their shirts off. Elizabeth came in and said, "Ewww! Why are your shirts off?!" Grant, my 9 year old nephew said, "Because we're MEN!!!!!"