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Christmas Traditions

Last year, I got so excited reading everyone's blog about Christmas traditions! I was so excited to start some Malone family traditions. So this year, I made sure I was ready for the Christmas season.

Advent countdown: We decided to go with the Christmas socks. Each day, we place a sticker or small treat in the sock for the appropriate day. We turn around the numbered clothespins for the countdown. I was also thinking of adding a bible verse in the sock each day. Perhaps the Christmas story, seperated throughout the 24 socks. Here are some pictures. Yuri is fascinated with the socks!

Of course, there is the search for the Christmas tree!

Next, we are still doing the Christmas PJs on Christmas Eve. I think this one is pretty wide spread. I do enjoy this one, though!

Every year, the whole Jeffery family (my side) has a Christmas party. I have a fairly large family. To put it in perspective: my great-grandma is still alive (104 years old) and she has 22 great-great-grandchildren (and 3 cooking now!) I have 11 cousins (not including husbands and significant others.) We have always been a very close family, and growing up, I have many fond memories of family parties. It is nice to get together with everyone. We no longer can have the party at my grandma's house, and for some years now, we have had the party a bowling alley (classy!) Some of the party traditions include a healthy game of "Rob Your Neighbor," children's craft (yours truly in charge of that this year), countless group pictures (perhaps more demanding than my wedding day), and new this year- an inspirational Christmas story.

Here are some (of the many) pictures!

These are just a few traditions! I don't have much time tonight; papers to grade. What are some of your traditions? Do share...

Think about it...

I think we can all use this reminder this Christmas season...



I saw this on my friend's blog and thought I would pass it along.

Yep....

Happy Halloween!

What an exciting day! Yuri (a.k.a. Tinkerbell) loved her costume and enjoyed the day parading around! At school, the babies at the daycare parade around for all the classrooms to see. Here are some pics of her and her friends.

Tonight, Mema came over to give Yuri her "treat." Then Michael went to pick up Will and we took Yuri and him around the neighborhood. Our neighborhood has a lot of kids so we enjoyed some time talking/playing. Here are some pictures of our this evening's festivities! Will's costume "fit like a glove" as Michael liked to say. I didn't do a very good job of picking the correct size!

Happy Halloween!

Catch up...

I know, it may seem hard to remember me, but I am finally getting around to updating. The Guest Blogger has decided to do all his picture/video uploading to Facebook, so he hasn't really been taking up my slack! Sorry!

I have a lot to talk about but I am just going to give snips of life a the Malone House for the past month. It will be a picture journal, starting with...

On September 22, my Great Grandmother turned 104. AMAZING! So, here are some pics from her party. We took a two different 5 generations pictures: one regular and one with just our hands. Grandma Jeffery saw another family doing that so she wanted us to.

Here is a video of Yuri doing "Ring Around the Rosie". Listen carefully, she is actually trying to sing the words. It may be hard to hear from the background noise.

Last Sunday was my first St. Louis University Softball Alumni game. That's right, I am/was a softball player. I played in college and going back for the alumni game brought back a lot of great memories of being a collegiate athlete. I didn't make a very good showing as a hitter though (ironically enough since I do hold the career record for hits!) It was still a great time!

Yuri loved the water cooler!


Friday night was the annual Fall Festival at SLCS (where I work). Yuri had a great time walking around. She even did the bean bag toss-by toss, I mean she walked up to the hole and put each bean bag in.

Last night was my 10 year High School Reunion! It was a good time at Morgan Street on the Landing. I saw a lot of people that I haven't seen in a long time and was able to reconnect with some "lost" friends!




Last but not least, we went to Eckert's Farm today. We started the tradition last year-going with my mom (Mema), my sister, my brother-in-law, and the boys (the cousins). Yuri was so much more engaged this year (obviously!). She went down the big slide, played mini-golf, watched the pig races, went through the corn maze, fed the animals, and picked out a pumpkin.

These were taken when we got back from the farm. We decorated one of the pumpkins with Mr. Potato Head parts.

My little sooner

Guest Blogger here again. Guest Bloggette claims that she "doesn't have enough time" with school starting up and all. What the heck? Does she think that she's teaching America's youth or something? Doesn't she know that our school systems are the best in the world? She can slack off a bit and we'd all still be OK. Wait, I just remembered that commercial with the flags that aired during the Olympics. I guess our education system is 32nd in the world (it failed to mention we swept the fencing events at the Olympics). Keep on working hard Guest Bloggette!

All joking aside, our thoughts and prayers go out to a fellow blogging family. Ryan, Nicole, Hudson, and Porter our prayers are with you during this time.

Guest Blogger had a great time this weekend with the Blogger Bachelors and is horse from yelling "Go Ducks" with this hands in a "O" for 24 straight hours. Always good to see a Big 10 team lose and even better to see a friend's team win. Can't say the same about Michigan this weekend.

The Guest Blogger is trying to pass some Boomer Sooner genes on to the lil' Blogger, Yuri. We all know that Grandpa Malone (and Great-Grandpa in heaven) are smiling when they see these pics. Most were taken during the Oklahoma-Cincy game which was close until about 13:00 minutes left in the 1st quarter. Guest Blogger and lil' blogger watched every minute.

Guest Blogger II

Yes, this is my second entry as the "Guest Blogger" on the Malone Family Blog. I invite all other husbands to guest blog occasionally as it allows one to relieve the "inner blogger child" that is in all of us.

Just so you all know what a "man" I am, let me start off by telling you what an awesome fantasy football draft I had on Friday night. What is that? Booing that I hear in the blog-o-sphere? On to more important things.

This weekend, the Malone Family missed Mike Laughlin's suprise birthday party on Sat. night because the Guest Blogger's family was in town. The Guest Blogger did manage to call LD on his birthday (Sunday) despite thinking his birthday was on Saturday. This is the second birthday screw up that the Guest Blogger has had this month with Fab Four birthdays. You are next Donny, the Guest Blogger will call you every day in December.

Anyway, we had a great time with the Guest Blogger's family as we went to Tower Grove Park, biking, hiking, eating and drinking. Good times. Check out the excellent pics taken of the family by the Guest Blogger's wife, Bloggette.