The Malone Family

Kye's Hospital Pics

2009-07-13T16:47:00.003-05:00

I am hoping to find time to write some more soon and post some pics but in the meantime, here are Kye's hospital photos. The hospital now uses Bella Baby Photography for newborn photos: www.bellababyphotography.com . You will have to click the link, click on the Bella Baby box on the left, then click on the "View my Photos-Log in" on the topright corner, and the password is 0708kyemalone.

Yuri Singing ABCs

2009-05-11T19:07:00.004-05:00

Easter Weekend

2009-04-12T19:46:00.018-05:00

We had a fabulous Easter weekend! It was busy, but time well-spent with friends and family. Saturday morning, we decorated our Easter Eggs. Yuri really enjoyed it! After that, our church had a Community Easter Egg Hunt. It was a great time, including awesome activities for toddlers (and older children too). There were sand tables, play-doh centers, arts and crafts, face painting (see pic), and bubbles. The Easter Bunny was there but Yuri only liked him from afar! Yuri took part in 2 hunts for eggs, but the first was a bust. All the eggs were snatched up in no time. The second one was much better and Yuri really go into it!

After that, we headed out to the Laughlin's baby shower. I actually went to the shower and Michael and Yuri went with Mike Laughlin out to the Morrison's. They took the kids to another Easter Egg Hunt while the women "showered". After the shower, we met up with the guys and kids and ate pizza at the Swinigan's! Great Day!

Today (Easter Sunday) was wonderful. Church was awesome and my mom joined us. Yuri was decked out in her new dress that her and Daddy picked out (an Easter tradition). She was not a happy-camper this morning, molars coming in! She was fine at brunch, though. We met my family for brunch.

Sorry about the lack of blogging. I find that blogging is the last thing on my list of things to-do. We keep pretty busy around here! The pregnancy is going well. Nothing to report. I am 28 weeks along and we have much to do around the house yet (to prepare). I will *try* to do a better job of posting. Here are some pics!

Elf Yourself

2008-12-12T23:44:00.001-06:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Christmas Traditions

2008-12-08T20:16:00.012-06:00

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...

2008-11-29T18:34:00.002-06:00

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....

2008-11-13T20:39:00.001-06:00

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T20:09:00.012-05:00

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...

2008-10-19T19:55:00.033-05:00

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

2008-09-17T19:30:00.004-05:00

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

2008-09-01T20:39:00.006-05:00

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.

Teaching Funnies

2008-08-20T21:10:00.002-05:00

My friend Katie posted funny things her students said/did on her blog and I really got a kick out of it so I decided to do the same. The ironic thing is, the students we write about could actually be the same b/c I teach 3rd grade and when she posted, these students were in 2nd grade! This is also a great way to remember all the funny things students say.

As I was grading some work tonight, I came across this...

The assignment was to use the word "antonym" in a sentence. It gave the students a definition: a word whose meaning is the opposite of another word.

This student (a boy) wrote: My sister is the antomyn of smart.

Brotherly love!

Guest Blogger

2008-08-17T20:13:00.004-05:00

Well, because of igoogle, I now have to play a small role in this blogging world. Yes, this is not EJ, but rather Michael. As I explained to Kasey and Heather on Friday night (I was there for a fantasy football draft...I swear...very manly); my igoogle is linked to their blogs and I basically can keep track of the Morrison and Laughlin families on a daily basis. Yes, I knew that Mike was working this weekend and couldn't come to St. Louis with Kasey. Yes, I knew that Heather got her hair cut (and looks stunning). Yes, I knew that Savannah was very excited about going to school Monday on the bus.

Anyway, the real reason I'm blogging is because I just have to show off some cute picks of my wonderful family. Yuri, EJ and I had a great time on Saturday going on a bikeride down the Mississippi River Trail. We crossed over the new McKinley Bridge bike tressle and had a picnic lunch on the other side at the wonderful town of Venice, Illinios.

So, I know this entry is a bit short. But I look forward to the next time that I can "guest blog" while still retaining a small shred of my manliness.

Later

Aged 1 Year

2008-07-11T20:43:00.003-05:00

Sorry to be so sparse (yet again). We have been doing a lot of traveling! But, in big news, Yuri's first birthday was last Sunday (July 6th). We had a Luau party at Tower Grove Park. I won't get into too many details but I will let you know it was a lot of fun. My big project was this slide show. I decided a few months back that I would like to create slide show for Yuri every year. I thought it would be a perfect "photo journal" of her life. Here is the official finished project. We showed part of it at the party, but this final cut includes the pictures from her party. Enjoy!!! (Just click on the link below.)

Yuri Year 1 6/1/08

P.S. The first song was the song playing when Yuri was born. Michael made a "Labor Mix" which included a lot of OAR!

Daddy's Day

2008-06-15T22:38:00.009-05:00

So, I am so excited because I have been blogging for long enough to do this with last year's Daddy's Day post!

I just quickly wanted to share Michael's first "official" Father's Day. Yuri and I really tried to make his day special! It is amazing to think that we haven't even been parents for a year and it has already been rewarding and challenging. It is really amazing to share this experience with my BFF!

We started the day by making Michael's favorite breakfast: Breakfast Burritos. Yuri and I had cards for daddy to open and a gift. This year, we got Michael wireless outdoor speakers for the deck. More on that later! Then we went to church. Michael had and soccer game and Yuri and I went to meet my dad for brunch. We tried to make it to Michael's soccer game after that, but we pulled up right when the game was ending. Yuri sported her "I love Daddy" shirt today for the occasion.

That's right, John McCain card just for Michael! Front says: You're a terrific Dad! Inside: I'm John McCain and I approve this message. Ha!!

We had a relaxing afternoon/evening with the Starks. I am excited to announce that my friend Evie (the female version of the Starks) started her own blog tonight which is listed on the "Blogs I Read" section. Visit her blog and encourage her to post. We BBQed and played my new favorite game "Settlers of Catan" on the deck, where we enjoyed the new speakers. These speakers are so awesome b/c they are completely wireless, so we don't have to worry about hiding wires. Also, the trasmitter works for up to 150 ft. Which means we just have it plugged in inside. The transmitter connects to pretty much anything; a radio, MP3, computer, or even the TV. Tonight we hooked it to the computer and listened to Pandora. There are a few pics of the speakers below. I just mounted them on the deck railing.

I think Michael enjoyed his Daddy's Day and I hope he knows how much we love and appreciate him! You are a wonderful daddy!

The 'Tude

2008-06-13T20:01:00.013-05:00

That's right, we have a girl on our hands! She is full of 'tude! This innocent little face is capable of manipulating, "talking" (more like sqwacking) back, and using her cute little hands to swat me when she doesn't like what I tell her. I actually had to resort to....TIME OUT! I know, I know; she is only 11 months old. I am sure that some of you out in blog land are judging me and wondering if I know that "developmentally she doesn't even understand". But, I beg to differ. The reason that I started 'time out' is b/c I was talking to another mother (Lisa) of a little girl (Charlotte) (cutie, by the way with an innocent face too!) about Yuri's behavior choices recently. She explained to me that they had similar instances with Charlotte and the same age and that they did 'time outs' which worked like a charm. After discussing the details, I decided to give it a try. Sure enough, later that day, Yuri started in with a fit and I used my "verbage" that I decided on and moved Yuri into our designated area. It was pretty drawn out but finally, she calmed down and we had a "heart to heart". This is my personal evidence of it's effects; later on, similar fit, I used my verbage and moved to the "area". It took her less than 10 seconds (about 10x faster than the first time) to collect herself. Maybe it was a fluke, but we haven't even had the need to use it again. I spkoe at length about it with my friend Anna (has her Masters in Early Childhood and knows a great deal about child development) and she was very supportive and even gave me some great info about 'time outs' and how to use them appropriately. All in all, I think I will continue to use them as a de-escalation tool.

Since Kasey expects no more than once every couple of weeks updates, I decided to stay true to my form. This was my first "official" week of summer because school let out last Friday. Yuri and I kicked off summer with a bang. Saturday, we made our first trip to the fountains at Tower Grove Park. We met Anna, Luca and Brian there and it was great. Yuri enjoyed it, but mostly liked to watch the other children around us.

Michael has been very busy repaving our sidewalk in our backyard. He is pretty much finished with all of it, except some details. It really turned out nice and I will post pictures of his handywork later. Thanks to all our friends who helped (Aaron and Matt). It really meant a lot to us that you took the time to come and help us on such a hot day!

Monday, Yuri and I went to Shaw Park Pool with Anna and Luca. We loved the time in the sun and Yuri and Luca are quite the playmates these days!

Tuesday, I had to go up to school to finish packing up my room. We spent most of the day hanging out with Liz and TJ. We made a trip to McDonald's where Yuri had her first Happy Meal. She at most of the hamburger and about half of the apple slices. I even gave her some cow's milk which she took to nicely. I am going to continue to give her a little each day.

Wednesday morning, there was the annual St. Stephen's Parade that goes right in front of our house. So we pulled out the blanket and watched. It was really cute and we got lots of candy! This is the reason I love our neighborhood (not the candy, but the cool events like this).

Then we went out to Webster Groves to meet Julie and Logan and Liz and TJ (that's a lot of ands). Julie is a member at the Webster Groves Pool, so we all went swimming and let me tell you: WG Pool Kicks Butt!! It has the greatest kiddie area! There was so much to do. We are going to try to make it a weekly thing (you asked for it Julie!!!). Yuri already has tan lines!!! (Of course I put sun block on her, she just has Daddy and Mommy's skin tone.) After all the pool fun (and a nap) we met Anna and Luca at Tower Grove and took a walk. It was great talking to Anna, yet again!

Thursday, we spent most of the day with Grandma Jeffery! We helped her hang up pictures in her house and as of today, she still likes where the pictures are hanging!

And finally, today! We had big plans to go to Suson Park to meet some friends but the rain changed those plans (and a flood at my school!) But we did go meet Grandma for lunch and then went to get Daddy's present! I'll show you that later!!!

We have big plans for this weekend too-a double header in our Kickball League tomorrow. Here are some pics of all the things I shared about our week. Enjoy! Don't forget to leave a comment-I'm tracking it now!!!!

Biking, Butterflies, BBQs, and Birthday Parties

2008-05-26T21:19:00.014-05:00

What an eventful weekend! I am just going to give a quick update since I really should be finishing up my report card comments! I am actually going to type them while I am uploading the photos for this post!

First of all, last Thursday, I called my friend Anna and she was getting ready to go to her and her son's (Luca) swim lesson. I have been meaning to sign Yuri up for the swim classes at the Y but haven't gotten around to it. So... we decided to tag along. It was great! Yuri did wonderful. She was so relaxed and didn't fuss at all. Here are some pics of us at the end of class...

Then on Friday, we met Anna and Luca, Sarah and Nylah, and Christy and Mya at the Butterfly House. We had a nice lunch by the pond in the front and then paraded in to see the butterflies. It was great! The butterflies were everywhere and the kids were mezmorized by them. We quickly took the kids out of their strollers so they could crawl around. I put Yuri down in front of this little pond to take some pictures and after snapping a few, a butterfly landed on her head!! She had a pink barrett in and I guess the butterfly thought it was a flower! I was able to get a few quick pics before it flew away!

Michael loves to bike and for Christmas, he got a bike trailer for Yuri. It very clearly says that children should be 1 year old before using it, so I have not let Michael take her out in it. But... Friday night, Michael asked me to compromise: We go for a ride with Yuri on the Mississippi River Trail. The trail is paved the whole way and the only real traffic on it is bikes. I agreed and we biked about 10 miles. We went 5 miles, stopped and ate (we packed a dinner), and then turned around and came back. Yuri did great and seemed to really lounge in the trailer. The only problem came at the very end when Michael hit a bump and Yuri cried. When we took her out of the trailer, we realized that one of the straps had rubbed on her little leg.

Saturday was busy. In the morning, my mom came over to watch Yuri while Michael and I met some friends to play 9 holes of golf. After that, we picked up Yuri and went to our cousin, Shannon's, for a family BBQ. It was really great to get to see her house (they just moved) and spend some time with family. From there, we went straight out to the Morrison's for Kasey's surprise party! It was great fun. Check out Kasey's Blog for some great pics!

Sunday, after church, Michael's parents came in town for Will's birthday party. The storm passed through just in time and the weather for the party was actually quite nice. Will really seemed to enjoy himself, and was especially excited about his cake!

Today, Michael's family, along with family friends, Paul and Erin, came to our house for breakfast. We ended up taking a walk with the the kids in the wagon. Once again, the weather was beautiful! We spent most of the day outside. Everyone left around 1 or so, and Michael and his brothers went for a bike ride. Yuri and I rested. Then Susie and Aaron came over to enjoy some grilled tilapia! Yum! Thanks to Susie for always being such a great friend! It is so nice to have someone to talk openly with and get great advice!

Well, that is about it! I think it is more than enough! That is why I don't post that much, I go, go, go!! Great, done with a post, done with report cards! Happy Memorial Day!

She's a Bad Mamma-Jamma

2008-05-11T19:13:00.021-05:00

Happy Mother's Day!! I have had a great first "official" Mother's Day. I kinda count last year even though Yuri was still cookin'. I know I haven't really kept my word about posting more regularly, but this is sooner than the last series of posts!

So, I woke up this morning and got some cute cards!

The one in the front with the little girl in pig tails was from Yuri! Then, I went downstairs to find my gift....

A wagon!! Of course it was rainy and cold today so we couldn't test drive it outside. We took it for a spin around the house! We spent the rest of the day with family! Good food, good company; couldn't ask for more!

Here are some random pics of the last month. This first one is of Yuri's new favorite thing to do; climb the stairs!! That's right, she can make it all the way to the 2nd floor by herself! This is actually pretty scary b/c sometimes she starts going up without someone behind her! Time for a gate!

This one was taken at one of Daddy's soccer games! Yuri loves to play outside and her favorite toy is a ball (and her first real word "ball"). I say real word b/c she associates the word and object. She also has a killer arm! She LOVES to throw!

These are a few pics of our trip to Arkansas a few weeks ago. My family takes this trip each year in memory of my late Uncle Tom who passed away from cancer. We did some shopping and played golf. I love to play when I get a chance. It is a great way to spend time with family, too. We played a scramble (I won't explain it but it was fun).

This chair is HUGE!

Then, a few days later, we went to Kansas City to visit Uncle Brett and Grandma/pa Malone. Michael had to attend some meetings so Yuri and I spent the majority of the time with G-ma and G-pa! Michael and Brett caught up with us later in the day. We went to see Bodies Revealed (great exhibit) and to the KC Zoo. It was nice weather, too! Thanks for taking some time off work to play with us, Grandma and Grandpa!

This is actually Brett and Yuri, although, it could be Michael and Yuri!

Keep Rollin'

2008-04-13T20:31:00.007-05:00

I feel like I have started each of my last posts (few and far between) have begun with "It has been a long time." I will spare everyone the obvious statement and just start catching up, as much as possible and as time and my fingers allow.

As I sit typing, I am watching 'John Adams' on HBO. It is a really great show based on the biography, John Adams by David McCullough. Michael (my history geek husband) and I watch it every week and we highly recommend it. There are very few times when the TV in our house is not on HGTV (can I get a 'what, what!!') and this show is one time. We also are faithful watchers of 'Lost' and 'The Office.'

Enough about TV. I really would like to tell you about Spring Break '08. It is quickly drawing to a close. I am lamenting the return to school tomorrow. It has been a very relaxing break.

We kicked break off with family and friends visiting for Yuri's Dedication on Sunday, April 6. We had a party after the service. The weather was amazing and it was so wonderful to spend time with family and friends. We want to thank everyone for coming to support our family on this special day! It was a special occasion! Here are some pics...

Michael was out of town for the first half of the week. Yuri and I had a busy time; attending a funeral for a friend of the family, helping out my sister, and visiting friends.

Saturday, we went to Cooper's birthday party! Very fun, but, Cooper got sick in the middle of it! Yuck!

Although, it seems that everyday, Yuri is doing something new, I put on this video of one of the newest "tricks". Yuri has been crawling and pulling up on things for a while now, but recently, we got a "walker" type toy for Yuri and she has begun walking behind it. It is so cute to watch!

A few last things, Yuri did have her 9 month check-up on Thursday. Here are her stats: 16lbs.-12oz. (20%) and 27-1/4 in. (50%).
Also, around Easter, our friend Pancho took Yuri's pictures. Check out the link to see them. They turned out wonderfully!
I will try to make my blog a little more of a priority. (Thanks to the encouragement of Heather and Kasey!)

Long time...

2008-01-20T18:17:00.000-06:00

Wow! It has been a VERY long time since I've posted. I got a little pep talk from Heather, so here I am. It would not be time-effective to tell everything that has happened since the last time I posted, so I will just give a few up-dates:

Yuri is 6 months old (as the ticker on the sidebar indicates-got that from Nicole's page).

She is rolling all over-instead of crawling! She is definitely using rolling as a means to get from one place to another. She loves to stand and started taking steps while standing when someone is holding her hands.

She started waving to people (that is very new-just today for the first noticable times). I will try to capture it in a video soon.

Yuri's favorite thing to do now is shake her head "no". This lends to some really fun videos...

Gianna Massena's 1st Birthday

2007-11-21T11:59:00.001-06:00

This past Saturday, Yuri attended her friend Gianna Massena's 1st birthday party! It was great to see the Massena's again, and we can't wait for them to move back down to the St. Louis area again (keep your finger's crossed!). This was Yuri's first time to meet Ben, Olivia, and Gianna, so that was very special. What a cute little girl Gianna is...

Hiking in Missouri

2007-11-21T08:57:00.000-06:00

Yuri went on her first hike a couple of weeks ago! Lots of fun riding around on daddy's chest, although if she gets much heavier that could be a bit of a problem. We went hiking in Babler State Park in western St. Louis County along with mommy cousin Will, Uncle Rodney, and the dogs. It was a great time.

Not to brag, but...

2007-11-13T22:01:00.000-06:00

I got this from Nicole's blog. I hope you can understand my blog, Nicole:) It's a little ironic since I can't even figure out how to space things correctly on my blog.

Get a Cash Advance

Until I was a mom...

2007-11-08T21:52:00.000-06:00

There are a lot of things I didn't realize that I could do...until I was a mom. I've learned to....

make up about 12 verses to my very own "Scrub-a-dub-dub" song to make Yuri happy while taking a bath.

feed Yuri while...

-typing with one hand

-grading papers and completing lesson plans

-clipping her little fingernails

-attending a work meeting

walk two dogs and a baby with few problems

make up ridiculous nick names

decipher my baby's cry from that of the other kids in the daycare.

I can now...

pump and eat lunch at the same time, all in less than 20 minutes.

carry a car seat (with Yuri in it) and 4 bags(breast pump, lap-top bag, diaper bag, and purse) in one trip.

take off my seatbelt, find a binkie wedged in between Yuri and her carseat, put it in her mouth, and put my seatbelt back on before the stop light turns green.

pick boogers from another human being, and not be at all grossed out (I actually find it satisfying).

I find myself...

talking in a high-pitched voice and saying "lu-you, lu-you" to people that are not my baby, and sometimes just to myself.

humming "Baby Einstein" music randomly.

looking in my rear-view mirror to see Yuri's reflection in her car seat mirror-even when she is not in the car with me.

skipping the women's clothing section and making a bee-line to the baby-girl clothes.

checking in on Yuri multiple times once she has gone down for the night, just to make sure she hasn't gotten too close to the bumper on her crib.

turning up the monitor every once in a while just to hear the little breaths.

obsessed with the amount of poops Yuri has each day.

excited about the Bumbo (thanks Summer and Briley) and the Jump-a-roo.

obsessed with kissing her little cheeks.

amazed that I have been so blessed by this little Gift from God!!

Knock, Knock...

2007-10-31T22:44:00.001-05:00

Who's there?

This is her Halloween outfit. It says "I love mummy".

Today at daycare, all the kids got dressed up and paraded around school. It was very cute! Here is a group picture.

Gus (6 months) was a monkey so we took advantage of the photo-opp.

We went to community group tonight with Yuri in her costume. She got sleepy!

Party Animal

2007-10-27T22:35:00.000-05:00

Tonight Michael, Yuri and I went to our first block party. Not that we have lived many places but this it the first time we have experienced this. They blocked off our street with cones this morning and set up tables. People brought out fire pits and a grill. We all ate and drank together. We got to know some neighbors that we hadn't had a chance to meet and I even found out that we live down the street from another Lutheran South grad! We had a really nice time and made some new friends.
Here is the party animal:
When she wasn't sleeping, she was mezmorised by the fire. As the sun went down, it got cooler which was the perfect opportunity to sport a new winter hat:

Daddy's little bean burrito:

Mom and Dad:
What is it about becoming parents that makes us start to call each other "mom" and "dad" instead of by our names? I remember growing up and hearing my grandma call my grandpa "dad" all the time. Maybe it's just something that I do...

Last night, our school had its annual Fall Festival. The family went and Yuri helped us run our grade level boothes. My grade level did "Target Ball" and Michael's had the "Cake Walk". I propped Yuri in the Bumbo and later in a bouncy seat when she got tired (thank God for the on site Day Care-I didn't have to bring these from home).

Yesterday, Yuri and I went to visit the Leftridges. I work with Julie and she just had Logan about a month ago! It was so great to see her and her new baby girl! She looks fabulous! Logan was so presh, and she made me miss little baby Yuri!

Here are some photos from last weekend at the Pumpkin Patch with Brad, Renee, Jacob, Cole, Cooper and my mom. We went to Eckert's to pick out a pumpkin.

To Grandma Malone

2007-10-21T21:44:00.000-05:00

Marathon (and half) Madness

2007-10-21T21:04:00.000-05:00

Wow, been a long time since you've heard from the Malone Family. In order to keep up with all the action, we've employed a new member of the Malone Blog team...Michael. That's right, Daddy Malone is now a contributing member.

Since its one of my first blogs and since I'm so wrapped up in myself...this first blog of mine will be reporting on the Chicago Marathon. Good news, we have lots of great picture of Yuri during the race and daddy did finish before they called the race off (4 hours, 1 minute for those keeping track at home).

Yuri had a real cute shirt cheering her dad on.

On a more impressive note, the next weekend EJ finished in the 2nd Annual SLCS Half Marathon at our school. Since she had a baby less than 4 months ago, it was even more impressive than Michael training for his marathon.

At present, we are done running. We are now fully resting until we become a bit chubby again (Skinny Yuri is not included in this). If you want to give us all a complex, mention how out of shape we are getting the next time you see us and that should get us jumpstarted again.

Been a while...

2007-09-27T16:00:00.000-05:00

I realize that it has been a long time since I have posted. I really don't have much time right now b/c we are going to spend the weekend in McPherson, Kansas to visit Michael's family. Yuri is going to meet her great grandma and grandpa Newell. We'll be sure to post pics. Tonight we are leaving to travel part of the way. We are going to stay at the Laughlin's in Columbia. Traveling to McPherson is the perfect excuse to make a stop to visit them and I am excited to see them since it has been a while.
I just wanted to give a quick Yuri-update. She is growing so fast and each day I am so blessed by her. She is a talker! She loves to babble to anyone that will listen. Here is a video of her talking. Sorry that it is sideways, I can't figure out how to rotate it.

Also, here are some pics of Yuri's room. We just got the bedding (thanks, Mom!!). It is beautiful! I also finished her letters. They turned out great, thanks to the great advice from Nicole and Heather! I wish you could see them better but this will have to do. Slowly, her room is getting done. That is good b/c she is sleeping in her crib now and has been for a week and a half. We kinda miss her in our room!

Weekend of Firsts...

2007-09-07T23:05:00.000-05:00

I know, with a new baby, everything is 'a first'. But, growing up in St. Louis, I can truly say that we encountered a true milestone: that is Yuri's first Cardinal's baseball game. We got tickets from our good friends, Matt and Evie, for last Friday night's game. The tickets were fabulous: a party box. Yuri was an absolute hit. She was on her best behavior and wasn't even phased as 50,000 fans screamed when Rick Ankiel hit a grand slam. Although it hasn't been confirmed, we're pretty sure that Rick dedicated that grand slam to his youngest fan, who was eagerly watching from her daddy's lap. Yuri fits right in here in the Lou.
Saturday morning, we woke up and got ready for another first: a vacation. We spent Labor Day weekend with the Crowders, the Schrimpfs, and the Wohlgemuths at the Lake of the Ozarks. The Schrimpfs came to pick us up and we rode together. Yuri was the only one who didn't get car sick on the way down. We stayed in a roomy condo at the Lodge of Four Seasons. The guys played a round of golf everyday while the girls shopped at the outlet mall. I got some great new clothes and so did Yuri. She, by the way, was a peach. She was complimented often on her calm demeanor. We are very blessed! BTW, she slept through the night for the first time on Saturday night! Anyhow, we had a very relaxing time, playing games, hanging at the pool, and eating great food.
Finally, today, we had Yuri's 2 month check-up. She had to get 4 shots (yuk). Yuri is 10lbs14oz. (50th percentile) and 23 in. long (75th percentile). Dr. Whiteside said she is a very healthy little girl.

Swimsuit Edition

2007-08-20T21:18:00.000-05:00

Last week, Yuri and I went swimming to celebrate our last days of summer vacation. Here are some pics of Yuri in her swimsuit. She couldn't really get in b/c they don't make swim diapers small enough for her, but she looked cute relaxing by the pool, none the less.

When You're Smilin'

2007-08-13T13:13:00.000-05:00

That's right, Yuri is now smiling! She started last week! Dr. Whiteside was very impressed when we (Grandma Malone and I) told her that Yuri had already been smiling at people; she said the average is at 6 weeks (Yuri was only 4-1/2 weeks). Yuri even smiled at the nurse who was measuring her. Here is a video of her smiling!! She does it twice, you have to wait for it!

Let me give you a recap of our weeks, since it has been a while since I have blogged.
Last Sunday, Grandma and Grandpa Malone came into town. Well, Grandpa was dropping off Grandma so she could spend some time with Yuri. I guess Yuri wanted to make sure that Grandma's week was worth it b/c she cooed for the first time and smiled for the first time.
Here are some pics.
We had a great week. Michael had to go back to school so it was nice to have someone else around. Monday night, we went to meet our newest little friend: Preston Eash. It was so exciting to finally meet him. Kyle and Marisa looked great!
Wednesday was Yuri's 1 month doctor's appointment. She weighs 9lbs10oz and is 22 inches long. She is 75th percentile for weight and 80th percentile for length. What a big girl she is now! We also spent time with Aunt Renee and the cousins and Aunt Gina and cousin Will.
This weekend was very busy also. Friday, Michael had to drive Nancy back to Kansas City to meet his dad. Yuri and I spent the evening with Mema Redd. Yuri didn't waste any time and smiled at grandma right away. Saturday morning I woke up a 5 a.m. to drive Grandma J-funk to the airport. She is vacationing in Mexico as we speak! Lucky! Then we went to the Wohlgemuth's for a Back-to-School BBQ and after that to the Morrison's to visit Dave, Amie, Ben, and Jeremiah, who were in town from Nashville. It was fabulous to see them.

Sunday, Michael had a soccer game. My dad came and got Yuri and I to go eat at Gingham's (and see Aunt Amber). Once again, Yuri made sure that she showed Poppy how she smiles! After lunch, we went to see my Great Grandma Koch, which is Yuri's Great-great Grandma. She hadn't met Yuri so we made our way out to the home. She is 102 years old, so it was a very interesting and unique experience. Great Grandma LOVES babies. She can't see very well, or hear very well but when we put Yuri in her arms, she was in awe. She couldn't stop talking about how sweet and precious she was. After telling her roughly 50 times that the baby had not been just left here, but was in fact my baby, and telling her the baby's name was Yuri (of which she never got, but thought it was Jerry, Debbie, and Gary that we were saying) we said goodbye. That night, Dave and Amie stopped by on their way out of town. What a great way to end the weekend. Here are some pics of Great-great Grandma Koch and Yuri.
Here are some other recent pics of Yuri!

Massive Head Wound Harry

2007-07-23T16:01:00.000-05:00

The Malone household saw a very busy weekend. I don't think that we slowed down the whole time. Friday, we went to the zoo with my sis and the nephews. It was Yuri's first trip to the zoo, not that she will remember it. It was a beautiful day though and we all had a great time.

The other children are a friend of Renee's. They were all so cute. I know that it looks like the sun is shining right on Yuri, but it really wasn't in her face.

Too much excitement for Yuri. Time to rest!

Aunt Nae, Yuri and a bear

Daddy, Yuri and a polar bear

Mommy, Daddy and Yuri in front of the zoo.

Saturday we went swimming in the afternoon. Yuri and Daddy sunbathed in the shade!

Saturday night, we went out to visit Shippy, a friend that still lives in Guam. He is in town visiting. It was really nice to see him again! We miss him!

Shippy and Yuri

On Sunday, we went to church in the morning and then to eat with some friends from church. We went home and took a short nap and then went to Michael's soccer game. When we got there, I had to feed Yuri so I stayed in the car to do so. A little time later, Liz comes knocking on the window saying that Michael was hurt and had to go to the hospital. He had collided with the goalie while going up for a header. He had and gash above his right eyebrow that was very deep. Not to be too graphic but you could see his skull and his eyebrow drooped down because there was nothing to hold it up. Luckily, we had some help from Pancho's parents. They drove Michael to the ER and I followed. I am so glad they were there to help b/c I had my hands full with the baby.
When we got to the hospital, they decided that he would have to get stitched up by a plastic surgeon. Michael actually had muscles that had to be reconnected and some nerve damage. The surgeon did a great job though and Michael looks good. Here is a pic of the gash. It truly doesn't do it justice though.

Playtime

2007-07-19T21:16:00.000-05:00

Two posts in one day!!! Exciting. I just wanted to share a video of Yuri at playtime today. We got out her Baby Einstein Activity Gym. Yuri loved it and I tried to capture her reaction to it in this short video. It is kind of dark but you can still tell that she is quite captivated by all the "flare". It was really amazing to watch her notice everything. She continues to bless me everyday. It is so wonderful watching her develop.

Odds and Ends

2007-07-19T12:39:00.000-05:00

So, once again I have gotten behind on blogging. There has been so much going on and I can't keep up with everything. I am just going to make a hodge-podge of pictures andI captions updating you with things that have been going on.

First is Yuri's first beth which was last Monday. Mommy and Daddy had fun, Yuri didn't. She just got cold...

Next is a picture of Yuri on her BilliBed. She had to be on the bed for four days because she was jaundice. It was no fun because we had to leave her on the bed at all times, except to feed. That was very hard for us since all we wanted to do when we got home was snuggle with her and hold her.

This is one of Yuri sleeping in her SwaddleMe. That thing is amazing!

And this one is from yesterday... Yuri's first trip to the mall. She was a hit. We went with Aunt Nae and the cousins (Jacob, Cole and Cooper). It was a long day but she was flawless. She slept part of the time and the other part she just looked around. She's so stinkin' cute!!

The Many Blessings...

2007-07-16T17:25:00.001-05:00

It has been an amazing past few weeks. Being new parents has been surreal. We have had so much support from family and friends that the transition from husband and wife to mommy and daddy has been smooth and enjoyable. This blog entry is a tribute to all the people who supported us with visits, time, gifts, and even food. The slide show includes most of the people, sorry if I didn't get a picture with you.

Thanks to the following:
Mema Redd, Poppy, Grandma and Grandpa Malone, Aunt Nae, Aunt Amber, Uncle Rodney, Aunt Gina, Cousin Will, Uncle Brett- for your support during the delivery and sticking around through the grueling wait for the arrival of Yuri, also thank you for your support and examples of selfless giving and love.

Cousin Jacob, Cousin Cole, Cousin Cooper, Great Grandma J-funk, Uncle Bruce and Aunt Debbie, the Morrisons, Cousins Mark and Jill, the Woods, the Wohlgemuths, the Laughlins, the Schrimpfs, the Crowders, the Eashs, Saxy and mom (Bonnie), and Kerri- for taking the time to visit us in the hospital and the thoughtful gifts.

Grandma and Grandpa Malone, Great Grandma J-funk, Mema Redd, the Swinigans, the Morrisons, the Woods, Poppy, Bambaneck, Callie Mac, neighbor Maddy, neighbors Mike and Kendall, the Crowders, and the Wohlgemtuhs-for the tasty food to help sustain us!!

Nah-Nah, Mr. and Mrs. Towns, the Amundsons, Carrie Jacques, andGreat Grandma and Grandpa Newell-for the wonderful gifts!

Backflash

2007-07-16T11:49:00.000-05:00

Since it has been so long since I have posted, and so much has happened, I am going to do multiple posts. This one will be short because I mainly want to share a video of Yuri's first minutes of life. Don't worry, I am not in it but on a sidenote, Micheal did videotape the birth-what was supposed to be a g-rated video-but dad was a little excited in the moment (understandably) and his recording skills turned out to be...well...not so modest. So, this is when Yuri was getting her footprints in the delivery room shortly after birth. Listen carefully and you will hear OAR, "It's About Time" in the background. Daddy made the delivery mix and oddly enough that is what was playing when Yuri was born. Fitting since it was the 18th hour of labor and 4:36 in the morning. Anyhow, enjoy!!

Starting our New Family

2007-07-15T22:26:00.001-05:00

Wow, sorry its been so long with updating this, but its been busy around the Malone house. Much love to our family and friends who have been so kind with visits, food and baby holding (Uncle Aaron Woods). Yuri seems to be doing great and is almost sleeping throughout the night. Now that I've written that, she won't sleep at all tonight, so that should be fun. We've done such "family" things like our first walk (with the dogs of course), first bath, and our first sleep with dad on the couch. Pictures of all will be coming on Monday hopefully.

New Addition, Yuri Marie Malone

2007-07-06T12:41:00.000-05:00

Friday, July 6th, 2007. 4:36 AM, EJ and God brought into the world Yuri Marie Malone. She was born at St. John's Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri and weighed in at 6 lbs, 15 oz and 20 inches long. Baby and Mom are doing great and we just had our first breastfeed!

A little background on our interesting name. In Guam, we had a Korean Student whom we both adored who was named Yuri. We thought the name was beautiful and creative. It is not only a male Russian name (insert jokes here), but also a Japanese girl's name.

If you are in the area while we are at the hospital (until Sunday morning maybe!) please call my phone and stop by.

Arriving at the Hospital

2007-07-05T10:47:00.000-05:00

Good morning family and friends, this is Michael. EJ and I arrived at St. John's this morning at about 9:30 to have her water broke and get this baby out! The nurses here at St. John's were amazed at how many contractions she was having (Erin said she couldn't really tell!) once they hooked her up. In about 30 minutes the doctor will break her water and we are going to try to avoid taking any medication during the pregnancy. I say "we", what the heck? I know, you are thinking, "Michael has not idea the pain EJ will go through, easy for him to say with no meds!" However, Erin is going to try not to use meds, I'm going to use a little medicine called "Caffeine" during the process to get me through this. Pray for us, and we will update more!

38 Weeks...

2007-06-28T21:48:00.000-05:00

Well, we made it this far. I am now 3 centimeters dilated and thinning. My doctor says I am "ripe and ready". He even offered an induction date of as early as tomorrow, but Michael and I opted out of that for now. We would like 'nature to take its course'. We compromised though and said that if we had not gone by next Friday/Saturday, we would go ahead and induce. This is exciting and scary at the same time. To think that at this time next week, I could be a mom. God help us!!

The nursery is almost ready! There are a few odds and ends left and we are not going to order bedding until the baby comes. I couldn't find anything that was truly neutral that I liked, so we will just order it when we know what the baby is; boy or girl. So, take a look at the video tour of the nursery, keeping in mind that we are still getting bedding and wall hanging/decorations. The most recent piece just came in on Tuesday; the glider! It is awesome too! I can't wait to rock the baby to sleep!

Father's Day

2007-06-20T17:00:00.000-05:00

Michael enjoyed his first official Father's Day on Sunday. The baby got him some cool stuff. Actually, it was stuff for the baby, but things that Michael would enjoy too. Since he is such a huge OU fan, I found an OU recieving blanket and an OU infant pack. The infant pack included a home and away onsie, an OU pacifier, a football hand rattle and an OU cap. Michael was excited that he would be able to indoctrinate the baby to OU football at such a young age. He said, "I can't wait to dress the baby up and sit on the couch with him/her to watch to OU games. I hear this addiction is a genetic one, anyway!

Learning to be a Daddy

2007-06-18T07:56:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, Michael and I attended an infant care class in which you learn how to care for your new baby. When we got there, about 5 minutes late thanks to me, there was only one table left. We sat at the table and our gaze fell upon a little African American baby doll that we would "care for" for the next 6 hours. We were an inter-racial family! Dave and Amy would be so proud!!

Anyhow, her name (that's right, the baby's name could be found on the small hospital ID bracelet on her wrist) was Diana Hospital. Michael took the lead in caring for Diana since I have had some experience with infant care thanks to my nephews. Throughout the day, Michael practiced bathing, changing a diaper, and dressing the baby. Check out the videos of Michael's fine work:). Sorry to say that I missed the very best one: when he changed the diaper. It was comical and endearing! I know that within the first few days of "the real thing", he will be a pro!

2007-06-17T00:11:00.000-05:00

The Pregnant Girl

2007-06-12T17:16:00.000-05:00

So...I am excited to have this new blog to keep friends and family updated on our little family. People have been asking for pictures of my HUGE belly so I figured it would be appropriate to post, in sequence, photos of me throughout our pregnancy. Enjoy!!!

Date: January 14, 2007; 14-1/2 weeks pregnant

Date: January 30, 2007; 17 weeks pregnant

Date: February 7, 2007; 18 weeks pregnant

Date: February 14, 2007 (Dressed for a romantic Valentine's Day!!); 19 weeks pregnant

Date: February 28, 2007; 21 weeks pregnant

Date: April 10, 2007; 27 weeks pregnant

Long delay, I know. We had a crazy March as we were packing and moving into our new house!

Date: May 10, 2007; 31 weeks pregnant

Date: May 15 2007; 32 weeks pregnant

Date: June 15, 2007; 36-1/2 weeks pregnant

As of this picture, I am 1-1/2 centimeters dialated!! Wow!

Hope you enjoyed my growth as a pregnant girl!