noah's 8

Noah's 2nd grade photo

Cookie cake

Noah and his friends throwing the pinata after the hook broke off (three times).

Dan's a master at Simon Says (who knew?) and Jodi (Dan's sister) knows how to fold dollar bills into origami shapes for prizes. Impressive!

Happy Birthday Noah! We love you!

maxwell michael

our new nephew Max

Amy's sister, Lori, gave birth to baby Max about a month ago. We are very biased, I know, but isn't he CUTE?

Our kids can't get enough of him. He's so snuggly and sweet!

Welcome to the family, Max! Way to go, Aunt Lori and Uncle John!

football

Let's start by saying that it took football season ending before I've had time to post about football!

Whenever Daniel and Noah play a sport at the same time -and Daniel continues to take karate classes -and Emma takes art classes, confirmation classes and is involved in two after-school clubs-- my quality of life takes a hit. For the past few months it wasn't uncommon for us to be coming and going between 5:30 and 8:15 p.m. four nights a week! That means that dinner happened at 4:45 p.m. and cleanup of said dinner didn't happen until after everyone was in bed...or the next morning.

Yeah, it's been kinda ugly. I know many of you can relate!

Soooo not a lot of blogging time.

Here are some photos from their season!

Daniel played center and was #41. His team wound up winning their division's Super Bowl! It was a fantastic year for the Eagles!

Daniel's primary position was center (#41)

It just so happens that Noah's team, Killer Orange, tied for a win in their division too! Noah wore number 7 this year. His age group requires the coaches to move the kids around to different positions. His favorites were quarterback, running back and wide receiver.

Noah, #7, playing QB

Leah's one!

Aunt Lori, due to deliver a baby boy cousin next week.

Doesn't she look fantastic?

Mommy, Leah and Daddy.

Why is it that our backgrounds always seem to feature the *aftermath* of party preparation?

Leah's first cupcake...and the first shot where you can really see her new earrings!

Those were as much a gift for Mommy as they were for Leah.

Probably more.

Leah and Nana (Amy's mom), who celebrated a milestone birthday this week, too.

See Mom, I didn't say which one.

You're welcome.

Cupcakes, made by big brothers and sister - pink for Leah, green for Nana.

Princess Leah

:)

Yes, baby Leah had her first birthday yesterday!

No, there isn't anything wrong with the camera. I've been reading lots of blogs where people fade out the colors and antique them so I've been playing with those features on iPhoto. I thought these faded-out, vintage style images were fitting for a little girl's first b-day pictures.

Maybe not so much for the next post -- which will feature big brothers in manly football gear. :)

new tricks

August is flying by for Team Fulkerson!

Football (x2) is in full swing. Karate and lots of back-to-school-parent-meeting-open-house outings are keeping us hopping.

Here at home Luke taught himself to cut with scissors.

Not quite proper form, but he gets the job done.

Oddly enough, Luke learned how to use the vacuum cleaner the very same day.

He might like the vacuum a little too much.

Baby Leah, 11 months old, loves showing off in her new favorite place to play.

It's also new schoolyear!

Alex (our nephew) and Noah, ready for the first day of second grade.

Daniel, awake at the crack of dawn for the middle school bus. 5th grade is middle school here in Zionsville. I personally think it's criminal to make middle school last any longer than necessary, but here the kids get treated to four years of it. Blech.

Emma, our seasoned middle-schooler, starting grade 7.

We hope you are enjoying these last days of summer!

Love, Team Fulkerson

summer

The weeks since Dan moved home have flown! We are loving every minute.

Dan's new work wardrobe :)

Our fourth of July tradition is driving downtown to watch the fireworks in Indy. Our friends tipped us off to the fabulous trick of letting the kids climb on top of the van - a pleasure they look forward to all year (thanks, Gills!). Luke didn't love the noise. He was thankful Daddy was home to hold him.

We had the chance to take the kids to an amusement park in Santa Claus, IN (yes, you read that right) called Holiday World. It's well-known in these parts for 1) being in the middle of nowhere, which says something if people from rural Indiana say it's in the middle of nowhere. 2) boasting rides and water slides for kids of all ages - a major plus for a family like ours with a wide age spread and 3) providing free soft drinks and sunscreen throughout the park. Yes, you read that right! The amount of Sierra Mist that Luke consumed by himself during our day there was probably worth the cost of his ticket. ;) Seven Fulkersons worth of sunscreen for an entire day? Score!

Some highlights:

Emma, Noah and Daniel . This IS Indiana, so the manger scene was just around the corner. :)

This seemed like a more appropriate photo op, though -- complete with signs warning us not to climb on Santa.

Noah was a great sport- he rode the smaller-kid rides with Luke all morning.

Dan with Luke, Leah, and our massive bag of gear. It's a good thing Holiday World doesn't charge fees for oversized, overweight baggage like the airlines do! It would certainly offset the free drinks and sunscreen.

Every July I subject the kids to a group photo. As expected, adding one more person adds to the challenge, especially when that person loves to arch her back and try to fling herself to the ground when someone tries to hold her still. We did the best we could, and we took a few individual shots too. You can kind of see the wiggling, even though these are still shots.

Emma, age 12

Luke, age 3

Leah, 9 months

Emma 12, Leah 9 mo, Luke 3, Daniel 10, Noah 7

one of MANY attempts. Photo day always makes me grouchy. Then when I remember that I can sometimes edit out non-compliant siblings I feel better.

Daniel and Leah

Emma, Daniel and Leah

Keep enjoying your summer! Team Fulkerson

the end....and the beginning

Team Fulkerson is finally, once again, living under the same roof! We successfully moved Dan back to Zionsville last weekend, leaving Texas Children's Hospital --and Houston-- behind. We started driving at 11 a.m. on Friday morning and were in Indianapolis at 6 a.m. Saturday morning. We weren't kidding when we said we were ready to be FINISHED with that commute!

Here are a few photos from his last few days in Texas.

Dan ordered brain-themed cookie cakes to leave for his co-workers on his last day- or as close to brain-themed as Kroger's bakery gets. Cute, eh?

Good scotch, I guess? I wouldn't know. It made an appearance at Dan's going-away party.

The night before we left Dr. and Mrs. Luerssen threw Dan a lovely going-away party, Texas BBQ-style! It was so much fun for me to meet everyone!

The pediatric neurosurgeons from Texas Children's Hospital raise

their glasses.

It's July 1, so today was Dan's first day at his new job! He's not on the Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine website yet, but I'll post a link when he makes his appearance. He's been photographed and fitted for his coat so we have progress! Below is his business card, just in case any of you are in the market for a pediatric neurosurgeon.

It's official! :)

We are so thankful for all of the prayers said on our behalf this year. Prayers plus adrenaline kept us going.

Counting our blessings,

Team Fulkerson