rachie day, take five

How does a new mom of four celebrate Rachie Day:

1. French Toast and strawberries in bed

–delivered by the most adorable brown-skinned beauties you have ever seen.

2. Gorgeous flowers arranged in my grandmother’s carnival glass vase

–arranged by mine truly. 

3. Watching three of the four ninos sing (I Often Go Walking…) their hearts out with the primary

–the fourth was, well, singing his own tune in the van with daddy. :)

4. Dinner with the McCrackens

–the men planned, prepped, and cleaned a “Tour of Italy.” (I am sure it was delicious)

5. One yummy back massage, and another amazing card from Adam

–a perfect ending to a perfect day…………as a new mom!

Zackary Jameson’s grand entrance

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Baby Lea has actually been a part of our lives for as long as we have had the ninos. And now he is finally, and officially, here! 

The night Zackary was born, I took the ninos to see their new little cousin, and they were in total awe over the new little alien. I think they were in even more awe over their Tia. They were curious about everything, and they had a million questions for her, which she answered in typical patient Tia style despite the fact that she was exhausted. These were firsts for the ninos–visiting someone in the hospital, and watching someone go through an entire pregnancy with a live little baby to show for it. I can tell that they understand the process a little more now. (Maybe Tia J. will eventually post some of those pics for everyone to see)

Welcome to the world, and the family, little Zack!

baseball mom…

66426645Nikki is actually really good. Our little princess is the fastest runner out of all the ninos. She also has the most natural stamina. She can’t hit the ball as hard as Danny, but she can hunt down and tag whoever the coaches tell her to. Maybe she will embrace her sporty side after all. She begs us to go on a walk every single night. I love it.

66576663Then there’s the Wompster. He and Nikki are on the same team. As you can see, our shortcake is a little behind Nikki in the speed department, but last game he actually tagged two people out at home. Impressive! The first two weeks he would purposely hit the tee instead of the ball because people would laugh. Then, after he was finally able to hit the ball, he would chase it instead of running to first base (most of the little ones do that at least). So mean mom made him sit out for a game, and he finally got “serious.” :)

66816690Ezzy tries so hard! She wants to do well, but sometimes falls short athletically in the shadow of her brother. Blast those oldest children! We are trying to create ways that she can shine in other areas, and here at home. Regardless, Ezzy loves to run and play and have fun. And that is what this little league is all about. Her coordination has some catching up to do, but she was able to get a couple of runs last week. She thought that was totally awesome. Of course, she and her friend, Erica, kept calling them “home runs.” Hilarious!

66846702Athletically speaking, Danny just gets it. He intuitively knows what to do, usually without explanation. He can hit hard, run fast, throw far. Baseball is right up his ally, although he is happy playing any sport or just being outside. Well, he would be “happier” if we let him exercise his vegging muscles in front of the tv or wii more! :) (Dream on, bud!)

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Adam has absolutely loved the past month of baseball. The kids beg to play catch with him now. And he is most happy to oblige. They didn’t really even know how to do it before. Imagine, an eight year old little boy not knowing how to play catch, or even knowing it was possible! The things we take for granted. And now they have a daddy to do it with.

We are grateful that this little league was formed through the church. We made a conscious decision when deciding how to parent to not let sports dictate our schedules or our lives. But we also want the kids to have fun and develop their physical talents. This particular little league is only one night a week (the practice and game) for eight weeks, it is free, and it is non-competitive. PERFECT for us! I think a lot of other parents must feel the same way because there are over 250 kids participating. It is a new program, and I think it is here to stay.

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got family?

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Since my entire immediate family planned to come down the end of March, we jumped at the chance to update our group family photo. I think it turned out great for a somewhat spur of the moment, in the midst of chaos, and set the timer and run kind of picture. Here are some other snaps that turned out.

We also took a quick photo with Adam’s family a few months ago. We posted those on the photo site awhile ago, and I finally got my sweet husband to post them in the blog gallery. It makes me super happy when I see the pictures of all of the grandkids together. I LOVE IT. Hopefully, we will be able to add more to the chaos in the future.

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*thanks for the letting us borrow the lighting equipment, Val*

it is done

I am officially posting again on the adoption blog… http://adoption.ourlittlemcfamily.com 

It feels like coming home.

And you do not have to register to comment anymore–on the adoption site!

(Keep complaining to hubby, and maybe he will change it here too.)

Wish me luck!!!

for better or worse

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I am not really sure what to write. Unfamiliar territory. I always envisioned ONE temple sealing–my marriage to Adam. Although we talked about adoption very early on, even as we dated, I never considered the possibility of participating in another sealing.

Adam and I decided to go to the temple a little early so that we could have some quiet time to reflect before the event. Our assigned helpers were floored that we managed to arrive early with four children in tow. “Usually families are late, never early…” Okay, so we had a little incentive to arrive early. 1. our house was crawling with loved ones and 2. we knew we could drop the kids in the nursery and head to the cafeteria. Adam munched on a cinnamon roll while I blubbered on about our kids.

What did I feel? Joy. Humility. Wonder. Overwhelmed by the sea of loved ones who graced the sealing room. Grateful for the deepened sense of solidarity I felt between Adam and I.

What is the temple sealing all about? It is about binding families together forever. We do not believe in “until death do you part,” but instead in “time and all eternity.” It is about exactness, honor, and glory. Temple worship is also about conducting our lives in a way complementary to the Savior’s–trying our best to emulate his teachings, his example, and his goodness.

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This picture is almost everyone that was able to attend. There are also many more loved ones and friends that were unable to enter the temple, but who were just as supportive and attentive to our family. We thank you all for your kindness and your support of our children. The ninos’ journey has only just begun, and I already see small miracles coming to pass.

I know that many adoptive families (not all) struggle with Doubting Thomases in their midst. I know that they struggle with the varying levels of support and concern from different family members and friends inside their circles of influence. I am not saying that our own people didn’t think we were crazy. Some did. Heck, we were among them at times! But we knew this adoption was meant to be from the moment we finally decided to go forward in October 2007–and we have felt nothing but joy and unconditional love since.

Go here for more sealing pictures.

and the gathering begins…

Our weekend of celebration with family and friends started Friday night with Daniel’s baptism. Due to scheduling issues, we held the baptism in our friends’pool. Well, actually in the hottub. (Thank you for heating it, Jeremy) Our guests were very very patient as we waited for my family’s plane to arrive. They were delayed in Seattle for 1.5 hours, which delayed the baptism until 8:30. Thank you, thank you, for being patient and flexible. We fed our guests some yumminess while we waited, which helped. :) Who says you can’t have dessert first?

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The talks on baptism and the Holy Ghost were given in Spanish–thanks Uncles Robert and Seth. Adam baptized Danny (in Spanish), Grandpa McCracken and Uncle Mike were the baptismal witnesses, and Uncle Brian confirmed him. The grandmas said the opening and closing prayers. A special thanks to Mark Stewart for not only conducting the baptism, but also presiding over the children’s blessings on Sunday. My sweet girlfriends, Jaime Lynne, Jena, and Valerie, took care of the music, the program, and the delicious mini cheesecakes and other desserts that night. They outdid themselves as usual!

Danny was ecstatic about the evening!!!

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Daniel, we are so proud of you. You are clever and warm-hearted. You are amiable and sensitive. You try your best at everything you do, and your sweet smile melts my heart. Right now, your favorite things are climbing, baseball, and scouts. Oh, and how can we forget the Wii. Thank you for giving us the chance to be your parents, and to teach you about the Savior.

easter tidings

It is the beautiful Easter season, and I feel compelled to share this beautiful video. It reminds me of our Savior’s sacrifice, and helps me remember that Jesus has been by my side through every fertility struggle, every lonely moment, and every difficult decision. I am grateful for his sacrifice in death. And I am even more grateful for the hope and glory his resurrection provides.

If there are any among you who are confused as to what we believe, or who doubt our devotion to the Lord Jesus, please take this as a small testimony of our faith, of our belief in his divinity, and of his power to heal our hearts.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpFhS0dAduc

In the next two posts we will be sharing our son’s (Danny) baptism, and our family trip to the temple. I am excited to share it with our family and friends who live far away. I also can’t wait to share our special weekend with those of you who we have never met, yet think of as friends, regardless of our different religious backgrounds.