OurLittleMcFamily.com

All of the kids LOVE to ride their bikes. When they wake up, “can we ride our bikes today?” When they go to bed, “can we ride our bikes tomorrow?” As soon as I walk in the door from work, “when are we going outside to ride our bikes?”

With all the anticipation of the first ride, you might think they actually know how to ride a bike. Logical thinking like this will lead you down the wrong path…

But, after just a little practice, Danny was up and moving…at least on Nikky’s bike! He hasn’t yet mastered his own, but a few more days of practice and he should be good.

That’s what you feel like when you swim through the water in this canyon. Seldom traveled, this is one of my favorite places for a fun day in the park. Our intrepid group of five included me, Duane Woodmansee, and the three Leas — Rob, Eric, and Troy. Dave was kind enough to drive us up to the trailhead to save us the time of driving back at the end. Being Dave, he hiked the first part of the approach in his flip-flops!

We had a great time and our 3 noobs did a great job! All of the pics (as if these aren’t enough!) can be found in the photo album. Special thanks to Rach (because she is amazing!) for watching the kids for the day so that I could go on this — love you!

Okay, okay. I know people are checking our adoption blog way more than this one, but I have to blog it before things get crazy around here in Bogota.  Jaime Lynne and Robert chauffered us on our very last date as a childless couple last weekend. It’s not often that we get chauffered, and it is even less often that it is on such a momentus occasion. Look how adorable J & R are in their matching famLea t-shirts!!! And where do you think we chose to eat….yeah, I know, it’s a complete stretch to think that we went to Claim Jumper (that’s CJ’s to the Brummetts)…

We had water,  no appetizers, and light dinners so that we could feast on the yummy deliciousness of THE DESSERTS. Robert and Jaime actually switched places so that Jaime and Adam could share one of the many things in life that they have in common–the chocolate chip calzone. I actually can’t stand the thing, but they swear by it. I begged Adam to let me get the mint chip mud pie (Jes, are you jealous yet?) Robert shared it with me. Thanks Rob!

So the post-eating portion of the date was supposed to include some Wii action, but by the time we got back to our side of town we were all too pooped to party. Lame, huh? That’s okay. We are perfectly content in our lameness…we have our friendship. :) Well, I guess by now everyone knows that we are finally in Colombia picking up our children. We won’t be posting anything on this blog for awhile. Check out the adoption blog for lots of updates.

My dear friend of 22 years, Jessica, is participating with her husband and family in Relay for Life in Portland, OR this weekend. Dan and Jes lost baby George to brain cancer just a few short months after his birth. The Davenports have been champions in the fight ever since. I have seen them grow in strength and talent as they continue to perservere and spread Georgie’s story across the West. Baby George is a great reminder of goodness to us all. His story reminds me that one life can touch many…and that every life is valuable. Our time here on this earth is a gift.

I am proud to be George’s Auntie. And I am extra proud of what my dear friends continue to accomplish in the name of their son. Next year, I hope to take my children to Portland to walk with their Aunt Jes and Uncle Dan in Relay for Life. This weekend is for you Georgie, and for all of those who are here still fighting the good fight!

We had our first Family Home Evening back in Las Vegas with our friends last night. Check out Jaime and Rob’s blog for pics!!! We made pizza and homemade ice cream at the DeMarcos. They have also started a food blog–which I’m sure will contain only the most fabulous recipes. We are never disappointed when we eat at Dave and Jena’s!!! From Italian to Indian to yummy desserts–their cucina is incredible.

I am so glad to get back to our semi-monthly family nights. Hopefully, we will have some children to contribute to the “family” very soon. :) Two Mondays from now we will be at the Brummetts. I love my friends.

This smile says it all!!! Thursday brought food, folks, and fun to the Hirschi House! We helped Jaimee and Brian host a neighborhood block party–which they’ve been itching to do since they moved in over a year ago. Heaven knows it’s been a loooooooooong dreary season–Bear Lake was still frozen over until last week! Finally, we had a break in the weather allowing us to celebrate a belated spring and build friendships with our neighbors. It was such a blast to stand on the deck and watch all 40 or so kids playing in their selective groups:

We had trampers and teeter-totterers:

We had sporty boys and girly girls:

And we had the little ones, of course:

Oh yeah, and the big kids too:

All in all, we had just plain fun:

Thanks for coming everyone! We had a blast….and we hope you did too. Who’s turn is it next??? :)

The last two years, we’ve celebrated Rachie Day. Adam is so great on this particular day. He does whatever I want (I know, that’s most days) and he is extra-loving. This past Sunday we went on a hike to the Logan Wind Caves. It was the perfect hiking day. There weren’t too many people on the trail. The weather was overcast, but not windy or cold. And it was a good warm-up for Angel’s Landing in Zion. Since it was Rachie Day, however, we didn’t go to the top. I was done about three quarters of the way up, and my sweet husband said he would turn around with me. I told him to go ahead and I would wait at the truck, but he said, “no this is Rachie’s Day so we do what Rachie wants to do.” That was sweet music to my ears. We had an enjoyable descent.

During the rest of the day we made a pizza and had hot-fudge browning sundaes. Yeah, it was definitely a non-diet day, but I did skip dinner to make up for a few of the extra calories. We watched two or three movies in bed while surfing Colombian adoption blogs and homeschooling materials. Adam finished our Zion t-shirts for our upcoming excursion. It was perfect.

Thanks Adi for always knowing what this time of year means to me…you always handle it with perfect sensitivity and love. 

At first I thought my super good friend Valerie’s comment (see comments on hey, mrs. brightside post) referred to Adam and Jeremy, her hubby, as nerds, which I am used to. But then I took a closer look, and no, no, she referred to The McCracken’s (that is plural, and possesive I guess, in my universe) as nerds. This is something new and different for me. And I am not quite sure how I feel about it.

Has my smartness *British style* turned to nerdiness? Is this phenomenon a virtue of me growing into my thirties? Maybe it is because I am married to a genius? Or perhaps it is simply because I have lost my kick-ass (sorry moms) globe trekking abilities, which has severely dampened my cool factor?

I have been called many things in three decades: a brainiac, a word snob, type A, well-read, and even miss bossy pants. All of these adjectives have boosted my self-confidence. But a nerd? Come on Val, is that really what you think of me? Is that really all you’ve got? *enter witty retorts*

After our foiled hiking, Adam and I were ready for something spectacular. We found it in Powells Books in downtown Portland. It really is the “City of Books”. They have an info board and complimentarty maps to help find your way around. The best part about it was that instead of one shelf of adoption books, we scored four shelves. The same went for homeschooling. Adam spied an entire aisle of Chinese books…everything from reference books to childrens books to adult literature. I had to drag him away. We’ll go back, honey, I promise. Anyway, we came away with some fabulous resources, some of which were half price because they were used. It was AWESOME!!! We also had dinner at Claim Jumper (of course) with Dan and Jes. I tried something new–surprising, I know. I had the Jamaican Sweet Potatoe. It was yummy…and a super healthy option. And yes, Dan’s platter really was that big. At least the food didn’t go to waste–he got a couple of lunches out of the left-overs. Regardless, it was totally picture worthy.

Thanks for hangin’, Davenports. A special thanks for chauffering us to Powells, especially on a ’school night’. We know how overwhelming the store is when you aren’t looking for something specific. We are so glad you’re our friends. Now if we could do something about the Las Vegas heat. I fear it’s the only way to get you to move south.

Oh yeah, Jes and I scrapped some of baby Georgie’s pictures on Tuesday before we headed home, but Adam hasn’t downloaded the pics yet. I’m honored that she lets me participate in such a sacred memorial. Aunt Rach misses you baby!!!

The plan was to explore Falls Creek Falls, a (we have read & heard) beautiful waterfall not too far from Stevenson, Washington. It is also not too far from Panther Creek Falls (aka Davenport Falls), which we visited last fall.

As we drove further up the road, there were patches of snow in the forest, but overall it didn’t look too bad. One guidebook claimed year-round access, so I wasn’t too worried. Imagine our surprise when we found the last two miles to the trailhead covered in 2-3 feet of snow. I guess we won’t be making that hike today.

We did have an enjoyable drive back to Dan and Jessica’s though and were able to catch a great view from the aptly named “High Bridge,” where the road crosses over the Wind River. The high snowpack is feeding a strong river that is running a bit higher than in the past. Looks like an awesome place for a bungee jump!

Coming back into Stevenson, we came to the Davenport’s home. They have an unbeatable view from the front yard, with the Gorge and the Columbia River spread out before them. This is a beautiful place! Now, if they could just do something about the rain…