OurLittleMcFamily.com

Adam is such a sucker! And I love him for it. The older kids asked if he would take them, and we actually had a semi-free weekend ahead of us when they asked. Sooo…the three oldest kiddos backpacked Bridge Mountain with their dad in mid-February….something he’s wanted to do with them for awhile.
Adam, Daniel, Ezzy, and Nikki.

As you can tell from the pictures, it was a bit chilly, with “lots of snow” still on the ground. But the daytime hiking weather was perfect. The three kids snuggled up in a backpacking tent together while Adam braved his bivy. Daniel even woke himself up to see his first very sunrise ever. He is definitely maturing…even if he’s super middle school dorky right now. :)

January is the perfect time, in the desert, to do longer and exposed hikes. 55 degrees and sunny here in Las Vegas….Awesome hiking weather!

The kiddos did really well. And I only threw up once–no joke. I think I was super dehydrated. It passed, and I finished strong. :) Here’s to another January on the White Rock Loop Trail!!!

New Thanksgiving tradition…hiking at Zion! So much fun. And prefect hiking weather. And no weight gained due to leftovers. But I did miss the leftovers. :)

We hiked Angel’s Landing. Correction, we hiked to Scout Lookout. Adam took Danny and Nikki all the way up the chains to Angel’s Landing. Pure awesomeness.

Favorite memories:
1. Singing Christmas songs on the way there (with children who actually know the words now).
2. Snuggling in one hotel room and watching The Music Man till midnight as we fell asleep one by one.
3. Watching the kids run up the very steep trail, as I wish with all my might for the boundless energy they possess.
4. Seeing so many other families out hiking. I don’t know why this makes me so happy, but it does.
5. Gorging ourselves at Red Robin on our way back home Saturday night. The kids each got their own meal and drink! A rare treat in our family when we go out. :)
6. Watching Adam skip rocks with the kids at the river….watching Adam with the children, period!

October–Hidden Falls

November–First Creek

Soccer has slowed us down this season, but we are trying to get back into hiking. Last weekend, I taught Annie what an echo was when we were in the canyon. She has been “awooooing” ever since. She hasn’t exactly figured out why the sound doesn’t echo back the same when she is in the front yard. ADORABLE!

We are planning on Angel’s Landing the day after Thanksgiving. Anyone game?

Last summer, Adam was going to hike Mummy Springs (Fletcher Peak) while we were in Washington. Unfortunately and tragically, he forgot his hiking boots, which was only discovered after driving an hour to the trailhead, after work.  Needless to say, his hiking hopes were quickly squashed.

Well, another summer has come, which means his wife and children have fled to Washington for the summer. And so  he gave Mummy Springs another go this past weekend.

Hiking boots, check!

GPS, check!

Brand new bivvy, check!

I  believe Adam hiked nine miles total, catching a ride from some nice travelers back up to his truck! I am so glad he took some last minute time away for himself, doing the thing that he loves the most. And he says the only thing that would have made his overnighter better was having me there. Ahhh, shucks! :)

We have the Best Dad Ever!

On Father’s Day weekend, we went up Fletcher Canyon (Mt. Charleston). We hiked four miles and had a blast in the water. Dad kept dunking our heads in. And daddy finally got to use his new GPS. (he lost the old one in an airport somewhere between here and Shanghai, seriously!)

Best Father’s Day yet! June 18, 2011

January 22. 2011

Red Rock

6.1 Miles

Since I am feeling a little more in shape, I told Adam that I would hike with him as much as possible this year. We started out with a six-miler that would not end! However, I did not complain…not even one time. And Annie pushed her way through the entire thing. She has never done anything like that before, and her legs were about to fall off by the end, but she did it. I was so proud of her, and myself. :)

You can tell that the kids were just as smiley at the end as they were at the beginning. It is me that has to work on the attitude. :)

The ninos and Adam took the Littles on their very first hike last weekend. I ran some errands. Went out to lunch by myself. And even did some Christmas shopping. What a glorious Saturday morning. I was on a bit of kid overload because Adam worked every night last week until about midnight, and I had the kiddos home for two day school break. Needless to say, I was ready for a small break of my own, and Adam was ready for some outdoor kid fun. Perfecto!

The little tribe did not make it to the end of the trail because little Bear peed his pants, and then melted down over it. Yep, in the middle of the canyon with many a passersby looking for a little solitude. During the meltie, Uncle Dave and his girls passed by. At least Adam had some sane company for a few minutes. He said that Bear’s meltdown lasted a good half hour. One lady passed him going both ways, and complimented Adam on his patience. She said, “I haven’t seen that kind of patience in a dad in a really long time.” Adam just laughed! :)

I guess the bright spot is that we are used to this stuff…even though it’s been awhile. Is that a bright spot? We are even used to kids peeing on purpose on hikes. It hasn’t happened in a really long time, but we are reminded how it used to be….and how far the ninos have come. That is pretty rewarding. Other than the meltdown, the kids had a blast. I think we have three more children hooked on the outdoors. That makes Daddy really happy. :)

Day hike to Cape Falcon.

Super troopers, all the way to the end. And check out that view!!!

I will always be in love with the Oregon Coast. There is nothing like it. The kids also did a lot of biking with their daddy while on vacation.

June 26th saw Dad and the kids heading to Mount Charleston for the Cathedral Rock Hike. This hike is located in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest to the northwest of Las Vegas. Even though we climbed to over 8,500 feet, it was still in the 90′s here in lovely Southern Nevada. After the hike, we visited the Nature Center near the campground. Everyone survived the day, even Juan, who told me in the first 300 feet of walking that he wanted to be at home with mom. Too bad, kiddo! :)