OurLittleMcFamily.com

Daniel, age 10

Esmeralda, age 9

Nikki, age 8

Juan, age 7

Adam’s mom, Grandma McCracken, earned a Master of Library Science degree this year. We came home from our summer vacation to specifically celebrate this momentous occasion. We would not have missed it for the world. Debbi has worked so hard over the past two years to accomplish this rigorous degree. She has a great love for books, and for learning. What an example she is to our children, as we try to teach them that one is never too young, or too old, to accomplish the things he or she desires.

Congratulations, Grandma McCracken. We are sooooo proud of you!

Happy 1st day of school, Wompies!!!!!

You started school this week, St. Patrick’s Day 2009. We were able to qualify you for a special kinder program that runs through August 8th. Your classroom only has four other students in it. You get extra speech help two days per week. And you even have door to door bus service….seatbelt included. :) When dad and I left the school you were already holding the teacher’s hand and making new friends. No tears from you! I am so glad we waited six months to start you in school. It is clearly evident now that you are bonded and attached to both me and daddy.

Your teachers adore you. You are currently working on writing your name and identifying the rest of the alphabet letters that you do not know. And guess what? Since you started school, you haven’t had a single accident at night. We are keeping our fingers crossed on that one.

And here is a picture of you waiting for your very first bus ride.

The girls went on their second track break this week. And Wow, I can’t believe the difference. Their first break consisted of lice, tantrums, and general all around craziness. They were discovering all of the toys and crafts upstairs, they were constantly testing boundaries with Adam and me, and they were learning how to do their chores and exist in a family. Needless to say, it was not difficult for me to drop a few pounds over those three weeks–and feel utterly exhausted in the process.

Now things are much calmer. They can communicate. They get dressed before coming down to breakfast. They pour their own cereal and milk. They unload the dishwasher–putting everything away correctly. They operate the DVD player without scratching the movies. And they know how to ride their bikes. (oh, the small successes)

It is such an awesome feeling to see my girls flourish. Not only are they comfortable with daily routines and expectations, but they also genuinely love me more. I can feel it. They see me as their mother, and treat me as such. They completely rely on me for everything now….like it should be. This track break is so much more enjoyable. In fact, I don’t want them to go back to school. :)