Glacier Park Day

The kids on OB & Mel's boat
Cute Cash

My girl

Cash crashed out on his knees

Daddy, Ravenna, Theresa, Steven & OB

Debbie Petersen, Aunt Vicki & Aunt Maureen

Lake McDonald

Lake McDonald Lodge

Claudette, Sicilia, Apanhi, Zoe, Grace, Mel & Riley May

The ladies down by the water

Pretty Zoey

Cute Cash or Superman

Ravenna & Apanhi

The kiddos in the freezing water of Lake McDonald

Mmmm...roasted marshmallows

Sitting by the campfire

Elyse, Hudson, Uncle Chris, Zoey & Uncle Gerard sharing a laugh

Apanhi & Elyse

Ravenna getting some lovin' from Aunt Loretta

We had a magical day on the water with Mel & OB at Lake McDonald. Then we met the Byrd clan in the Park for a potluck picnic. It was a beautiful warm sunny day & we soaked it up. The kids had much fun with all their MT cousins & we enjoyed spending time with them as well. We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the US & have such a loving and generous family.

Memorial Day Weekend - Priest Lake, ID

We went up to Priest for the annual Memorial Day weekend festivities. This year we decided to be in the parade as "The Priest Lake Huckleberries". This was our first entry since the 1980's. My cousins & I have such fond memories of being in the parade when we were kids. Since the extended McCray family seems to be in a "baby boom" we decided this would be a great year to get back into it for our children. The weather was sunny & warm, we went through all our candy way too fast & even got into a water balloon fight with some spectators....it was a blast.

The water is still pretty cool, but the kids still played in it all weekend long. Nana, Papa, Aunty Lala, & Ron were also able to come up for the long weekend. There was also a "fun run" which really wasn't very fun, but I felt great once it was over, and a wonderful craft fair with local vendors.

One other tradition is our great friend Juanitia's party after the parade. She has a beautiful place & fabulous food. It was a great party & always fun to reconnect with friends after the winter. I am particularly fond of this weekend as it means my FAVORITE season is just around the corner! Happy summer!

My Mother's Day 2009

Of course the best gift any mom receives on this day to honor us, is the gift of our children. This year however, Stephan made me a second best! This fabulous "barn wood" table. Yep....he really made it. I LOVE IT!! What a handy & talented guy I have, he always amazes me with what he accomplishes.

We then had a nice morning meeting up with my in laws, Uncle Dennis, Aunt Kathy & sweet Jordan for breakfast. We knocked around the rest of the day in Bigfork & finished with a fabulous Italian dinner at Mambo's here in Whitefish. I also think often about my children's birth mother's on this day & hope they know what a unending gift of love they have given me.

He made it with old barn wood from the Byrd family farm up north Spokane.

Check out all the cool, old, metal detailing he put on it.

I have never been so excited about a table.

Hudson & Jordan

The monkeys with Jordan....it's always so wonderful to see him.

After breakfast before Nana & Papa got back on the road for Spokane.

Dinner at Mambo's in Whitefish.

A week in Spokane for Bloomsday

Make a Smilebox slideshow

We had a week in Spokane scheduled around Bloomsday (the 33rd annual road race, 7.6 miles, and 50,000 people). I have found since we no longer live in Spokane, when we go home it tends to be a bit busy visiting family & friends. I love it though. The slide show will give you a little glimpse. Thank you to all who had us over while we were there. The kids had their dentist/Dr.'s appts. & everything went well. Ravenna is still not liking the dentist, but it went better than the last visit. Ravenna is weighing 28 lbs. & 35" tall. Hudson is 40 lbs. & 44" tall. We love staying at my parents house. Hudson has established his morning ritual of going in to wake grandpa up,and they hang out until the rest of us slowly rise. It's very cute! We are loving the spring weather (when it's nice) and enjoying these long days. I can hardly wait for summer!

To the farm

We took another field trip with Hudson & Ravenna's pre-school class a couple weeks ago. The destination was a farm just north of town. There were cows, goats, and a Shetland pony which pulled kids in the buggy (story to follow). Hudson also found the little John Deer tractor very enjoyable. In fact it was hard to get him off of it. Once all the kids got their turn in the buggy with the pony, they moved on to other things. Not Ravenna though, she was loving the buggy ride. So Rick continued to take her for a ride. After Ravenna's 5th loop in the buggy Hudson comes down a hill on the John Deer tractor & spooks the pony. Here is where my heart stopped & adrenaline kicked in. It all happened in about 30 seconds. Off goes the pony & who knew how fast those little things can run. He is running full speed with Rick & Ravenna (bouncing and barely hanging on). I remember having 2 thoughts: 1) is this really happening? and 2) surely he will get control. Well the answer was yes & no he didn't get control. That pony bolted for about 75 yards & went up a hill which flipped the buggy with my daughter in it. I am sprinting after them by this time, and I am not a sprinter. Thankfully when the buggy flipped and sent Ravenna flying Rick had hold of her jacket & she landed on him. By the time I got there she was hysterical & Rick was just getting up & limping around. The pony/buggy were headed down the driveway. Fast forward about 30 minutes & Ravenna was doing much better & actually wanted to check on the pony to see if it was ok. I am so thankful she landed on Rick as he seemed to soften the fall. She was given a little hot coco & she was good to go. Note to self....always be leary of cute, little, Shetland pony's.