Merry Christmas!

Here's wishing you a very

Merry Christmas

from the entire McCreary family!

Have a safe and Christ-filled holiday season!

The Dog Ate My Blog Post

Well, not literally, but that's the best excuse I can come up with on the spur of the moment.

In all actuality, there are a number of reasons why I haven't posted in more than three weeks. Work has been completely crazy lately, with several big deadlines having just passed (and still more looming on the horizon). The kids started back to school last week, which always means a big adjustment to both morning and evening schedules as we try to reorient our lives to doing homework every night, getting the kids to bed on time and dealing with the new transportation schedules that always seem to change with a new school year.

And oh, yeah — we got a new puppy three weeks ago. So throw out all those silly notions of "keeping schedules" and "getting enough sleep." They just ain't gonna happen. *sigh*

So, without further ado, I'd like to introduce you all to the newest (and by far the most spoiled) addition to our wandering household: Jubilee.


(pictures by Tiffany)
"Jubilee, meet the blog. Blog, Jubilee."

As I'm sure you can tell, she is not the least bit loved.




And as for blogging, well ... I'll do my best to get back on some semblance of a schedule. But honestly, if you had a choice of sitting down at the computer each night or snuggling on the couch with a lap full of cuddly love, wouldn't you be a week or two behind?


'Nuff said.

A River Runs Down It

Once we got inside the park, our first stop was for a nice picnic lunch with the birds. Next stop, however, was to do a little climbing to see this glorious sight:




With my knee problems, I quickly decided that I would be the one to stay down low and take pictures. Cat and her Aunt Susan got a little more adventurous, climbing up the rocks that bordered the swift-moving flow.


Of course, if the girls were going to do a little climbing, then Cowboy and Uncle Jason were going to have to work to show them up. This shot is taken from the same vantage point and at the same resolution as the one above. See those two little blue forms in the middle of the picture that appear to be waving?


Eventually, they all came back down, and my sister even enticed me to get out from behind the camera for a change, if just to prove that I really was on the trip. Then it was time to pile back in the car and head farther up into the mountains.




For more great water-themed images, visit Watery Wednesday #43.

Lake Loveland and the Search for Bighorn Sheep

Starting out for the mountains, we first passed through the city of Loveland, Colorado. Loveland is well-known for its public arts collection, most of which consists of sculptures that decorate various public lands and parks around the city. (In fact, one of the sites I hope to see the next time I visit the area is Loveland's Benson Sculpture Garden, which contains what is reportedly one of the nation's best outdoor sculpture exhibits.)

We hadn't planned on stopping in Loveland, but as we drove alongside Lake Loveland we just couldn't pass up such a picturesque view of the mountains.




And of course we then had to stay and enjoy some of the sculptures located along the scenic shore.

 
Once we finally had our fill of scenery and sculpture (and, of course, had skipped about half the rocks in Loveland across the surface of the lake), we piled back in the car and headed into the foothills of the Colorado Rocky Mountains.


One of the things Cat had been hoping for was to catch a glimpse of the mountain goats that live in the mountains of Colorado. (Well, the actual request was for "yodeling mountain goats," but I blame that on too many hours spent watching The Sound of Music when the kids were younger.) As we passed through the canyons leading toward the park, we soon discovered that Colorado doesn't have mountain goats. We all agreed that Bighorn Sheep would do just fine, but no matter how hard we looked we never did spot any of the creatures. Yodeling or not.




Another thing we had talked about seeing was waterfalls, and Cowboy was so excited when we came across our first one that he used up half the film in his camera documenting this natural wonder.



Unfortunately, this one was man-made and only about three feet tall, located near the parking lot of a strip center in the touristy town of Estes Park. A bit of a letdown, but the next leg of the trip more than made up for it!

TOMORROW'S POST: The real thing...

Perseverance and Determination

I spent the morning at the kids' school today, proudly cheering Cat and Cowboy on during their end-of-year awards assemblies. The elementary teachers at the school present each student in their classes with a unique quality or characteristic that defines their attitude or distinguishes them from the rest of their class. It is always a highlight of the school year, and often a bit of a tear-jerker for teachers and students alike.

Cat's teacher assigned her the quality of perseverance, always striving to do her very best and put her all into her work no matter what effort or how long it takes. This was doubly emphasized when she also received the Principal's Honor Role award for maintaining straight A's through the entire year. She was one of only seven in the entire second grade class to make the honor role this year.

In Cowboy's assembly, his teacher bragged on his being both smart and eager in his work and in all that he does. He was assigned the quality of determination, and his teacher noted that she saw real leadership qualities in him and looks forward to watching those manifest as he grows older.

Okay, so I'm bragging a bit here. Can you blame me? I'm a pretty proud papa!

After the fourth grade assembly, Cat took me outside to see the vegetable garden their class has been working on since the fall. She has peppers and a nice yellow squash growing in her section, plus tomato and green bean vines that she hopes will bear fruit (or vegetables, as the case may be) before school ends. The kids have been wanting us to plant a small garden in our backyard. After seeing how proud she is about the school garden, I'm thinking we just might have to do that this fall!



And since I hadn't realized until now how long it's been since I've posted pictures of the kids, here are a few more shots of some of our recent doings:


Cowboy's entry in the Cub Scouts Pinewood Derby earlier this month


Cat stylin' at the Houston Zoo in April


Llovin' on the llama at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo in March

Happy Birthday, Cowboy!

I just got back from having lunch at the school with Cowboy and 49 other screaming second graders. Those teachers will probably hate me forever for introducing sugar into their maniacal little bloodstreams with half a day of school still to go, but you just can't beat the feeling of delivering a sheet-cake-sized birthday cookie to a lunchroom full of seven- and eight-year-olds. You'd think I was Superman or something!

I'll post more after the weekend birthday celebrations have taken place ... assuming we all survive the experience. For now, I'll just post this nice shot I got at the rodeo a couple of weeks ago:



Happy Birthday, Cowboy!

Happy Birthday, Kitty Cat!

I still remember the night she was born. Tiffany had been in labor for about twelve hours, the epidural never kicked in, the doctors were running around with "Stat!" written in their very expressions, mommy and baby were both running a fever ... and I'm the one that nearly collapsed from exhaustion by the time it was all over and done. (Shows you who the strong one in my family really is!)

God blessed us with this wrinkled, pinkish purple, squalling, perfect little angel, and our lives have never been the same since. And now, ten years later, she is still turning our world upside down!


We celebrated the big day over the weekend, with Cat picking the meal and festivities.


Cat flanked by BFF on one side and insane little brother on the other
We gorged ourselves on Tex-Mex and fajitas at Lupe Tortilla, and then headed over to spend the rest of our vast fortune at Build-a-Bear.


We had little mini-celebrations throughout the rest of the weekend, culminating in lunch-with-Daddy and cupcakes for the class at school yesterday. All in all, a wonderful weekend and a fun celebration of our joyous babe.

Here's the best shot of the weekend:


Who couldn't love that face?


...I still can't believe she's ten, though.

Christmas Greetings

From our family to yours...

We would like to wish you a very
Merry Christmas

and a Happy New Year to come!


Have a safe and wonderful holiday season!

Happy Thanksgiving

There are so many things I am thankful for in my life that I cannot begin to name them all. At the top of the list, though, are my Wonderful Wife and the best kids a dad could ever wish for.


Happy Thanksgiving, from this bunch of turkeys to all the rest of you!

Weekend Update

We made our somewhat annual trip to the local Christmas Tree Farm last weekend.



Yeah, I know... Ghosts and jack-o-lanterns and Christmas trees don't quite seem to match up. But this place also run a big "pumpkin patch" every fall, and we've tried to visit a decent pumpkin patch every year or so ever since Cat was little.


There's just something about kids and big orange pumpkins that makes for really fun photos. Here is a taste of our most recent visit:


(Click any image to enlarge)

Cat and Cowboy spent their time picking just the right specimens to decorate our front porch. Here they are, proudly displaying their choices.


Cowboy, of course, had to show off his Herculean strength by carrying the biggest gourd all by himself. (Until just after the picture was taken, at which time Dad got to take over.)

Unfortunately, we may have to find a new pumpkin patch to haunt next year. This one has gotten so popular with the locals and their kids that the owners have started charging entry fees (in addition to the numerous train rides, hayrides, inflatables, food and beverages and other moneymaking ventures they have always had). We have always tried to spend some money while there in appreciation of their letting us take pictures every year. This year, it cost us almost $30 just to enter and purchase two medium-sized pumpkins.

Next year, we may just photograph the kids sitting in the fresh produce department at Krogers.


Severe Weather Warning:


Extreme Weather Alert: Meteorologists Predict Intensely Brisk Autumn

Remember, safety is most important! Things are going to be dangerously crunchy out there.


Mom Update:

I spent a good bit of Saturday afternoon and evening with Mom. As always, she has good days when she seems pretty lucid, and bad days when everything either runs together or just doesn't come at all. The last couple of weeks, I've noticed more extreme ups and downs than usual. We have had another change in her regular caregiver since the hurricane, and in the process a couple of temporary changes in schedules as well. This certainly isn't any big problem in the overall scheme of things, but changes in the routine do seem to scramble things even more than usual in Mom's head, at least for the short term.

I called her last Friday night after we got the kids to bed, just to check on things and to let her know what time I would be coming on Saturday. When she answered, the first thing she said was, "Oh, that was good timing. I just got home!" What? It was two hours after dark, her caregiver should have been gone for five hours or more. Where had she been?!?

It took a while to get the whole story put together, but it turns out there had been a dinner and program honoring former faculty members at the university. Apparently two of the ladies she used to be friends with were on the committee that organized the event, and they had made arrangements with Mom to come pick her up and take her to the school. They all sat together and evidently took very good care of Mom through the evening, and she had a wonderful time.

Luckily (I suppose), I was an hour and a half later than usual calling her that evening, or I would have been frantic that she wasn't answering her phone. Mom had never put anything on her calendar about the event or remembered to mention it to me, so it was a total surprise. It wasn't the only surprise or unexpected discovery of the weekend (we always find a few of those when I visit), but it was definitely the biggest.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

(Okay, so the song doesn't match the sport, but it's the first thing that came to mind.)

We had a great "father-son" outing Sunday afternoon. Cowboy was given tickets to the Houston Texans vs Detroit Lions football game, and he generously allowed me to go with him. (Sometimes being the family chauffeur has its benefits.)

We headed out shortly after church, arriving a couple of hours before kickoff time. We had also been given tickets to a pregame party sponsored by Churrascos Restaurant, and we were both ready to eat!


The party was like a massive tailgate party jacked up on mega-steroids, and with air conditioning thrown in for good measure. Catered Latin American cuisine, Texas barbecue, a whole row of make-it-while-you-wait omelet stands, and almost more food than you can imagine. I sampled a little of just about everything available, but Cowboy focused in on two key spots: the fruit stand and the dessert table!


Besides the food, it was definitely a happening party. There was a DJ filling the place with plenty of great tunes, numerous big screen TVs positioned strategically to enable everyone present to watch the Cowboys' painful outing in St. Louis, a raucous and romping visit by the "pep band," and places to get autographs of and pictures with both former players and several Texans cheerleaders. (I tried to get Cowboy to pose for a picture with the cheerleaders, but he wasn't having anything to do with that. Ah, well, I'm not ready for those raging hormones to kick in just yet. I'm rather glad he's still in that innocent "girls are gross" stage for now.)


After we had sufficiently stuffed our gullets, Cowboy and I trekked on over to the stadium to find our seats. The weather was good, sunny but plenty cool, so the roof was open. The Texas kicked it into gear from the very first drive, and by half time we were ahead 21-3. We had a blast!


Of course, the Lions came roaring back in the second half, but the hometown heroes managed to hang on and win the game. And as usual, we celebrated the win with the best part about going to Reliant Stadium: rolling down the giant hill on the way to the parking lot!


All in all, a wonderful time. Thanks for the tickets, Scott!

[You can click here to see a few more pictures from our football outing.]