Thanks Giving

Apple Turkeys - Thanks Chellae!

Little kid fun above - Big kid fun below

She was looking for the turkey!

We are thankful for all things bright and beautiful

The Lord God made them all.

HaLloWEeN Pumpkins!

Pumpkin Carving fun!

Lydia's pumpkin reminded me of my mom's face

after she wakes up - Just Kidding! (it's worse)

black halloween pumpkin cat!

MEOW!

This is one of the pumpkins Lydia painted, then

carved. It has a sad face.

Camille is scaring you!

BOO!

I love our cats - mom likes the pumpkin kind - they don't stick around too long!

Apple Picking

I havn't been giving the blog enough food. Please do not report me for blog abuse!!! This post is about apple picking...because an apple a day keeps the doctor away and this blog seriously needs to get healthy!

Camille is ready and is patiantly waiting for us slow pokes!

A search party for the best apples.

Robin, Lawson, and Lydia strike a pose

I Know! I DO look awsome! Just kidding!

My friend Julie and I.

We foud a super large apple. This is it compared to a average sized one. I accidentally picked it off a tree that I wasn't suppose too! Opps!

Left to Right!

Me (Megan), Robin, Julie, Jennifer Vest, Lawson, and Camille

Showing off a couple apples and awsome people!

A row of trees at Lindsays apple orchard.

Post card worthy Plus!

Advertisement worthy Plus!

Family photo worthy if my dad ( Mark ) were there!

We had a fun time. I would say more but a picture is worth a thousand words... supposedly and that makes 11,000 words just in the pictures. Tootles!

This Post was done By Meggie:-)

This post was done by Meggie and I think she is adorable - Jennie!!!!

First day of school!

Lydia doing her first day of school happy dance. Check out those sweet moves!

Set to go!

Future cheerleader. Can she be any cuter?!?!

Camille can't help but smile when she thinks of all that homework!

Good thing Linz has a good taste in clothes, she got me the shirt!

I (Megan) am in 7th grade at Gowana Middle school.

Camille is in 3rd grade at Chango Elementary school.

Lydia is in 4 year-old pre-school at Contry Knolls Nursery School.

I hope you all have a good school year and survive until summer!

This post was NOT done by JEmm, It was done by MEg!

Manhattan Temple

Happy Birthday Girls!

So, Megan's plan worked and I'm blogging a bit! I'm just have no clue how you all blog regular and keep up with life I am exhausted and I still feel like I get nothing done!

Anyway the good stuff! On August 12th Megan's good friend Salea turned 12 - Megan's B-day was one week earlier.
We wanted to do something special for the girls and what could be better than a trip to New York City to go to the Manhattan Temple? It was awesome! It was just a small family affair and we loved it! Now if you are wondering where the temple is look directly above Megan's head and you will see the Angel Moroni statue. It was a beautiful experience and it really is true what everyone says about how striking the difference is when you enter & exit between the city and the temple - the peace vs. the rush, it was not just the noise but very much the feeling. What a great gift to the members who live in that city energy to go to the temple and truly have an oasis of peace. It was a very soothing experience. I am so grateful that my 12 year old thinks that going to the temple is a very cool thing to do on her birthday! I love these girls and I'm so grateful for Mark to take the day from work and Salea's dad too.

We did have a wonderful summer and we did so many fun things Meg & I will blog them eventually please be patient with us!

New Author!

Hi I am Megan. My mom has abondoned the blog and it is now suffering from lack of posts ( the posts are kind of like its food and water - thats techno speak!) My mom has given me premission to nurse it back to health. This is still the McLaws FAMILY blog, you will not read from this the dramas of middle school life... not too much anyway. :-) My mom still might post every now and then. Anyway, I thought I'd let you know!
Thanks!!!
Meggie.

4th of July Family Hike!

For our Celebration of this wonderful Nation

we took the afternoon to hike in the Adirondack Park.

We choose Hadley Mountain, because it had two GeoCaches

and it was near the Town of Day, where my friend Karie told us

there was a fun picnic area on Great Sacandaga Lake.

I was so prepared - We had lots of food, extra clothes and shoes,

swimsuits, bikes, bug spray, sunblock!

But, this is up really happened! I was sure we were going to be on the nightly news for this adventure! I had the girls take stuff out to the car for me as I finished packing the cooler.

I was so pleased with their helpfulness. Mark was in the shower so I packed the bikes on the bike rack, I'm just like super woman! We went to the sporting goods store for some necessities, including a large bag of Reeces Pieces, a Hershey Bar, and Twizzlers.

As we got the trail head we thought we would eat first, then hike - smart choice. Then it hit me - I forgot a knife to spread the peanut butter for Lydia's favorite meal. But being the creative girl that I am I decided to use wheat thin crackers to spread. Then it hit me again. I didn't put the cooler in the car, remember how pleased I was with the girls helping? So, I turned to them: "Did you put the cooler in the back?" Ridiculous question - I have small girls and I don't think they could lift a full cooler. Then I asked Mark. He held his annoyance very well. I began to laugh - my favorite defense against anger. We decided to hike to the first GeoCache anyway - it was only 1/4 mile up. We were energized by the Reeces and Twizzlers and we had a water bottle too. As you go through the pictures I'll tell you the rest.

In the beginning children are anxious for the new adventure - the treasure hunt is exciting.

Mark & I love hiking and USE to go all the time, sans children. This partly explains the lack of judgement - really there is no excuse for what we did to them!

The first Cache! Of all the three pages of hikers logged in for the trail that day we were the only ones to log in on the cache! WE RULE!

Moment of decision - Do we go back? Do we go on? Well, I don't know if it was really a moment or more like a passing thought as we continued on the trail up to the fire tower.

Look at Lydia, she's up for a two mile hike up the rocks to a cold, rainy, windy summit!

No, this is not the top yet. I think my children were having way too much fun climbing on top of every big rock that was near the path and saying "Take my picture" I took about 80 pictures, I love digital!

When Megan expressed the thoughts of all "I'm hungry" She was told by her Father "Don't complain, your Mother almost didn't marry me because I complained" Side note - it's true-ish I took him roller blading while we were engaged and it was not pretty! I decided to proceed with the marriage anyway with the understanding we do not engage in sports that involved something attached to Mark's feet.

"Look at me!" Camille has the Eagle Eye of the family.

She found and captured this tiny frog!

Megan is has developed more of her musical side.

Here is the "Rock Star" wild side of her - no harps on the hike.

Lydia is in a "rap" pose I think.

Water - yes, I was prepared for that!

Well, for the beach we never went to anyway!

The Crew about to go under the "log bridge."

The highlight of the entire hike was Lydia - she was chattering, singing, laughing, & playing the entire trip and she walked almost ALL of the 4 mile trip. We had people telling us it was a strenuous hike and it was rocky, steep at times and long for three year old legs. At one point she was hiking with Mark ahead of the rest of us. Mark said something like "We are ahead" Her reply was to look back at he rest of us, wave her hand at us and say: "You can all stay here and live out your lives!" She was amazing and had us laughing the entire time! She is a gem and I will keep her forever!

Camille found this bird's nest complete with baby birds right in the middle of the trail!

The mother bird was "yelling" at us to leave from a near by tree.

Camille found this tiny snake. Mark picked up the snake. Jennie ran down the mountain screaming. Megan, Lydia, Camille, and Mark all laughed. Then Jennie took a picture - still full of fear mind you!

THE TOP!

Look close & you can see Mark near the top. The top was VERY Windy, as Mark climbed the tower the rest of us crouched behind a bush for protection from the wind and rain. Near the top was the most difficult part of the trip. It was cold, & it was drizzling rain, There was one last very steep and rocky part - after you were tricked into thinking you were already at the top but NO - you had to walk along the crest in the wind and rain to reach the tower!

The view was nice! - This was on the way back and the clouds had cleared up, still a bit of wind but no rain.

Megan found this newt on the way back.

And she found this (below), thinking it was a cocoon,

I think it was a spider egg sack.

Any other guesses?

Camille found a caterpillar.

Megan found a flower on the ground - "it was not destroying nature to pick it up

because it was already picked". She's a nature girl.

So, the 4 mile hike took us about 3 hours. Finding food afterwards took another

hour. Obeying the commandment "Thou Shalt not Covet" was questionable as we drove pass several vacation homes on Sacandoga! Seeing how amazing my kids are to hike, with out the benefit of proper nutritional preparedness, neglect of bug spray (it was in the car, I forgot to use it!) questionable weather. And all the while the complaints were minimal - they aren't perfect you know, we leave that to the Heatons! Mark & I were very pleased with them and while they may not be eager to hike again next week we will definitely go again this summer!

And Thank goodness we avoided the headline news - the lead was running in my head as we hike along the crest of the mountain.

"Family of Five recused after being unprepared for day of hiking"

If you read this to the end I applaud you -It's really a long post!

My Husband!

ON Sunday Mark and I celebrated 15 years together and for the great majority of it we have had very happy, wonderful years.  I am often told how lucky I am to be married to him and I agree 100%.  Mark is ideal in my eyes in so many ways (Mark, don't think ideal is the same as perfect)

I could attempt to tell you all why he is so wonderful but I will just leave it short and sweet! Or maybe I'll ramble on and on - I guess we will find out!

I am in love with Mark McLaws, he is truly a remarkable husband, I never doubt his love for me, I know he consistently strives AND succeeds to make my life wonderful!  I was talking to one of the girls about marriage and the struggle it could be and she said "But you & Dad make it look easy"  I give Mark ALL the credit for that.  He taught me by his calm example (like his mother) and by his willingness to let things go,  and something he calls it "keeping the wife happy" definition:  If it really doesn't matter, she can have her way - he says most married me do this - I'm never sure how to take that one but I'll just let it go!  

Mark never points out my failings and faults - unless he is sick of me thinking/saying I'm horrible or bad at whatever and then he reminds me of the good stuff.  One of my favorites is the day I lamented that I did not accomplish anything all day.  He listened, then he asked me "Were the kids feed today?" I said yes.  He then asked "Did you spend time with them?"  I said yes.  He then said "Sounds like you accomplished the important stuff".  I love that Mark values my being a Mother.  He is grateful that he has clean laundry, and when there is food to eat that he didn't prepare - and he does the dishes many nights of the week THANK YOU!  

I love that he listens to me when I have insights about the kids - I listen to him too - I'm not sure he knows it!  Any of you who have spend anytime with Mark know that he has the greatest laugh and sense of humor!  

I guess much of the way I feel about Mark is because of how he makes me feel about myself.  Mark makes me better and I love him for it!  He KNOWS I'm not perfect but I believe he thinks I am ideal.  I'm looking forward to the coming years to see what we will help each other become.  So there is my declaration the my small blog world  - I am in love with my Husband!

Happy Anniversary Mark!

Camille playing "The Bugle Boys"

u 'n' me

Megan playing "Malaguena" for the piano recitial

Happy Mother's Day!

I love the Mother's Day gift I get from 

Mother Nature each year.

Early May in New York is a wonderful 

display of spring color.

So, to all you mother's that I love, 

admire, and am so grateful for

I hope you enjoyed your day.  

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

And my Personal Favorite!