Happy Easter

We had a wonderful Easter celebration today! We all got up in the morning to find the Easter bunny had visited and brought lots of goodies to Moira and Ian. Then we all got ready and headed up to San Marcos to go to Kim & Tom's church with them, as well as my parents and Grandmother. We enjoyed getting to see Kim & Tom's church home and worshipping together on Easter morning as a family - we missed you guys, Neal & Janice. After the service we went back to Kim & Tom's for an Easter egg hunt out in the yard for the kids, and a scrumptious dinner of a Honey Baked Ham and all the yummy sides to go with it. Many blessings to you and yours on this beautiful Easter day.

He has risen! He has risen indeed!

St. Patrick's Day

Come on now... with a last name like McCann, you didn't think we'd let today pass without posting some good St. Patrick's Day pictures, now did you?! We decided to go down to the Riverwalk today to check out Waxy O'Connors Irish Pub and Eatery, and had a blast! We were all, as we should be, decked out in green and enjoyed some spectacular Irish food, authentic atmosphere, and of course a pint of Guinness. Enjoy the pictures:

Collin's (outstanding) Bangers and Mash

Janelle's (equally good) Corned Beef and Cabbage

We ended our day with a trip to Barnes & Noble in a search for a good book of Irish folklore, and came home with this one. I hope to read some together with Collin tonight, which should make a good ending to our St. Patrick's day celebration.

Sea World

We finally bit the bullet and got Sea World season passes on Saturday! Here are a few fun pictures from our day at the park:

Moira really wanted to go on the big rollercoasters, so Collin took her on the kiddie Shamu coaster to appease her until she's big enough to ride some of the big ones. Seriously, she really is sitting next to him, you just can't see her from this angle. ;o)

Ian wasn't quite big enough for the Shamu coaster yet, so Mommy took him to do a little fishin'! He practices this game (on a bit smaller scale) at Grammy's house all the time, so he was well prepared. I think we have a natural fisherman in the making...

...check out his prize! What a cute little monkey, and the stuffed one's not too bad either!

Moira and Daddy enjoying "The Cannery Row Caper" a very clever sea lion show.

One of the dolphins we made friends with at the feeding pool. No one had any fish yet, but he must've thought we were cute, so he came up for a better look!

Some of you have asked if we've heard anything back from HEB yet, so I thought I'd update you. The HR recruiter called us last week to let us know that she'd talked to the guys he interviewed with and they both liked him and thought the interviews went really well. Unfortunately, there was an inter-departmental disconnect, if you will, and there aren't any positions open right now. So, he'd pretty much have the job if there was one to be had at the moment, but there's not. She did assure him that things can change on a dime around there though, and asked him to keep in touch with her so she can keep looking for him. So, not bad news, but not great news either. We suppose this opportunity is not out entirely, just deferred. We'll just have to wait and see what God has in store, and what His timing will be. Thanks for all the prayers and well-wishes, keep them coming, and we'll keep you all posted.

Showers of blessings

I'm just dropping in to update y'all on how well the interview with H-E-B went yesterday - praise God! Of course, when Collin arrived home, I immediately hammered him for details, to which he was very gracious to oblige, so I will sum it all up. He met with Hugo first thing in the morning and was given some background on his experience with the company. Then they toured the floral processing plant, the snack (where they make potato and tortilla chips) plant, the dairy plant, and saw where they make (H-E-B brand) Creamy Creations ice cream - which was all very interesting according to Collin. Hugo then took him to meet John, the Director of Process Improvement, and had more of a formal interview, which also went very well. He felt he had a good response for every question, and thinks John liked him pretty well. Both Hugo and John said in their own words that even though it's not entirely their decision, they'd love to have Collin on board! Yea - what an encouraging thing to hear from an interview! So, Collin called the HR lady that he met at Texas State and who set up the interview for him, and thanked her for her help and let her know how it went. She told Collin that she'd be talking to Hugo and John and we should be hearing back from her in about a week. Collin said he feels it really went as well as it could have gone, and he sincerely thinks and hopes they'll call him back to continue the hiring process.

So, thank you for your prayers and e-mails and phone calls! We'll be sure to let you know when we hear something back. Yesterday was all sorts of fun for Collin, with a great interview, picking up his newer used car, and getting floor seats to the Spurs game last night! We'd appreciate it if you'd continue to pray over the decision-makers at H-E-B during this next week, and that God would make His will clear to us as well. Much love to you all!

On my heart & mind

Well, our computer has been in the 'shop' for the last week, so hence my lack of posting and even e-mailing, but I wanted to give a quick update about a couple things on my heart and mind.

First, is good news on the job front. Last Tuesday Collin went to a job fair at Texas State University in San Marcos and came away with a very encouraging experience (praise God!). He met with an HR Rep and Manager from H-E-B (a huge grocery store chain in Texas) and they seemed really interested in him for the Management Training Program. It was such a good exchange that the same Manager of one of the processing plants, Hugo, asked the HR girl to set up a time for Collin to come out and see the manufacturing and processing plants, and consider whether he'd be interested in a management opportunity there. They kind of hit it off, and when he asked when Collin was available, to which Collin replied "when do you want me to start," Hugo's eyes lit up and he was very excited that he was available right away. So, we got a call on Friday afternoon scheduling the entire morning today at the plant with Hugo and interviewing with a couple Directors - and that's where he is this morning. So, my head and heart have been in prayer for Collin this morning. We pray that God will make His will known in this opportunity and that it may be the beginning of something wonderful in our lives. Please say a prayer for him if you're reading this this morning. He'll be there from 8am to noon. We'll let you know how it goes once we have a chance to talk together about it.

The other thing that's been on my heart for a few days now is a friend of mine, Erica. She and I met at our church in Montana and have kept in touch since. She and her husband, Kevin, have a son a little older than Moira, Eben, and they've been in the process of adopting a little Ethiopian boy for the last year. The process is finally coming to an end, as Erica is now in Ethiopia this week to bring their sweet little boy, Abel, home. I've been able to follow her trip there to get him on her adoption blog, and it's been a heart-wrenching and very raw experience for me to read her posts. She's scheduled to fly home (about 30 hours of total travel time) with Abel on Saturday, unless she can get an earlier flight for Friday, but they're both struggling with illness and lack of sleep and my heart just goes out to her. Please, please say a prayer for their growing family. For their health, travel mercies, that all the paperwork will be accepted without trouble, and for their adjustment into a new little family of four. What a blessing for little Abel to be taken in to such a loving and God-fearing family. Our prayers are with you.

"Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west." -Isaiah 43:5

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"We have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father."

- Romans 8:15

7 years and counting!

We had a wonderful time at the Melting Pot for our Anniversary last night. Thank you to all those involved for making it possible for us to go spend some wonderful quality time together! Here are just a few pictures from last night... and I mean a few. We were much to busy enjoying the alone time to be bothered with lots of pictures, as I'm sure you understand! :o)

A Day at the Zoo

Yesterday we decided to take a much needed break from life as usual, so we loaded the kids up in the car and headed for the San Antonio Zoo. It was a beautiful day, not to hot or cold, and nice and sunny. We love the zoo, there's so much to see and learn about, it gets us out into the fresh air, and we all get to spend time together doing something that everyone enjoys. Here are a few pictures from our outting.

Moira said her favorite part, aside from our picnic lunch, were the kangaroos. She had all sorts of questions about where there "pockets" were and if there was really a baby inside. I have to admit, the kangaroos are pretty cool.

The San Antonio Zoo is pretty nice, and there's a wide representation of different animals to see. They just opened the first part of the new Africa Live exhibit, where we got to see two hippos swimming under water, a big Nile Crocodile and plenty of big snakes and such.

I think Ian's favorite part of the zoo was the turtle tank. They were active and swimming around right at his eye level, so it was easy for him to observe (and try to play with) them. Of course, he told me that he, too, enjoyed the picnic part like his big sister.

When we got to the Komodo Dragons, Ian got super excited. I was trying to figure out why, when he looked through the glass and said "Where are the DRAGONS?!" Ahh... not that kind of dragon, sweetie. He seemed a little bummed, but got over it quickly when given the opportunity to pose with the komodo dragon statue. Sweet little guy!

Our time at the zoo was very refreshing for all of us. My favorite animals to watch are the cute otters, but my favorite part of our day was definitely the picnic on the grounds too! What was intended to be an atempt to save money turned into a really enjoyable activity for our family. So, truly, it's being with family, no matter what you do, that makes a day a good one.

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"This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!" -- Psalms 118:24

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Today is our anniversary, and Collin's parents are coming over to babysit the kids so we can go to The Melting Pot all by ourselves (thanks to a generous gift card from Stephen & Dara and money from my parents). It'll be great to get out alone together and reflect on the last 7 years of marital bliss. I am truly blessed for having such a wonderful husband, sweet children, loving family and caring friends.