Pages

Saturday, August 31, 2013

Gladney Family Vacay!

The Gladney crew returned to Camp Dawson again this summer.  It really is the perfect place for our family at this stage (minus the crummy bunk bed mattresses) because there is tons of room to run and play and two pools right outside the door.  We battled rain several times during the week, but still found plenty of time to enjoy the pools.









Indoor activities included running like crazy around the "big room", playing games, and watching movies on Chad's tiny laptop screen.



 Snack time at the pool was very important to the kiddos and usually consisted of a popsicle in the color of your choice but one day was extra special because Nana pulled out the watermelon.  All of the kids LOVE watermelon and were thrilled to get their own huge chunk to chow down on.  The pictures below say it all!
Lottie needed help at first.

She caught on quickly!


She even learned to spit out the seeds.





We had a great time and did a lot of relaxing.  I'm not even sure why I packed suitcases full of actual clothes because we ended up switching between our bathing suits and pajamas the majority of the time. That is my kind of vacation!

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Summer Review

This summer has been wonderfully challenging.  The days have seemed long but the weeks/months have seemed short. We have all had big adjustments to make with the addition of sweet Lottie to the family.  Abigail and Luke have been troopers this summer and happily accommodated Lottie's needs.  Mommy has learned that there is NOTHING we can do quickly at this stage and it might take us an hour to get out of the house for a 15 minute errand. 

These sweet three have kept me on my toes, driven me crazy, made me happier than ever, tested my patience, kept me laughing, and redefined "exhaustion" for me.  For instance, below you see the best picture I could get of all three of them together early this summer, but...


 the vast majority of shots I got looked more like this.

 They have definitely bonded as a new trio and it has been so fun to watch.  Their cute smiles and funny personalities make every exhausting minute totally worth it!


We spent a lot of time playing at home this summer since we needed Lottie to become comfortable with  her new territory and not overwhelm her with too many outings.  In the adoption world, this is called "cacooning."  You basically stay home a lot, limit visitors in your home, and make sure Mommy and Daddy are doing all of the caregiving for your newest member.  Not easy for a Mommy with three kids 4 and under at home!  Some days we took "stir crazy" to a whole new level.  I am happy to say we have survived the cacooning stage and had a lot of fun (mostly) along the way.  Here are some pictures of our fun days at home:

The kids liked taking turns being the doctor and the patient.

Luke continued his obsession with all things truck related.


Found Lottie cozied up on the kitchen floor one day with her makeshift pillow and blanket. 



Spent a few days being entertained by the roofers in our yard.

Luke traded in his pacifiers for the only thing he loves more - Buzz Lightyear!

Our backyard pool substituted for trips to the club pool this year.
Dress up fun never gets old!
Super Luke made many appearances.

His partner, Super Lottie, was spotted a couple of times too.

Showing off their "HUGE" muscles.

Bob the Builder took on several projects around the house too.

Abigail attended Princess camp at Coach & Nana's church and got to attend a special tea party the last day.  She could not have been prouder of the look she picked for the party!


She also led our family in cheering on the Bulldogs in the CWS (and took her job quite seriously as you can see).

Lottie Bug has amazed us this summer with her adjustment and we are so proud of how well she is doing.  Since arriving home she has grown two pounds, learned to crawl and pull up to standing, picked up enough English to communicate her needs to us, and shown us more and more of her sweet personality each day.  She seems to have built healthy attachments with us and has bonded well with our whole family.  We can't imagine loving her more!
Lottie endured MANY doctors appointments over the past three months and did better than we expected with most of those visits.  Her specialists have helped us learn a lot about her condition and form a plan to address her more immediate medical/physical needs.  Please continue praying for her as she faces some hurdles this Fall and Winter as we start treatment for correcting her feet and as she faces a significant surgery at the beginning of the year.