Pictures and Update on the GLAD FAMILY (of 4!)

Baby Sister and Mommy!

What's with the Red bib on backwards? (you may ask)

It's a superman cape of course!!!

Josh reading some silly books to Big Brother

 

Putting together his SUPER COOL Hot Wheels track

(sent all the way from Aunt RayRay in Oklahoma!)

The video of him opening his eyes and seeing this present is PRICELESS!

Thanks Aunt Rachel for this awesome present (mommy and daddy thank you too! it offers hours of entertainment to this little guy!)

 

There's just nothing like a Rodeo petting zoo!

Especially one with such stuffed-to-the-max animals that it takes an hour to get rid of this little Dixie cup of feed in a pen with prolly 30 animals! Oh... and then when we're FINALLY done (emptied the cup), a "kind hearted" little girl gives him HER cup full! :-( Ay! Ay! Ay!

 

GiGi reading "The Gingerbread Man" (one of Big Brother's favorites!) and holding sleeping Baby Sister. Poppy is snoozing in the background. My parents came up for a short visit. They're awesome and mom took over a night's feeding for me so that I could do some snoozing myself!

Nothing like a day at the park... especially with Daddy!

 

We took the kids out to the camp where Daddy works. Big Brother got to see fish (here),

hike some trials, climb some hillsides and sit on a big rock near the springs.

An action packed day (a little tired grumpiness) and a long nap at home equaled ONE GREAT DAY!

 

The only comfortable position when you're gassy...

aim that rump straight at mommy!

Baby Sister is too cute for words and requires all her photos to be of her adorable

wide-eyed expressions. So I don't have many photos of her NOT facing the camera.

 

 

We're all doing fantastic and enjoying the ups-and-downs of everyday life with an infant and 5 year old. Big Brother can be quite a handful, but is very loving and always wanting hugs, prayers, and "I love you"s. He goes to bed with prayers, eats each meal with prayers, and likes to wake up with a prayer too. His favorite prayer requests are for Mommy, Daddy, (both mommys and daddys), baby sister, his stuffed animals, and Sharks (namely the Tigar shark and Thresher shark...his favorites). He LOVES sharks in general and we've been getting plenty of library books on the subject. He can now identify probably 5-10 different sharks, just by seeing their picture. The Wobbegong, thresher, great white, lemon shark, whale shark, tiger shark, saw mouth, hammerhead, goblin shark, etc. It fascinating to Mommy and Daddy too :-)

Little sister still amazes us with her great disposition, beautiful smiles, bright eyes, and stinky diapers. Still wakes a number of times per night for feedings, but is a happy and contented baby!

Josh is doing well (although a little on the tired and congested side). And I am on the sleepless, headachey, need-a-Dr.Pepper-desperately side.

 

We love you all and are SOOO thankful for your continued prayers! Bio-visits (where the kids visit with their biological parents) seem to be going well and the parents appear to be making an effort to get these kiddos back. We are rooting for them! I make sure Big Brother draws his parents pictures each week and I am sending a folder to their visitations with pictures and artwork for the parents. We tell them we are praying for them and hoping their precious children are back with them soon. (*I also pray God's will be done... and Josh and I would be THRILLED to adopt these kids if it turns out that way*) But our focus now is to pour God's truth into their lives and shower them with our love and attention. Big Brother is already learning scripture and bible stories and loves to sing songs about "In His Hands", "Jonah", and anything with "Jesus".

 

Love, hugs, and thanks to you all,

The Glad family

(Daddy, mommy, big brother, and baby sister)





 



 

 

 

They're HERE! They're HERE! They REALLY ARE!!!

Can you believe that God would drop two "heaven-sent" gifts on our doorstep Friday night? (on Jan 31st) Those gifts came in the form of a 5 year old boy, (I'll call him "Big Brother") and a precious 1 month old baby girl, ("Baby Sister"). Their names start with the same letter, so I'll just use the terms "baby sister" and "big brother" when referring to them. The very same day that I posted on my blog about our disappointment of not getting an earlier placement, but our confidence that God had the right children out there for us... He delivers them to our door!

God is SOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!

Big Brother A is very active, talkative, and investigative. In other words, "he's everywhere at once and into everything around him" :-) ! He loves books and listening to stories (Josh tells great Bible stories), Hot Wheels, Lightning McQueen (off of "CARS"), and eating. He has a hearty appetite and eats lots of snacks throughout the day. He has met the horse that lives on our property and calls him his "Buddy"... he desperately wants to ride him (but of course, that aint hap'nin). :-) Josh and him get along VERY well and Big Brother really looks up to Josh and listens, wide-eyed, at everything Josh says. (*We're still working on him listening to and obeying ME) :-) They have gone on many adventures outside around the property and have their very own walking sticks (more like a spear, the way they whack at things). He likes hitting down dead branches with this staff and I say, "Go for it!"... it uses up some of his over-flowing energy. He asks, "Show me some more trees to hit!" He's attentive to his little sister and notices every time she's crying and points it out to us. He likes giving and receiving hugs and tells us "I love you" often. He says "Yes Ma'am and Yes Sir" without being asked and is actually very well mannered and polite (his Kindergarten teacher reports the same). He started school on Tuesday (new school, new teacher, new kids) and had a great first day. Yesterday was a little harder, but I think its gonna be difficult to get one-on-one attention from a teacher who's got 22 other 5 year olds demanding her help. So Big Brother and I are working together on homework, reading, and counting at the kitchen table when he gets home from school. He likes praying before meals (and wont let you forget) and also before bed, after he gets a book (of his choice) read to him. We started praying with him the night he came to us, and he seems to really enjoy it. This week, "The Gingerbread Man" book (with picture flaps) is his favorite. He loves to be read to and throughout the day (before school and after school) he'll have us sit and read to him. He also likes looking at a book in his car seat on the way to and from school. It'll take time to get him accustomed to our rules (behavior) and improve his speech (he uses lots of baby talk, and if you just heard him, you'd think he was a 3 or 4 year old)... but we think he'll catch on quickly. This kid is SMART! He can read some words, knows every letter of the alphabet and its sound, colors, shapes, etc. He aced all the flashcards I did with him on Monday. And teacher says he's right on target.

Baby Sister is as cute as a button and easy as pie. She does three things: eats, sleeps, and dirties her diaper. Oh, there's a fourth... when awake, she looks all around with her HUGE BEAUTIFUL DARK EYES! Neither of us have seen anything more beautiful. Josh and I are amazed each time she looks around. Her eyes are captivating. Mom is already calling her "Bright Eyes" from the photos I've sent her. Baby Sister has a good appetite and sleeps really good (only 2 feedings a night). Last night was a fluke, and she was fussy, but since Friday, she's done great through the night. She looks pretty in pink and that's all I put her in! :-) She's got a little cough and congestion, so keep her in your prayers.

Big Brother has already received gifts (a cool spelling game/computer from my parents) and rewards from Josh and I for good behavior. He has learned the story of David and Goliath and last night heard about Noah's Ark. He will soon be receiving another gift from the g-parents... his very own Bible (he's looking forward to having his name in it). He is very thankful. His obedience comes and goes. Sometimes very strongly submissive and happy to obey... other times very silly and resistant to correction or instruction. Again, he's been through a lot, (plus he's 5. plus he's a BOY) so we are remembering, "Lots of grace. Lots of patience. Lots of praise." Also repetition and structure. And the very necessary SUPERVISION! :-)

We love you all and thank you for your prayers. We don't know how this placement will go or how long it will last... but we are extremely thankful to God for placing the "perfect" children with us. They are very much already "our own". We love them dearly and pray for them daily. We ask that you do the same.

REJOICING IN GOD'S PROVIDENCIAL PLACEMENT,

Josh, Amy, Big Brother, and Baby Sister

P.S. I told Josh last night, "I feel like a family". Big Brother has been calling us Josh and Amy since his arrival but this morning said he wanted to call us "Mommy" and "Daddy". We'll see which one he goes with. :-) They just got scheduled for a bio-parents visit for Saturday, and afterward we plan to take them out for a day in the great outdoors! It's supposed to be a lovely day!