Needing Sum More Summer

This should really be about 8 posts but I have fallen victim to momhood and so instead it all is getting wrapped up in one. Whew. Summer has come and gone folks and what a wild one it was. Why is it we have this hilarious idea about summer being slow and lazy and relaxing? Maybe that was when we were kids but for adults, summer is non stop go go GO! 

HOP FESTIVAL

Every year this is a favorite and we've missed the last two for family reunions but this year we were lucky enough to hit this Moxee staple. We spent Friday night walking around booths (the smoke cloud cleared for a day so it was actually quite pleasant in the shade). Charlotte just slept and Clark finally got brave enough to climb on some stuff. 

Saturday, the Washburns descended for our quaint little parade. This year because of the heat they shot off water cannons from the firetrucks so we all got good and soaked at 10AM:) There was plenty of candy to keep Anderson, Jillian and Evan in heaven. Unfortunately, Clark started out so excited but as soon as the first siren went off he scrambled back in tears to Dana and spent the rest of the parade with his hands over his ears. Oh well. Next year:)

GYMNASTICS

Our goal this fall is to start Clark in some more organized sport type things. We have him signed up for Itty Bity Basketball in October (stay tuned for that hilarious post I'm sure) and for the last month we've had him in beginner gymnastics. It's a bunch of tumbling and obstacles and yes his classmates are all in leotards and girls but he's having a blast and learning a ton. His favorite is the trampoline but a close second is hanging upside down on the bar with his feet. He tries this out at home when we aren't watching on the pole in our closet. Swell. He's also mastering summersalting and has gotten decent at home. 

GIRLS CAMP
It was just one quick night for me (not even a stay over) but girls camp rocked this year. Our leaders put in a ton of work and it showed in everything from the delicious food at the snack shack to the amazing decorations. As part of the stake I even got to participate in a "Troll" theme dance with full tutu costumes. Yeah, it happened. I didn't know any of the moves but we were all laughing too much to care anyway.

GRANDMA TINA and GRANDPA PAT

We got seriously lucky this year because there was a conference in the Tri-Cities the first week of August which meant Mom and Dad Kitchen were able to tack on a few days to their itinerary and come see Charlotte...I mean us...all of us of course:) Dad, Fred and Dana squeezed in an overnight hike from White Pass to Chinook. Even with the smoke they said it was amazing. The first day was lazy with a swim in the lake, a relaxing fire, even a two hour nap in the hammock. The second day was...less so. They had to book it to make it in time to the pick up spot and without any training like last year they were winded to say the least.


While the guys were away the Moms and babies did play. We did some shopping naturally but spent all of Friday up in Ellensburg at this awesome like stream Fred and Kristina stumbled upon. It was right off the road but was so quiet and had great this pools where the kids could safely play and still get in the rapids. Clark was uncharacteristically brave the whole day, following Jillian and Evan far out into the deep in his floaties. Charlotte slept (seeing a pattern:))



MOM CAMP
Every summer the crazy moms in my ward go on a Mom camp. Yes, it's a ladies only camping trip up to Z with all the kiddos and no dads. Crazy? You bet. But fun. I have never been because of work and this year Charlotte was my perfect excuse but I did venture up the first afternoon just to dip my toe in the water. Clark and Charlotte both had mondo poops so there was that fun but really it was good. Clark LOVED being in the dirt and throwing rocks in the pond. Charlotte slept:)


SICKIES
This must just be our new normal but yes there was another bout of sickness in the family. Yes, even in the summer. What? Clark woke up one morning and was really lethargic and seriously spent a good two hours like this on the couch (which is completely not him - he can't go more than 30 seconds without throwing a ball at something in the house). Then came the vomit. Yuck. Charlotte got serious diarrhea and well it was just one of those days but we survived.



CHARLOTTE, CHARLOTTE, CHARLOTTE
Growing right up. Keeping this blog honest, it's been a tough month. Miss Charlotte sleeps well but when she is awake she is usually crying. Not sure if it's reflux or the formula but we're trying some different things but it's made for some frayed nerves at the Gailan household. But really, she is a gorgeous, adorable, sweet little lady.

Her "golf" shirt. I got one for Clark when he was born and found this to match. Future golf buddies indeed.


In our attempt to keep her happy we are trying any sitting position possible, even the bumbo that she is not quite old enough for. But with enough blankets it works, right?

And yes, even though she is NOT a binkie baby I am trying my best to get her to love it. She'll take the binkie for a few minutes to go to sleep but otherwise is like, no thank you. But the sleep in her swing has taken off and even if we have a blanket mishap now and then, hey, at least she's sleeping.

But when she does smile, there is nothing better than our beautiful girl.


GENERAL SILLINESS
That's our life lately. I stopped work a few weeks ago and now it's just me as captain of the crazy ship. For the most part we have a good routine of workout group or storytime, lunch, nap and then play but it can be hard to handle the emotions of those two little humans. I tried to get them to be buddies one day and Clark, in no uncertain terms, demonstrated that he was not okay with Charlotte sitting beside him on the couch. I love her "what did I do?" look:)!



Dana is back at school and rocking it already. The highlight last week was getting to wear the "prego" belly for two hours during the day to learn some empathy for poor mothers who go through pregnancy. Let's just say he learned some things and now I have this priceless gem of a photo.



Yes, like is good. And here's my boys being boys.

And now what?

Now what? I feel like we ask ourselves this a hundred times a day now. We are now evenly matched and I won't lie, the kiddos are usually winning. Good thing they are so cute.

Since we got back life has just been a whirlwind. I am working 20 hours a week at LRIA until Dana goes back to school. For me, it's nice to have a little slice of normalcy but I can't wait until I can be home full time. Dana picks up a few night shifts a week at Regional and the rest of the time we play a sort of hot potato game with the kids. 

But we're trying to keep summer fun and manage all the chaos of the adoption at the same time. Some cute moments:

Mom and Dad were smart enough to realize driving to Utah and coming back with a little sister might be traumatic so they left these adorable Elephant and Piggie stuffed animals (along with books) for Clark and Charlotte. Clark has never been a stuffed animal person. Believe me, I've tried with the little hulk and little superman. But for some reason the Elephant speaks to him. He now carries it wherever he goes, sleeps with it at night, and will occasionally cradle it like  baby. Way cute. 

Yeah, I don't know what this picture is but it was on my camera:) Dana tries to keep Clark active during the day. He'll take him out in the sprinkler, to the Moxee pool and the library. PS we also stopped the potty training madness now that daycare is over. We'll start again once school starts. 

Blueberries are finally in season at Winkler farms so we loaded up the kids for a rare trip out in the early morning. It was weird to be out on a Friday morning instead of at work. And by weird I mean freaking awesome. Charlotte slept great. Dana and I pulled in almost 10 pounds in half an hour. Clark actually picked quite a few before devolving into his usual game of throw the little blue orbs at Dad. I think I actually caught him mid throw here. Little punk.


Oh yeah, this had to be in there. He's obsessed with shoes lately. Dana's or mine, doesn't really matter. I think he was really pulling the red heels off.


And we've had a lot of family over. Grandparents, Uncle Matt and Aunt Kristen and of course the Washburns. They came down last Saturday to pick raspberries (which were sadly sparse) and instead of dragging the babies out in the hot sun I volunteered for the difficult task of watching four kids under the age of 4. Not something I would recommend often but they were amazing - probably thanks to Little Baby Bum. Clark and Anderson were hilarious dancing to head, shoulders, knees and toes. And the girls just lounged.


We're trying to get a routine here but honestly it's summer and that might not happen, which is okay. We're trying to enjoy the little moments. The baby baths. The funny Clark sayings (he keeps giving us encouragement at random times like "good job guys" when we drive to church). We spent an evening at the Hartmans and got to see their amazing house which got us thinking about our future. Dana goes over to his parents often to let them get to know Charlotte better. We're also excited for the news that Matt and Kristen are having a baby girl in November. Girls, girls, girls. It's gonna be a pink wonderland around here.

The Story of Charlotte (For You Little Bit)

Dear Charlotte,
      This is just for you little lady. You are one month old this week and I can't believe how you already complete our family. You are a very happy baby (when you are being held) and a little fiesty at times. My favorite thing right now is around 4AM when you wake up for your second feeding and I finally get the whole bottle in you and change your diaper and then you are just completely awake, your big brown eyes staring at me, giving me a look like you have so much to say. I wonder what it is. I can't wait to find out.

One Sunday morning I decided to do a photo shoot like I did with Clark. His turned out...eh...it was fine. But yours turned out lovely. I can't get over how adorable bows are next to your perfect little cheeks. I love dresses. I love your tiny legs in them. And I love that you and Piggie are about the same size.

Some things you might want to know:

1 - you and Clark were on the same poop schedule for a whole week. We thought we might lose our minds:)
2 - It took a while but Clark finally warmed up to you. I find him all the time now leaning over your swing planting a big kiss on your hair. Sometimes he accidentally gets your eye but his aim is improving.
3- You already have Dad wrapped around your finger. He refuses to let you cry and so you spend a good amount of time asleep on his chest.
4 - You do NOT like laying on your back. I keep trying but it's a no go. Not even the blue elephant can keep you entertained.
5 - You like the West Wing theme song. You smile a little whenever it comes on, I swear.
6 - You spit up on Dad already. Right on his face. I tried not to laugh and failed.
7 - Finally, you are a ninja at getting out of your swaddle. One minute you're tightly wound and the next your little fingers are creeping over the top.

Oh and PS. We love you. You were worth every minute of sadness and worry and you are worth every minute of missed sleep and all the laundry. You are amazing. We can't wait to see you grow!

The Story of Charlotte (WASHINGTON)

We made it!! Home Sweet Home. And I mean that in all caps. I don't think Dana and I have ever been so happy to see our little abode. It helped that Mom and Dad were at our house for a few days so it was spotless and they left us the most tremendous welcome back gifts. Some of the clothes were honestly lifesavers. Kristina also made the cutest blankets.

And then we settled in. Ha ha! Okay not really. Everyone told us two was vastly different and man were they right. We are finding out that Clark and Charlotte are really different babies. Clark was a sleeper; Charlotte is more alert.  Clark loved being wrapped, she wants her arms out. Clark didn't want to be held and - you guessed it- little miss never wants to be put down:) Both excellent babies, however. 

Okay random picture time:

Oh that hair. It was a straight up faux hawk for the first week. We couldn't get it to stay down no matter what. This purple outfit is my favorite. It's a little golf buddy onesie with a ruffle butt. Her first time on the mat on her tummy she just laid there and fell fast asleep. So funny. 

The first really good photo of her eyes being open. And then fast asleep again.

1st bath. Like Clark, she loves baths and adores being wrapped up. Honestly, they look so similar here that it just takes me right back. My babies are beautiful. And sleeping on Dad is always a hit.

So we got home and then arrived a cadre of women (and some men) pounding down our doors to see Charlotte. We had so many meals which was totally unexpected and so needed. Seriously, never say no to free meals from women who know how to cook. We are so grateful for our ward.

The Thursday after we got home, Trish and Lisa threw the most amazing baby shower. Yes, they are incredible! It was a hot summer day so we had the party outside in Trish's backyard and we had ice cream sundae's because why not? Unfortunately, it got really cold around 7ish and I of course didn't bring any blankets so we casually ripped open a present early and wrapped Charlotte up in a cute fuzzy pink parka from Kim Ireton.

Kristina was able to come down with Natalie and when we got there Lisa had Annie (born June 30th), Nicole had Damon (born June 29th), and Heather had Ruth (born July 1st). We were only missing baby girl Bodine (born July 2nd) and we would have had all 5 babies born in the Moxee ward within 5 days of each other. Are we baby central or what?!

So all the presents were so cute. Lizzie made you sweet hair bows and you got so many onesies. Trish got you a "Worth It" onesie and a tutu. We got diapers and gift cards and blankets and ruffle bottoms. This girl stuff is great! But maybe the cutest gift was the little pink ballerina bag from the Crane's that was holding a gift card. I can't wait to see Charlotte turn that into a little purse someday.


We had her two week appointment with Dr. Simms at their new office. She didn't make a peep but she also refused to open her eyes when he tried to check them out. Not. Gonna. Happen. She checked out perfectly. I did have to hold her for that horrible heel prick test and she screamed during that but settled down pretty quickly. She's a full 19 inches long and now weighs 7 lbs 14 oz. Growing strong...and a little faster than Clark at that age. She might be taller than him:)

Some other funny things. She has guns just like Clark (must be a Marshallese thing). She enjoys bibs and because she is a much more spit uppy baby (that's a word I'm sure) she gets to wear them all the time.

Friday after the baby shower we went to a goodbye party for Rachel at Sheila's house. It was a cry fest but Charlotte and Annie made it a little more chipper. As usual, she was perfect and slept the whole time...in Sheila's arms...no, no, just in Sheila's arms cause she wouldn't put her down:)

Then on the following Tuesday I had a APYW meeting and decided to give Dad a night off so I brought little lady along. Just thought her outfit was cute so I took a photo. Yes that's a bow in her hair. I'm trying but she's not a super fan of the bows yet. Ben Barfus spent the whole time holding her. I'm sensing a theme of her being one coveted baby.


And that was the first two weeks. She slept great. Going down around 11. Getting up at 2AM and then 6:30. I went back to work part time and missed her every second. Dana adjusted to having to juggle two little people who can poop and cry simultaneously. We're getting through it...and loving every minute.