A Grateful Mom's View Of The CCAA Luncheon

Gladney mom Monica Reddin and her husband Paul and daughter Katie, aged 4 from Chongquing, were one of the 50 people who attended the wonderful luncheon and reception for the CCAA which Gladney's New York office hosted on August 10, 2009. The CCAA were in town for the COA luncheon and Asia Program Director Gongzhan Wu acted as a translator and liason for the CCAA staff. Fortunately for us, Paul is an excellent photographer and artist, and Monica writes a wonderful blog, which can be found here. She generously shared her reflections on the luncheon and Paul's wonderful photos with the Gladney blog! See below!











Yesterday we had the unique opportunity through our agency, Gladney to meet with a delegation from CCAA led by Deputy Director-General Chu Xiaoying who were in town for the COA conference. It was a chance for them to meet some of the Gladney families and see the children they have matched to make those families. In a brief speech Ms. Chu stated how gratifying it is for them to meet the families, how they mostly do the paperwork & do not get the chance to really meet the children who are placed. What made the day so special was seeing these men & women so happy to see our families. They truly enjoyed getting right on the floor & playing with the littler girls and listening to one group of sisters serenade them.

I always have wondered about the faces behind the initials CCAA and how they feel about their role in our lives, well now I know and it was an honor to be able to meet them. It gave us the chance to say thank you for our daughter and making our family complete.

Olivia and Mackenzie Celebrate!

Olivia with her cousin, Mackenzie, in New York having some good times on Mackenzie’s 8^th birthday! Happy birthday, Mackenzie!

Welcome Home, Macy!

After years of waiting, Gladney parents Jon and Karen are just thrilled to introduce their new daughter Macy to everyone! She is just adorable, as you can see in the photo below! Welcome home to Texas, Macy!

New Gladney Family Association in Florida

We are thrilled to announce that we have just officially established a South Florida GLADNEY FAMILY ASSOCIATION! This is a very exciting time and we would love to have you as a member.

Participating in the South Florida GFA is a wonderful way to meet other adoptive families, share your experiences throughout the different stages of adoption and have fun! As you are well aware, adoption touches all aspects of family life. That is why GFA membership may include grandparents, adult adoptees, friends (adoptive families through other agencies) or members of the community who are supporters of adoption. We are planning our Kick-Off event on Saturday, August 29th (location & time TBA) so please SAVE THE DATE! The dues to join are only $40 per year and the next dues will not be collected until January 1st, 2011, so if you sign up now, you will receive 18 months for the price of 12! You will then be included in every quarterly event we are planning this year as well as the South Florida GFA directory. Once you sign up, we will contact you personally to share more information about our Gladney Family Association. Don't hesitate to contact us directly if you have any questions!

We are looking forward to meeting you personally in the near future.

Join today!

Annual Gladney Picnic at the Larchmont Yacht Club

What a wonderful day for the annual Gladney picnic at the Larchmont Yacht Club. Great fun was had by all. The children enjoyed playing in a bouncy house, face painting, dancing to the DJ, hula hoops, and croquet! It was wonderful to see old friends and meet new families.

Spring Day In The Park!

Jaden, Kathryn and Sarah have all known each other since they came home from China within just 13 months...first Kathryn, then Jaden, then Kathryn's little sister Sarah! The girls enjoy regular playdates. The other day, on one of the rare beautiful spring days we've had, the three Gladney China Program girls got together with their wonderful au pairs for a playdate in the park. Here are some pictures as well as our au pair Yanyan's stunning photo of evidence of spring!

We all hope the girls can continue to be good friends for many years to come!

Lauren and LiLi Blossom!!!

Mom writes:

Lauren - Adopted 1-30-2002, Anhui province (Gladney)

Lauren is a very outgoing and energetic 8 year old. She plays softball, rides horses, plays the piano, loves camping and is fascinated by anything having to do with nature. She loves gardening with her Papa. She also loves science, especially outer space.

Lauren's younger sister, LiLi, adopted 03-08-2006, Guangxi province is a very sensitive and loving girl that loves anything that is flashy and girlie. She has learned to enjoy the outdoors, but prefers playing dress up when given the choice.

Drew Enjoys Some Spring Fun!

Here are some pictures of Drew.(18 mos). We brought him home in December 2008. He is the light of our life and doing so well. These are just snapshots around the house and at a special kids event. Please use any of them you'd like.

Proud parents Dawn & Jeff

Coney Island Fun with Kiana

Hello. Just wanted to share a couple of pics from our afternoon at Coney Island in Brooklyn this past weekend. It was a beautiful day for the beach. And we were happy to see that the amusement park was open. After a couple of rides, and a stroll on the boardwalk, we hit the beach. Kiana (age 2; adopted Nov 2007) loves the sun, but isn't too crazy about the sand (just like her mommy). Check out her crabby face pic when sand got in her socks :)~

Amy Lee (Mom to Kiana)
http://kianalani.blogspot.com

Happy Spring from Lili-Cai

Lili-Cai has been taking a paper cutting class at the Chinese Cultural Center in New York and loves it very much. She will be 4 years old in June. Happy spring to everyone.
Cornelia & Marcel and Lili-Cai

Gladney Mom Publishes Book!

Hi - Gayle Kamen-Weinstein here. I am a Gladney parent x 2. I along with 6 other parents including Danny Fuller also a Gladney parent have recently published Our Blessings from China. It is our family's story of our adoption journey covering the last 10 years of China adoption. All the stories are heart-warming and very personal.
In Houston I have been hosted by several bookstores and schools for talks on adoption and book signings. One local middle school bought 30 copies and have invited me to be a guest lecturerer for the Chinese classes and their writers workshop. I am also the featured speaker at an upcoming International Festival next month.
Our girls, Jennifer, almost 12, adopted in 1998 and Melanie almost 9, adopted in 2001 are competitive gymnasts and bright, beautiful girls. We are in the process of planning for Jennifer's Bat Mitzvah in 2010.

Little Ben Shoots Some Hoops!

Benjamin's Mommy writes:

Here's a recent photo of little Benjamin, adopted in March 2009 from Chung Yi! He and Daddy were playing some hoops earlier in the week!!!!

Happy Spring!

Here are a few photos of our celebrations from the past week, including a photo op with the big-eared guy! Our babies are growing up--last year Kathryn was terrified of the Easter bunny, this year she stood alone on his other side! Sarah was still a little leery though.:-). We had an egg hunt and a wonderful dinner and enjoyed one of the rare sunny days we've had this spring here in NYC!

Happy Passover, Happy Easter, Happy Spring! May the spring see the referrals of lots and lots of children to their long-waiting parents!

New York Asia Waiting Families Book Club

A couple of emails have been sent out to families living in the NY area about a new Asia Waiting Families Book Club that is being organized by a few of our China Waiting moms. The first meeting will be held in the NY office on Tues., May 12 from 6:30pm-8pm. The book to be discussed in the first meeting is China Ghosts: My Daughter's Journey to America, My Passage to Fatherhood by Jeff Gammage. It is the story of one couple’s journey to their two year old daughter in China.

We will be collecting $7 for a pizza order (includes 2 slices and a soft drink, plus tip) so please indicate in your RSVP if you will be participating in the pizza order. Please email Stephanie at sbrueckel@gmail.com if you are interested in attending!

Photo Contest

Gladney is excited to announce that we are working with the US-China News Media Foundation and the US-China Cultural Exchange Association on the “My School, My Home” Photo Contest. This contest is open to all children who were adopted from China. Please see the attached Press Release and Contest Guidelines for more information. We really hope that many of our Gladney families will participate in this wonderful contest!


Please email Mary Chapman at mary.chapman@gladney.org for the complete description and rules!

Wearin' O' The Green!

James, Kathryn and Sarah all wore green to celebrate St. Patrick's Day this year. Well, James is in his karate uniform but if you look at his neck carefully you will catch a glimpse of the green shirt underneath. The kids enjoyed our neighborhood St. Patrick's Day parade last Sunday and we are all ready for the greenery of spring in Brooklyn after this long winter!

Shred Betty!

Whitney sure has taken to skiing. In the past two months, we have been in Vail and Telluride. By the end of our second trip, Whitney was able to ski the back bowls in Telluride! She even competed in a little race and is very, very proud of her hard earned ribbon! Just a few photos from our terrific trips:

Gladney Chinese New Year Celebration 2009!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef-MbytgtnM&feature=channel_page

Happy Holidays from Kathryn and Sarah!

Early in December, Kathryn and Sarah made a unique holiday project with our wonderful au pair from China, Yanyan. The entire family traced their hands on green construction paper and these became the branches of the tree. Here are Sarah, left, 3, and Kathryn, right, almost 4, posing with the finished project!

Happy Holidays to all!

Whitney Visits Santa!

Whitney sure enjoyed her visit with Santa! She is quite excited to make Santa his favorite cookies and wait up all night for his visit.


Happy Holidays to all of our Gladney friends.