End of Summer Photos

Caleb and Asher out for a walk
First Cherrio with help from Abby!
Life's a party with my big sister Caroline!
Wide Eyed! Have I taken too many photos?
Last day of summer celebration with Grandma and Grandpa Shipley at the Mason Whippy Dip has become annual tradition - since this was year 2! Asher slept through this visit but has experienced a bit cause it is hard to eat ice cream with a baby straped to your tummy. We had a great summer but we are now in the second week of school and plan to head back to the whippy dip this weekend before it closes for the summer!

Here are some photos of some of our activities in August. August 10th we celebrated Abby's 5th birthday Ballerina Style and LOTS of Pink. Pink tutus, pink cup cakes, pink lemonade everything pink!
Asher loves water and the bath becomes a big party especially if you add a sister or a brother!

Life around our house can be very tiring! And Asher is the only one that gets caught up on his sleep somehow! Oh, for an afternoon nap!!!

New Longer Slide Show!

It has taken awhile, but thanks to several families that we traveled with I've added to our slide show. So now here is the 5+ minute version. Enjoy! http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=f57fbe2d69c98c0e076fb&skin_id=0&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

5 Senses of Ethiopia: Tastes

I have to confess that our week in Ethiopia was filled with much Amercian food as well as some tastes of Ethiopian food. We stayed at the Hilton and filled our stomachs with comfort food like club sandwiches, hamburgers, spagetti and of course, pizza! All of which lived up to it tastes we were accustomed. We even got brave and ordered an ice cream sundae from room service to celebrate our embassy day (we were told to stay away from diary, but thought it would be ok in the Hilton and we were right - thankfully). That tasted a little funny but still satisfied our sweet tooth! The catsup for the french fries was made with sugar and not salt - I thought that was great! But I truly love Ethiopian food and really enjoy the spicy stuff as long as I have a glass of bottled water. Speaking of bottled water, there seemed to be a debate on whether you should drink water from a glass even if it is bottled. If the glass was washed in regular water would you get sick? We never did and drank from a glass at the hotel and when we went out to eat. I don't know the names for any of the dishes but I really like the spinach dish and the lamb dish and the doro wat (ok, I know one, chicken stew). I also like the boiled egg that took the spiciness out of any hot dishes. We ate at the Crown Hotel and the buffet was wonderful. They had the traditional stews and then a great green bean dish! The small bananas were good but I expected more flavor for some reason. The tastes I skipped were the cut meat stew - I was afraid it was the raw meat one and the frozen octopus in the freezer at the market. A must was the fruit juice drinks at The Gazbebo at the Hilton! The best taste of Ethiopia in my mind is the coffee - and I'm not a coffee drinker! It has a rich and sweet flavor and it is such an experience. You rarely get a cup just poured for you - you get the experience of how they roast the beans and ground them and serve the coffee after your meal with the perfect partner - popcorn! If I'm ever offered Ethiopian coffee you will always hear me say, "YES!" Bon Apetit!

5 Senses of Ethiopia: Sound

So many sounds . . . where do I begin. We were awoken the first morning which happened to be Sunday to chanting music that blared in the distance. At first, we thought this was a muslim call to prayer, but as we inquired from some staff of our agency they told us that it was a call to worship by the Orthodox Christian Church and it made sense since we didn't hear it again until Wednesday night's call to worship for the mid-week service. We weren't sure how it was broadcasted but you could hear it from quite a distance. The sound of horns filled the street because people and animals where dense and the only way for a taxi driver to manage it's way through the streets was to warn the animals and pedistrians that he was coming and coming FAST! The sounds of the Amharic language fill the air wherever you are. It seems to roll of the tongue, but not mine have you! It is an interesting language and although so strange seems vaguely familiar. Thankfully the sound of English was very common as well! I wish I could tell you I heard many children laughing but to be honest that only took place with our own children and when we visited an orphanage and started playing with the children. Mostly I hear the voices of children approaching our taxis and saying, "Please Mother, Food" or "Please Mother, one doller" it was so hard to hear and it rings in my head still almost on a daily basis. The beautiful sounds of Ethiopia are of the songs we heard at the crown hotel in the variety of music and dance we witnessed from the different people groups all around Ethiopia. The music is lively and full of a rich beat. You will not find yourself standing still for long and you get swept into the beat and movement of the rhythm. It is full of life and joy and is appreciated by all no matter what part of Ethiopia you are from. Lastly, the sounds of many animals come to mind during our stay in Addis. The roosters wake you, the donkeys greet you on the road and the birds remind you of their beautiful presence. Though rare in our experience, I prefer the laughter of the Ethiopian children over any sound in Addis!

5 Senses of Ethiopia: Touch

There were many touches, and non- touches that I wanted to touch in Ethiopia. I wanted to touch more of the people and was frustrated because I couldn't because of lack of time and not having the ability to invest the effort. Here is one illustration of what I mean. We had the opportunity on our last day there to visit the children at the AHOPE orphanage. We had tried to go early, but it just didn't work out. I had Asher in the baby bjorn on my chest and it restricted me for the type of interaction I wanted with the kids. I was able to read a book to a little girl and hold the hands of a few children while we took our tour of the orphanage. The lack of touch with these children frustrated me, but also the limited touch that they were getting because they were not apart of a loving family was even harder for me to take. Don't get me wrong the care that they received there was great and the workers there loved the kids and cared so much about them. But God intended for us all to belong to a family and to HIS family and this was hard for me to hold onto. I lost my emotions some while I was there along with another mother that shares my heart for children. Our agency staff person had a hard time understanding why we were upset because these children were really doing well - well fed, great place to play and sleep, great medications for their HIV situation. But our hearts ached to see so many children without a mom and dad to hold them and care for them and share the love of God with them. It is the situation that these children are getting the necessities to live happy lives, but they also need parents to kiss their boo boos, read to them every night, rejoice in the victories and hold them when things get hard and teach them that God is there and loves them through it all. I think and pray for this children many nights. I realize that there are children like this through out the world and I've seen them in Russia and Mexico. I don't understand it all but I know that God loves and cares for these children and I'm praying about what else he would have me do for the orphans of this world. Without a doubt, I wish I would have taken more opportunities to touch the lives of the Ethiopians while I was there, but it is not too late for me to make an impact through sponsorship, prayer and hopefully in future, adoption. :)

5 Senses of Ethiopia: Sights

I can't stop thinking about our time in Ethiopia. Mainly, I keep experincing the five senses of our experience. The sights are what keep popping up in my head without any prompting. There are pictures of the wonderful people that we shared our time. There is Dagne the main contact person with CWA Ethiopia. His huge smile that lights up a room and his genuine love for the children are so evident in his smile. Behailu, is a man that can be recognized by his relationships. It truly seemed that the love of Christ flowed through the way he spoke with respect and cared for the people he encountered on a daily basis. The nannies shared their compassion, love and nurturing touch on all the children. We saw them a few times at the Hotel and when they accompanied us to the embassy appointment. Though they had deep connections with the children they felt comfortable in entrusting us with their care when the time came. Cassahun, the CWA driver, is cheerful and willing to help. He stretched his English to try to answer our many questions. He was so pleasant to be around! There were also those that we didn't get to know well but stick out in my mind. The beggars that press up against the door of the taxi asking "Please Mother, Food or money?" Wow, that was the hardest part and I have thought over and over how I might do that differently when I return. There are many precious faces of the street children that we saw roaming around. I will never forget the two boys barefoot and flithy wouldn't even discribe their presence. Hand in hand with smiles on their faces they went looking for the next adventure that may lie ahead. Many boys approached our car as we left one shopping area on Church Hill Road. As one boy said, "Please mother" and then placed his hand to his mouth, I remembered that I had an apple in my bag. I quickly gave it to him as we pulled out and remember seeing him and another boy hide it between them and run to another bigger boy. They gave it to him and he took a big bite. I often wondered, "Did the bigger boy share it with the others or take it for himself." Food was such a big commodity! And we take it for granted. Another snap shot I remember is the warm countenance and helpfullness about the people. Many would help us to the right shops, to the right directions or answer our questions with joy. I truly felt like the Ethiopians were so welcoming of us foriegners andwanting to come to our aid and help. Once when I had to change a diaper for Asher in a fairly nice restaurant the restroom help practically did the whole thing for me and used her minimal English in the process. I truly felt cared for by many Ethiopians. There were also sights of incredible poverty and amazing sites of innovation. There was dark, dirty lifestyles and plush green beautiful landscapes. Their were many people carrying or toting around food in hand made dollies made from anything and everything. Bamboo sticks string and small wheels and who knows where they got those. The best and most wonderful sight of our trip to Ethiopia was the people and the joy of God's love in their faces. It was evident in the children at AHOPE which is a AIDS orphanage we visited, we saw it in the people on the streets, the store attendents and in the Staff at CWA Ethiopia and it is seen everyday in the wide eyes of our son Asher Bradley Ewing!

Kiss Me I'm From Ethiopia!

It is hard not to kiss this face! Asher is such a joy and he has delighted all of us! He is a happy little guy and fun to play with. He has gone through many doctors appointments and a matter of fact, he has one tomorrow. The only time we've seen him unhappy for long was when he had his blood drawn and it took forever - those tiny, tiny veins. He has had a fairly clean bill of health so far and we are very thankfull. I have the best help at my house. Caroline loves to carry him and play with him, Abby is always available to hold him and bestow tons of kisses on him and Caleb is good for comic relief and makes Asher laugh a lot. Asher loves to swim, and also play with our dog, Buckeye. We are really enjoying our time with him. He is truly a blessing!