My baby is in KY for the week!

This is day 3 for my daughter Caroline on her missions trip to Appalachia Kentucky. She went with some of her youth group. They got there on Saturday evening and yesterday attended church and also held a children's service in the evening. Today was to be a service day at the church and then an afternoon handing out fliers for the VBS they will help the church put on for the next three days. By Friday they will have a fun day and Brad and I and the other three will travel with several other families and meet them in Kentucky. We will help them wrap up the week by putting on a free carnival on Saturday and hope to bring many from the community to the church and make some great connections for the church there.

I have already seen God at work in my daughter and can't wait to see how God shapes her with this experience. She is an amazing young lady and a home body at it very best. So, this week is a stretch for her but she felt God calling her to go and share his love and great news to this community. She and her friend in this picture are the only youth girls on the trip. Please join me in praying for her and her group this week! We will keep you posted in what happens and God works in this wonderful part of Kentucky!

First Big Fall!

Here is the boy's first big fall. He fell trying to master the front porch steps with a big watering can in his hands. And the result was his head being glued shut. He slept through the whole thing and we were anticipating stitches. So the experience could have been a lot worse. He is an active boy! Brad and I were in the waiting room and we actually thought it was pretty good that it took 6 months to get his first big injury. (With our first we talked about what awful parents we were, but now we see the glass half full!) The tricky part is to keep him from breaking it back open, but so far so good! He took this bandaid off at the check out at Hobby Lobby the next day and it had already bled and freaked out the cashier, opps! We were also to have our social worker over that night for our 1 year post placement report but she called and rescheduled for one week. That felt good! Sorry this is not a better picture it is hard to get this kid to freeze for a minute!

Father's Day!

I have the best Dad in the world. My Dad was there when I was growing up to give me advise, he coached my softball and basketball teams and helped to give me many pointers on the game, but the best thing I recieved from my Father was time. My Father always gave us time whether it was time shooting baskets, time to talk while taking a walk, even time teaching me how to drive (boy did that take some time). But my favorite time with my Dad was devotion time. When I was little my Dad read to us from a book called "Little Visits with God" and as I got older my Dad would read to us from "Our Daily Bread" and I don't live with my Dad any longer but my Dad still calls every once in a while to pass on a good devotion he read here or there and I love when my Dad shares about God's Word and how it is teaching him and alive in today's world. Thanks Dad! (In case you think I grew my hair out - this picture is of my twin sister, Cathy - I guess I need a new picture Mom and Dad)!

My husband is an amazing father!!! I love to see him with my kids and they can't get enough of him. When he walks in the door a chorus rings from our house "Dad's Home!" and everyone comes running. Every morning the kids want to know if Dad's still getting ready for work or can they call him and tell him Good Morning! My kids are sooooo bonded to him. And he makes life so much fun. Even in this picture taken on our Father's Day outing which consists of Putt-Putt, Wendy's Frosties and the park (the frosties were dinner, by the way, requested by Dad), Brad was throwing up Asher and trying to get him to smile for the picture when Asher's shoe goes flying toward me and everyone laughs, but Asher, of course. Dad knows how to have fun! And I'm so glad he does! Dad also gives great wisdom, a listening ear and is the best fan in whatever the kids are involved in! He puts God first in all he does and always puts us infront of his work and many, many times that is not easy to do. We love our Dad!

Two for the Price of One - I Wish!

Well, yesterday we went to TWO dr. appts. We had an orthopedic appt scheduled but also took him to his ped. because Asher had not been sleeping for about four nights and naps have been bad too. So we went to check out his ears. He ended up having fluid in his right ear causing him pain but no need for an antibiotic. The doc said he probably had an infection and it is just clearing up.

So here is what the orthopedic had to say about Asher's legs. The doctor's main response was let wait and see. He thinks that this could be a regular case of bowed legs and that time will straighten them. He also said that with bowed legs in toddlers usually is at its worse at the age of 18 mos (the exact age of our precious Asher). But he also said that we need to keep an eye on him and have him x-rayed in 6 mos for a slight chance that he would have Blount's disease (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001584.htm) which is a disease where the inner part of the tibia just below the knee fails to develop normally causing angulation of the bone. So, we will wait and see and I'll update you come Dec. Thanks for your prayers!

Last night after a day of doctors we went to the Reds game. They lost but we had a great time with our niece from Monterrey, Mexico. It was both her first experience and Asher's first experience at the Red's game. She thought the seventh inning stretch was interesting and couldn't believe that everyone knew the same song. We watched the boats on the river, many give aways and games and even had fireworks for the one home run by the home team and, of course, we had all the ball park foods, Nachos, peanuts and we brought our families tradition of M&Ms. It was a fun evening!

Is it Super Man!

We had to work really hard to catch our breath after putting Asher in the Body Wear suit. It helps your arms from carry so much weight in the pool. Can you believe how buff this little man looks. We died laughing and every time he tried to pick something up he would fall over and struggle to get up. Oh, this was a great stress release for our busy week. He is soooo fun to be around and he didn't even complain being in this.

This is more like it! Our little bow legged bather. If you look closely at his right leg you can tell that he is still bowed in this leg. It is only in his right leg and the left is pretty straight. Please pray for us this Wednesday (6/13) as we go to an orthopedic and have it checked. It seems to affect his hips when he walks and the way he wears the soles of his shoes. They may just tell us to give it more time, but it is very obvious when he walks and if we can do something now to help correct it than we hope to find that out this week. Believe me, he doesn't have any problems getting where he needs to be fast but he looks a little awkward getting there.

Moses' Mother

This is a book that I often read to Asher before bed time, but it made a big impact the other night as I read it to him. I got to the page where Moses' mother places him in a basket in a river and it hits me. . . This is a picture of Asher's birth mother and many, many mother's around the world. These mother's feel such a deep love for their children and find that they can not give their children the basics. Moses' mother feared for her son's life and so do many, many mother's all over the world. Moses' mother found a way to keep her son safe and try to make him known publicly but safely. This happens all over the world. Babies are left at the steps of the police, orphanages, churches, hospitals or clinics and many times the mother stays hiding close by to make sure their children get to the safe arms. In comes Miram, Moses' sister to watch over him until he found safety in the princesses arms. I know this story sounds so obvious but this picture just brought to life my son's birth mother and what a selfless woman she is.

I am really wanting to give back to Ethiopia in her memory and I am looking into a program that is in the developing stages and will be serving in Ethiopia to meet the needs of widows and grandmas trying to raise their children with little or no means. This organization is looking to provide micro-loans to women so they can keep the blessings God has given them. I am often praying and thinking of Asher's mother. I don't even know anything about her or if she is even living but my heart aches for the aching she may have in her heart for her little boy and I pray that God will give her the peace that he is doing well. I will always talk to Asher about his loving birth mother that loved him so much she put him in safe hands and God sent him to our family. We are Happy and Blessed! (That's what Asher means!)