It's How You Look at Things!

I have the best family in the world! And in it I have an amazing husband and four wonderful children! I was fooled by my daughter in the last post and she was paid well for her kind words (:0) Just kidding! She mentioned a soccer tournament this last weekend. We packed everyone into the van and headed to Lexington, KY on this most beautiful weekend. We had a great time with wonderful weather, a fun night at a hotel, lots of fun foods, great party time with friends and family on the soccer team and of course the pool! Caroline's team played three teams that were two and three levels higher than their team so needless to say there wasn't too much success. Well at least not success as most people see it, but I would say that this weekend was a smashing success in a different way.

Our team improved their level of play, they learned that the calls don't always go your way and they learned that winning is not the only measure of success. They were successfull this weekend because they never gave up and they poured it on when everyone else would have felt empty. They played with integrity and fairness and didn't let things said or done get to them. It wasn't all about any individual but about the team! I'm so proud of them all and when we got home I was joking with Caroline about getting ready for another game that evening and she smiled and said she wish she had one. It's not always the out come but the journey that matters! And that is what I'm taking away from this weekend and these 12 year old girls that gave it their all- No Matter What!

Isn't that what God has done for us. He gave His all regardless of how unapreciative we are and very undeserving of it. He had integrity and fairness even though everyone around him was displaying something different. He poured out His life for us when He should have been empty. Wow, I didn't start out to make this a spiritual analogy! God is good and teaching me every day! Thank you, Lord!

Happy Mother's Day

I (Caroline) have been wanting to do this for a long time but have never gotton permission/access to the computer. It is pretty rare that this happens together at one time. Mom, I know you think I am going to do a soccer post about my tournament this weekend but I've changed the subject a little...

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

just a few words that come to mind when I think of mom:

unselfish

caring

loving

kind

sporty

adventurous

tolerant (you have to, to be our mama!)

Just one quick story...

OK so we went to Lexington Kentucky for a tournament this weekend (yes mothers day weekend!) and we stayed in a hotel for one night. Well, we remembered everything except the sleeping bag for Caleb. This is a miracle in itself but the sleeping bag was much needed so we told Caleb he could sleep on the chair. For future information if a piece of funiture looks comfy, don't trust it. Caleb was restless through the night. Halfway through, mom layed on the floor and let Caleb have her spot. I was not awake for this by the way... :)

Anyway though, that's just a small glimpse of mom's additude: it's not about me.

Mama, thanks. I want to be a Godly woman like you when I grow up!!! Happy Mother's Day!

Asher's First Year!

Last year on May 9th we got our first glimspe of Asher. Here is a montage of Asher's first year in photos. Enjoy!

http://www.onetruemedia.com/share_view_player?p=2af02b29acfb83fd7a5dd8

A Star is Born!

Abby had her first ballet recital this weekend! She was in the pre-ballet class and the recital theme was candy land. Her class was cotton candy. She did a wonderful job and smiled through the whole routine. Not only did her grand parents make the show but also her Uncle B from Florida. She thought having a little make-up on was the best part of the whole thing. When I woke her up on Saturday for her pictures she popped out of bed and said "Can I have my make-up on now, PLEASE!" She is such a diva!

Happy Birthday to the Oldest!

Twelve years ago on 5-5-95 I gave birth to our wonderful red hair wonder. She is soooooo sweet and has a heart for the Lord. She has a heart for the lost and compassion abounds in her. She is very smart, athletic and always looking to serve others. We love her with all our hearts. We celebrated her birthday by eating Mexican food (for Cinco de Mayo) and watching the Kentucky Derby. She is a joy to celebrate and we hsd a great time!

Outdoor photos!

Here are some of the shots of us enjoying the great Spring weather we've been having.

Where have we been????

OUTSIDE!!!!! The weather has been great here and I don't have a single picture to prove it. But we've been playing with side walk chalk and Asher has been eating it. Our grass in the yard is worn down again where the kids have been playing baseball. Brad parks his car outside again cause his side of the garage is full of bikes, wheel barrows, chalk, bubbles and strollers. We are at soccer games and playing at parks. I love it! We've started eating lunches on the front lawn and taking walks and bike rides! Praise the Lord for the wonderful weather of Spring! This is a birthday weekend so stay tuned for photos and fun celebrating our oldest daughter!

16 years with the Love of My Life!

I've been married to the love of my life for 16 years today. But really I have known him since Oct. of 1982. That is almost 25 years! I truly do love him dearly and although I can drive him nuts some days, and some days we disagree (even though we have the same personality according to Myers-Briggs), and lots of days he laughs at me and we laugh at ourselves (I'm sure God does this on a daily basis so why shouldn't we?) I truly couldn't live without him. Happy Anniversary, honey! This is such a awful picture but we don't get too many of just us these days.

Down for a day or two!

Well, Asher had some out patient surgery on Monday. He did great but was down for the count all day. He bounced back yesterday but was laying low again today and since I've been feeling sick today I really didn't mind a bit. Even though it was nice to have a slow day because of me feeling sick, it is so hard to see our liitle guy not his smiley, fun self. We pray he heals quickly. I know I need to charish all this time on my lap because it will soon come to an end and I'll be chasing him around the yard and house again.

Look at those legs!

Asher is fast these days. Running around our house and can get into the toilet and trash at lightening speed! You wouldn't know it inless you examine Asher's legs carefully or have him wear shorts - but Asher is very bow legged. Here are some photos of him. His right leg is worse than the left. The doctor says that he should grow out of it but it is hard to imagine that now as he wobbles around - very fast might I add! I also read an article about bowed legs and they said that 75% of the college and pro basketball players are bow legged and it you watch them at the foul line you can tell. Not that I expect Asher to play ball, but it did make me feel that if he doesn't grow out of it then this shouldn't effect his quality of life in any way. Let me know what you think? Maybe you can't even notice - ya right!


Yes, this is Caroline laughing at me running around trying to get a good picture of Asher's legs.

Spring Break!?!

Tomorrow will be my kids last day off for Spring Break. We've had a great week for temps in the 30s, 40s and a day at 50! We've gone to the movies, read books, hung out together, watched it snow on several occasions and our special outing came on Easter Sunday night.

You are going to think that we really drag out our gifts and occasions, but with that said, last Sunday night (Easter) we went to see the Lion King Broadway show. It was my birthday present which was given to me back in October and we went to the show two days before my half birthday. It was the best gift ever!!!! The show was amazing, the cast phenomenal and the costumes out of this world! Everyone went but Asher since we didn't think he was old enough to appreciate it and be worth the money spent. I had to laugh that we enjoyed this show about Africa and left the African at home:)

This week the kids have put on shows, baked cup cakes, helped me make and deliver food to a neighbor with a new baby and yes, we even did a little house work - but just the bare minimum. We are going to Mexico at the end of the summer to visit my sister and Brad's sister and their families. So my hope was to apply for passports for the kids by the end of the week since they have to be present and the passport place is open from 9am-3pm M-F. So, I hope it works out to get them tomorrow. The wait for passports gets longer and longer. They are now saying that it will take 10 weeks to get back if you don't expedite them. I'm still waiting to get Asher's Birth Certificate so I might have to pay for his to be expedited but I'd like to avoid paying that extra for all four of them. Tomorrow it will be back up to the low 50s and we hope that the thermometer will keep climbing after that. Long Live Spring!

Change is in the Air!

Ok, beside the fact that on Tuesday the temps were 80 degrees and this morning it is snowing, there is a different change in the air. But be careful cause if you are not careful you will miss it. My twin sister was the first of us to get her bangs cut (in 8th grade)and the first to get a perm(in high school). And though its not a big change I was the first to have my hair high lighted (last weekend) with a little more red to cover the starting grey.

Pathetic before shot










After color shot

Can you tell the difference?

The Final Gift of Christmas!

Abby was given a gift for Christmas that was finally paid out this week. Abby loves horses and we gave her a gift card to have a horse riding lesson to check out horses and to see if she might be mature enough to start taking some lessons. We have this great Christian women that has a horsemanship school not to far from our house. They have an amazing place and a wonderful atmosphere. Abby LOVED her time with her teacher and her horse for the evening, Joy! She just dug in and did everything with confidence that was asked of her. Not too surprising because that matches her personality to a T. Her teacher told us that she was very impressed how she rested the horses hoof on her knee and dug in there to clean the hoofs. She wasn't afraid and enjoyed every bit of it. We are considering giving her future opportunities and her Dad is soooo excited to accompany her to the stables. They also give the students and parents an opportunity to help in the stables on Saturdays and that thrills them the most. Here are some shots of our brave little "dreamer"!

Catching up!

Sorry I haven't really blogged about life in awhile. About 10 days ago we had a great visit from my brother, Rick, Jane (his wonderful wife) and two of my three nephews in the family, Jordan and Justin (Josh was at Graceland - different spring break). We hung out and the kids had a great game of Laser Tag with their cousins. It was great catching up with them and they enjoyed finally meeting Asher and hanging out with all of our kids. I know our kids had a great time literally hanging on them during the few days they were here. We were also excited to hear that my nephew Justin will be attending Kenyon College here in Ohio starting next year. We will have to plan to make a trip to visit and hopefully we will have more visits in the future from my brother and family as they currently live in Kansas City. We were so busy visiting that I didn't take one picture of our great time together and the weather was wonderful. What was I thinking? Here is shot with their family about a year and a half ago when we went to their house.

So, you think that I would have moved the rolled oats or put them up higher, but that would mean that I'd have to think and plan ahead and being a mother of four and the fourth being a fast toddler there are days I'm just in survival mode in my thinking. So. . . it happened again. Since it has been a while since we'd had used the oats and they weren't too much left (comes with being dumped - more than once), so I finally just got rid of them. I think I should make a sensory table for the back porch and put in oats - he loves playing with them. Doesn't he have a guitly look on his face - Caught ya!

Here are some other shots of the cute guy. Asher got another hair cut but this time we asked for the almost shaved look. It took off all of his curls and I like the short look but I REALLY like his curls. He is so much fun and smiles almost non stop - so why don't I have many photos of that great smile. When I get the camera out he puts on the curious look instead. I'll have to try and sneak up on him for the smile shots. Here are a few of the good ones. This is taken after a snack and we were cheering on the Ohio State Buckeyes. When we say "Go Bucks!" Asher puts his hands in the air and say "SSSSS" He is supposed to be saying "YYEESSS!" He gets so excited when we get excited watching the games. We will be watching again today when OSU take on Georgetown. GO BUCKS!

See What Can Happens When You Go to a Concert

I just loved this story that was on Oprah in January. It was just on a friends blog and I had to post it here as well. Just see what God has changed hearts of some many in one town. I love this story! Enjoy!


The first part is here

The second part is here

Amazing things happen when we are willing to listen to the pressions God lays on our hearts! I realize that God is not calling all to adopt, but how many times have I missed God blessings by not acting on the things He laid on my heart?

Spotlight Child!

Our agency asked us to write a little something for a spotlight on Asher. We were so flattered to put a little light on the fourth precious gift the Lord has given our family. So here it is if you interested http://cwa.org/cwanewsletter/mar07/spotlight.htm



He is such a fun little guy! We enjoy our time with him. Even some of his recent teething sessions from 2-4 am. He is awake but never fussy. It so nice and frustrating all in the same time. It only gets frustrating when the tiredness wears on you. We just love our Caroline, Caleb, Abby and our Asher Bradley Behailu! Oh, yeah! We came home 8 months ago today! And this was the day last year that CWA got our paper work and our taxes arrived in our account to cover the check we mail out of faith. It was truly an act of God and one of His many ways that he reminded us that He was in charge of the whole process and still is in control of our family! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Readoption Day!

Today was Asher's readoption hearing in the county court. Our whole family took part and though some of us were a little nervous the event was actually quite fun! We were asked the typical questions of how long has he been in our family? Was the adoption overseas completed? And how does he do with our family?

But there was one question that we weren't expecting and that was: Is there anything else that I need to know about Asher to help me make my decision to approve his readoption. We considered this a formality so we weren't ready to give reason for his approval on our adoption. Taken back Brad did an awesome job at stating Asher's need for a family and our desire for him to be in our family. My thought - We ain't shipping him back! After the formalities we spent time taking pictures and answering questions that the judge had about our choices in our adoption and why we decided to adopt. He was very sincere in wanting to know.

Afterwards we went to IHOP to celebrate and then took everyone to school and work. But we all did so with extra energy and joy from this awesome experience!

Where did it go??

We've had some great weather lately. Sunny and in the upper 50s, but yesterday on Friday it was actually in the 60s and we were all playing outside. Caleb was playing football when he said hey Mom look! I had no idea what I was looking at until finally a ball came into focus and I started to belly laugh. And of course, I just had to run and get my camera.

I couldn't believe that he had it balancing on the branch. But then I noticed that it was stuck between the little twigs which I think could be equally challenging to do. Yeah for Spring!

Last Year at This Time!

Last year at this time . . . is a favorite Ewing saying and maybe every family does this! So, these pictures were from this past weekend last year. My five brothers and sisters and I ascended onto the Colorado Slopes at Copper Mountain. We had the best time. This picture of my brother, Gary is at the top of the Mountains at our resort. He and my brother Rick went everywhere and took tons of pictures so we could see what it looked like up there since Cathy and I only saw the closest run past the bunny hill. We had a great weekend and I can't remembering laughing so hard. All 6 of us live in 4 different states and one of us is even out of the country. I miss you all Connie, Sharon, Rick, Gary and Cathy! Let's do it again!

How Would It Feel?

As I feed Asher his night time bottle last week, my thoughts went to his mother and how she felt feeding him when she had him. We don't know anything about his biological family so my thoughts are just assumptions and based on nothing real. I was wondering if she like many women in Africa (and other third world countries) was struggling to feel him. Maybe her milk ran dry from lack of nutrition in her own body and how hard that would feel. How hard to feel like you can't provide for your own children. It is the core of every mother to want to provide and care for your children. How hard it would be for me if I couldn't do that for my kids. What heart ache many parents go through on a daily basis over the surface of this earth. My heart is so overwhelmed at this thought. I pray for those families and it is then that I realize the importance of Compassion International, World Vision and other organizations that come along side the parents to put food in the bellies of this precious children while also providing the necessary supplies and uniforms to go to school. Just some sobering evening thoughts that were interrupted by the smile and laughter of a one year old finishing his bottle.

More Weird Weather!

Kids with Grandma Great! Icy Tree in our winter wonderland.

Well this February has been unusual to say the least. We've had snow, sleet, freezing rain, fog and I even heard thunder last night during some rain! We've had it all. We had a week with a delay and two snow days, a week with three snow days and then this morning we are on a delay because of fog and black ice on the roads. I'm just ready for Spring! And I know the birds are cause I've heard them out side for the past three mornings sing about the weather. I thought the ground hog said Spring was right around the corner?!? Well we were doing great and healthy and then it hit this morning also. Caleb has been throwing up this morning and Brad heads out of town for three days. So, we are good here! I love having my children home but I have to admit that it has been a little challenging with everyone home so much and we are doing a media fast (no TV, computer games). We've let Asher off the hook so he can watch "Wiggles" and we are all big fans now!

One big high light during this crazy weather is that we got away this weekend and visited Brad's Aunt Sharon and Uncle Tim and Cousins, Courtney and Kyle (they live in Canton). We also got a chance to visit and see Brad's Grandmother (in Sebring, OH). She had never met Asher. We unfortunately only took pictures at Grandmas - what was I thinking! We had a great time with them and they love to love on our kids! We enjoyed seeing Courtney's dorm room and hanging out and watching it snow. It snowed 6 inches here while we were gone so we came back to a winter wonderland again! One more week of February!

This is our River Birch all bent over! Fog alert this morning! School Delay!

Ice, Anyone?!?

Well, the ice and pjs worked because we've had two snow days in a row for the second week. Both weeks we have missed Tuesday and Wednesday. So it will make for a short week again. We got maybe 3-4 inches of snow with about a half inch on the trees and how knows how much ice and freezing rain actually fell. We have underground lines so luckily our power didn't go out. We cooked hotdogs in our fire place last night any way and pretended we were without power. Sorry the pj shots didn't really turn out but believe me they were inside out. (Don't know why they are so fuzzy) We only have one more snow day until the school starts to make it up. This week was a bummer because we can't play in the snow since it is all ice and very dangerous with branches fall every time the wind blows. Yesterday we made cupcakes and delivered them to the neighbors for Valentines Day that was fun for the girls to get out some. Looks like we won't thaw until next week. Well, so much for our blizzard but I know some of you got it! So today being Valentine's Day I made heart pancakes for the kids to share my love with them. Sorry hubby, he was already at work. Since his office move to ten minutes from our house (3 weeks ago), he has no reason not to make it to work even in bad weather.

Snow, Sleet or Rain????

Well, in the last three days the weather man has forcasted first 14 inches of snow for tonight and tomorrow. Then all day rain for tomorrow and then now then now they say we will have it all. With the temperature supposably hanging at 32 degrees we may experience some snow, then wintery mix, then rain until it turns cold again and turns back for more snow. One channel says 7 inches, one says one inch of ice and power outages and one says it the biggest winter storm for the last 5 years. Well, only time will tell! We are dying to know what our weather fate will be. Until then my kids will do the snow dance, flush ice cubes down the toilet and wear the pjs inside out to hopefully encourage the snow. We will keep you posted. . .

Let it snow!

Snow Day!

All four wonderful kids!

Asher in the sled Asher leaning back


Asher leaning way back!

Finally, a good snow! We got 6 inches and a second snow day. Yesterday we were off for cold and the anticipation of the snow. So, we got out this morning and played. Asher had his first day in the snow and loved being pulled in the sled. He had so many clothes on he couldn't stand never-the-less walk in it and it was halfway up his leg at that! So he loved the sled and then loved leaning back in the sled until . . . he laid back sooo far that he got a face full of snow and that was the end of the snow for Asher. We found a good hill in our back yard to ride because the snow was too powdery to build anything. Here are some pictures.

It was once a few seconds. . .

It was only a few seconds. . . We have many safe things for Asher to play with in the kitchen. We have Leap Frog magnetic activity on our refrigerator. We have one unlocked cabinet with Tupperware that he can empty, bang on and carry around the house. He also spends lots of time standing and walking under the kitchen table. But this time it was only a few seconds and I looked in all the normal spots, no Asher. I checked the bathroom cause he loves to play in the toilet and he was not in the garbage can either. Then I spotted him in the corner of the cabinets. I don't know how it got the cabinet open but he did and found the rolled oats and dumped them onto the floor. But the best part was the response he gave me when he looked up and saw me coming. He panicked and went into full mess mode. He tried with all his fury to swish the oats all over the floor. By the time I got to him, I was in a full belly laugh and I called to Caroline to bring the camera. The photos are doing the hole thing justice, but they help to give you an idea. Asher loves to play and plays hard! There are times I need to heed the same advice. Live life hard and have lots of fun!

Great NPR program

Just came across a great NPR program about white mothers raising black sons. I have thought of many of the things discussed, but it was good to have them brought back to mind. I know that Asher is easily accepted now by much of the public but how will he be preceived in public school and when he is no longer a cute baby, toddler and little boy. You can listen along.

It is a very good discussion with an white mother who adopted (2 from Ethiopia), a white mother who is married to a panamanian husband and raising bi-racial children and an African American mother who is very light skinned and raising African American children.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/roughcuts/