It's just not been Summer to me.

Anyone feel that way. We've had a very cool and wet summer. We haven't been swimming like get into and under the water swimming since the second week in June. I haven't had any time to read a simple book. But some of our family have done some really fun things. You can see from the pictures below.
Things We have done this summer

• Lots of bike rides
• The oldest two went to Mexico with Brad
• I've learned to changed three tires on our bikes
• Spent many afternoons and evenings with my parents
• Been putt-putting
• Spent time at a local amusement park
• working on renovating our porch
• Spending endless hours planning and organizing Ethopian culture camp
• Working on unity with our family
• many chores
• Lots of soccer for Caroline who is trying out for the HS team.

Well this weekend our family will be going to Jackson, KY to help put on a church picnic for the Happy Church. We love the people there and this church. They are a light that shines in a heavy dark place.

Thankful there is more of summer and maybe we can swim some more or at least get our kayak out to float on the lake.

Brad going down a natural water slide in Mexico

Caleb's turn


Family in Monterrey


Caroline and Aunt Cathy in downtown

Our Forever Family Day

We love to celebrate life and this day three years ago we added more LIFE into our family! This is our FOREVER FAMILY DAY! Three years ago we came home with Asher from ET and he became apart of our family forever! So here are some pictures of that great day. I remember being soooooo tired and even hours after landing I was still spinning in my head from all that travel. We were so happy to be home and to introduce Asher to all his family.

I love to compare pictures of Asher. Mostly his first photo to the most recent. God has definitely hand picked each child for our family and as much as I dread the years going by, I do enjoy seeing how God shapes and molds them year after year.

I try and picture Asher as a three year old in Boditti, ET. I see him as sometimes still riding the back of his mom, aunt or sister (we don't know anything about his family so I'm just imagining). I can imagine him running around the small mud hunt and chasing goats. But today at our house he runs around our yard and up and down the sidewalk. He plays with his brother and enjoys hanging with his sisters. He LOVES his dog and playing with everything. He enjoys music and a funny movies. We are so happy to be a family FOREVER!

Family reunion in the airport!

The Ewing 4 - home at last

First family photo. Asher still sucks his fingers.

This last year's Christmas family photo.

What a difference 3 years makes!

An early Christmas Idea for those early shoppers

So if you are looking for a Christmas Gift for that hard to buy friend or relative... do I have an idea for you!!!! My nephew is an unbelievable artist and his preferred medium is pencil. So for our anniversary I had him do one of our wedding photos and man, is it TOTALLY AWESOME! He got everything exactly right (even my crooked tooth). He is soooo talented and I love that he did this for us, I mean, Brad! All I did was scanned the photo and sent it to them and he went from there. Thanks, Josh! It's awesome!

Funny Asher Stories

So last week Brad and Caroline and Caleb went down to Mexico to visit and serve along side family. The cousins all asked Uncle Brad, C and C about new Asher stories. They love hearing about the funny things he does so hear is one that they probably didn't hear.

So one night, around dinner time, I was getting dinner ready. Abby was sick and the other kids were all doing homework and playing. It was a typical 6pm, the TV on to keep Asher busy and away from the kitchen. I was fielding homework questions, phone calls, listening to the news on the radio. Brad walks in the door and we all greet him with a hug and kiss. Brad starts to help me with getting dinner on the table. It must have been between shows and homework subjects cause before I know it EVERYONE is in the kitchen. We are all setting the table and finishing up the final touches on dinner when it happened. . .

The oven timer went off and no one saw him do it, but Asher somehow messed with the lock lever on the oven and then that was it, our dinner was held hostage by the oven! We turned off the oven and went to work to try to free the freshly baked chicken that was waiting for us to eat. After 20 minutes or more and by then we'd unplugged the oven and tried to open the door through unscrewing any screw we found along the door, it was still a lost cause. Everyone was VERY hungry and some were actually sharing their hungry feelings with Asher. That's when I decided to scoop up Asher and go buy a roisser chicken at the store so we could at least have the rest of our dinner. Upon arriving I got a call from Brad that our dinner was saved. It was a little crisp but at least it was free to eat for dinner. Because of the heavy mood at home, I decided to lighten it up a bit and brought home cake and ice cream to celebrate a freed bird and FULL stomaches!

And I thought this was sooo funny (I think the only one that did)

that I took photos of the event.

Happy Father's Day Daddy! -From your daughter and nieces and nephews in Mexico

We have compacted 51 things we love about Uncle Brad\Dad:)

We love Uncle Brad\Dad because he...

1.  has a scratchy beard.

2.  is forgiving

3.  buys us icecream

4.  has an eye for archetecture 

5.  plays games with us

6.  is prayerful

7.  lets us stay up late to have whisper swims

8. is extremely unselfish

9. he loses at Loyo :)

10. you are a great leader

11. he is good at tickling 

12. is prayerful

13. he's gonna take me to Abby's barn when we come to visit him

14. he is a great uncle

15. he kept my room clean-haha (Emma)

16. sacrificial

17.he double bounces me on the trampoline

18. he loves spending time with his family

19. he is a great teaser

20.he bumps me in the bumper cars 

21. he knows how to have a fun time

22. he is super smart

23. his strongest muscle is his brain

24. caring

25. supportive

26. Godly

27. is creative

28. loyal

29. loves simple pleasures- bike riding swimming

30. loves his extended family

31. he is good looking (Uncle Todd)

32. he looks good in everything he wears and its super frustrating ( Uncle Todd)

33. plays blind man's bluff well

34. he can read people very well

35. is super fun to be around

36. he is a great drawer

37. he draws good maps for me

38. he is patient 

39.he doesn't yell

40. I love him 

41. He loves me

42. He is a trooper

43. he gets up at the crack of dawn to run with me

44. he comes to my games

45. he is humble 

46. he is flexible

47. he makes fun jokes

48. you are a good kayaker

49. you are a good listener

50. you enjoy God's creation as much as I do

51. He is an awesome daddy

Mowing Buddies

Once a week this is what happens in our front lawn. Asher LOVES to mow and always has. He is now too big to ride on Brad's back so now he mows along side - but at a safe distance. He stays out there as long as Brad does. He will have a great business in about 8 or 9 years!

Can you say, STRAWBERRIES!!

Our favorite summer time food - THE STRAWBERRY!

Also, better late than never, some memorial day parade shots. We love a good parade on memorial day - it always brings up some good conversation and learning for all of us.

Summer Garden

So this year we decided to try and grow a garden. It has been a family event and fun to see how different people have stepped up to remember watering and checking on the plants. We built it as a contained garden because we have many rabbits in our back woods and we hope that we can feed our family off the garden and not the rabbits' family. We've planted some corn (probably won't fully grown but looks good), cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, cantaloupes, and watermelons. As you can see we had some hard workers and some HARD players afterwards!

I'm back in the Saddle Again!

Sorry that I've fallen off the blog world. I feeling like I've been spinning so many plates and running around like a maniac to keep them all spinning. Ever have that feeling?

Since I havn't down loaded my summer photos and wanted to post now, I'll go backwards some.
Here are the new close buddies. Asher constantly wants to wear one of his 3 BUCKEYE t-shirts for he is an HUGE fan. And his new close buddy is our dog, BUCKEYE! They are found everywhere together.

When it gets hot around here the kids have found a indoor way to cool off. They use this boomwacker to get ice our of our refrigerator. Very innovative!

Lastly we have a climber who loves to look our our front window and if there was ever a doubt that he was here. We've got proof!

Ok, so those are lamb photos but it's the best I've got today. Our last month of school was so busy. Everyone did so well this year. We now will have a freshman in HS, a 5th grader, a 2nd grader AND a preschooler!!! All the kids did awesome in school this year and Asher has started OT for his sensory needs and that has been very beneficial for him.

Part of our family leaves soon to visit family and love on kids in Mexico (www.back2backministries.org). Caroline is conditioning already to try and make the HS soccer team. Abby is horseback riding and a horse camp. Caleb and Asher have started fishing with Dad. I'm trying to help organize an Ethiopian Culture Camp in September but feel very unqualified.

So stay tuned, I'll try to get my summer photos up soon!

Happy Day Sweet Caroline!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Caroline, Happy 14! We are so proud of the sweet, compassionate, smart, creative young woman you've become. God has some great plans for you in your future and we can't wait to see you take the journey He has ahead for you. Hope you enjoy your special day!

Celebrate Good Times!

Here is how we celebrated our anniversary last night. I called into our local christian radio station a couple of weeks ago and got to share about our awesome son, Caleb on the family name contest. I also won passes for our family to share in a private party at a Pump It Up! We had lots of fun and played hard. I'm sore today but enjoyed our time celebrating 18 years of marriage as a family!

18 Years and counting!

Today marks the 18th anniversary to my wonderful husband. He is a wise Godly man, a supportive husband, an amazing father and so fun to be around! We love our sports team (even though we live and die by them - more dying lately then living I add). We have enjoyed traveling together, kayaking together, but mostly just being a family with our awesome kids! We don't know what God has in store for our future but we do know that we get the awesome pleasure of doing life together! I love you, Brad!!!

There is no difference in our hearts but man, certainly one in MY looks!

April 20th, 1991

Easter - one week late!

So here are the Easter pictures one week late. Actually, many places around the world this is their Easter celebration on the orthodox Easter Sunday (Ethiopia). So we will use the Ethiopian calendar and say Happy Easter!

The traditional hunt on the path behind our house.

God's little surprises!

We went this weekend to visit Brad's grandmother. We were blessed with a nice visit and Grandma Great was feeling well. Then God answered another prayer. . . on our way home we stopped at OSU to peer into the stadium (a tradition) and we noticed a gate open.

So we took pictures like Abby the future cheerleader.

Caleb leaning for a touch down!

We posed at the endzone.

OH. . . IO at center field in the horse shoe.

We even got video of us marching down the entrance ramp like the best band in the land starts the games! What a day!

It was a dream come true for my husband and our family!
(oh, by the way, we did get kicked out :))