The Latest at the Ewings

Woo Hoo!!! A photo was finally posted on the USAF BMT fb page that has Nathaniel's face in it!!!!!

He looks very somber and exhausted, but it is just SO good to see his face. :)

His last letter says he is enjoying the marching and finds BMT quite easy, "just follow the rules". The hardest part for him is that it's "...kinda boring. The stuff isn't that hard." He has made it his goal to graduate with honors. Currently Nathaniel is able to do 74 push-ups in 60 seconds, making him top in his flight for this. He continues to experience severe headaches from this kind of exertion though, so please pray for him regarding that.

Check out another new item... Luke's new look!!!!

Ok, that is not Luke's new look exactly. He is trying so hard to give a big frown. lol

What is really new are the glasses!!!

I had suspected since Luke came home that he needed glasses, but it was not a pressing need until recently when he kept complaining of his eyes tiring while reading. Now, doesn't our boy look studious?!

Now, I want to show you the new apron that I made for myself, from some of my favorite fabric. I also made one for my mom and sister, (hopefully will post pictures of those later).

And my final share point for today is Ryan singing at the CHRF Annual Church Campout Talent Show, Come Thou Fount. He did a fantastic job!! Everyone praised him. He kept his eyes closed the whole time so that he wouldn't be distracted. It must have worked! At one point many of the men in the audience seems compelled to join in. It felt quite inspired. It was such a blessing and he did so well. Click Here to hear Ryan him sing.

I am thankful for...

... for a first phone call from my son at basic training! Yay!! :))

... for a face book page with pictures of boys in boot camp! (Maybe his face will show up soon!) USAF Basic Military Training

... for the excitement of things to come.

... for new days and fresh hope.

Trying to be Thankful

I am thankful for...

... for french fries with ketchup.

... for warm, moist air that feels so tropical.

... for pretty new ducks in the back yard.

... for baby turtles eating, drinking and toddling around.

... for naps.

... for...

.......the strength to take the next breath.

Edit Note

I missed the memo. No Christmas visit this year from Nathaniel. We will make a trip to TX for his basic training graduation, then will see him when he returns to the east coast in DE.

Engaged!!!

It seems life doesn't like to sit still. We are excited to find another of our kids ready to
begin a life on his own. Nathaniel has asked Christa to marry him and she said yes! What a beautiful girl she is too!!
First, before he marries though, he must pay his dues to the Air Force Reserves and spend some time at boot camp and then tech school. He leaves September 20th, returns for a short visit at Christmas and is off to Dover, DE in April (tentative plan). That is a tough pill to swallow. Nathaniel has a huge presence in our home. And we have all grown very close to him, especially over the past year. It seems the teen-age days are over and we have our old, very close relationships with him restored. Thanks be to God! Nathaniel will be greatly missed!!!

So, as I have learned to do during challenging times,... I will begin once again to list the many blessing that the Lord is so good to bestow upon me. It helps me to stay focused on His love and reminds me of the joy that He wishes me to live in.

So to begin my list:

I am thankful for....

for friends who remind me to keep remembering what I’m thankful for.
for ring shopping with my son.
for a big shiny diamond on a beautiful gold band ... on a pretty girl's hand.

for beautiful young girls who fall in love with boys.
for friends who pray for friends.
for scriptures that remind me how to walk in His way.
for son's strong arms to hold a hurting mom.
for listening ears and encouraging words.

for photos.

for music.

for sunshine.

for hope.

Bugs!

Today, I was gone most of the day running errands. I got home and threw frozen pizzas into the oven and called Luke in from his favorite place to play, the chicken yard. He put away all his things, fed the dogs and was headed upstairs to clean up for supper when he stopped in his tracks. "Mom! I have a present for you.....I found a cockroach for the lizards. It's in my pocket!"
Now first, you have to know that we do like to get crawling bugs for our lizard pets, so catching bugs isn't all that unusual.
I asked him, "You put a cockroach in your pocket?"
"Yes ma'am!"
"Do you really think it is still there? And....you better get outside to find out!"
He steps outside and puts his hand into his back pocket. He reaches, digs, feels around. "No, I guess it's gone," he says with disappointment. He digs a little deeper, his back bending backward as he feels the corners of his back pocket.
"WAIT!! Here it is! It's still in here!.....Mom? Why don't you like cockroaches?"
Is this little boy adorable or what?!? I am so glad God blessed me with this boy to keep me laughing!

Blessed!

I AM THE MOST BLESSED WOMAN IN ALL THE WORLD!!!!!
I now have a beautiful new son-in-law!! The best son-in-law in all the world! I have the best family in all the world!! And nobody compares to the immeasurable quality of my loving friends!!! You are all such an incredible blessing to me. I don't deserve one of you, but yet you love me. I am truly humbled. I love each of you too. Thank you for making the most important day in my daughter's life so absolutely perfect. :)

Thank you God for...

...David making a nice flower garden for me to plant in.
...Whitney and Nathan diligently plowing away at the production of wedding party favors.
...Nathan running David to get sized for his tux, so that I don't have to.
...chickens laying more eggs than I can keep up with.
...sunshine.
...your healing touch on sick bodies.
...wild flower seeds.
...sweet,hot tea.
...wedding plans slowly coming together.
...Ryan raking leaves and cleaning the yard like a mad man.
...my parents traveling out to see us.
...Whitney baking brownies.
...Whitney planning Sunday's meal.
...my husband coming home after three days away.
...

Thank you God for...

...rain.
...Shoe Buy.
...peacock feathers on baskets and pillows.
...our old wedding keepsakes that get to live a new life.
...

I am thankful for...

...wedding planning with Whitney.
...lunch at Olive Garden.
...Nancy.
...Nathan cleaning my carpets. :)
...God's protection of my parents when the trailer came off the hitch on the interstate.

I'm Thankful For...

...a very good night's rest.
...new decor in the living room.
...house plants. (I know I said this one before but I really like them!)
...two more chicks hatched out, arriving a little late.
...walks with Whitney and the boys.
...eggs from my own chickens.
...24 total chicks hatched, even though it was a very laggy hatch.
...

I am thankful for...

...encouraging words from my loving mom-in-law. :)
...waking up to chicks pipping and hatching in the incubator.
...Lord's day fellowship with close friends.
...my darling husband. :)
...mornings when I wake way before anyone else.
...my dedicated dog who comes to find me as soon as hear me in the morning.
...fresh, Hot chicory coffee.
...anticipation of visiting family!
...five cats looking in the window...two looking out.
...six chicks so far.(6:45am)
...smoothies.
...Michael's coupons.
...6 more chicks hatched. (11:45am)
...the last piece of white on white cake.
...six more chicks. (4:45pm)
...two big black dogs nicely brushed...and I didn't do it. :)
...two more chicks! (5:45pm)
...my parents heading out tomorrow to start their journey to Virginia.
...dry red wine with dinner.
...

I'm Thankful For...

...mornings, fresh and new.
...coffee with real cream and stevia.
...Nathaniel spoiling the boys with ice cream and guy-time so I could have mom-time. Yay!!!
...thrift stores.
...working traffic lights.
...tortilla coupons.
...successful garage sailing!
...Pampered Chef stones that cost only three dollars each. :)
...my daughter making meals.
...a neighbor who let us drive through his yard to get home when someone took out a power pole, blocking our road.
...a delicious meal fixed by my daughter.
...my husband arriving home safely after a week away. :)

I'm Thankful For...

...my faithful dog, Cha-Roo who follows me devotedly every step I take.
...sun shining through my windows in the morning.
...the smell of clean laundry.
...smoothies.
...Manx cats.
...good friends.
...praying friends.
...wedding flowers.
...freshly raked grass.
...hard working boys.
...a pretty blue peacock made up of the letters N and W.
...hot baths.
...

I'm Thankful for...

...a lunch date at Apple-Bee's with my son, he bought!
...spring warmth.
...new houseplants.
...chickens pecking corn in the yard.
...the smell of Gardenias.
...dark, healthy soil.
...fast driving on winding, country roads with someone I trust.
...

I am also thankful for...

...texts received.
...chocolate.
...hope.
...a clean kitchen in the morning when it was dirty when I went to bed.
...grace given.
...grace received.
...tacos. Mmmmmmm
...trees that fall in the wind...in the right direction!
...

Thankfulness

I am thankful for....
...a friend's reminder to be thankful.
...being there to hold my son while he weeps.
...long walks in the swamp.
...Red Robin.
...sweet, hot tea on a sore throat.
...little boy smiles.
...husband hugs.
...praying friends.
...wedding plans.
...peacock feathers.
...17 Beta fish in the living room.
...my mom, who understands.
...honesty.
...

Happenings in 2010 so far- It's only Sept. 28th

Wow! This year has traveled past me so fast! I was shocked to realize that I had not blogged since 2009. I will definitely have to do better in the future!
Well, I have a new passion. I have begun quilting. I was slowly introduced to the art by my mom-in-law first of all with her beautiful quilts produced throughout the years for her many loved ones. Then, by a dear friend when she asked for assistance preparing a gift for her niece's wedding. I attended a quilt show shortly after that, and I was strongly enticed to try a project myself. My mom-in-law came for a visit and I asked her to bring along some quilt books to peruse. She took me shopping for fabric and helped me set up a design board. I was set! We fiddled and cut and played and planned. Then we shopped again. :) I liked that part as much as the planning. Eventually my mom-in-law had to go home. :( But I kept playing. My friend Margaret helped me sew the pieced together. Then, it sat... I had to come up with a border....and sat...and sat. Finally, I picked a border. Then it needed quilting. So, it sat...and sat...and sat....! How was I going to quilt this thing?! I was petrified!!
I had to do something even if it was wrong! So I bought my thread and put it into the machine, and started. I was done in no time. It looked great. I then quilted the border, put on the binding and signed it.
I was hooked!!! (it still took a few weeks to get it hung in the lonely spot that had waited for it for so long).


Oh, it sits a little off, and I caught some fabric on the back that didn't belong there when I was quilting it (that I didn't rip out), but I am happy with it. It was a blast to put together, and leaves me with a feeling of accomplishment.

Lots of News

The Ewing Family


Here is all that is new:

Our adoption became final on November 11th! What fantastic news! That was something that Luke was anxiously awaiting in spite of our telling him continuously that he has been final to us from the day we decided to go meet him. Still, he worries. Just two days ago when we were talking about staying approved (for adoption so we can adopt more without going through the original hassle) he asked, "But I thought I was already final?" with a worried look on his face. I look forward to the time when he no longer wonders if he is really going to be ours forever, but believes he is a Ewing.

We did not find out about our adoption being final until November 16th because of a nor'easter/hurricane (Ida) that made its way up the coast. I had never seen so much water in all my life. The roads going out of our neighborhood were both flooded. One completely impassable, the other, passable only with a tall, heavy vehicle and then the water was up to the hood. It was all very exciting until we had to find a way to the emergency room. Tim had been working on the car on Thursday and had unknowingly pulled a muscle deep in his chest. By Friday, he thought something was desperately wrong. We took him to urgent care and they found nothing wrong, but said if it got worse to go to ER. Well, as the evening went on, it felt worse. So, off to the ER we went, into the storm. What an adventure it was. Every road in our route was flooded. We were rerouted several times. In the end they kept Tim overnight for observation and more testing in the morning and I went home alone. I parked four miles from home so that Nathaniel could come to get me in the Suburban. The flooded roads were deeper when I returned then they had been when we left. I had barely managed to get through the deep lake across the road on the way out. I knew I did not want to chance it alone at eleven o'clock at night in the Honda. Nathaniel had a BALL driving through the deep water. So much so that when we got home, he grabbed David and took the same route again so that David could experience it too. The end of this tale of course, is that Tim was fine. He has a strong, healthy heart and in a few days, the pulled muscle healed and he is back to normal.
Thank you Lord!

The next event in our lives was the visit of Tim's parents. What a wonderful visit it ended up being. My mom-in-law helped me to begin a watercolor quilt that I have been wanting to create for our big, empty, living room wall. This is my first quilt project, and I am anxious to see how I like the whole process. The designing is so much more fun than I had anticipated! I am looking forward to the rest of the steps with eagerness. I am a little concerned about my tendency to be a great project-starter and just as good at becoming a project-neglecter.

Also during the visit of my in-laws was the visit of son. Timothy came for only three very short days over Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful time of bonding, loving, laughing, and catching up. We enjoyed getting to see Timothy's growing talent as a guitarist as he strummed away at his old 3/4 size guitar (now Whitney's). I was also reminded of the creative side of this dear son as I watched him fiddle with the letters on the fridge and draw on the chalk table cloth. It was so wonderful to have our son home!

Toward the end of our visit with my in-laws, I pulled out a 1000 piece puzzle to work on. I was so surprised and pleased to see Luke diligently work away at it even though it was way beyond his ability. He would methodically find pieces to work on and try them and even placed a few. He did not get bored with it, nor seem frustrated. I decided to go to the thrift store and get a few 100-200 piece puzzles and see how he would do. He loves them! I have been trying to find something that Luke enjoys doing, that he will do even if nobody else cares or notices he's doing it; well, I think we finally found it! Puzzling! As I work on my quilt, he puzzles. He will puzzle for hours! Not only that, but he will make up things in his head, talk to himself with play voices and pretend. My goal has been to see him so wrapped up in his play that he will make the play/pretend noises that children make when they play. That is exactly what he is doing. I am so pleased to see him loosen up and be free in "puzzle world".

David got his braces off this week! He has new shiny teeth. We finally, after several years, have no children with braces on! Woo hoo!!! David will need a little follow-up mouth work, as his gums swelled a bit during the long time he wore braces and I am told this has to be removed. It doesn't just go away. But, he is happy. No more braces.

Now today, Tim is off in PA at a work related conference. Whitney is off walking the dog we are babysitting for one of Tim's coworkers during the conference. Nathaniel is off to work for his friend after doing his workout at the Y in Newport News. It is time to wake David and Luke so that a new school day can begin.

Heart Wrenching Discussion

I thought I would share a heart-breaking and eye-opening conversation with you all. It went like this:
Last night, at the very end of story time with Dad, I said to Luke, as he was staring blankly and unwaveringly at me, "Even though you love me, it's still not nice to stare." Tim wrapped up his reading to Luke, and Luke climbed up into his bed, his eyes getting redder and wetter as he climbed. I asked him what was wrong, thinking he was sad that story time was so short. He blurted out, his tears erupting, "I feel like I don't love you!" I was confused. I asked, "Are you saying you are so mad at me that you feel like you don't love me, or are you saying you think I don't love you?" He answered that he thought I said that he didn't love me, and burst into fresh tears. I explained more clearly what I had said. Then, I asked, "Why are you so afraid that I might not know you love me?" He answered, crying as he did, "Because if you think I don't love you, then you might not keep me and give me up for adoption!" I hugged him as he cried and assured him that when we said he was our "forever son", that meant forever. I was explaining what forever means when he said, "For some reason, I just have trouble believing you," and burst into fresh tears. I hugged him. Tim hugged him. We both let him know that we understand why he is afraid and has trouble believing that we mean forever.

It has not entered my mind since the beginning weeks that Luke is not used to being permanent. His life has been in upheaval since he was born. We all know that he is our son forever, but over time, we have forgotten that that fact is not a reality yet for him. I suddenly have clarity on so many things. No wonder he still robotically obeys every command without reason or emotion. He is trying so hard to order his world in such a way that it does not cause him upheaval again. When we give him an order, he obeys mechanically. We appreciate the obedience, but always feel like something is just not quite right about it. Now, I've had a paradigm shift. Sunday, I was wondering in frustration if things will ever feel 'normal'. Now, I see more clearly, that 'normal' will come as he feels more secure and one year is not enough to feel secure after 6 years of not having security. He is so smart that he picks up the rules of proper attachment pretty fast, but the heart (habit) of attachment will take more time.

One of the most helpful things we have been taught in our Circle of Security attachment therapy has been learning that young children that are neglected in the early years haven't had parents who pick them up and tell them how they feel: "Oh, you're hungry, that's what's wrong." "Oh, you're sick, no wonder you are unhappy." "Oh, Did you miss Mommy? That's why your crying." We verbally tell our babies what they feel, with more detail as they grow older. When a baby is neglected, he doesn't learn to put names to his emotions (sad, jealous, angry, scared) and feelings (cold, hot, hungry, full), nor how to deal with them. He was left to answer his own needs from early on. In a loving, caring home, he would have learned that his parents will take care of his needs. In a neglectful home, he learns to deal with unanswered needs in ways that alleviate the pain of that unanswered need. He learns how to control things in whatever way he can. It is one of our tasks to help Luke learn that his parents are responsible for answering his comfort needs and he has to allow us to do our job and not move into his habitual behaviors that he learned as an infant.

Adopting an older child is a real adventure. We are learning so much.