It Is What It Is

For goodness sake I am slow at this updating thing! You'd think I'd dropped off the face of the earth. Well I guess I didn't and now I am here again spilling the insides of my noisy mind all over the keyboard. So what has been the goings on round here you ask? Well we have moved again. No I'm not kidding, its not April fools and we did not burn down the last house, though we might wish we could have. The whole thing is a long crazy story and if you had seen it on channel 2 news back in July you wouldn't know much more then you do this very second! Ha!
Well the short of it is that the folks we rented from took all of our money and forgot for 9 months to pay the mortgage, which in turn sent the house into foreclosure and we got a nice little surprise in July in the form a of a letter from the bank saying that the house was to be auctioned off in November. So we packed up again, (I am now going into the moving business since I'm such a pro (just kidding)), and moved into a DUMP in Oregon City. Ok so you all know me too well and the place is not a dump now, but when we first saw it I would have never thought we would be moving in.
Several coats of paint later along with ripping out the bathrooms (which are still not done after a month), new carpet, a ton of yard work and several of my first born owed to our many friends for helping, we are starting to get settled.
That was the short of it! Glad I didn't share the long?
Anyway, the kids are all doing great, Hailey is in the 3rd grade this year! Wow, huh? She is playing soccer now and getting used to her new teacher. She is just in heaven when she gets to stay here with Jonathan and Addison.
Jonathan or should I say "Jonesy" his new self appointed nick name, is thriving. He is 100% potty trained and is really not a baby anymore. He is so different from the little guy I brought home just 9 months ago. His new room has airplanes and trains on the wall and he is really doing great in this house. I wasn't sure how he was going to handle the move so soon after the "big move", but other then a little extra belly button picking (he prefers to thumb sucking but same effect) he is just fine.
Addison truly is her mothers daughter and is just as onry as ever. She'll be 18 months in 2 days and she is too no longer my little baby. We are looking forward to starting potty training when the bathrooms get put back together. She is quite the character either very dramaticly upset or cracking her self up with a hearty laugh. She is (with Jonesy's help or not... I don't know) into belly buttons right now. She has to check hers ever so often making sure its still there, as well as checking everyone else for who knows what.
All is well with Dustin and I other then the fact that our house in Idaho is still not sold. ARGH!! What a mess it is over there with the housing. It is not just our house, it is every house, every agent and every price range. The market is at a stand still and only getting worse. We are just holding our breath that it will sell some day, sooner then later and we can move on. Wait wait..... not like "move on" we have 2 years on this lease and the owners live right next door so were not moving....but move on with our lives is what I meant.
Until next year. LOL. Well it just might be with this rate.
Bethany

Zoobalee Zoo

The summer sun and prickley heat seems to bring out a little bit of dare devil in all of us for 3 short months out of the year. A good number of people are apt to try new and exciting things just to get out of their stuffy houses for a day and with the greater portland area so diverse in landscape and climate, there is a meca of things to get you living on the edge.

So, what do I do to "live on the edge" you ask? Well, since I am who I am and seem to crave points for deree of difficulty, I choose a trip to the Portland Zoo with 4 young children in toe. Doesnt sound like an adventure to you? Trust me, at the end of the day I had burned more calories, covered more distance, and dripped more sweat then any adventure seeker, adrenalin junky out there. Ok, maybe not really but it was definitly a merithon of a day.
Because I am not totally insane I had my Mom join us for a little moral support, crowd control and for an extra pair of hands durring the indefinate potty stops. Bless her heart I dont think she knew what she was getting her self into, though years of feild trips to this very spot with countless classes of preschoolers had broken her in, this just might be the day that does her in.

As anyone who has kids knows, getting ready to go anywhere with one child is a labored event that takes in all cases some preperation. So to no surprize taking four children to the Zoo is labor in its rawest form and without a couple miricles provided by God above it probely would never have happend for us. So after packing lunches and diaper bags, dressing everyone in layers to last the day and packing even more layers incase of wild bodly fluids, and getting everyone out the door and into their carseats, I...was ready for nap time. I offered for Hailey to drive but she insisted that she was too young and could not even reach the peddles. So with me behind the wheel, much to my dismay, we were on our way and after a quick stop to pick up Grandma Nonna we will be truly starting our adventure. Zoo or bust!!

Too many things were going my way so far. We had left the house on time, made it through traffic on roads I hadnt driven years, and now we had found a half empty parking lot where I could almost pick any spot I wanted.

Like I said everything was going great, and then, it is time or everybody to unload. Just as tedious and tireing as loading everybody and everything into the car, is unloading everybody and everything out of the car. Now that all of the kids are older the bond between baby and cozy carseat has now been replaced by an overwhelming hate for being restrained aginsed their will. By the time we arive anywhere after any length of drive and they can hear the sounds of freedom, all they want is OUT! It is now a rush to get to the stroller, load it with the bags and set free the babies before everyone including me is in tears. And after several minutes, a few deep breaths and a prayer that the stroller could handle the weight of it all we were locked and loaded and ready to go.

As we got closer to the gates it was obvious that a number of other parents of young children also thought it brillient to visit the Zoo on this particular day. The court yard in front of the gate was jammed with strollers like a parking garage after a big concert, everybody trying to go to the same place in a hurry for their turn through the gate.

Inside the gate was nothing like the outside and the crowd scattered in all directions. And, after a quick potty stop, not the last of the day by far, we picked a path and got the stroller safari started. Now Jonathan has never been to anything like a Zoo before and I wasnt quite sure how he was going to react to the animals, large or small. I knew that there was glass and fenceing between us and the animals but would he at first? Because I didnt know what Jonathans reaction to a rather large animal coming towards him was going to be and picturing the worst, I prepaired myself for running after a screeming crying petrified child, and heading out to the car, all for nothing. Instead though as the first animal, a small Jonathan sized otter thank God, came near he just stood there, inches from the glass watching. There was no jump no jerk, just a glance back to me as if to say "I ok Momma?", a firm grip on Nonnas hand and eyes glued to the otter swimming circle after circle.
As we rounded the corner into the sealion area things got a lot bigger, a little louder and a little funnier. Sea lions are huge creatiors that as far as I'm concerned have quite a sence of hummor. We got there as they too were swimming circles in their tank of milky merkey water (I guess the Zoo really needs cable) and Jonathan followed Hailey right up to the glass. Little did he know that what he couldnt see at the time was a good 12 ft sea lion on a colision course for his very spot behind the glass. As the sealion came into sight and made his olympic swimmer style turn, Jonathan screemed with surprise and high tailed it to the stairs leading back to the safty of the stroller.

He had only gotten about half way when he heard the laughing, saw me taking pictures and realized the joke was on him and after a glance over his shoulder to make sure Hailey was still alive, he "tough guy walked" back and joined her at the glass. Now he couldnt very well let down the audience or pass up the chance for another great reaction, so with every pass of the giant Sealion came a scream and a turn to except his applause. Soon enough Hailey and Jonathan had the sealion playing a game of peek aboo with them. Now after his very graceful turns he would drop down under the viewing glass, wait, and then pop back up right in front of the kids. I guess the lion liked Jonathans reactions too.

About three hours into the tour we had seen otters, sealions, penguins, monkeys, elephants, hippos, lions, tigers and bears, ooh my! With the exeption of Hailey, every kid needed to be lifted and held to see the animals, thats 20 - 30 lbs times three at every stop sqwirming with excitment to get out and then with discust when strapped back in. Needless to say Nonna and I were ready for a much desirved lunch break and a few minutes of chewing silence. And as I am sure I am not the only mom who knows that the gift of lunch is a gift that just keeps on giving; now comfortable with full bellies and the warm afternoon sun out the little ones didnt have a chance and akwardly fell asleep in the weighed down stroller.

Before we knew it two more hours had flown by and we were at the end of our tour with only the icecream stand left to visit. We had seen it all, including more then our fair share of the public restrooms and now as we head to the truck, with our icecream cones in hand and dry pants on our undersides, we know that it was all worth it, the kids had fun, I worked out my glutimusmaximus, and Nonna....well we havent seen her since....she just might still be resting!

We have come, We have seen, We have conqured!!

IT'S FUN TO BE ONE !!

You spend 9 months in agony, body aches, nausea, swollen feet and several other discomforts that I will not share in mixed company, and at least in my case pleading with the doctor to "just get this kid out as soon as possible!"

Then after usually a long and painful day you are swept into what some call the "honeymoon phase" and you are holding your gift from GOD and thinking that life itself could get no better.
So... 24 hours later, the honeymoon is so over with, and you no longer want a "baby manual" that we all know they don't come with. No, you now want a uniersal baby remote control with a fast forward button, pause button, and a record button.

You find your self saying things like "I just wish she would sleep through the night", hence, fast forward to when they will. And when the baby wakes from her nap and you haven't yet made it through all of your "to dos" to get your self to the bathroom "If I only had 5 more minutes". So... pause button.

Obviously you can't pause and fast forward your self through child rearing, at least not until I can figure out how to make a remote that works. But all kidding aside, not really, you do eventually wake up one morning and your sweet baby girl is a one year old. And not just kind of one, oh no, one does not come gradually at all. You put them into their crib and tuck them in for the night as your delightful and charming 11 month old baby girl, but wake up to a whole different ball game.

I was so excited to get up that morning ready to dart up the stairs, scoop up my, remember... delightful and charming, baby girl. I had planned it all in my head to snuggle and squeeze her while I sang her her very first "Happy Birthday" song and covered her with 1st Birthday kisses.

Little did I know that Miss Addison Michele had some very different thoughts of her own and she decided that 5:45 am the morning of her very first birthday was the appropriate time to share them with me. As you can imagine, my darting up the stairs became more of a reluctant stagger and the scooping up, snuggling, and squeezing never had a chance. I walked in to the room and plucked the howling dramatic child out of her crib. You would think that after saving her life, which must have been what I had just done by the way the tears were falling and snot was flowing as I got to the room, that I would have been accommodated with at least a kiss and a hug from the victim. But, with no kisses and nothing close to a hug from the little monster and the show of her dramatic skills not coming to an end, it was so very clear to me.

She woke up ONE. VERY ONE. And she was going to let me know it.

So need I say that she wasn't having the "Happy Birthday" song at all at that point and it wasn't until 3 tries, a bottle of milk and a bowl of cereal and fruit later that I could get the whole song out with out interruption from the peanut gallery.

The rest of the day followed suit and left me longing for that fast forward button again. Addisons dramatic beginning and her desire to be instantly independent boiling down to a overwhelming need for Momma. And well, I got my wish....about 30 minutes before bed time, exhausted and drained from her all day dilemma, the little monster snuggled and squeezed me as I covered her in kisses and sang her her "Happy Birthday" song, over and over again. Soon she had melted in my arms and though I could have stayed in that moment forever (record button)... I scooped her up and carried my once again delightful and charming little baby up stairs and tucked her in for the night.

MY PARTY !!

Every one was there!

Momma, Dadda, Hailey, JonJon,

Grandma & Jeff

Grandpa Larry & Linda

Papa Roger & Linda

Auntie Em

Auntie April, Unca Eric & Bella

Aunt Maegan, Unca Spencer & Teagan

Aunt Amy & Unca Pete (baby Jenna still in belly).

Nana and Auntie Jen & Unca Jeremy & Tatiana came later to bring me gifts. I LIKE gifts!

We ate pizza for supper and then I got to open all of my gifts. I really do LIKE gifts!! The big kids helped me with the tricky ones and it was a lot of fun to rip up the paper and crumple it in my hands. I got some really cute cloths, a dolly named Rosie, a big barn with animals in it, and a big pink pony! I let all of the kids have a turn on the pony. Even Dadda liked it but I told him he was silly!

After I opened all the gifts and I got to play for a while it was time for cake. I didn't know at first what was going on, everyone was staring at me and then they all sang to me and lit my cake on fire! I don't know about all that but it sure tasted good. I took my time at first just to see if everybody would be patient.

They all were except Momma, she pushed my hand rightinto the center of my cake making a big mess! So I figured, oh well, I'm already dirty! It was fun and it tasted good. When I was done I got a bath in the sink and went back to playing with all my new gifts.

I LIKE gifts.... But I LOVE PARTIES!!!!!

Video of the Week

It is a treat at the compound in Africa for the children to get the occasional Popsicle made from fruit juice and you can hear them all squeal when they see Linda coming out with them all lined up on her tray. I was so hot even in the shade that we are sitting in that no matter how fast he slurped and licked the icy treat it just kept a drippin' in his lap.

He had probably never had a Popsicle before let alone anything cold in his life and it was a slow start , but after a few "bitter beer" faces he got the hang of it and finished as a pro. Ok, maybe not a pro.... but a sticky, cooled, Popsicle king!

We are slowly going crazy....123456 switch.....

Hey All !! Well it is about that time again, the questions have started to roll in about when the next update will hit the airways. I guess it is comforting to know that so many people are interested in our non stop lives, enough to want to read about it. So with out further ado...

Not that it will surprise many of you, but life is still very hectic here on the ranch and the thought of the eventual slowing down of this fast train seems a long way off. We have however finally settled into our new home, believe it or not, and are enjoying the ever revolving front door as our friends and family make up for lost time.

So, you say, what has been happening? The last few MONTHS has been a whirl wind of events for our growing family starting with me opening my in home child care business in February. I now have 3 children in my care in addition to my own 2 and have perfected the task of picking up toys and wiping noses, at the same time no less. The weird thing is that all the children including my own all have the same middle name of "time out....NOW!" and respond to it very well. In all seriousness the kids get along phenomenally and its quite nice for our kids to grow up with a group to play and laugh with.

In addition to day care, I have been writing a book about my travels to Africa which I post to this blog, gearing up to start home schooling Jonathan in the fall, and now I am proud to say starting a non profit business for the children in Africa where my mission is to "Doll Up Africa". I am going to be creating a blog just for the business with all of the information on it and a way to collect donations. I have had such a place in my heart for fund raising and donating since we started our adoption process that I want to continue to give back in any way I can.

Dustin has fit in to the new job quickly and is getting to know the crew he works with. It is amazing how the stores differ from state to state and town to town as they do. This is the 4th Les Schwab Dustin has worked in during his almost 10 year career and it is again very different then the last three. With the many hours he spends at work during the week he has little time for hobbies or a social life outside of me and the kids. He does enjoy the weekends that give him the chance to catch up with friends and of course the Sunday afternoon multitasking event of watching the NASCAR race while napping on the couch.

Hailey doesn't have much time for anything because she is very busy being 8 years old. She has really taken to Jonathan and Addison, and interacts with them as if the three have been joined at the hip for life. She is excited about the up and coming base ball season in May and is still very into soccer and likes to kick the ball around with Jonathan.

Jonathan or "JonJon" as he has come to be called, is busy as well doing all that you would expect a 2 year old to do. He has turned 180 degrees from the shy, subdued baby that walked off the plane with me just about 3 months ago to the comfortable and confident little boy he is today. He thoroughly enjoys all of his play mates from the day care and seems to be the one they all look up to. His speech has come a very long way as well thanks to flash cards that I made and run through with him everyday. JonJon knows it as "playing cards" and he can't get over to the couch fast enough to "assume the position" witch is Indian style on the automan, and get started. He can now identify and say about 10 animals, 10 colors, and 3 letters, not to mention what he now understands from regular daily conversation. JonJon is also very polite always using "Yes Mama" or "Yes Please" and following with "Thank you Mama".

Addison is and will be the cause of Dustin and my gray hair for many years to come. She just had her first birthday on April 4th and woke up that morning very much a one year old. She is in fact her mothers daughter and is just as much a impatient, blabber mouthed, busybody as I am. She has grown like a little weed but is still a feather weight at only 19.6 pounds and still wears most of her 6 - 9 month wardrobe. She cruises around on her hands and knees, I think more for the speed advantage and long distances, but is so close to waking that it is just the guts that she is lacking not the skill.

Well you can consider yourself caught up. I hope to be writing on this blog every week from now on. We love you all and we love to get you comments and thoughts in the guest list area so please keep em' coming.

CHAPTER ONE

"There is an elasticity in the human mind, capable of bearing much, but which will not show itself, until a certain weight of affliction be put on it; its powers may be compared to those vehicles whose springs are so contrived that they get on smoothly enough when loaded, but jolt confoundedly when they have nothing to bear."

CHARLES CALEB COLTON, Lacon

"It is a funny thing, the way sticky situations work themselves out when you have the guts and the stamina to just sit back and let it all unfold."

BETHANY MICHELE ASKEW

CHAPTER ONE

So many times I have sat weeping and pleading for a break in the emotional beating of my life, often referred to as adoption. Left wondering why I must prove again and again to God and man that I am strong enough, and will not be defeated or broken. After almost three years of bearing broken promises and missed deadlines, convinced I was soon to run out of blood, sweat and tears, I have arrived to the 10th and final round of this fight.

Now I stand here, in the middle of the ring tired and weary. I realize as I stand tall, that the hard part is still ahead as I repair for the longest ride of my life. With so many details not to be forgotten and the clock on the wall working over time clicking away the precious moments I have left to get them all accomplished, I take inventory. Only to find I'm afraid, all that is left running the show are my few remaining unraveled nerves and a couple drops of adrenalin from my reserve tanks and I'm certainly not sure that's going to be enough to get the job done.

...............

It is growing very late and the bags cluttering the floor still need to be packed. Every available square inch of them responsible for the gross number of vitally important supplies needed for a journey such as this. If there was any time in my life to be grateful for logging in so many hours of video games, dropping block after odd shaped block, as efficiently as possible to advance to the next level, THIS WAS IT! And though I had been a raining high score holder in my childhood on that wildly popular video game, I have no clue how this mountain of paraphernalia is going to fit into two greatly undersized suitcases. I needn't say that turning around for a forgotten item after I am underway is obviously not an option no matter what the item or its level of importance.

...............

Though overjoyed that the time has come to embark I dream of watching myself from a distance while the preparations are finalized. Similar to watching an old home video of my self as a child happily prancing in circles around the living room dressed up in some silly costume. The music in the background from one of my mothers vinyl records blending with the laughter of my older sister awkwardly dressed in a matching outfit and waiting for her cue to join me in front of the camera. As it was not so easy to remember what led to that embarrassing performance or what happened after the curtain closed, I wish to fast forward through this experience and just watch the important and significant part that was caught on tape.

In a moment of clarity I realize that I still feel like that little girl prancing around and giggling in the video. Would retracing my steps back to "never never land" reveal the moment I grew up and sailed away? Realistically, if you don't remember how you got somewhere in the first place, retracing your steps will do nothing but leave you tired and lost.

...............

As the luggage gains weight and the clock punches its time card, I draw lines through the remaining "to do's" on my heavily doodled list. With every chore I cross off my mind becomes clearer and calmer but my heart becomes heavier. Heavy not only from the weight of the unknown, but also from the unavoidable pain of leaving those I love behind and waiting. It is a strange feeling of guilt and sorrow to have to turn my head on the child I have been so ever available for, and whose very existence embodies everything I have ever wanted or wished for in a beautifully wrapped package. And yet though I seem to have it all with in this little babe, I am leaving her, though briefly, to gather up my other child that I have wanted and wished for just as long and strongly. He too is a gift so unattainable in my dreams yet so undeniably meant to be here in my reality. Soon there will be no more waiting and all of our blessings will permanently fall under the same roof rather then the same stars.

After the last of the necessities are squeezed into their places and the zippers are closed and locked, only moderately straining against the load, I find that I am as ready as I'll ever be. The bags are now in place at the back door, and my list has been checked and re checked. My clothing for the early morning flight is set out and ready for me to pour my depleted and sleep deprived body into. The house that I have yet gotten to know well is tidy and still so empty. The bare walls are cold, since I have yet to find time to hang the pictures and paintings that will take it from a house to our home. It is quiet with the baby asleep, it will be 10 days until I will hear or hold her again, I will not want to wake her to say goodbye.

...............

It is a wonder how my mind does not strain under the load I have placed on it for so long, but works better with the o so heavy challenge. Tonight I will pray that I can hold it all together, mind, body and character for this one of a kind once in a life time trip.

...............

In just a few hours my fight continues, this time starting the troughs of the Portland International Airport in the wee hours of the morning. Starting then I will only have my hand to hold and my company to keep to get me through my worst nightmare, 36 hours of flying. I suppose it is worth every undying second of misery to bring Jonathan home. For good.

Sleep is all there is now. And Lord please let sleep come.