We're Ready for our Referral!

Sam loves his new ride!

Today I spent the entire day at a dealership in Fayetteville, trading in our van for a suburban. I have been on the hunt for a couple of weeks and last week, I found "the one". Whatever that means. It was hard work getting the best trade in for our van, getting the dealers to get to our numbers and do it on my own. Then, if that wasn't hard enough, trying to purchase the the Yukon XL with a Power of Attorney was an ENORMOUS pain-- almost as enormous as our new superburban!!!

I don't think this is a good idea...

Yeah. That's better!

Now, we can get our referral for our two new kids-- I can't wait. Think I should call our agency and tell them they can go ahead and give us our referral now???

Grace and Peace,
Shari

Room for 6 kids!!

And room for LOTS of stuff :))

Team Dragovich and the Big Snow

Hurray!!! Snow-- and its even the good sticky kinds for snowballs!

Yes, they DID get a snow day-- don't ask how that works... here's my excuse-- "Everyone else was off!!"

Once upon a time in the land of Sanford, North Cackilacka, there lived a beautiful family with the most lovely but somewhat haggard from her husband's recent deployment, mother in all the land... oh, sorry-- sidetrack... There lived a most interesting family with THREE crazy-- I mean, well mannered boys in it. One day, when those sweet, angelic, completely obediently children woke up, what should they find? Why-- it was SNOW!! Snow had fallen from the sky and completely covered their entire yard, trees, flowers, toys that they perpetually leave outside every day... why, even their lovely, eternally patient, completely joyful mother's mini-van was vanished by mounds and mounds of crystally white, sort of damp and clumpy, but absolutely stunning snow...

This may be the only picture we ever have of our house coated in snow

Anyway, it snowed :)! Just like the beginning of my tale which you would NEVER believe-- well, it really can happen. Snow really CAN fall out of the sky in North Carolina!!

Shall we go out to enjoy a glass of wine on the back porch?

Grace and Peace,
Shari

You gotta give the boy credit :)

Wyatt had a math test yesterday-- first one in over a month, since we have been off and he has had his cast. There was a problem he didn't know regarding measuring liquids-- how many pints in a gallon... He couldn't remember and I wouldn't budge on giving him the answer, so he got creative. Next thing I know, he comes downstairs from where he is taking his test, he starts rummaging through the refrigerator, pulls out the almost empty milk carton, a one pint container of whipping cream and goes to work. He drank the rest of the milk so it would be empty, then he found a cup that looked the same size as the pint container of cream (thank goodness he didn't drink that, too!!), then he found a funnel with the science experiment stuff (I'm impressed he knew we even had that) and started pouring full cups of water into the now-empty gallon jug of milk... spilling and and sloshing as he went.



I was in the middle of teaching Isaac his Math, but I just had to stop and take a couple pics of my boy at work. I was proud of him for putting so much effort into this one problem! Unfortunately, he still got the problem wrong... but I think he deserves some credit for trying!!

In adoption news... two more families received referrals and several families are waiting to pass court in the next week, so they can go pick up their precious little ones!! I think it is so wonderful that there has been such a rush of activity this month... so many people are praying for children to be brought home to their forever families and Almighty God-- El Shadday-- is certainly working and answering the prayers of His faithful.

My love to you all! Stay warm and praise God for His sweet providing!
Grace and Peace,
Shari

Yea!!!! We're HOME!

We made it through all our travel adventures-- I feel so brave and all grown up :). The boys and I had a great time on the farm in IL... boy, it is COLD there! I am spoiled in sweet NC! And, of course, we were welcomed just perfectly to a cold arctic blast as we pulled into the driveway of my parent's farm-- negative temps and 30mph winds for the first 3 days we were there. I opted for being a yogi instead of a runner for those days :). But, it warmed up to tolerable, and even veered into mild for a couple of days! We all managed to catch the flu bug in between Christmas and New Years-- I have become good friends with Clorox and Lysol.

Boys with their favorite new toy--funny, where's the Wii?
Oh wait, that's Mommy's favorite new toy!

Santa brought a Wii this year-- they must have been making an overload supply this year at the North Pole. It seemed to be the gift of choice. Funny, the boys didn't even really recognize that they got the Wii when they were frantically looking at all their treasures! They noticed all sorts of other things and even a couple things they DIDN'T get, but the Wii elluded their attention for quite some time. It was Aunt Emily and Mommy who went wild about it, and then they recognized its existence. BTW, Aunt Emily and I LOVE Guitar Hero :) I'm really bad at it, but it is still fun. I think I can still hear "Slow Ride" in my sleep and sadly, "Baracudda" still has the best of me... but not for long-- I SHALL prevail!!

My gladiator and God-warrior... forces to be reckoned with!

Tony is doing well on the other side of the globe. He is in a good routine, getting to do some pain medicine stuff and seems to have plenty of time to eat healthy, workout a lot and read a lot. He begins every conversation with, "I'm so huge, you should see my _______ (arms, shoulders, traps, abs, etc)!" I'm happy for him. And once I can run more than 2-3 sporatic days a week, finish any one of the books I started three months ago and lose my new and ever so lovely hive rash all over my torso, neck and arms, I'll be even THRILLED for him. Until then, happy is good enough :)

Creation Museum in OH with the Harbaughs on the way back to NC-- VERY FUN!!

Last, but not least... adoption news. There is none. But this is not to be un-expected. We have been waiting 7 1/2 months now and are in a line that is a bit sporatic. The sibling group line. Right now, I am starting the process to have our USCIS approval broadened a bit to include any sibling group or two children ages 0-6 years with one or both of them being a girl. We have always been happy to be this broad, but somehow during the paper chase process, we let the wording be too narrow-- I don't know why-- it is all so confusing when your going through it. Anyway, our fingerprints expire in April and there is not a chance that we will get a referral, go to ET and get back with our kids before then. So, I have to do this whole hoop jumping thing again anyway-- might as well get the age range right this time :).

Even though there is no DIRECT news for us, there has been a lot happening in our agency's program. Ten referrals for the month of January have already been given and this is unheard of for so early in the month. That is very exciting! There is fear on the YG that this is it for the month. I don't think so. I won't believe it. I believe that more children are going to be referred to their forever families this month and I even believe that the wait times for court and travel are going to start to shrink. Why do I believe that? Why NOT? :)

Well, Happy New Year to you all!!! Thank you so much for praying for our family during this deployment and adoption time!! Thank you for leaving posts and comments on our blog and thanks for faithfully checking in, even though I am the sporatic blogger :) My love to you all!

Grace and Peace,
Shari