My Game Ball Boy

Over the weekend, all the boys had their opening games AND pictures for their sports. Wyatt is playing soccer in Sanford and Isaac and Sam are playing baseball in Broadway (did you catch that? Three different boys, each playing a sport-- with lots of practices and games-- in different towns). Not only did they all have games, but they were almost all at the same time AND Tony was single daddy (see the post below) for the weekend. Oops! Well, they all survived and I'm so proud that they even did WELL!! Sam missed his pictures, but it's okay... he's five. There will be more.

The most exciting thing, though is that my Isaac got the first game ball of the season!!! He played first base, made three outs AND hit a double, helping propel his team to the victory :D. I am so bummed that I missed it, but he was sure to show it to me as SOON as I walked in the door. After I took his picture, he looked at me sort of sheepishly and said, "Mom, do you think we could put this on the blog?" Like he needed to ask ;). BTW, this is his first year playing baseball-- yes, I am braggin' on my boy.

I'm so proud of each of my boys. They work hard and try their best at whatever they do. I know God will put the talents and gifts that He has given them to great Kingdom work, someday... what a joy and honor to be their mama!! :)

Grace and Peace,
Shari

My Running Camp Weekend

Yes, I ACTUALLY registered for AND attended a running camp last weekend. It was an amazing experience. I drove to Boone, NC on Thursday and spent four days running, attending running workshops, eating great healthy "runner" food-- that I didn't have to make, practicing running drills, learning running core work and yoga moves for runners, learned the components of a training program, got one-on-one time with an elite running coach AND just hung out with other runners-- all from different walks of life, with different goals and desires for the weekend camp. I won't bore you with all my running details, but needless to say, I had a great time, met some great people and came home revived and ready to put renewed energy into my running life.

Did I use the word "running" enough for you? Here is the link to ZAP if you would like to see what they are all about and check out their beautiful facility and location in the NC Mountains. Their main mission is to support and train elite athletes on their road to success. But they also spend the summers offering many different running camps geared toward the "regular" person who loves running and wants to learn ways they can reach their goals, no matter what level they are. BTW... it just so happened that one of my fellow campers was there to not only get great running (there's that word again) information but also to feature ZAP in an upcoming issue of Southern Living. Scott Jones is the food and wine editor of the magazine and an addicted-- I mean-- avid runner as well, currently training for Chicago Marathon, AND raising money for World Vision. A photographer from SL came to spend a couple days with us and took LOTS of pictures. Who knows, maybe in the next few months you could open your Southern Living magazine and see... ME!!! And other campers, of course :).

Okay, that is how I spent my last weekend-- totally spoiled and very pumped about my running future :) Only seven weeks to go before City of Oaks Marathon in Raleigh. Just... Keep... RUNNING!!!! :)

Grace and Peace,
Shari

Hanna and other Happenings

We survived Hanna but not completely unscathed... can you believe that??? At about 7:30 this morning, Isaac pointed to the ceiling from the second story and said, "Hey Dad, what's that? Water just dripped on me." That was all it took to make Tony move faster than lightening. The next hour was a a flurry of, "GET ME FLASHLIGHT!!! I NEED A BUCKET!!!!! WHERE IS THAT FLASHLIGHT!!!!" Note to self, make a list of supplies that we MAY need in a hurricane and put them ALL together in ONE PLACE! I had all that stuff, but it was scattered all over the place. Not helpful. And my brain wasn't firing on all pistons at that moment either. Also not helpful.
Turns out, a venting pipe which goes out the roof of the house wasn't sealed properly, allowing water to seep down the sides of the pipe and down onto the ceiling. Fortunately we caught it early and it was a minor drip. It will also not take much to fix. No problem. I like high pressure situations in the morning-- wakes me up. You know I am not serious. The sad truth is, I have been secretly looking forward to Hanna's arrival for a couple days now. I knew she wasn't going to be strong enough to inflict real harm, but definitely mighty enough to cancel all our Saturday responsibilities.
The drippy ceiling was not our only injury. Our power never did go out, but did surge a few times-- again, early in the morning. Apparently, it got the best of our home computer. Tony can't get it to do anything but flash a blinking question mark at him. Hmmm... I don't think it is supposed to do that. We are going to take it to the Apple store tonight to have a diagnostic done on it. Fortunately, we have our computers covered as part of our USAA home owners policy and I am pretty sure we will get at least part of a new computer covered through them.

So, that is it for Hanna. It is gone. Quick mover, that Hanna is. Except now, I have no excuse for not doing a run this afternoon-- oh wait, yes I do. I have to have my computer "diagnosed". Besides, it's hot and sticky and still windy. And I'm on a low-mileage week, so I don't feel bad not running. Guess I'll have get back to business tomorrow.

In other Team Dragovich news, yesterday the boys and I were up at the crack of dawn driving to Spencer, NC. There is a pretty awesome Transportation Museum there and though it took us two hours to get there, it did NOT disappoint!! The boys had a FABULOUS time, learned a lot of fun NC Railroad history, and had LOTS of hands-on experiences-- of course, culminating in a REAL train ride on an old-fashioned passenger train. That wasn't their favorite part, however. Their favorite thing was playing Star Wars in the factory-turned-museum. They apparently turned the entire building into a Star Wars spaceship and ran from station to station turning knobs, pressing buttons, flipping switches and rooting out evil in-between the railroad cars. And in case your wondering what kind of mother lets her boys run wild in a train museum playing Star Wars... well, I could go to great lengths describing how the museum was really designed for such freedom of investigation- whether you are playing train conductor OR Star Wars... but, instead I'll simply say...I am that kind of mother :D

Enjoy the photos!
Grace and Peace,
Shari

Before the train, came the canoe


Can you imagine racing in this???

Wyatt and Isaac on the turntable... they aren't so sure yet.


Climbin' on the caboose

Getting on the Train


PS. BTW, we have been officially waiting over 3 months for our referral. Only 4-6 more to go ;)!!

The little things that make Homeschooling fun

Earlier this week the boys and I were engaged in our Unit Study on Lighthouses. I was reading a story to them from the book: Lighthouses for Kids. The story was an example of how lighthouse families had to become resourceful with their medical care. It told of a family who lived at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse station and the fun that the siblings would regularly have running up and down the iron spiral staircase of the lighthouse. Now, we walked up those stairs during our trip to OBX, and Wyatt was NOT impressed. He is not fond of heights in the first place and just the sight of those winding, open stairs which looked as though they were floating in space was enough to send him running the other way. He overcame his fear and eventually climbed to the top, but it was not without its drama. Isaac, on the other hand, looked as though some secret "Isaac language" had just been spoken and he lit up, exclaiming, "WOW! That would be fun!" Wyatt looked at him with clear disdain and just shook his head.
On with the story... One day, while the children were running up and down the stairs, one of the younger brothers FELL down the stairs and bit his tongue so hard that only a small piece of the tongue was barely hanging on. "Daddy took the scissors that he used to trim the wick and cut it off" recalled Vernon Gaskill-- the older brother. "It didn't affect his speech any but he had a little less tongue than he had before."

Isaac immediately clapped both hands over his mouth and all you could see where those big brown eyes of his, wide open with shock and horror. Wyatt sat grinning in his chair with a look of total triumph over his rightness to be concerned about even being on such dangerous stairs. When the story was over, I looked at Isaac, waiting for his reaction. Finally, after several seconds, he barely uttered, "I like my tongue just how it is, in my mouth." He slunk down in his chair, a bit dejected and that was the end of that.

Grace and Peace,
Shari

All the several things

I know I said in my last post that there were several things I wanted to post about. Honestly, I don't really want to post about them, because it is hard to think about sad things happening and feeling so out of control and unable to help or cause a change. But, I want to keep those of you who read this blog for adoption updates and information to be... well... informed.

Last week, one of the families who had their referral for an infant girl received news that their daughter was sick with pneumonia and in the hospital. Sadly, the next morning, they learned that their baby didn't make it through the night. She was only 3 1/2 months old and the family had their referral for her for a little over 20 days prior to her getting sick. I know that I already hold my children deep in my heart and long for their arrival-- though I have never seen them, or know anything about them, they are already a part of our family. Please pray for this sweet family as they grieve this loss of a child never seen (other than pictures), but dearly treasured.

The second "several things" involves one of my bloggy friends whose daughter is undergoing treatment for Pott's disease-- tuberculosis of the spine. Right now, her daughter is in a body cast from her hips to the top of her neck. In October, she will undergo a surgery and then it is just one step at a time to see how to proceed. You can read about them here Please keep this family in your prayers as well. Apryl has such a positive outlook and I know God is sovereign in all things. This is good. That is why He is God and I am not :).

The final of "several things" is more about me learning how to exhale. It seems that as each week passes, I inhale more and exhale less. Like I am holding my breath for the big crash that could happen at any moment. What crash, you say? Good question, I am trying to define that as I write. But really, I think what it boils down to is living too much in the future and the past-- and not really living at all in the moment. I won't give you all the boring details of the "past" or the "future", but I will say that if you mix those two things together with this annoying personality trait I have of craving "perfect"... there you have it. CRASH!!!! And if I had a quarter for every time someone said to me, "Shari, you are too hard on yourself," I would have so much money that we could wipe out hunger, sickness and disease in ALL of Africa, let alone Ethiopia!!! :)... Hmmm... maybe I should start charging...

Well, I wasn't really going anywhere with that last "several things", except to maybe say-- pray for me, too. I could use some "faithful prayers" from some "righteous saints" (James 5:16). For some reason, I seem to be more like the seed sown in the thorns, than the one sown in the fertile soil (Matthew 13:22) . But, I know that my God is faithful and mighty to save, and if He can clothe the lilies so perfectly-- and I am worth more to Him than all the lilies in the field (this is the Shari Dragovich translation-- you should look into it)-- then I know He is already taking care of EVERYTHING in my life and the lives of my loved ones... perfectly (Matthew 6:25-34).


So, those are all the several things. All rolled up into one theme only. Pray.

Grace and Peace,
Shari

Pretty neat video

There are several things I want to post about--most all of them adoption related. However, this video was sent to me this morning and I thought it was a really neat way to start my day, so I wanted to share it with you.

It seems that I have no idea how to post a video correctly from You Tube. The video is there, in the blank space above (I am assuming you see the blank space above, because that is what I see). Just run your clicker over it and the Play button will show up, then you can play it. Sorry. I just don't know how to do these things!

Grace and Peace,
Shari

Lemonade for Baby

Over the weekend my oldest son came to me and said, "Mom, is it okay if we (brothers and friend) set up a lemonade stand?" Hmmm.... how much effort will this require from me? Do I really want to invite this extra work? Can I legitimately say no???? Hey, I never said I was a perfect mother!

"Sure, Wyatt. Sounds Great!" Lie. He leaves happy and all is well. I am hoping he forgets about it. No such luck. Sunday afternoon, he came to me again asking if he and the boys could start their lemonade stand now. Go for it, I say, just knowing that the flood of "Help, Me!" was getting ready to start. I was trying to clean the house for a meeting we were having at our home that night and just catch up with life after starting school last week. I really didn't think I had time for this. But, to my delight, they required very little help and off they went to make some profits-- after they paid me back for the lemonade, of course-- yes, people, I confess. That was my feeble attempt at trying to detour their efforts for the day. Did I mention I'm not always at the top of my game???

They ended up doing very well for themselves. I guess Wyatt dispersed the troops to knock on doors and let people know they were selling lemonade for .25 a cup. Most people gave them a dollar or two for a glass and they ended up with over $9 after a couple hours of setting up the stand. It was very cute. I was proud of them-- and yes, a little ashamed of my earlier thoughts.

When they were all done, Wyatt came to me and said, "Here, Mom. We are giving you all the money." "No, Wyatt. Mommy wasn't serious about making you pay me for your start up costs. I was just being silly. I'm very proud of you. Just make sure you divide it evenly between the boys." He persisted. I persisted back. Tony walked in the room and persisted with him even more.

Finally, he looked at me and said; "No Mom. We all decided. We want to help you and Dad pay for our adoption. It's to bring our babies home. You have to take it. We all agreed. It is what we decided."

Tears. Foolish me. Thank you, Father for the heart of children.

Grace and Peace,
Shari

PS. We now have an envelope tucked in a safe place, filled with Lemonade money... waiting for the day we can use it to buy a first baby blanket, special stuffed animal or outfit for our newest member/s-- not so well known, but so well loved.