Baseball

Okay y'all baseball season is in FULL swing.  And that has made for a FULL schedule.  It has also taken a ton of time calling, arranging, scheduling, to get private duty nursing going for Daniel.  I have been just too tired to post...that is the reason for the slow down.  But I am determined to catch up.  And so when it slows down just. a. little. bit...I hope to post daily again.

The Goat Run

This post was orginally written on Saturday, April 13th.  I am a little behind.   But ever so determined to catch up!  :)

Today Drew and I got up bright and early to participate in the 2013 Goat Run. (You can read about all that it supports by clicking in the link.)  It was the hardest. 5K. ever.  Well, maybe not ever, but it is the hardest one I have ever run.  At least half of the race was up hill.  And they were not bunny hills.  More like mini mountains.  But we finished!!  YAY!  So proud of Drew, he really wanted to stop in the middle (and believe me so did I)...way to run hard Drew!!

Our friend and nurse/ baby-sitter for Daniel was at the race too.  So I was able to snap this cute picture of she and Drew.  Besides being able to care for Daniel, Melissa is a favorite person for ALL of my kids.  Such a blessing!

And I even earned a silver medal for my age group.  Drew and Melissa were commenting on how long we had to wait to see if I had placed. Turkeys!  :)

Drew and I are going to prepare for Flagpoll Hill next year.  Brian (our friend that is a missionary with Empower Sudan) told us that the 2014 Goat Run would be at the same place.  We want to be ready for those hills...instead of barely surviving.  Okay, maybe that is an exaggeration.  But I want to not feel like I am going to throw up when I finish.  It really was that hard.  :)

Cheetahs

Cheetahs are Lizzy's favorite.  She was SO excited to be able to be this close to them...even if there was glass between them.  :)

Giraffe Feeding

We were able to go to another Home School Zoo day at the other local zoo here this past week.  The coolest part of this zoo was that you got to feed the giraffes.  This was a newer area of the zoo, so it was brand new to us...and it was So much fun!

  

Abby's favorite animal is the giraffe, so she was so happy that she was able to touch and feed the giraffe.  This was a surprise to us all!

Baseball Weekend

This past weekend both boys played in tournaments.  Sam's team lost their first game on Sunday 9-10, but I had fun watching him play on Saturday afternoon.  And we continue to be blessed by the pictures Audra takes of Sam in action...

Drew's team did not win on Saturday during the pool play, but on Sunday they ended up winning 4 games to be the Silver Bracket champions!

It was a fun, long day of baseball.  Saturday night we did not get home until 11:45 and because the way the seeding worked out, Drew's team had to be back at the field (40 minutes away) by 7:15am.  So he was up at 6 and on his way with a friend bright and early.  They won that game and played again at 2, 6 and 8:15.  And as I said they won all 4 games to become the champions.

Sam, the girls and I were at the field by the 2pm game and once we knew the boys were going to win the 6pm game, Daddy and Daniel got on the road and made it in time to watch the championship.  It was so much fun for their team.  One of my favorite moments was when the 2 teams came together and prayed at the end of the championship game.  Really cool moment and great sportsmanship all around.  That was fun to see...

 And some other snapshots from the day of baseball...

Three years ago today, on April 7th 2010, I found my baby Daniel limp and blue in his car seat when I went to pick up my son Sam from baseball practice. Three years ago today the doctors would unsure if he would even survive the night. This video is a testimony of Daniel's life and love for life despite living with a horrible disease. And this video is also a testimony of God's faithfulness in our lives as we trust Him amidst heart breaking and unknown circumstances. Never once has He left us on our own. Thank you Jesus. And thank you friends for praying.

April 7th Video

We love you so much Sweet Daniel.

A Backyard Beach Party Sort of Day

There are so many things I love about this picture I snapped with my cell phone.  So.many.things.

Brown Eyes

Love these eyes.

Dr. W

Our beloved Dr. W and his wife came to have dinner with our family tonight.  They are in the area visiting their families.  It was so great to see him and catch up.  Of course we snapped a picture of Daniel and he together...

 Daniel was such a goofball.  He kept putting his fingers in his nose.  Silly boy.  What a blessing Dr. W has been to our family and to Daniel's care.  We are forever grateful to the Lord for providing him as Daniel's doctor.  What a fun reunion this was tonight.

Daniel

Just eating his Sun Chips and thinking about something...can't wait until he can talk.

Drew

Here is my almost 12 year old...and that is no April Fool's.  ;-)  Hard to believe he is already going to be a "tween".  Love how he loves neon Yellow.  He is about to be bigger than me...my oh my how time does fly.  Love you Drew!