Halle-Grace's FAMILY keeps growing, growing & growing!

Since Jason & I returned to work we have heard many times, "where is Halle-Grace? If you didn't bring her then why are you here?" Boy, sure makes us feel wanted! HA! It is amazing how much Halle-Grace is loved and how many accounts we service have "followed our journey". They are truly family!

Last Friday she was treated to a royal party in Sylva. Thank you guys so much! I am sorry she was SO FLIRTY! What a wonderful surprise!
Angie has Halle-Grace SPOILED!


My Rutherford Ortho family threw a party before Halle-Grace made her way home to the US and was entertained by her a few weeks ago. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!

Darlene at Dr. Payne's office came to her birthday celebration and prayed constantly for Halle-Grace to make it home! She made her a beautiful quilt (pic coming soon, she is sleeping with it as I type):)

Kristi at Blue Ridge Bone & Joint had her a birthday bag of goodies...clothes, books and the most special Adoption Book/baby book for Chosen Children! I LOVE IT! Thank you so much...you all are very special.

And Wanda at Dr. A's office showered us with special coffee mugs, key chains and a memory paperweight with Gabby Girls picture.


I could go on for days and days...all I can say is Jason & I are humbled and thank God for FAMILY like you! Now you can see why we LOVE our jobs...we have the most incredible and caring accounts...they are definitely in the right industry!

Happy Birthday Papa Gene

Wishing Papa Gene a Happy Birthday (December 6th)

We love you!!!

"Christmas Miracles"

Happy 1st Birthday to Matthew (one of Halle-Grace's TQ playmates)

We had a lot of fun this past Sunday taking the photos. We are thrilled to have our tiny miracle home and spending Christmas with her forever family! She is quite magical.









This Christmas (well every single DAY) I miss Gabby girl SO much! Decorating this year was especially hard for me...well, all I did was help hang ornaments on the tree and put the wreath on the door...that was it, Jason gets all the credit for our beautiful tree. Last December, Gabby had a relapse- AIHA- and it was a miracle that we were able to spend Christmas 2007 with her...she was OUR gift and we definitely believed in "miracles at Christmas".
I just can't put my Santa Claus dolls out because I can't stand the thought of Gabby not stopping in her tracks, backing up and tap dancing with excitement to see Santa again! I look at her stocking and cry so I can't put any out...not yet! Love brings Joy yet pain! And life is full of joy and pain...someone even wrote a song about it once, wise person...
Gabby Girl, Christmas 2007

CROUPY Halle-Grace

On Sunday night, Jason & I noticed she was a bit cranky and just not being herself. She played and laughed and made all of her funny expressions but something was missing. That night she coughed a little...but Monday night she coughed enough to wake herself up!! Today, Jason took her to the doctor and she was diagnosed with the croup! Poor thing sounds like a baby seal. The doctor put her on prednisone and a cough medicine as well. She is the BEST baby and if she would not have coughed enough to wake herself and cry a little, we would have never known!!!

By the way...she STILL WEIGHS 16 pounds! She has not gained any weight over the last 3 months but she looks very healthy...just tiny & precious!!!

Halle-Grace's story in the Charlotte Observer

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/local/story/386489.html


Shannon Devine's mother, Wanda Baucom, holds Shannon and Jason Devine's daughter, Halle-Grace, at her first birthday party in Lincolnton on Saturday, November 22, 2008. Halle-Grace was adopted from Vietnam on September 1, 2008, after assistance from U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry's office. "She's something else," Jason Devine said. "She's the best worldly thing I've ever done." - YALONDA M. JAMES - yjames@charlotteobserver.com

Savvy Citizen Constituent Services
Roadblock: How can you get help? Congressional lawmakers are asked to intervene most often in issues involving Social Security and veterans' affairs
By Lisa Zagaroli
lzagaroli@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Monday, Dec. 01, 2008

WASHINGTON When the letter arrived, Shannon and Jason Devine of Shelby had been gazing at photos of the adopted child they'd been paired with, the tiny girl with the huge “eyes of onyx,” for four months.

It wasn't the permission to travel to Vietnam and bring her back to the United States that was long overdue. Instead, it was a letter from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Ho Chi Minh City telling them they had to do more to prove that the child's birth parents didn't want her.

The directive was just one of many frustrating hang-ups the Devines were forced to deal with as they tried to get the visa their new daughter needed.

They are convinced the girl, Halle-Grace, would still be in Vietnam if an aide to their district congressman, Rep. Patrick McHenry, hadn't helped them navigate the bureaucracy and ultimately track down a key document that sat on a desk in Vietnam. The visa finally came through on Sept. 30, and the Devines were able to celebrate their daughter's first birthday with her recently in Sherrills Ford.

“Congressman McHenry's office was adamant, persistent and insistent, on almost a daily basis,” said Jason Devine, a part-time pharmaceutical salesman who is studying divinity at Gardner-Webb University. “Some other offices said, ‘We'll try to help you out,' and made token inquiries. Congressman McHenry made it a personal issue.”

While the most high-profile work that lawmakers do is vote on legislation, some argue the bread-and-butter of what members of Congress do is case work – or constituent service.

Their district offices help people sort through an array of complicated issues involving the federal government.

They help folks get Social Security and disability checks, medals they should have been awarded from the military and passport renewals for an upcoming trip. They also help sort out problems with the Internal Revenue Service, benefits from the Veterans Administration and aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

No agency tracks statistics, but each Congressional office can handle thousands of cases a year. McHenry's office has tackled 10,725 cases during his four years in office, according to the Cherryville Republican's staff. The most common: Social Security needs (about 26 percent) and veterans' issues (21 percent).

Happy Birthday Emily

Happy 7th Birthday Emily White!!! Emily and her family (mom-Susan, Dad-Michael and little sister-Erin go to church with us at Eastside. The entire family is very special to us!!! We love you and hope your birthday is a blast!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...in many ways!!!

*Snow is falling? Well not actually...but Halle-Grace is once again SPITTING! SO, percipitation is happening ALL around. It would be nice if it were in the form of snow vs. spit! I honestly think she is spitting because she is teething (I hope) there is one on the top that you can feel and it is a sharp one.
*Presents are still coming...I have never seen anyone receive as many gifts on a consistant basis as Halle-Grace! It is quite amazing. This most adorable gift was delivered after Thanksgiving from my wonderful friend, Rene, in Oklahoma. The doll was handmade by the lady who owns the Peanut Butter Junction. As you can see, "Halle-Grace Khanh" has her adoption certificate. There is a "divine" tale to the naming of this doll. Rene told me that she looked and looked for a perfect gift...she went on to tell me that God has a sense of humor because she became very impatient. Just like our adoption story with Halle-Grace...TIME was being controlled by God. Once the lady knew the child she was making the doll for was adopted from Vietnam, she had her daughter do some reseach on naming the doll. Without knowing who the doll was for...she named her KHANH!!! Reading the message from Rene gave me chills. His plan is perfect (with all things)...we just couldn't see it and it seemed impossible that it would ever happen! Rene, thank you! We love you!

*The wreath is on the door and Nanny is making bows for ALL of the window wreaths for the front of the house. The wreath made a BEAUTIFUL backdrop for the photo session today with Angela Shea. Compared to Halle-Grace, I am about as UN-Photogenic as can be! The weather definitely gave us a Christmas chill and horrible lighting for indoors. HOWEVER, Angela captured the most AMAZING shots of Little Miss Magic! WOW! The photo proofs revealed how beautiful she really is! I mean as her mom I think she is the most beautiful baby girl regardless of what she is wearing or what expression she is making...even when she cries *which is VERY rare* she looks simply adorable BUT, the photo proofs Angela shared with me tonight took me by surprise! I am so excited to DECK the Walls with many photos of Halle-Grace! I hope I can post some soon. Angela is very busy trying to get our Christmas cards ready...so I will post some as soon as I get them.

AND...

There has always been a sense of magic around this time of year. This year that MAGIC is in the form of a little angel...Halle-Grace. We are so thankful for our Christmas Angel!

Hoping the holiday season brings a little magic your way!

Shannon

Happy Thanksgiving!

God is faithful!!! I just found out that the final 5 of the 44 TQ families have received US visas for their children! What a wonderful Thanksgiving they are having in VN. They will be traveling back to the US at the end of the week. Please keep a special little girl in your prayers. She is also from the TQ orphanage and is 5 years old. She is still seperated from her forever family! Pray for a miracle!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING from our family to yours! We have so much to be thankful for this year...our family, friends, my HENS, good health, great jobs and so much more!

We are incredibly thankful for...
*Our Tiny Miracle...
*Her PRICELESS expressions...
*For a dad who knows how to shop for his baby girl...

*We are thankful that Jason had the patience to put the 13 foot tree up

* For thoughtful friends...Sherry, we love the ornament!

*Our TQ beauty is FINALLY HOME!


http://shea.typepad.com/angelic_touch_photography/2008/11/happy-birthday-hallegrace.html
visit this site for a sneak peak of the images from Halle-Grace's 1st birthday celebration! Angela Shea will be making a trip to our home this weekend for a photo shoot with the princess.

"Hey Valarie, my mom got a new car, so I drove it to Krispy Kreme"

Birthday Girl

Slideshow coming soon...more photos









Abi getting her face painted

Charleston jumping in the castle

Halle-Grace with the "Birthday Princess" (Debra Kennedy) all of the girls LOVED the princess....mama loved her Vera Wang PRINCESS perfume! Thanks!!!

Halle-Grace's 1st Birthday Party!

It was a hit! I think everyone had a great time! The princess was in rare form and ready to meet and greet everyone!!!

I promise to post photos soon. We had so much fun and want to thank our friends and family for sharing this day with us!

The castle was a hit, the face painting was great, the REAL princess was awesome (she even gave me Vera Wang Princess Perfume), the cake was the prettiest I have ever seen, so much time and love was put into the planning! Thanks to EVERYONE who helped make it a HIT! Nanny, we could not have done this without you!!!

Thanks everyone! Now, I have about 50 gifts to finish opening:) GOSH, I love being a mom so such a sweet princess!!! I can't believe she is ONE!

Happy 1st Birthday Halle-Grace

Halle-Grace is a year old today! I can't believe it...like the saying goes, "time flies when you're having fun". She is such an amazing little girl with a personality to charm anyone in any type of mood (speaking from experience here)! She woke up this morning bright and early in her usual happy mood. Jason said, "Happy Birthday" and before he could get those 2 words out she was already holding one finger up (to show us how old she is). She is too cool! She received lots of great cards in the mail today and calls from family and friends wishing her a Happy 1st Birthday!!!

I am waiting on Jason & Halle-Grace to get back from church (I have a horrible cold/cough...trying to get better...pray that happens before Saturday). Jason made Halle-Grace some birthday treats to dig into when they get home:) I will post photos ASAP!
*******************************************************************************
OK...we realize these photos look like "Christmas pics rather than birthday ones but someone insisted on playing around the Christmas tree and attacking the video camera!
She didn't show a lot of interest in any type of sweets **maybe because she still likes her milk warm**? None the less, she is hilarious and had a fantastic 1st birthday. Saturday is the birthday bash and we are all excited to see her expressions...maybe we can get some "cake on the face" shots!