SNOW just in time for Ollie's visit from FL....

The snow started this evening just as Halle-Grace was heading to bed. I can't wait for tomorrow to get her out in the white fluffy stuff and get some photos. Here is our pool this evening as it was snowing pretty good. Since then, I am certain we have 4 more inches!!!Ollie is in from FL. and visited today with beautiful gifts *she is SO talented* We are excited to spend some time with her this week.Blanket handmade by Ollie with Halle-Grace's name, birthday all on there

This beautiful blanket was handmade by Ollie's mom Cheerio time...one of her favorite times everydayI am FINALLY home from Vegas and SO happy to be.
ALSO, Happy Anniversary to Granny & Papaw Devine who were married 40 years ago today. CONGRATS! (and it was snowing 40 years ago when they said "I do")

Happenings.... Thanking the Congressman in person and so much more!

Life has been really busy lately...so much happening! This past Friday night (Feb. 20th) Jason & I attended a dinner where we were able to THANK Congressman McHenry in person! It was a great feeling to say "THANK YOU" face to face and let him know how much we appreciate his representation. His response, "it's my job"! He made our adoption process (RFE and all) a "personal" issue and that is WHY we are forever grateful! David McCrary his constituent director in the Hickory, NC office was WONDERFUL! I told the Congressman that David started taking my phone calls (DAILY...I am being very serious) on April 16, 2008 and I talked to him daily until we left for VN in late August 2008. NOW THAT IS REPRESENTATION! We shared photos of Halle-Grace, he thought she was a beauty and is excited to meet her in person!
Another great perk about the dinner that we attended with our good friends Stan & Penny Shaw (while Jelly was baby sitting Little Miss Magic at our home) was meeting the Gov. of Utah, Jon Huntsman! WOW!!! I am pretty sure I cried at least 3 times during his talk! VERY IMPACTFUL speaker!! He and his wife (Mary Kay, who has NC roots) have 7 children...two of their children...they adopted internationally (well, you know my EARS perked up...thinking he could help with a new MOU between VN and America?!) He spoke about the beauty of life and his admiration for his children's "biological mother" especially on mother's day! It was so neat to feel that connection...I remembered my feelings especially on Halle-Grace's 1st birthday. I thought about how Halle-Grace's birth mom gave us the MOST AMAZING gift when she made the decision to give Halle-Grace LIFE! I admire her for her courage and thank her EVERY SINGLE DAY even though I have NO idea who she is, where she is and if she is even alive, I pray for her daily! I pray God gives her a glimpse of Halle-Grace's life and how she GAVE the most amazing GIFT and we love Halle-Grace more than I thought ANYONE COULD EVEN LOVE ANYBODY!!! Her decision was a decision of unconditional love! She gave her the opportunity to have a DEVINE life! OH, the thought of it being any different makes me shutter! SO, as Gov. & Mrs. Huntsman were leaving the country club dinner to make their way to the National Gov. meeting, Jason takes his BRAG book and darts after them! I saw him as he chased them to the door and of course they were stopped in their tracks when they saw the beautiful images of our Halle-Grace! It was a great NIGHT!!! Watch for Gov. Huntsman in 2012?? Who knows but how cool would it be to tell Halle-Grace, "when he was the Gov. of Utah we shared your story and photos...he said you were BEAUTIFUL...and now he is _____? Who knows, he could be the next President?? His message was powerful. He said that America has three values that sets us apart *LIFE, LIBERTY, PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS and added "Economic Freedom"! When we arrived back home, Halle-Grace was sacked out in Jelly's arms sleeping but woke up in time to ride her pink poodle. If you remember from a previous post, Stan, Penny & Jelly gave the rocking pink poodle to Miss Magic! On Saturday, Granny brought Lizzy & Zoey to play and to get a photo of her blessings...here is the beautiful picThe picture displays their cute faces AND personalities! They played so hard! Lizzy had the MOST fun playing Guitar Hero with Jason on the Wii *and I must add, she is really good*
So, now it is Tuesday evening and I am posting this from Las Vegas! I am working the AAOS this week. Jason left on Monday for Dallas, TX for a two day meeting with AZ and THANK THE LORD for Granny! She has been a saving grace! She is staying at our house with Halle-Grace. She takes her to Maa Maa's house during the days and then picks her back up and they have PLAY MARATHONS till bedtime...I think I can smell the rotten from Vegas! I was told Halle-Grace CRIED for Granny when she left Maa Maa's house this morning (HELLO, she doesn't cry for me???) Little monkey--she is so darn cute and I miss her so much! I cried when I left her, so she should CRY FOR ME TOO!
MORE......She is up to SO much these days...she says "be back", "good girl", calls the cat "mal", loves her refrig. leap frog phonic alphabet and has the "i" down pat! She draws it out (our southern belle)! She also says BAA BAA for Bye Bye...and she says "I...as she points near her eye (see pic)crosses her arms to say love then points at herself normally for you (I guess because we point at her when we say it...she is a copy cat)! She loves southern cooking *thanks to Maa Maa* and plays NON-STOP! When she is UP, she is UP! She is constantly on the move, talking, singing...loves the jogger stroller (she & Jason jog daily)BUT just wait till the summer and I teach her water babies in our pool! Then she will be a little fish! DON'T worry, we are getting a pool alarm (safety is MOST important)!!!
I know you have heard, "If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it"...so, I rest knowing HE is the one who ultimately watches over us all! And finally, WE are finished with all post-adoption sessions! YEAH!!!
Please pray for Jason to have safe travels home tomorrow (Wed) I know he is ready to see his baby girl (who is 100% DADDY'S PRINCESS). Also, say a special prayer for Nanny's neck. She has been in a lot of pain but the doc is going to fix her up...hopefully SOON! We gotta have our "SHOPPER" back...I am sure Wal-mart and Coach stock are falling (now that is a combination...LOL)! Halle-Grace says, "Nanny, I will be the surgeons assistant and take good care of you just like I did for mama's surgery"

I hope this catches us up *well at least a summary* I need to prepare for my long days ahead at AAOS. I am thankful that when I have to be away, I have a career that I love (that makes the world of difference)! STILL, my most important and rewarding job is being MAMA to Halle-Grace and I REALLY, REALLY, REALLy LOVE this career and I will NEVER retire!!!

PS. Miss my hens and think of you ladies DAILY! Can't wait to see you ALL in June!

15 months old today...Happy Birthday Aunt Sally

Halle-Grace is 15 months old today! The person who coined the phrase "time flies when you're having fun" is one smart cookie! She is definitely getting taller and her hair is growing out of control. She's gonna look like Crystal Gayle before we know it! She is a BUSY little girl. She NEVER sits still, she is ALWAYS on the move! She is chatting up a storm and continues to mimic anything we do.
She is very smart and doesn't forget *which can sometimes be a slight problem* out of sight, out of mind, she does not BUY any longer!
She loves to SPEED read, which means, if you are going to read her a book YOU better read fast because she flips the pages in a flash!! Jason has the ABCs and numbers written on her chalkboard in her toy room. They practice them at least twice a day! Any of you who "really" know Jason, know that he is highly intelligent (seriously)! He should be a writer (right Jamye? unlike the blogger here who can't stay on task)....what I am trying to say IS-- it is VERY important to Jason to "teach" Halle-Grace something daily! I think he is an AWESOME dad in so many ways! This kid is stinking rotten! She has so many people who are NUTS over her...it's beyond LOVE...She truly has a magnetic personality... before you know it she has pulled you in...and you are STUCK! I really wish time could stall...but then again, what would we miss? Everyday brings something new, fun, exciting! Jason & I feel like kids on Christmas Eve most every night! We talk about what she did, how adorable she looked in her outfit (by the way, she needs another closet for all of the gifts she STILL receives), the funny moments and...then we go to bed excited to see what tomorrow will bring! I BET MORE MAGIC!

Happy Birthday Nanny!!!

Today is Nanny's 40+++++++++++++++++ birthday!
OH, she is just a spring chicken! WE LOVE YOU NANNY! We hope your day is as wonderful and special as you are! EVERY child deserves a "Nanny" like Halle-Grace, Hunter & Hannah have...and Suzanne & I are SO blessed to call you MOM!

We love you and we pray God blesses us with many more years to celebrate your day, the day the world became a better place many moons ago!

Happy Birthday, we love you!

Personality!!!

Our MISS PHOTOGENIC! WOW!!!

Little Miss MAKE-UP...got into mama's make-up (scary thing is she knows where things go...except what she thinks is blush is eye shadow?)
Still loves shoes!!! Wants to put EVERY pair on that she owns, loves her SPARKLES

Dances ALL the time! 7am WOO HOO!
Hair grows over night (seriously)! Wakes up with all types of styles...what does this look like to you? Jason can vouch...we did not create these horns!!

Beautiful Chicken

Lulu has a new blog. www.beautifulchicken.com AND her mom, M....has a NEW pink camera so we can expect lots more photos of the photogenic princess! We miss Lulu!!! We will get to see her and many other TQ babes at SESAME PLACE in June! We are SO excited!

Nanny's birthday is Wednesday (Feb. 18th)!!!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

CLICK ON PHOTO TO VIEW GALLERY IN PHOTOBUCKET

Devine Valentine 2009!

Our first Valentine's Day with our tiny miracle...now THIS is what LOVE is ALL ABOUT! I have to admit... I never believed in "love at first sight"...until Little Miss Magic came into our lives!
She is such a sweetheart! We are SO excited about this Valentine's Day! We have "Little Miss Magic" to share it with!
As you can see, she is already enjoying her rocking "pink poodle"! Stan and Penny showered her with this special Valentine's Day gift. Thank you! She loves her "Pink Poodle Rocker"! She & the Pink Poodle are just TOO CUTE!!!

The sweetest thing...AND Snow on Mama's Birthday

I received this photo in an email from Suzanne. Hannah is sleeping with a photo of Halle-Grace (you can see it in the bed with her to the left)...now how sweet is that? She told Suzanne that she can't WAIT until Halle-Grace is old enough so they can spend the night together. This just melted my heart! Since the "blog" is serving as a "storybook" for Halle-Grace, I try and post/type all of the little and big things as she will someday have ALL of these pages in a binder, or file cabinets (HA HA) to read.

CLICK ON PHOTO ABOVE TO VIEW GALLERY....
THANK YOU Papa Dale and Granny for helping us out this week when daddy had night class!!! It is VERY much appreciated!!! SO, it snowed on my birthday (Feb. 3rd) but just for a little while. Not enough to cover the ground but Nanny received at least 2 inches at her house! The day I was born 30++++ years ago it was snowing in Shelby, NC! So this has been the BEST birthday ever! My family is safe, happy and healthy (except for minor colds, etc), I saw a little snow, the TARHEELS won and we have our "tiny miracle"...Miss Halle-Grace! God Bless you all...enjoy the pics!

Pray for Baby Carter

A dear friend of mine, Deanna, who prayed Halle-Grace home is watching her baby boy Carter fight for his tiny life! My heart breaks for Deanna and Andy, two of the most amazing individuals...would give you the shirt off their back, Andy serves our country daily...I could go on & on.
Baby Carter was born at 23 weeks. Only God knows what tomorrow brings but PLEASE pray that He allows this "tiny miracle" to grow up to be a strong little boy with his mom & dad.
Some of the same individuals who prayed/fasted the entire month of Aug. 2008 in efforts to "Bring the Devine Baby Home" (Halle-Grace) are doing the same for baby Carter. Prayer is POWERFUL! When I saw so many people praying/fasting I left the US and headed to Vietnam (without a 1-600 approval) I knew it was time!
PLEASE tell everyone you know to PRAY! All three need our prayers!
God Bless Andy, Deanna and Baby Carter!

Some kind of WONDERFUL!

CLICK ON PHOTO TO VIEW GALLERY!!!
It has been a week since I blogged...sorry! Things have been quite busy!! This past week I had a minor medical issue arise that put me out of the loop for a few days. THANK YOU NANNY for taking care of Halle-Grace while Jason served as "head nurse". I married the BEST! He is SO patient and I am a HORRIBLE patient!
Nanny has this spell she can cast on her grandchildren...I can't quite explain it...but Mike Turner will agree! HA HA HA! Nanny, ALL THIS ROTTEN that came back needs to stay at your house next time! GEEZ, this child is SO SPOILED! I think she said WAL-MART today! Halle-Grace and Nanny
Seriously, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU MOM! Papa Gene and Johnny were at her beck and call as well... so you can only imagine! But, that's what grandparents are for...to spoil them rotten...and rotten, SHE is! She loves her Valentine bow...she & Hannah have matching "love bows" I'll take their picture and post it!
Our child is SIMPLY HILARIOUS and SO entertaining! She & Jason are attached at the hip *I admit, it's really sweet*, and she is singing and dancing ALL of the time and saying a lot these days!
Daddy's Girl

Tet Celebration

THEN & NOW...the first photo was taken of Halle-Grace, Thanh & Isabella on Halle-Grace's adoption day (September 1, 2008) at TQ. The 2nd is the three of them together again at the Tet celebration in Winston-Salem, NC on Jan. 24, 2009!!!
Isabella, Thanh & Halle-Grace with Ngoc at TQ
Halle-Grace, Thanh & Isabella celebrating Tet(Jan. 24, 2009)

We had a great time at the Tet Celebration! It was special to see the most beautiful and amazing children with their forever families! We finally met many CAS parents and their little ones. 4 of the TQ 44 families were in attendance (anyone in the CAS family knows the term TQ 44).
Halle-Grace had a great time strutting around in her red/gold ao dai and playing with the other children. The food was outstanding! Halle-Grace ate like a champ! OK, confession time...Jason, being the great husband that he is, googled "Vietnamese Restaurants" and found an incredible Vietnamese Restaurant in Charlotte (Lang Van on Shamrock Dr, Charlotte, NC 28215) They prepared an incredible meal for us to take to the Tet Celebration! Now we have a new place to take Halle-Grace and enjoy good food all year round!
CLICK ON PHOTO TO VIEW GALLERY

Tet celebration coming up!

This Saturday we will be attending a Tet celebration in NC. Here's some information I received from another CAS AP...

One of the most popular Tet traditions is the Cay Neu, or Tet pole.
Immediately before Tet, families will choose or plant a bamboo tree in
their front yard, usually a very, very tall one. As tall as 5 or more
meters tall! Most of the branches are stripped, so that the tree is a
single pole, with leaves only at the very top. The cay neu is
decorated with items such as bows, arrows, bells and gongs, to chase
away bad luck and ensure a good new year. Other popular decorations
include colored paper (especially red) on the trunk, origami fish, a
cactus branch and small porcelain plagues that strike each other in
the breeze. In short, anything that symbolizes good luck for coming
year will do.

Now, can you imagine what our neighbors would think if we put a cay neu in our front yard with all the decor hanging from it! LOL

Halle-Grace is 14 months old today! STOP the time clock!

CLICK ON PIC TO VIEW GALLERY

So, what is our 14 month old beauty doing?? We all currently have colds...we continue to share our germs but it is impossible to not love all over her sweet face! She is dancing, singing (finishing the "Halle-Grace...Grace...Grace...has the prettiest face..face...face song that I made up in Vietnam).
We are preparing for Tet (Vietnamese New Year) that begins next Monday (26th). This Saturday we are attending a Tet party in Winston with many other CAS families! We are really excited! We will have a pot-luck lunch consisting of Vietnamese dishes (I need a lot of LUCK to pull this one off)lol! Halle-Grace is going to wear her beautiful red ao dai and I am sure she will entertain the crowd! I will post TONS of photos!
OOOHHHH....and it is REALLY snowing now...yesterday was a tease...15 min. and it was pure rain! I pray it sticks so I can get her in the snow tomorrow (just for a photo...I know we are both sick, but is NEVER snows here anymore) unless you live in the BEST NC town (BOONE, NC...lucky Mary)!!!

Walking, talking, watching it snow!

CLICK ON PHOTO OF HALLE-GRACE TO VIEW GALLERY

Halle-Grace is into everything and exploring her world! She is a smart monkey! She is talking and mimics ANYTHING she sees! She is saying a lot these days and has THE funniest personality! She is definitely a Miss Congeniality! She waves at everyone and tells everyone BYE BYE whether they are coming or going! She LOVES Maa Maa and PaPa and I think they are pretty smitten with her as well. They are such a blessing! They treat and refer to Halle-Grace as one of their grandchildren...that makes it SO easy to enjoy my career and I thank God for them daily! She is doing so much better eating these days and her favorite dish is mash potatoes! She is a "southern belle" when it comes to eating...she will probably be unlike her mom and LOVE sweet tea someday as well!
She is walking around really well. She has been taking steps for sometime now, but really took off this past Monday night!
We are watching it snow...and Halle-Grace is watching her eye lids...I'll type more later, I need to lay her down in her crib.
Love to all! WE ARE SO BLESSED TO HAVE OUR TINY MIRACLE, WE ARE SO IN LOVE!

Halle-Grace thinks of "work-outs" in the same fashion as her mama!!!

She is just like me!
Jason wanted a baby jogger/trailer for Christmas and Santa delivered. He went for a three mile jog today and said it was AWESOME! He can also hook it to the back of BELLA (his bike, yes..IT has a name)...and take Halle-Grace around the neighborhood. As you can tell from the photos, she thinks of working out about the same as I do...SLEEP IS BETTER! LOL


Halle-Grace wouldn't eat for me tonight but she is sleeping like a QUEEN! No more stressing over the eating...if she remains in 3-6 months clothes for the next two years...I TRIED! Oh, her jeans were 6-9 months...ignore the sagging! LOL

ONE MORE THING! You must check out this blog http://www.aninvisiblethread.blogspot.com/Melissa is a mom of 4...it gives me the BEST laughs! ENJOY!

"Mama can't cook"

Well Halle-Grace has confirmed that I CANNOT COOK!!! She has been eating like a queen at Maa Maa's house...but NOT at home! We thought, "it's a kid thing, she eats good for everyone but mom & dad kind of thing" WELL NO!!! Jason brought Halle-Grace along with her dinner (compliments of Maa Maa) home tonight and she ate as fast as I would feed her! And I was thinking I would prepare a Vietnamese dish for Tet, what was I thinking???

Great ideas for Tet... cooking/decorating and more

Thanks Mary for sharing the link!
www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog

When you're smiling...the whole world smiles with you!

*click photo for more SMILES*
Today ended the initiative to get your senators/reps to sign the letter to the Prime Minister of VN concerning a new MOU. I called Richard Burr's Washington office late Monday and was told "he signed the letter." I also sent communication to Congressman McHenry and his AWESOME constituent leader, David McCrary, assured me the Congressman would get the information and also advocate to his peers in DC! I hope we will hear GOOD news!
*HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY KENNEDY!!! Kennedy's blog is listed below "Remember Nguyen". I love the name of their blog! Nguyen is a common sir name in VN and to most all TQ angels. It is pronounced "when".
*The hens are preparing for a Tet exchange...
*Tet celebration: Well, I don't have my recipe just yet *Mary, if you are reading this, I am working on it* Actually, Trish, who attends our church is going to help me. Her mom is from VN...so watch out, this might be fabulous! Jason is probably thinking "nothing that comes from Shannon's cooking is fabulous." Maybe that is Halle-Grace's problem...she still is on this strange "refuse food" kick! However, she is incredibly HAPPY as you can tell from the photos!

Prepare to celebrate Tet

CLICK ON PIC OF HALLE-GRACE TO VIEW GALLERY

Tet Nguyen Dan, is the lunar New year Festival and it is the most important Vietnamese holiday. Tet (Vietnamese New Year) is the celebration of the beginning of spring as well as a new year. It is the time for family reunions, exchanging gifs, best wishes and the beginning of a new year. Tet begins Jan. 26th!

HAPPY 1st Birthday Saige! Saige is a TQ beauty! Her blog is listed below as "our Vietnamese Angel" Saige's mom is one of my hen friends! I hope Saige had a WONDERFUL birthday!

"And I think to myself, what a wonderful world"

CLICK ON PHOTO TO VIEW MORE...Halle-Grace continues to grow and explore...she is saying a lot these days and mimics just about anything that we do! She is quite the character and has a winning personality! Everyone says, "she is SO beautiful" and she is, however, true beauty truly is from the inside out and she is ABSOLUTELY beautiful!!!
The only struggle at this point is WHAT WILL SHE EAT? She is ready for some new "taste and texture". We have tried several things yet still trying to find out what type of "eater" she will be. If she takes after me, she will be a "creature of habit" which means I eat the same thing just about everyday. If she is like her dad, she will have a sweet tooth!!!
This morning she refused her oatmeal but enjoyed Dannon plain vanilla yogurt and some cheerios (which are by far her favorite at this point). Jason is cooking in the kitchen to give her a taste test for later! Maybe I should stop eating my usual and see what he stirs up for me?
Speaking of food/recipes, we are going to a TET party this month with other CAS families. TET is the Vietnamese New Year. The party will include a POT luck lunch...so, we will be preparing a Vietnamese dish to take! I'll make sure to post the recipe when we make a decision. TET begins on Jan. 26th...let's get ready to CELEBRATE!!!

A recap of New Year's Eve...

WOW, what a start...I have always heard BAD rehearsal = excellent performance...I hope that statement is true! SO, Jason was sick all night (feeling much better after a Z pack and cough medicine). Nanny fell out of the back door and spent the next day in the ER. Halle-Grace partied ALL NIGHT! She danced and yelled and had too much fun with the girls (Hannah, Nanny, Suzie and myself). We hope Nanny will feel better SOON! She went to Carolina Orthopaedics in Hickory on Friday and has broken toes on one foot (that was from a fall out of the beach the day after Christmas)and the other foot/ankle is in an aircast! Hannah is telling her she is staying at the "Hannah Hotel" in the king suite! Mike, Papa Gene, Hunter and the rest of the hunting boys are in Mississippi!
We are incredibly blessed to be able to ring "DEVINE 09" in with our tiny miracle!
ENJOY the photos!!!
Thanks Hannah for allowing me to practice with my new camera...you make a great model! As I continue to learn more about the camera (haven't used all of the lens yet) I know I have a great model to help me. Halle-Grace is not still enough for practice..more action shots with her!!!

I LOVE THIS BROWN EYED BEAUTY!!!

Wishing you a DEVINE 09!

"Please be safe on New Year's Eve...I want to make sure you all continue to follow my journey...I am just getting a good start!"
(her expressions are classic)

~As you can see I am truly enjoying my Christmas present....FABULOUS Photos of Princess Halle-Grace who SO loves the new camera! Just wait till I really learn this high tech machine!






Poor Jason is really sick! Say a prayer he is feeling better soon! He was in bed ALL day while I worked out of town and Halle-Grace stayed with Maa Maa & Pa Pa (thank God for Peggy & Austin...they are such blessings). Since I have been home since 6pm there has been ZERO improvement...flu? virus? We can't ring in "DEVINE 09" with a sick dad...not to mention, he is a BIG helper who is greatly missed when he is out of commission!