Take time to thank God for a healthy baby!

Halle-Grace had an excellent well check appointment. She is in the 2nd percentile of her weight category (which means nothing really because the doctor is not concerned and she looks and is VERY healthy)...She may always be a peanut:) She has grown over 2 inches and is doing really, really well. Thank God for our healthy baby girl who is such a blessing!!!

Now for the blow...I received a message concerning Halle-Grace's orphanage and the conditions there. There are MANY sick babies with pneumonia...some are hospitalized and at least one baby has died! It makes me angry! The USCIS made it SOOOOO incredibly hard for us to adopt Halle-Grace! The files I have would make your head spin off! WHY DOES THE "SYSTEM" make it SO HARD to give a child a loving home? These children could be with their forever families (like Halle-Grace is right now) BUT the MOU between the US and Vietnam came to an end on Sept. 1, 2008.

The problems that make me sick to my stomach go well beyond international adoptions too.... I have a friend right now who is a foster parent. The child(ren) were removed from their home based on neglect over a year ago! My friends are fighting the system to adopt! Why is this the case? Why do the children always suffer because of "adults" decisions?Please pray the "system" will begin putting the "CHILD" first! Our Gov. initiates programs coined "no child left behind" and so on.... What about the issues above? I DO NOT understand!

God, please soften the hearts that need to be softened! Those who can change policy, laws, rules, etc. and PUT the CHILD FIRST once and for all!

Hunter in the SPOTLIGHT

Hunter's basketball team won the county championship game today! He was so excited!!! Hunter is an awesome player! I can see him 6-7 years from now...he will be in the same league as Tyler Hansborough, and of course PLAY FOR THE TARHEELS...who are officially in the SWEET SIXTEEN!
So after his championship win, he came over with Hannah & Suzanne to play with "Little Miss Magic". They had a great time! Jason played guitar hero with them
and then they had a lot of fun with Wii fitness...hula hooping (notice Hannah is holding Halle-Grace AND hula hooping) skiing, Hannah loved yoga, and Hunter liked balance games and thought it was too cool when the tight rope dude took a plunge!! They helped me unlock more levels of fitness which is really nice!
Halle-Grace was really smitten with Hunter today! She loved him carrying her around!
I am SO ready to see them swim this summer. I have never looked so forward to warm weather in my life! If you know me well enough, you know I am still a "Boone girl" at heart and my blood loves the ASU weather. However, "little miss magic" makes me want to see the sun and feel the pool water get warm. I can't wait to teach her water babies and watch her play and swim all summer long! Next weekend is her photo shoot and we are really excited to see her "do her thing"...CHARM, CHARM, CHARM with her winning personality!
We are blessed!

HANNAH IS TOPS!!!!

Hannah tried out for cheerleading tonight...not only did she make the squad, she received the HIGHEST score! GO HANNAH!!! Halle-Grace wants to be "JUST LIKE YOU" so I need to order her a mini-uniform for football season! We are SO proud of you and love you SO MUCH!

Little Miss Magic is 16 months old today!

Where is the time going? Her magical personality makes the time go SO fast! So what did our 16 month old do today? She had a great day with Maa Maa & PaPa and Abby! They went to the park and rode the Carrousel and she loved every minute of it. This evening we sang, dance (she can tap her toes), read books and yelled as loud as we could (Jason loves when we do that..HA HA). She laughs ALL the time and loves to play hide & seek ! She is really into books and LOVES to hula hoop on the Wii fit with me. NOW, try holding 17.5 pounds and hula hooping for 10 minutes!!! That is a workout! Much more intense than you might think!
She sings and it is the funniest thing I have EVER witnessed! She really gets into it! We have to video her and get a link on here!
Her vocabulary is really expanding and she is a smart cookie! Show her something once and she does not forget! She sleeps well and LOVES southern cooking *if Maa Maa cooks it* her hair is growing like crazy and she really gets prettier everyday. She is VERY friendly and out-going and she NEVER meets a stranger!!! She has a magical personality for sure and LOVES being a ham!
Her bladder is too big for her tiny diapers! She is still in a size 2...SO, when she sleeps, she gets on her tummy and pulls her knees up under her body...the diaper gaps open and the result is a wet bed, wet pjs & wet Halle-Grace! Poor thing!
I have to tell you Jason's latest....he went shopping for flash cards for Halle-Grace and came home with the following: multiplication tables, Presidents of the United States, Geography maps...and such! I had to LAUGH!!!
I could go on & on about Halle-Grace and everything she does and discovers each day! Life is GREAT and God is GOOD!

Here's the cure for "anytime" blues!

CLICK ON PHOTO TO VIEW GALLERY

Our funny girl! Enjoy the photos. As you can see, she is VERY active!

We love "spring forward"

CLICK PHOTO TO VIEW GALLERY
The time change is great!!! It allows us time in the afternoon to take Halle-Grace outside and play and of course take some fabulous photos! This gallery you must check out. Once you click on the photo, it will take you to the photobucket site and ask about comments, click NO then you will be in the gallery...on the top right hand side, there is a button that says "slideshow" you can click on that option and watch the entire slideshow! She is definitely the LIGHT in our lives!
Mamaw Parker is home from the hospital but continue to pray that she heals completely! We want her to be able to watch Little Miss Magic learn to swim this summer. As soon as the weather permits, I will be teaching her "water babies" Everyday gets better! How is that possible? The greatest joy is hearing her sweet little voice say "mama" and she now calls Jason "papa" and he really likes that. We are SMITTEN!!!!!

Sunny day!

CLICK PHOTO TO VIEW GALLERY

Today was a busy day for "Little Miss Magic". She went to Sunday School...then to Mamaw Devine's house where she played outside with many of her cousins who you will see in the gallery(she LOVES it outside)! We then visited with Mamaw Parker at the hospital. We pray she will heal soon!!! Hannah & Halle-Grace played in the grass and made laps around the 4th floor. Before we were out of the parking lot, "little miss magic" was sound asleep! I can already tell she is going to LOVE the spring and summer weather! THE FUN CONTINUES...enjoy the photos!

Halle-Grace's winning personality & charm

Halle-Grace was signed today by an agency...she is now officially employed! Her audition was......well 100% HALLE-GRACE! She was so funny! More news to follow...for now, paper work to read, sign, photo shoots, appts...FUN FUN FUN! She LOVES the spotlight for sure! Now, I just need to get Jason off CLOUD 10 because he skipped 9 when she was offered a contract on the spot! He is more excited than I ever imagined...too sweet!

Continue to pray for Mamaw Parker who remains in the hospital.

Hopefully Little Miss Magic can make Mamaw Parker feel BETTER!

CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO VIEW GALLERY

The snow is melting...SO, Halle-Grace is not a "wait around" kind of girl! She is ready for the sunshine and pool weather! She has been trying out some of her many swimsuits for the season and taking some adorable photos to boot! She changes DAILY! She is saying a lot. I love (can't quite get the "you" out)...She says, "I don't know" really fast! And her new thing is to bring us book after book and climb her tiny self up in our laps and let us read (speed reader is in a lower gear for now. LOL)! This just melts my heart and even though there are millions of things I should be doing...I can't resist! There will come a day (too soon) that she will not climb into my lap and do this...SO bring on the books baby girl! Gosh, I LOVE this baby!!!

Sadly, Mamaw Parker was admitted to the hospital today! I have to work in SC tomorrow but Jason & Halle-Grace are going to go for a visit. I will have to visit her on Thursday unless I get home in time. I know she doesn't have the internet but YOU all do so please say a special prayer for her. Halle-Grace is blessed to have two great-grandparents and we send special prayers up for Mamaw Parker!!! God Bless her!

...guess who had her toes painted PINK???

Halle-Grace 1st BIG SNOW! Click photo below to view gallery

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!