Happy Family Day Lulu Belle.

Here's my post 2 years ago when Lulu Belle was united with her forever family!
http://ourdevinemiracle.blogspot.com/2008/09/lulu-is-here.html

Lulu & Halle-Grace 2 years ago in Hanoi, Vietnam

Miss Magic's Bling

Guess who has BIG GIRL earrings? Halle-Grace had her ears pierced!
She LOVES them and makes me promise not to take them out...ever! We had them pierced while we were in California. She says she is now a REAL princess with diamond "sparkles".

DISNEYLAND, CA...the happiest place on earth

 They say that Disneyland is the happiest place on earth. They say it is a magical fantastical place where dreams come to life. They say it is a place where you can experience the most wondrous events and build memories that will last a lifetime. Well, I have to say, there is truth in that advertising!

We took Miss Magic to Disneyland and Oh what an experience it was. She was the embodiment of non-stop exhilaration from the moment we first entered and saw Goopy right up until she started to fall asleep on Jason’s shoulders on the way out of the park. Halle Grace was as excited as a thousand children on Christmas Eve and as animated as Mickey himself in his most magnificent cartoons. For Halle Grace, Disneyland was one thrilling moment after another. In fact it seemed that with each character we saw; Goopy, Mickey House, Minnie, Cinawella (these are not typos but rather her actual pronouncements of their names) the enchantment only intensified. Her smile was from ear to ear and her unbridled excitement was so electrifying that you couldn’t help but become energized by it.

I honestly believe that if she even TRIED to squeeze one more ounce of fun out of Disneyland the authorities would have stopped her, telling her to save some magical fun for other children. It was simply amazing and I was emotional at times watching her experience the TRUE magic of Disney.

Halle-Grace has a funny story about Belle that we will never forget!

It also was just as amazing to see her timing be so impeccable. She obviously wanted to see Mickey House and Minnie while we were there as well as some of the princesses. She told anyone that would listen to her in the days prior, that she was going to see all of these characters. My hope was that she would in fact get to see at least a couple of those she mentioned by name. My only hesitation was that on any given day some of the characters might be in one place when you are in another, or they might not even make an appearance that day. So my fingers were crossed that she would at least see one princess and either Mickey or Minnie.
Such pessimistic thoughts... For as soon as we walked in we spotted Pluto...

Almost immediately thereafter we came across not one, not two, not three...but many princesses all together.

 According to Halle Grace they were all Cinawella…even the ones with dark hair. It was then that Halle-Grace’s true level of excitement was evident. When we approached Cinderella and put her down, she almost bowled Cinderella over as she ran up to, and almost over, her.

Cinderella had to catch herself with her hand or risk being toppled over by a bundle of pure joy and energy!!!

With Princess Aurora....then Miss Magic surprises Ariel with a Big Princess Hug

This is PRICELESS!

After leaving these princesses we simply “stumbled” upon Mickey House leaving only Minnie still to be seen.

By this time Mom and Dad needed a break and some lunch so we told HG we would try and find Minnie after we grabbed a quick bite. We grabbed something quick and began our search for Minnie all too aware that our time to return was soon approaching. However, we must have forgotten that our daughter’s nickname is “Miss Magic” for no sooner than we had walked back into Toonland we saw Minnie walking straight for us. We walked right up and got a couple of pics of them together and headed for the souvenir shop then to our ride.

While in the shop Halle-Grace said she had wanted to tell Minnie bye. We tried to console her and told her Minnie had to rest and visit with all of the children who were there to meet her and that she did get to have her picture taken with her. Glancing at our watches we realized we were already five minutes late for our ride. We finished in the shop and headed out when who did we see standing right in front of the shop….Minnie Mouse! Halle-Grace got to tell her bye after all. Jason scooped her up and placed her on his shoulders and headed for the gate. We didn’t even make it out of the park before she was fast asleep. She only woke up momentarily to flirt with Hunter Brunett (Dedria’s little brother) in the car before finally crashing for the evening. She was so exhausted she slept clear through pageant finals until the next morning not even waking while we removed her clothes and placed her pjs on her. What a MAGICAL day!

Obviously we had a blast and we would be completely remiss if we did not thank specifically Eddie for being such a wonderful host and coordinating our visit and for the Brunett family for graciously chauffeuring us to and from Disneyland. We are incredibly grateful to you all. Thank you very much for allowing us to spend a magical day with our daughter

Family Day...just a sneak peek

Our Devine Miracle...Little Miss Magic

Happy Family Day!

Today marks our 2nd Annual Family Day! Two years ago, God made our family complete with the blessing of Halle-Grace! Family Day is the most cherished day we share as a Forever Family!
Thank you Lord for our most precious blessing!!!

On Adoption Day, Sept. 1, 2008 we had three different blog entries on adoption day...enjoy reading http://ourdevinemiracle.blogspot.com/2008/09/adoption-day.html
http://ourdevinemiracle.blogspot.com/2008/09/more-adoption-day-picsthen-its-bedtime.html
http://ourdevinemiracle.blogspot.com/2008/09/she-is-perfect.html

Hours Away (Post from Jason on August 31, 2008)

Aug 31, 2008     Hours Away...

Wow, what a night...Who would have thought Shannon would have slept so well and I was the one up all night. So many things even within the wee hours of the morning have transpired. We even just got off the phone with Michelle Bond from State Department who wished us well and congratulated us on our tiny miracle.She said she feels we have done everything we could have done to answer the RFEs. I took from that it is simply now a matter of time to get our approvals.
There are so many things I want to say that I will keep this brief and add when we return this evening. Currently I am afraid of shorting out the computer as I type a few words and then dry my eyes, type a few words and wipe my nose. We are going to get our daughter...even now, saying and typing the words seems surreal. It has been way too long in coming. But nothing worth having comes easy, and nothing in this world is worth more than "our tiny miracle." I pray I will bless her in her life half as much as she has already blessed me...and I have yet to hear her for the first time say, "I love you daddy!" Wow, talk about melting a heart. It is already a molten pile of goo...More to come later today. For now, thanks for the emails, thoughts and prayers. God bless you all. We love you!

Jason
Posted by Jason 8/31/2008

11 comments: made on 8/31/2008

So excited for you!!!!!
Dave & Teresa

Jason you will be a wonderful, loving father. I am so bless to have you and Mike as the best fathers in the world for my grandchildren. God is with you and Shannon and Halle-Grace today and everyday from now on. This is the day we have all been waiting for. God Bless you.
Nanny

This is the day that the Lord has made, and we are rejoicing with you. I told you and Shannon a long time ago, that God has special plans for you, and I still truly believe that to this day. I thank Him for His undying love for each of you, and just know that you all are going to be a great family. May God continue to Bless and Sustain you.
I love you all very much
Mom(Granny)

Gabby is fine!!!

To Halle-Grace
I love you little one and I can't wait to see you and to hold you. You are sooo blessed to have a Christian Mom and Dad who love their God, and they will teach you all about Him, so you will learn to love Him too.
Oh, and by the way practice these words ........GOOOOOOO DUKE!
Love,
Granny

I’m checking the blog hourly, we are sooo thrilled for you. Looking forward to meeting you Halle-Grace! :-) As always you are in our prayers.
We love you,
Jan, Shawn, Owen, and Gabriel
We are sooo excited for you! Halle-Grace is one lucky little girl to have such wonderful parents. We can't wait for pictures. Hunter says Nooooo Duke - Go Tarheels is what she needs to learn!:) We Love you and will continue to pray for you. Pastor Dale had me stand up in church today and give an update. God has answered our prayers!! You are getting your precious daughter.
Suzanne

Jason, both you and Shannon are an inspiration. You are going to be the most incredible parents, as a matter of fact you already are - You never gave up the fight for your baby girl. God Bless your family. much love from Doug and I.
Jenn Stehlar

Jason & Shannon: I have been anxious all day thinking of you and your journey to Halle-Grace. Know that we have prayed for all 3 of you and the other 40+ families so much these last few weeks! As I type I hope you are arriving at the orphanage for your ceremony to bring your beautiful daughter home! God has so richly blessed you and all of us through your journey! Love to all of you!
The Crow family

It is 12:30 am back in NC, and I just got woke up by the most beautiful sound, my cell phone saying, you got mail. I read it to find out .... I am a new Granny. Me and Gabby are so excited, our(her) tail is just a waggin. My heart is just a jumpin...
Can not wait to see you all.
God Bless.
Mom
God bless, Shannon & Jason!! Go get Halle-Grace!!
Kris Ann
Much love from the hens! :)

Shannon and Jason,
I work with Suzanne and she has kept us up to date on the progress of Halle-Grace's adoption. Hannah is in my class and has told the whole class how excited she is about her new cousin. She can't wait for you to bring Halle-Grace home! She is already loved by so many. My family and church are praying for you all. I know this beautiful little girl will bless both of you in more ways than you can imagine. Congratulations!
Emily

A look back...2 years ago, Jason & I were preparing to meet our daughter!

This week we are celebrating FAMILY DAY! We adopted our sweet angel 2 years ago this Wed. Sept. 1st/ This week, I want to re-post my blog entries with comments and remember as we celebrate....

HELLO HANOI (posted on August 30, 2008)
We made it! We made the first BOO BOO! DO NOT RIDE IN A TAXI that is not listed as one!!! LOL. We have NO idea who brought us across town last night! We are safe but and are laughing about it now. It is pouring rain, we are hungry...going to eat breakfast...going apartment hunting (they may be closed until Wed.) so Halle-Grace will maybe get to help us pick out a place. Will type more as soon I can. HUNGRY! Upset that ASU did not win:( Happy to be in Halle-Grace's birth country and a day closer to seeing/holding/loving her for the rest of our lives!!!! WOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO

Love you all
Posted by Shannon Devine, "Miss Magic's Mama" at 8/30/2008

3 comments:
Mer (Lulu's Mommy) said...
OMGosh SHANNON
8/30/2008
Thank God you are safe. So does that mean that I should stay at the airport until daytime or is my wonderful son-in-law going to get me. I am counting the hours that you call or e-mail that she is in your arms. God Bless you, Jason and Halle-Grace. I love you all.
Moma
8/30/2008
halle-grace is pretty. I bet ya'll are happy that you hav her now.
By Lizzy love you

AND...the 2nd entry 2 years ago on this day
 http://ourdevinemiracle.blogspot.com/2008/08/photos-of-day-1-hanoi.html

Simply Adorable

Just wanted to share her adorableness....have a blessed day!

Wizard of Oz & Monsters, Inc. Top 2 fav movies of Miss Magic

She still loves the Wizard of Oz...and Monsters, Inc. (haha)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAY KAY!!! We love you!!!!!!!!

Same Event Different Perspectives

This evening we took a trip to the toy aisle so Halle-Grace could pick out her very own “grocery store” set. This set includes a grocery cart full of food, the coolest cash register and twin baby girls that she has named Jessie & Ruby. After being home for a couple of hours…HG just now came up for air from her shopping spree. She has been everything from stocker to shopper to cashier. I think she has the most fun as a combination shopper/cashier…oh the discounts you get when you shop that way! Jason finds it funny that the same event is seen very differently from each of our perspectives. Same register, same activity, just a little different interpretation depending on whose eyes are viewing it.

Halle-Grace's view: Wow, this is AWESOME! I am having a blast. Not exactly sure what this loud beeping sound means when I press this little wand and hold it down but I really like it. Not only is it fun for me but both Mom and Dad enjoy it as well as they both put their hands over their ears when I hold it down non-stop for several minutes at a time. I think that must cause this high pitch beeeeeeeeeeeeeep to echo in their ears. They really seem to like it. They also love picking up all of these tiny items and they’re so nice to put them back into my shopping cart over & over again…

Jason's view: I know this is a game for her but it is really helpful as she is already learning proper manners while she plays. When she is the cashier she is asking her customer how she is, and saying thank you while checking her out. I am sure this is developing her imagination skills and creating neurons in her brain as we speak. She is even counting out the dollars correctly thereby reinforcing her counting skills. When she is the stocker she is reinforcing good work ethic and pride in task. I can see how much passion she has in placing the items in just the right spot on the shelves. Good choice for a toy/game.

Shannon's view: I wonder how long before she can actually do our shopping at Wal-Mart for real?? Anyone who knows me well, knows I do not enjoy trips to Wal-Mart...but how cool, Miss Magic LOVES to shop and she obviously prefers a credit card over cash!!! Her daddy loves her so much, how will he ever be able to tell us NO when it comes to future shopping sprees!!! Go HALLE-GRACE!!! I love this game/toy as well. GREAT choice!

Saddle Ridge Ranch/Fashionista

I cannot believe how much Miss Magic is growing. It seems like just yesterday that we were in Vietnam with 6-9 month clothes (mostly 9 month) when our tiny miracle needed 3-6 month clothing! Now, she is talking in complete sentences and knows exactly what she wants in her everyday life! I think she's going to be a plastic surgeon because she loves to put bandaids all over her arms and legs (even though there are no boo boos in sight) and she LOVES makeup, painting nails/toes, and tells me she looks gorgeous! She also knows and expresses which shoes, clothes and bows are pretty and so on...she is a Fashionista at 2 1/2!!!

Purple is her favorite color!

She LOVES her Ruby Red Slippers

This week she attended Bible School. The theme was "Saddle Ridge Ranch" and she loved every minute of it. She was so excited to attend each night. Friday night all of the children put on their cowboy boots and hats and put on a show for their parents/grandparents.

More photos coming soon...

*We are busy planning our 2nd Annual Family Day Celebration and Lulu is coming!!! We are so excited we can hardly stand it!

CALL TO ACTION! Your help is appreciated!

The International Adoption Simplification Act (S1376) passed the Senate last week and is awaiting introduction and passage in the House of Representatives. The legislation provides two very important technical fixes to the intercountry adoption process that are a result of the implementation of the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption, namely allowing adoptive parents the option of obtaining immunizations for their children after they enter the U.S. (which is standard procedure in non-Hague adoptions) and also allowing adoptive siblings over the age of 16 to be adopted. It is this latter provision that is impacting so many children who have been prevented from joining their adoptive families and siblings because of their age.

Please contact Representative John Conyers, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and respectfully ask him to spearhead introduction and passage of the International Adoption Simplification Act. Contact information and a sample letter follow:
Telephone number: 202 - 225 - 3951
Email address: john.conyers@mail.house.gov
Fax number: 202 - 225 - 0072
SAMPLE LETTER.....
The Honorable John Conyers
United States House Judiciary Committee
2138 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Chairman Conyers:
I am writing you to express my support of Senator Klobuchar's International Adoption Simplification Act - legislation (S 1376) that was recently passed by the Senate and ask that similar legislation to be quickly passed by the House of Representatives. The legislation is needed to fix two unattended technical issues that resulted from the U.S implementing the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption in 2008.
The technical issues addressed in this legislation include:
- Allow adoptive parents the option to obtain their children’s immunizations after they enter the U.S., which is already standard international practice for children adopted from non-Hague compliant countries and a recommended procedure by most international adoption pediatricians.
- Restore the sibling age exemptions for children adopted by United States citizens in order that families remain together by allowing Americans to adopt siblings, even if one is over age 16.
The adoption community and many hundreds of adoptive parents have been working with Senator Klobuchar for more than two years to bring about this important fix to the intercountry adoption process. Your timely response is in the best interest of children and your efforts will be greatly appreciated.

My hope remains high!!!

http://www.adoptionintegrity.com/2010/07/29/u-s-department-of-state-notice-july-28-2010/

Miss Magic is on the go...

Thank you Aunt Suzie...I love this photo of HG!

WOW! We have been so busy lately...well, really all summer long and Halle-Grace loves every minute of it. She is such a social bug! She is SO much fun! Her new thing is "lyrical dance". You truly have to see it to believe it!!! Her song of choice is "Faithfully" by Journey (haha) and she dances the entire song...each time she adds a little more choreography! I've always heard that the best lyrical dancers use their facial expressions to tell the "story"...well, she has that down pat as well! Jason & I are amazed each and every day!

Nanny's beach bum. Thanks Nanny for the FUN in the SUN!

Miss Magic @ the Mrs. International Pageant. Is she precious or WHAT?

Miss Magic's Mama & Daddy in Time Square

The crowning moment went across the PR wire and has appeared many times on the Reuters Board in Time Square and Las Vegas. My goal is to bring a much brighter spotlight to ADOPTION this year!!!

We knew it was time...

It's hard to believe 2 years have passed since Jason & I received this image of Halle-Grace. We had already received our RFE from the government but this image completely broke our hearts and we knew it was TIME to bring her home...

Our Forever Family!

NCFA...In the Spotlight...Mrs. International 2010

This is SO exciting! Thank you NCFA!!!
https://www.adoptioncouncil.org/
Also in the news http://www.daylife.com/photo/01Cv9Pe0eye0P?q=North+Carolina

International Voice for Adoption....Mrs. International 2010

PR Newswire...also appearing on the Reuters Boards in Time Square & Las Vegas.

Shannon Devine, crowned Mrs. International 2010

I am still in total shock!!! On Saturday evening, I was crowned the 2010 Mrs. International in Chicago, IL. I competed with 52 of the MOST amazing women across the US and Internationally.

Miss Magic & me....just before starting my media interviews on Sunday morning in Chicago

The platform I will continue to represent throughout my reign is "Building Families Through the Miracle of Adoption". As you know, we have experienced the absolute JOY of the Journey and it's my goal to continue motivating and educating others, so they can also build their families. As Mrs. International and through my partnership with the National Council For Adoption, I will continue to spread my message of HOPE, inspiring others to NEVER give up on their dreams of building a family!

The Top 10 Finalists

I represented the Southeast Region and made amazing friendships with 52 amazing women. Pictured with Mrs. Arkansas. Christina is an advocate for the March of Dimes.

Mrs. International 2010...adoption advocate