I know I have many friends visiting my BLOG. I am asking a favor tonight. Please pray with me for GOD's will to be done concerning Hannah's adoption.
Thank-you
sandy

TRUST in the LORD

with all thine heart;

and lean NOT unto

thine own

understanding.

In ALL thy ways

acknowledge HIM,

and HE shall

direct thy paths.

~Proverbs 3:5-6~

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

MAX

XOXO

Grandma & Grandpap

HAPPY 18th BIRTHDAY

JASMINE

XOXO

Grandma & Grandpap

Sunday Update

Good Sunday Morning Gang,

Mike's working today, the kids have been to Sunday school, and Amy, Austin, and Paisley are sick again...UGH! School germs, I can't seem to get rid of these fevers and runny noses, they come and go every few days :(

I'm waiting to hear from T in Vietnam...The hurricane that hit China 9/25, also hit Hannah's province in Vietnam!! Her province has severe flooding and mudslides, no electric, thousands of homes destroyed and deaths! Hannah's orphanage is about 50 feet from a huge lake...she fell in during the summer and a little boy fished her out just in time. They both lost their shoes and T had to pay to replace them. Anyhow, I'm bringing that little boy something SPECIAL! So, I'm waiting to hear if Hannah and the other children are safe. I guess there's no phone service so it's taking a few days, and I'm going crazy waiting for an email! :(

OK US EMBASSY We need to get there and get our girl, so SEND OUR APPROVAL TONIGHT!!! PLEASE.................?????????????

Anyone want to join me in prayer to get our approval this week???

SOMETHING NEW

Hi Gang,
OK, I created my final Yahoo! group. Come join me and we can get to know each other better. It's simply called POKONUTZ and will be the sister to this BLOG, but a place where we can get to know each other, rejoice in each others happiness and support each other during our trials. I'm looking forward to "meeting" all my new friends and re-kindling old friendships.
Here's the link...and I hope I did it correctly...see you there.

POKONUTZ : POKONUTZ

POO-POO

NO approval this AM. Now we put our hopes into late Sunday night/early Monday AM. Too bad the Embassy doesn't work Saturdays.

At least something is moving, my VISA application is already at the VN Embassy. HEY! Maybe I'll get my Visa AND approval Monday AM. One can only daydream :(

After hearing the news about WAMU.. I'm just grateful I'm not planning on using CCs for my travel. I would be in a panic!!

Is anyone thinking of taking their $$$ out of their bank this AM? With my travel in the near future, I'm seriously thinking about it. I need to make sure I have my cashola to get my girl. What a nightmare that would be if my bank closed.

I think I need to start a new YAHOO! group...we can't "chat" on this BLOG. I have one for each of my adoptions, why shouldn't I have one for Miss Hannah's? I'll let you know when I think of a KOOL name for it and we can all chat :)

Yes, I'm still up on my anniversary..OH, just looked at the clock, it's over! Well, at least Paisley is sleeping sweetly, in the middle of my bed. I'm here washing all my bed linens and quilt, she puked all over my bed 2 hours ago. So much for ..anything... Well, there's always next year :)
Now, where's that I-600 approval???

HEY WASHINGTON LISTEN UP!

THIS WAS SENT TO ME AND I AGREE........

I'm against the $85,000,000,000.00 bailout of AIG .

Instead, I'm in favor of giving $85,000,000,000 to America in a We Deserve It Dividend .

To make the math simple, let's assume there are 200,000,000 bona fide U.S. Citizens 18+.

Our population is about 301,000,000 +/- counting every man, woman and child. So 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18 and up..

So divide 200 million adults 18+ into $85 billon that equals $425,000.00.

My plan is to give $425,000 to every person 18+ as a We Deserve It Dividend .

Of course, it would NOT be tax free. So let's assume a tax rate of 30%.


Every individual 18+ has to pay $127,500.00 in taxes. That sends $25,500,000,000 right back to Uncle Sam.

But it means that every adult 18+ has $297,500.00 in their pocket. A husband and wife has $595,000.00.

What would you do with $297,500.00 to $595,000.00 in your family? Pay off your mortgage – housing crisis solved. Repay college loans – what a great boost to new grads Put away money for college – it'll be there Save in a bank – create money to loan to entrepreneurs. Buy a new car – create jobs Invest in the market – capital drives growth Pay for your parent's medical insurance – health care improves Enable Deadbeat Dads to come clean – or else

Remember this is for every adult U S Citizen 18 + including the folks who lost their jobs at Lehmann Brothers and every other company that is cutting back. And of course, for those serving in our Armed Forces.

If we're going to re-distribute wealth let's really do it...instead of trickling out a puny $1000.00 ( 'vote buy' ) economic incentive that is being proposed by one of our candidates for President.

If we're going to do an $85 billion bailout, let's bail out every adult U S Citizen 18+!

As for AIG – liquidate it. Sell off its parts. Let American General go back to being American General. Sell off the real estate. Let the private sector bargain hunters cut it up and clean it up.

Here's my rationale. We deserve it and AIG doesn't.

Sure it's a crazy idea that can 'never work.'

But can you imagine the Coast-To-Coast Block Party !

How do you spell Economic Boom?

I trust my fellow adult Americans to know how to use the $85 Billion We Deserve It Dividend more than I do the geniuses at AIG or in Washington DC .

And remember, The this plan only really costs $59.5 Billion because $25.5 Billion is returned instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam.

38 YEARS

HAPPY 38th ANNIVERSARY

TO US

Today Mike and I celebrate our 38th Wedding Anniversary.

Friday, Sept. 25, 1970 @ 7pm

We became Husband & Wife

It's been an amazing life.

My Knight in Shining Armor has never disappointed me.

There aren't enough words to express how much I love this man.

He is my best friend.

He was handpicked by GOD just for me!

I LOVE you honey!!

It's Wednesday!

Hi Gang,
It's Wednesday and no approval yet. I guess you figured that out since you didn't hear me SCREAMING!
My Visa application is on it's way to the Vietnam Embassy in San Francisco via FEDEX right now! I decided to get a 3 month Visa so I didn't have to worry about expediting when the call comes to "GET YOUR TICKETS AND VISA" I want to be ready to go on a moments notice so I'm getting prepared. I told T. to make that G&R ASAP and I'll be there!
This weekend I'll have Hannah all packed and most of my stuff too. I even have my hair color waiting for a last minute touch-up :) I do have to pick up a few things for Hannah, since it won't be blistering hot when I'm there. Amy and Hannah are the same size, although 2 years apart, so Amy inherited all Hannah's cute summer clothes. At least they're going to good use. She looks SO cute going to pre-school in them.

Everyone still loves school. Ryan hasn't had anymore problems with the biter and Megan is maintaining all "A"s . She loves Middle School. Amy is in love with her teachers, Ms Ruth and Ms Daisy, and Austin is progressing nicely. Now, if he could just get the hang of using the potty!

Time for Amy's bus, so I better go. Paisley and I are decorating for HALLOWEEN today!

it's MONDAY!!!

It's officially MONDAY, here and in Vietnam. I have a good feeling about this week and our I-600 approval coming. Hannah's labs are being looked over today by the Embassy personnel, maybe right now! I stayed up as late as possible, but no word yet, so I'm off to bed. Maybe there will be good news in the AM.

FRIDAY UPDATE

Hi Gang,
Here's where we stand on the adoption front. Hannah's labs were received by the Embassy Friday. Our agency will hear from them Monday. I'm hoping it's a go and we'll get our approval next week. I won't hear anything until Tuesday AM so it's going to be a LONG weekend..
My 5 yr old Ryan went to hug and kiss his friend R good-bye yesterday after kindergarten while they were both waiting to be picked up after school. R decided to bite him in the stomach because he didn't like that idea! Due to the fact I could easily turn this BLOG X-rated by telling you what I think about R's mother who continued to yell "this is unacceptable behavior" OVER and OVER and didn't apologize to Ryan, but made her son the "victim" I will just say an incident report was filed, my son sat in the clinic listening to this moron rant as he was crying and holding an ice bag to his stomach not knowing WHAT he had done wrong! The skin wasn't broken but the blood rose to the top of his skin. My 5 yr old now knows he can't kiss in kindergarten like he did in pre-school and he's not to play with the biter any more.
I'm disgusted with women like that! He's an innocent little boy. WHAT is she that afraid ? Or is she prejudice against Ryan because he's from China? Or maybe because he is cleft and looks different? I don't know, but it's something. It just wasn't normal to carry on like that when it was YOUR son who bit mine!. If Ryan had bit someone ( highly unlikely since he had his 4 top teeth removed due to poor dental care in a Chinese orphanage) I would have apologized to the boy AND the mom. What's with people today?? Have they no manners? No sense of decency? Apparently NOT.

It's Thursday morning in Hanoi

And Hannah's lab results are being translated as I write this!!!!
T got them late yesterday afternoon. Next step is to send them to the US Embassy in HCMC. I'm assuming that will be this afternoon or tomorrow. At any rate, the Embassy should have them by Monday. Wouldn't it be nice if we got our approval next Thursday? That's our 38th wedding anniversary. Can't think of a more perfect gift for BOTH of us :)

I woke up at 6:45 this morning and ran to my computer to see if there was an email for me from Vietnam. YES!!! I went to bed 15 minutes too early last night. T emailed me at 12:45 AM, the labs were drawn, and Hannah looked healthy and happy. I couldn't ask for more. Now to get an email saying they have sent the translated, notarized, labs on to the US Embassy in HCMC.

It's 9:30 AM in Hanoi, Vietnam right now and sweet little Hannah should be waiting for her labs to be drawn at one of the US Embassy approved facilities. There are no appointments to be made, you just show up, wait, and hope there is room for you that day. Someone from Hannah's orphanage brought her to Hanoi this morning, a 3 hour drive, just to have her labs re-drawn for the US Embassy. I sure hope it gets done today, and I really hope the Embassy will approve our I-600 quickly, once they get the new labs. I can be ready to travel within a week!!
Hannah has known she has a family for 6 months now and cries to come home every time T visits her orphanage. She always asks her if she brought her mommy with her so she can go home. Poor baby!

How PAISLEY spent her Birthday

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAISLEY!

HUGS & KISSES

MOM & DAD

SISTERS & BROTHERS

&

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

FELICIA MARIE

XOXOXO

Grandma & Grandpap

~~~ SIGH ~~~

I guess you've noticed I haven't posted in a while. I'm depressed. I just couldn't bring myself to say anything. I have nothing positive to say. Hannah's labs were not drawn at a US Embassy approved facility, the US Embassy would not accept them, and sent an email to my agency Aug. 29 saying so! So far, our agency has had no luck getting an appointment to have them redrawn. All this waiting has been for NOTHING! I thought the Embassy would have the new labs by now and I would be getting our approval SOON! But NOOoooOOOOO.... If I didn't have babies here that needed me I'd hop on a plane and get it done myself ! I know, I know, my agency is doing their best, but we've been waiting a long time for this little girl. We've been staring at her face since MARCH! That's 7 months!! Enough already!
And if I don't get out of this funk I'll have so much crap on this BLOG you won't be able to read my posts! Then Tina at "THE STORY OF YOU" will be upset because she did such a FABULOUS job redesigning it for me!!! Have you noticed the new "stuff" I added ? I don't even know what that monkey is supposed to be for, but I saw the link on another BLOG ( scanning every VN Blog I can find) and added it to mine too. Hey, it matches the jungle theme :)
Tomorrow is Paisley's birthday. I can't believe our little peanut will be 2 . I'll have to post some "then and now" pics of her tomorrow.

SUNDAY NOON

Sunday school started today and the kids were excited to go. Mike then took them to church and they should be home shortly. Austin came home from school Friday afternoon with a fever and runny nose which continued thru yesterday so I stayed home with him and Paisley. He seems better this morning. I hope he will be OK to go to school tomorrow. The thought of an MD visit in the morning isn't appealing to me :(
Friday morning, after getting Amy off to school, I hobbled to the grocery store with Paisley to stock up on hurricane supplies. IKE was poised for a visit. We did have them, but these kids are eating machines so I had to top off our stash. I now have enough TP to last until Halloween. That is, unless the little darlings unroll it into the toilet. You know they can't just unravel it on the floor so I can salvage it ( and isn't TP expensive now?) ...OH, NO, my crew has to unravel it into the TOILET. And you know it is always in a toilet that someone FORGOT TO FLUSH!!! And who do you think has to fish all that soggy mess out??? You got it..ME. Thank goodness I color my hair and have a box of rubber gloves handy I can use for that yummy task!
But, I'm getting off the subject....HURRICANE IKE...after spending over $500 in extra supplies ( my Vietnam $$$ I might add) IKE has decided to visit CUBA! Now, not that I mind missing his visit...I just wish I could return all this STUFF! Have you any idea how stuffed my cabinets, closets, and garage are now???? The good thing is, I don't think I'll be traveling any time soon to Vietnam, so I'm good for groceries for the next few weeks.
VIETNAM...........................
Well, well, well, The Embassy now wants Hannah's labs redrawn at one of their "approved" labs... Maybe after that happens they will move a little quicker and approve us to bring her home BEFORE THANKSGIVING!!! I think I'll aim for HALLOWEEN... The Hurricane food will be gone by then, and if I get to leave sooner, at least Mike will have a house full of food easy to prepare..and tons of TP. ha ha ha.
I hear the church crew coming in now, gotta go hobble to the door with my broken toes and let them in!

It was brought to my attention, at 10 PM last night, after I returned home from WALMART, where I hobbled around on a broken toe buying $30 worth of "rat" products, (Angel needed a cage,food,etc.) that my BLOG makes it look like a certain husband doesn't do anything around here. I don't recall ever saying that. So, let me set the record straight........
My hubby of 38 years this Sept. 25th helps around the house. Yes, he is a good boy. He wakes all the kids in the AM and gets the boys ready for school. He brushes their teeth, EXCEPT for yesterday when I broke my toe doing it, ( and now it will be his PERMANENT job), dresses them in the clothes I layed out the night before, and makes their breakfast ( sometimes). Then he drives some to school. When he comes home from work, he gives the "littles" their baths and dresses them for bed. Of course I usually have to find their PJs because after all these years, he still can't figure out what drawer they're in. When Austin and Paisley wake during the night he gets up and quiets them. He also helps with dishes, cleaning, even mops the floors. AND, he makes beds too! Oh, Oh, he grocery shops too and is pretty good at it! He's a LOT of help and I couldn't do it without him. So there...I hope this makes you happy Mickey! :)

Welcome to the Poko NUT House!

OUCH! I broke my toe this morning! I was brushing Austin's teeth, he was screaming, as usual, it was 7:15, and then I decided to carry him to his room to get him dressed for school. After all, the bus is SUPPOSED to come at 7:30 so we are running late! Now, we're ALWAYS in a hurry in the AM. Probably because we don't get up until 7. I guess I need to change that! Anyhow, I jammed my foot on the door frame of the bathroom and saw stars!! My middle toe was heading west while my other toes were going north. YEP, this is definitely a broken toe. I'm a nurse, I can diagnose :) Everyone stands still. ha ha ha, I guess I'm more important than I thought. I was surrounded by lots of caring faces, as I'm screaming in pain. Ya, I don't do well when I hurt my little toesies. After I tell Mike, NO, I am not going to the ER since all they will do is tape it and I can do that myself, everyone gets back to getting ready for school. Here I am trying to tape my toes together while Curious George is on TV, the boys are looking for shoes, ( lined up by the door) Paisley is screaming and everyone else is in chaos. YIKES! this hurts! So, I hobble around, get everyone off to school except Amy, finally get a cup of tea, watch a little tropical storm update, and Paisley decides she needs held or she will continue to scream and cry. Sounds like a repeat of yesterday. Then Amy comes to tell me SOMETHING. I have no idea what she is saying to me ( the reason she is in pre-school, she gets speech ). OHHHHHHH the HAMSTER got away!!!!!!
WHAT HAMSTER YOU ASK? That's right, we didn't have any pets last time I posted did we?
I hate pets.... especially rat pets...I'm always the one who ends up caring for them, like I have time for that.
Anyhow, last night M was up at 10 PM and I was combing her hair after her shower. She looks outside and says " is that a hamster"? I yell to mike.."We must have RATS!!! get some traps !!!!" Well, Mike goes outside because M says NO it's a hamster. Now I know there are no hamsters on our patio, so I don't let her outside. Mike is out there looking and finds a lovely giant BUFU frog, the kind that killed my 2 beautiful St Bernards!!! M says NO, It was a hamster, NOT a frog. So, he looks longer, and lo and behold what does he spy behind the bar? A teadybear hamster!!! We now have a hamster :( in the girls room. Paisley got in there while I was reading emails and dumped over the bin it was in. It's now running around the room. I shut the door so it can't get out. I'm not touching it! But if that thing, it's name is ANGEL, gnaws on the computer wires. somebody is in BIG trouble.
I had to take the tape off my toes, it hurts worse with the tape. Now it's time to get Amy ready for school. I'll try the pics again. Maybe this time her eyes will be open. Then, maybe, if I'm really lucky, Paisley will take a nap and I can pick up all these LEGOS!!!! OUCH I hate stepping on Legos!

Amy's first day of Pre-School

I STINK at taking pictures!!!!

Amy went to school today. The bus came at 10:30.
Paisley is napping, and I have peace and quiet.

Oh how nice.

Pictures tonight!

JUST THOUGHT I WOULD ADD

Just in case someone in our little group here doesn't know, HANNAH isn't home to celebrate her 6th birthday with her family. She's sitting in an orphanage in Hung Yen, Vietnam, waiting for the US Embassy in HCMC to approve our I-600 so I can go get her.
SO.....if there are any Embassy employees reading this BLOG :) please, please, please, go take a look at our paperwork.
HEY, I'm a mom, I'm not above begging!!

Our facilitator in Vietnam was kind enough to take a cake and baby doll to Hannah, from us, for her birthday. She knows we love her and want to bring her home as soon as we can.

OOPS! This just in, HURRICANE HANNA has just been born! Looks like we're in the "cone", but should be missed since we're in South Florida and HH is headed to Georgia.

HAPPY 6th BIRTHDAY HANNAH!

LOVE & HUGS & KISSES

Mommy & Daddy