Friday, October 31, 2008
FLOODING IN HANOI TODAY!
I just got these photos in from T. in Hanoi. This storm took everyone by surprise. There is no electric in most areas and unbelievable flooding.
STAY SAFE T.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Amy, Ryan, & Paisley were brushing their teeth this AM
Paisley thought her teeth were clean enough, but her toes needed some attention, so she decided to give herself a pedicure...
Amy called daddy into the bathroom, then she came out to get me. "daddy says he needs HELP!" Mike was still home since he was taking Ryan to see his surgeon for his post op visit later this morning. He ran to Target for nail polish remover. I did have a new bottle, but Meg used it all this week painting every ones nails black and orange! I finally DID get it off the bathroom counter top, but Paisley's feet are still a little magenta!Isn't it funny how neither of them said a word until the nail polish was spilled everywhere?
2 hours later, as I'm brushing Amy's hair for school, IN the bathroom, she says "something STINKS in here and I don't like it!" as she holds her nose. "Umm, that would be the nail polish remover, and if you had told someone your sister was in the medicine cabinet earlier than you did, your bathroom wouldn't stink!" AND, if MEG had hidden the nail polish like she was supposed to NONE of this would have happened.
Just another average morning at our house with the Poko Pack.
I forgot to add
Our paperwork is going to the DIA today, and waiting for a new match. I wonder who our new little love will be? Or when we will hear about him/her?
Does anyone else do this?
Today I'm sending our addendum to the state dept. for certification. I checked that envelope 3 times, taking everything out and looking it over. Is anyone else as crazy as I am? Even now, as it's sitting at the front door, all sealed and ready to go, I'm questioning myself. Did I write the check properly? Did I put my correct address on the return envelope? I am going crazy! I need to just put it in the box and forget it.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
AN HOUR AGO
Our Home Study Addendum arrived approving us for a much larger age range than before and a list of Special Needs we are comfortable with. We are ready for our new child, whoever he or she may be. It's already been scanned and sent to T. in Vietnam. I'm praying there is a somebody waiting for us VERY soon!
Did I mention what a wonderful Social Worker we have?? Bonnie is the BEST!
FATHER / DAUGHTER TALK
A young woman was about to finish her first year of college. Like so many others her age, she considered herself to be a very liberal Democrat, and among other liberal ideals, was very much in favor of higher taxes to support more government programs, in other words redistribution of wealth.
She was deeply ashamed that her father was a rather staunch Republican, a feeling she openly expressed. Based on the lectures that she had participated in, and the occasional chat with a professor, she felt that her father had for years harbored an evil, selfish desire to keep what he thought should be his.
One day she was challenging her father on his opposition to higher taxes on the rich and the need for more government programs. The self-professed objectivity proclaimed by her professors had to be the truth and she indicated so to her father. He responded by asking how she was doing in school.
Taken aback, she answered rather haughtily that she had a 4.0 GPA, and let him know that it was tough to maintain, insisting that she was taking a very difficult course load and was constantly studying, which left her no time to go out and party like other people she knew. She didn't even have time for a boyfriend, and didn't really have many college friends because she spent all her time studying.
Her father listened and then asked, 'How is your friend Audrey doing?' She replied, 'Audrey is barely getting by. All she takes are easy classes, she never studies, and she barely has a 2.0 GPA. She is really popular on campus; college for her is a blast. She's always invited to all the parties and lots of times she doesn't even show up for classes because she's too hung over.'
Her wise father asked his daughter, 'Why don't you go to the Dean's office and ask him to deduct 1.0 off your GPA and give it to your friend who only has a 2.0. That way you will both have a 3.0 GPA and certainly that would be a fair and equal distribution of GPA.'
The daughter, visibly shocked by her father's suggestion, angrily fired back, 'That's a crazy idea, and how would that be fair! I've worked really hard for my grades! I've invested a lot of time, and a lot of hard work! Audrey has done next to nothing toward her degree. She played while I worked my tail off!'
The father slowly smiled, winked and said gently, 'Welcome to the Republican party.'
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
I don't know what I'm complaining about...It's only been 2 weeks of waiting. I just looked at the ticker. Good thing I added it because ONE day seems like TEN when you're waiting for a referral.
My new HS/addendum is in the mail approving us for a wider range of SN/ages so We're ready on our end. we have the BEST Social Worker you can imagine!
I heard flights are going up quite a bit in Jan. Not good. I don't think I'll be traveling before that unless some miracle happens. Well, that's always a possibility.
Mike & I spent Christmas 2006 in Vietnam and I spent New Years Eve 2006 alone with Paisley there. I can do it again! Actually, that would work out pretty well since Mike wouldn't have to deal with all the kids going to school while he was in charge. Less Stress the better for him.
Let's see....all I would need would be a REFERRAL this week or next, that this new child was already paper ready....and The Embassy would approve our I-600 within a week... YA, that'll happen...
Looks like I will be traveling next year.
I DIDN'T DO THIS....I WISH I HAD THE NERVE
This actually happened.
-------------------------------------------------------------
'Today on my way to lunch I passed a homeless guy with a sign that read 'Vote Obama, I need the money.' I laughed.
Once in the restaurant my server had on a 'Obama 08' tie, again I laughed as he had given away his political preference -- just imagine the coincidence.
When the bill came I decided not to tip the server and explained to him that I was exploring the Obama redistribution of wealth concept. He stood there in disbelief while I told him that I was going to redistribute his tip to someone who I deemed more in need--the homeless guy outside. The server angrily stormed from my sight.
I went outside, gave the homeless guy $10 and told him to thank the server inside as I've decided he could use the money more. The homeless guy was grateful.
At the end of my rather unscientific redistribution experiment, I realized the homeless guy was grateful for the money he did not earn, but the waiter was pretty angry that I gave away the money that he had earned even though the actual recipient deserved money more.
I guess redistribution of wealth is an easier thing to swallow in concept than in practical application.
Monday, October 27, 2008
4 days before HALLOWEEN
And we're only now decorating the outside of the house. Mike finally got home on time for once. So, tonight was the night! The box of Halloween lights came out of the garage, and with lots of grumbling and sighs, Mike just LOVES putting lights up, they were stapled to the house! The lighted ghosts and scarecrows are out, and the trees are twinkling with purple lights. All looks scary at the Poko Pack's house! Austin went screaming to his room when he saw the purple lights, where he stayed crying for a good 30 minutes, no amount of coaxing could get him out of there, until he figured out they were really pretty KOOL. Then we couldn't keep him away from them. It was a funny site. Mike on the ladder and the kids all lined up in the driveway on those fold-up chairs watching him like he was a spectator sport. I should have taken a picture! DARN! That would have been a good one! There they were, eating hot wings and passing a bottle of water around...no wonder they're all sick!
Tomorrow after work is PUMPKIN CARVING NIGHT! I'll be sure to take pics for that!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
OH! MY GOODNESS!
I didn't realize it's been so long since my last post. I've got some catchin' up to do.
My birthday was SUPER! My sister Pat took me out to lunch at Mariachi's It was fabulous! Margaritas in the afternoon mm~mm~good!
Friday was no school, and the dentist. NO CAVITIES for the 3 kids that went!! That was reason to celebrate. We had Chinese for lunch ( they're right next door to the dentist's office).
Friday at midnight, Amy came down with a temp of 104.7. YIKES! Even this old nurse was a little nervous! I kept thinking, OK, the ER is 2 minutes from the house. But, I got it down to a manageable 103.5 after working on her for an hour. In the morning it was gone, only to come back later in the afternoon....and again tonight. Looks like a trip to see our MD is in order for tomorrow.
Ryan looks fantastic, his nose is healing nicely, and he will be back in school tomorrow morning. He's been out 2 weeks now. I told him he was going to school tomorrow and he said " What? AGAIN??" I guess he though he was finished with school for the year :) Oh to be 5.
And OH the make-up work we had to do..............You should NEVER leave it till the last weekend.
No news on our new referral. We were hoping to hear something last week but didn't so it was a LONG weekend. Now we're hoping for news this week. Isn't that the way it's always been? Wait all week for news, hear nothing, then suffer through the weekend and get excited that you may hear something the next Monday-Friday? OH, It's a vicious cycle. I'm not complaining, really I'm not. There are so many heartbroken families that are having their dossiers returned to them this week. I am very blessed to be getting this child..whoever she/he may be.
Speaking of adoption...Is there anyone out there wanting to adopt a baby/babies or child/children from Ethiopia? If so, I know an agency that seems pretty good from what my friends tell me, and they have baby boys right now waiting for their forever families!! Lots of baby boys and not enough families! WOW how lucky some parents will be!! Of course they have girls too, but right now there are baby boys waiting. Email me privately please.
It's 9:30 AM in Vietnam, gotta go check and see if I got any emails from my agency!
Talk to ya later....
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
3 Years ago today we were celebrating Amy's 1st birthday at the MARRIOTT in Guatemala City. I remember it like it was yesterday. Meg had just been home from China 7 months and was with us. Amy's foster mom was there and her family, along with the attorney we used and our facilitator. They arranged a beautiful little birthday party for Amy Valentina.
The next day, my birthday, we were lucky enough to be expedited out by our Embassy due to Hurricane Wilma barreling down on South Florida.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Saturday Update
Good Morning Family & Friends,
It's been a week since I've updated this BLOG. It's time. We've had so many highs and lows in the past few weeks it's taken the steam right out of me, but I think , no, I PRAY we are finally on the path to healing our hearts and looking forward to a new little Angel to join our family. So many of our friends received bad news this week. More NOIDS, and the announcement our gov. has refused to permit Vietnam to refer any Special Needs children to the US has been heartbreaking. Those families are in our prayers. Hopefully God is showing them He is opening another door for them. We've been there, He has a plan for all of us. Sometimes it takes awhile to see where He is leading.
Vu Thi Men is living with her grandparents and has started school. She is happy and that's the most important thing to us. We'll be sponsoring her and will post her progress here as we get updates. She will always have a piece of our hearts and we hope someday we will meet her.
Our agency is looking for a new little one for us now. Not an easy task I can assure you. Not that we're picky, it's the fact that there aren't a lot of available children in the orphanages. Yes, there are children there, but the majority are there because their families can't afford to raise them so they are placed in the orphanages, also called "care & feeding centers", until their families can afford to bring them home. Sometimes that's never. It's a cultural thing, it's their way of life. Although we can always accept a healthy child, we have given them a long list of special needs we feel comfortable with. We are confident we'll see our Angel's face soon.
Tomorrow we'll be meeting our FCC families at the local Pumpkin Patch for pictures. The kids are all going to be dressed in jeans and white T shirts. It should be cute! My little ones talk of nothing but picking out pumpkins!!
I think I'm back in the groove again. I'm excited for a new referral and will be posting updates regularly again. Maybe it's time to get excited and put another ticker up!!!
I love you all. Thank you so much for all the emails expressing your love and support for us. I read every one and am humbled by how many friends I have.
Talk to you soon!
Friday, October 17, 2008
My Poor Little Man
Here's Ryan's new face. Poor little guy, he's so swollen. But he's going to be GORGEOUS when the swelling goes down!What a little trooper he is. This is Ryan's 6th surgery and he's only 5. It's his 2nd on his nose, and he has 2 more to go until it's complete. He's happy ( you can't tell in these pics, he's a little drugged up) because he gets to sleep with mommy and daddy for a week, we can't have anyone crawling into his bed and accidentally kick him in the face, and he gets his favorite toy in the whole wide world, THOMAS TRAINS. I think he got 7 new ones yesterday. He's amazing, nothing for pain and he takes his antibiotics with no complaining. He has sat on my bed all day watching TV and playing with those trains.
Sunday we're all going to the Pumpkin Patch to have the kids pics taken with our FCC group. I hope the swelling is down a little more by then.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Today's a bad day. I guess I'm feeling sorry for myself, and scared for Hannah. Her mom took her from the orphanage 3 days after our NOID and apparently is in hiding from an abusive husband who won't allow Hannah in his home. I pray Hannah is safe!!
Tina from The Story of You is so sweet. She emailed me and said when I'm ready, she'll change my home page. I just can't bring myself to take her picture down. I know it has to go, if only because it's the right thing to do for our new little girl, whoever she may be, but this is unbelievably painful. So much for my "Retail Therapy", I might as well have flushed that $$ down the toilet for all the help it did me.
I'm not alone in this NOID business, there have been quite a few lately, with no end in sight. No one talks about them, but they're there. There are many, many devastated families, I just seem to be a more vocal one.
So, we're supposed to get a new referral, a new little girl for us. When will that be? Who knows? Will Vietnam stay open long enough for us to even receive a referral? I've been reading JCIS, Ethica, Voices of Vietnam Integrity, etc. It doesn't look promising.
TOMB of the UNKOWN SOLDIER
1. How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the tomb of the Unknowns and why?
21 steps
It alludes to the twenty-one gun salute,
which is the highest honor given any military or foreign dignitary.
2. How long does he hesitate after his about face
to begin his return walk and why?
21 seconds for the same reason as answer number 1
3. Why are his gloves wet?
His gloves are moistened to prevent his losing his grip on the rifle.
4. Does he carry his rifle on the same shoulder all the time
and if not, why not?
He carries the rifle on the shoulder away from the tomb.
After his march across the path,
he executes an about face and moves the rifle to the outside shoulder.
5 How often are the guards changed?
Guards are changed every thirty minutes,
twenty-four hours a day,
365 days a year.
6. What are the physical traits of the guard limited to?
For a person to apply for guard duty at the tomb,
he must be between 5' 10' and 6' 2' tall
and his waist size cannot exceed 30.'
Other requirements of the Guard:
They must commit 2 years of life to guard the tomb,
live in a barracks under the tomb,
and cannot drink any alcohol on or off duty
for the rest of their lives.
They cannot swear in public for the rest of their lives
and cannot disgrace the uniform {fighting}
or the tomb in any way.
After two years,
the guard is given a wreath pin
that is worn on their lapel
signifying they served as guard of the tomb.
There are only 400 presently worn.
The guard must obey these rules for the rest of their lives
or give up the wreath pin.
The shoes are specially made
with very thick soles to keep the heat and cold from their feet.
There are metal heel plates
that extend to the top of the shoe
in order to make the loud click as they come to a halt.
There are no wrinkles,
folds or lint on the uniform.
Guards dress for duty in front of a full-length mirror.
The first six months of duty
a guard cannot talk to anyone, nor watch TV.
All off duty time is spent
studying the 175 notable people laid to rest
in Arlington National Cemetery .
A guard must memorize who they are
and where they are interred.
Among the notables are:
President Taft, Joe E. Lewis {the boxer}
and Medal of Honor winner Audie Murphy,
{the most decorated soldier of WWII} of Hollywood fame.
Every guard spends five hours a day
getting his uniforms ready for guard duty.
ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD,
AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM.
In 2003
as Hurricane Isabelle was approachingWashington , DC ,
our US Senate/House took 2 days off with anticipation of the storm.
On the ABC evening news,
it was reported
that because of the dangers from the hurricane,
the military members assigned the duty of guarding
the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
were given permission to suspend the assignment.
They respectfully declined the offer,
'No way, Sir!'
Soaked to the skin,
marching in the pelting rain of a tropical storm,
they said that guarding the Tomb was not just an assignment,
it was the highest honor that can be afforded to a serviceperson.
The tomb has been patrolled continuously,
24/7, since 1930.
God Bless and keep them.
We can be very proud of our young men and women in the service
no matter where they serve.
IN GOD WE TRUST
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Movin' On
Ahhh...A little Retail Therapy "Does a Body Good"!
Paisley and I left the house today as soon as Amy's bus was out of sight. I needed to get away from this computer and it's bad news, and out of this house! 85 and sunshine, what a nice day. I thank God everyday for planting us here in South Florida. Did I say a LITTLE Retail therapy? Make that BIG damage...2 hours at Super Target can do that to a girl. But you know what? I've been pinching pennies for so long, trying to get travel money together (that I won't need now for a LONG time, like NEXT year), I needed this. I don't even feel guilty!! And what did I buy? NOTHING! No, really, I bought nothing. I was supposed to get the SLEEPING BEAUTY DVD, which Amy calls NIGHT-NIGHT BEAUTY, but didn't want to spend the $20. ha ha ! Well, I have "stuff" but I couldn't tell you what I bought for all that $$$$. I have no idea where all the $$ went. I bought APPLES. I know they're a small fortune, but that didn't make my total that much! All I know is, I spent a lot of money on a bunch a junk. So, Mike, if your reading this post from work, be forewarned, the bed is covered in bags of "stuff". And MaryLou, DON'T tell him, it's our little secret...until tonight :)
OH! We had a first today too! I took Paisley to Mickey D's. Her first time INSIDE. She wasn't impressed. NO, I didn't let her in the dirty playroom. She looked at the apples and nuggets, dipped a corner of apple in the caramel, took one bite, chewed it a LONG time, and then spit it out in my hand, took one sip of chocolate milk, ate the lettuce from my salad, the pieces without the spicy dressing, and layed all over the bench. A big waste of time and $$$. Look who's complaining about wasting $$$ ha ha ha!
I gotta go clean up a little before dinner. When Mike gets home I think I'll take Amy for some new shoes. OI! More $$$. Then be home and have everyone in bed so we can watch the DEBATE!!! The first was so boring I fell asleep. The Palin debate wasn't much better and I slept through most of that too, however I've caught the entire thing on reruns! Let's hope McCain WAKES UP & SMELLS THE COFFEE tonight. GEESH, I could be more aggressive than he's been and I'm just a SOCCER MOM!!! Does he realize he's fighting to be the PRESIDENT?????????? ROMNEY & PALIN now THAT would be a great ticket!!
Monday, October 6, 2008
HOW FITTING
How IRONIC! I just received our official I-600 withdrawal notice. Almost 7 days to the minute of that fateful NOID. I guess I should be happy. Men is with her mommy and we are now free to pursue the little girl intended to be ours. This chapter is CLOSED!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
The Week From HELL
I guess I should write something.....but I don't know what to say......or how much to say..........of course that never stopped me before......So here goes...............
It's been a "#!^*!" Week From HELL...
Let me sit here and listen to Barry Manilow awhile....
OK, I'm back, where do I begin?
In 2 hours it will be exactly 7 days since our world was shattered. A lot has happened in those 7 days. A lot of prayer, a lot of tears, a lot of explaining to little children, a lot of unpacking, a lot of emails, and a lot of phone calls. But always praising GOD throughout this nightmare, and knowing HE had a plan and we would accept whatever HE chose. Well, it didn't take long ( feels like an eternity) for GOD to set the wheels in motion. And Thank-You GOD, because your plan is perfect, as always!!
Yesterday, Vu Thi Men went home to live with her mother. She will also be with her older sister. Men will be a happy little girl. Mike and I will sponsor her for school and her medical needs. She is HEP B +.
As for us, well, until Men came into our lives, we thought our family was complete. By now, with 5 children adopted in 3 years, we should have known better, right? GOD finds a way to place children where HE wants them. I guess GOD used Men to get our paperwork to Vietnam. Because our referral was received before the shut down on Sept. 1 and ended with a NOID, we are permitted to receive a new referral for a healthy child. Who would have thought we would be waiting for a referral after all this? She must be a pretty special little girl, and we can't wait to see who GOD has picked out for us.
Mike and I are in awe of how this has all worked out.. 2 little girls will have a home now instead of only one. Men is with her mommy who loves her so much, she will have an education and medical treatment, and grow up to be anything she wants to be. And a little girl, who right now is thinking she will never have a family of her own, is in for a BIG surprise!
OUR GOD IS AN AWESOME GOD!!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
It's with a sad heart I write this post. Tonight we say goodbye to Hannah Vu Thi Men. Her birth mother has decided she wants her to remain at the orphanage. That is her right as a birth parent.
We continue to have faith that we are on the path God has chosen for us. God's plans are always perfect. We may not always understand them, but we don't doubt them for a minute. We serve an Awesome God and we are waiting for Him to show us His perfect plan for our family. Where He leads, we will follow.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
in case you aren't familiar with the term...
Many people have written to ask me what a NOID is. Well, it's the WORST thing you can get from our government when trying to adopt a child internationally. It's a Notice Of Intent to Deny your child a visa to enter the USA.
You have 3 choices when presented with a NOID...
1. leave the child and walk away
2. live in the country with your child for 2 years, then a visa will be issued
3. hire an attorney, for $20,000 to fight it
We're hiring an attorney and will fight! Leaving Hannah to live her childhood in an orphanage is NOT an option for us. Her birth mother has said all the charges in the NOID are FALSE. She wants her daughter to be adopted and live in America!
~~~~~~~~NOID~~~~~~~~
Yesterday, Sept. 29 @ 2:26 AM
We received a NOID for our adoption of Hannah
We are DEVASTATED
My heart is shattered in a million pieces
Hannah was relinquished by her birth mom
This should have been an easy approval
The charges ARE FALSE
The birth mom has stated that YESTERDAY!
Hannah's birth mom WANTS her to be adopted
She WANTS her to come to America
We WILL fight this NOID
Our agency is behind us
Time is of the essence
The US Embassy has only given us
until Oct. 28 to submit a rebuttal
NOT much time at all!
We WILL rebut this NOID
We KNOW it is FALSE
Hannah will be crushed
if she's told that no one is coming for her,
that she has to live her life in the orphanage!
She is such a beautiful, spirited little girl
This is a CRUEL, CRUEL, thing to do to this child
PLEASE pray for Hannah.
We can't leave her.
Please pray for wisdom for us to know what to do
if ANYONE can help
PLEASE contact us
Thank-you
Sandy & Mike
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