AUSTIN'S DAY TODAY!!!

Today, THANKSGIVING, is our 2nd anniversary of

Austin Alexander Nguyen Be Phuong's adoption!!!What a great day!!!

Austin, We LOVE YOU!

XOXO

Mommy & Daddy

HAPPY

THANKSGIVING!

A Breath of Fresh Air

Good Sunday Afternoon Gang,

Today we woke to some wonderful weather for South Florida. Sunny and 60. It's heaven here today. Our windows are open, there's a nice breeze blowing and it's as close to Fall as we will feel.
Today Mike will get the Christmas decorations out of the attic and we'll sort through them wearing jeans and sweatshirts and drinking hot chocolate, without sweating while drinking it. What Fun!
The kids are all outside playing in their playhouses and riding bikes around the pool ( yes, we have a pool fence). They're enjoying the cool weather too, although can't understand why they have to keep shoes on and can't play in the water!
We're having cool weather like this all week so I'm taking advantage of it and making Christmas cookies while we still feel "Christmassey."
YES! This is a big deal to us...it's always HOT here!

No news yet on the adoption front, but we're hopeful this week will bring good news. If not, there's always next week and the week after that.
Have a great week everyone!

TIME FLIES

We've been waiting a month now for a new referral from Vietnam. Yes, it's been a long 4 weeks with lots of ups and downs, but our spirits are high. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve are all coming up. In 2006 Mike and I were in Vietnam adopting Paisley & Austin during those Holidays. This year we will definitely be home. In 2005 we were in China adopting Megan during the Chinese New Year's Celebrations. Maybe this coming year, 2009, I will be celebrating TET in Vietnam with a new daughter or son? Wouldn't that be wonderful???

THANK-YOU VETERANS

And Thank-You to my wonderful husband

for your service on the

USS INTREPID

1965-1969

GO NAVY!!

FOR ALL MY SISTERS OUT THERE

The One Flaw In Women

• By the time the Lord made woman,
• He was into his sixth day of working overtime.
• An angel appeared and said,
• 'Why are you spending so much time on this one?'
• And the Lord answered, 'Have you seen my spec sheet on her?
• She has to be completely washable, but not plastic,
• have over 200 movable parts, all replaceable
• and able to run on diet coke and leftovers,
• have a lap that can hold four children at one time,
• have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a broken heart
• and she will do everything
• with only two hands.'
• The angel was astounded at the requirements.
• 'Only two hands!? No way!
• And that's just on the standard model? That's too much work for one day.
• Wait until tomorrow to finish.'
• 'But I won't, ' the Lord protested.
• 'I am so close to finishing this creation that is so close to my own heart.
• She already heals herself when she is sick
• AND can work 18 hour days.'
• The angel moved closer and touched the woman.
• 'But you have made her so soft, Lord.'
• 'She is soft,' the Lord agreed,
• 'but I have also made her tough.
• You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish.'
• 'Will she be able to think?', asked the angel.
• The Lord replied,
• 'Not only will she be able to think,
• she will be able to reason and negotiate.'
• The angel then noticed something,
• and reaching out, touched the woman's cheek.
• 'Oops, it looks like you have a leak in this model.
• I told you that you were trying to put too much into this one.'
• 'That's not a leak,'
• the Lord corrected,
• 'that's a tear!'
• 'What's the tear for?' the angel asked.
• The Lord said, 'The tear is her way of expressing her joy,
• her sorrow, her pain, her disappointment, her love,
• her loneliness, her grief and her pride.'
• The angel was impressed.
• 'You are a genius, Lord.
• You thought of everything!
• Woman is truly amazing.'
• And she is!
• Women have strengths that amaze men.
• They bear hardships and they carry burdens,
• but they hold happiness,
• love and joy.
• They smile when they want to scream.
• They sing when they want to cry.
• They cry when they are happy
• and laugh when they are nervous.
• They fight for what they believe in.
• They stand up to injustice.
• They don't take 'no' for an answer
• when they believe there is a better solution.
• They go without so their family can have.
• They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.
• They love unconditionally.
• They cry when their children excel
• and cheer when their friends get awards.
• They are happy when they hear about
• a birth or a wedding.
• Their hearts break when a friend dies.
• They grieve at the loss of a family member,
• yet they are strong when they think there is no strength left.
• They know that a hug and a kiss
• can heal a broken heart.
• Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors.
• They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you
• to show how much they care about you.
• The heart of a woman is what makes the world keep turning.
• They bring joy, hope and love.
• They have compassion and ideals.
• They give moral support to their family and friends.
• Women have vital things to say and everything to give
• HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE TINY FLAW IN WOMEN,
• IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.

THE PICTURE SAYS IT ALL, RIGHT LADIES?

My friend sent me this. I think it's important enough to print here

Remarks from CBS SUNDAY MORNING


I only hope we find God again before it is too late!!

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday MorningCommentary.

My confession:

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish.

And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees..

I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me.

I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year.

It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu .

If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians.

I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period.

I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country.

I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way:

where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him?

I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too.

But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different:

This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Katrina)

Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response.

She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this , just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives.

And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out.

How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?

'In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc.

I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK.

Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school.

The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself.

And we said OK.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.

'Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell

Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.

Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing.

Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing yet?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.
Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it... no one will know you did.

But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.

My Best Regards,

Honestly and respectfully,

Ben Stein

GET OUT AND VOTE!

LOOKING AT THE PICTURES

Of the flooding in Hanoi makes me SO sad. I can just imagine the devastaion to the shops in the Old Quarter. Vietnam is such a wonderful place, and the people are so loving and friendly. I really miss it. We were there 6 weeks in 2006 and I just can't get it our of my heart. It really opened my eyes and my heart to the people of Vietnam. My friend K's husband has an opportunity for a job there and I am SO JEALOUS! I told her, if Mike had a job offer in Vietnam, I would be packed and ready to go within a week! YEP! I told Mike that too. What an awesome opportunity she has. She has also adopted from Vietnam (twins!) and loves it there.

HALLOWEEN 2009

That's right, HALLOWEEN 2009. I'm thinking ahead! I just got done cleaning Austin's carpet, and Austin is now out of timeout! But the 3 little ones are running around like KIDS ON SUGAR right now, and I don't even believe in sugar highs! Amy, the one that said nothing about Paisley and the nail polish, remember? Came out to tell me, after the fact, Austin opened Ryan's Halloween candy. So, I stop downloading the Hanoi Flood pictures for this BLOG and go look for Austin. There he is in the boys bedroom, standing in a sea of candy and candy wrappers. Bits of chocolate spit all over the lime green carpet ( that's getting replaced but that's another story) chewed skittles everywhere, lollipops sucked and stuck to the carpet and under the dresser. You get the picture. Poor Ryan, he's still at Sunday school and all his candy is now in the trash. So, I have now decided...next Halloween will be spent at WDW and there will be NO CANDY in this house anymore!!! Now to figure out how to pay for Disney passes for this tribe!

HANOI

The flooding continues in Hanoi. T sent me more pics that I posted below. She said the rain stopped and the sun came out for awhile on Sunday afternoon, then the rains started up again. It's still flooded there, Sunday night. People are getting out and walking through the high flood waters to get to grocery stores. Food is going at premium prices right now. I've been checking others' BLOGs and news reports. They say this is the worst flooding in 20 years in Hanoi, over 20 people have died since Oct. 30th in this surprise rainstorm.
Stay inside and stay safe T.
xoxo
sandy

HANOI FLOODS SUNDAY NOV.2

HANOI STILL FLOODED