We took the kids to see a real train while we were in Fuquay Varina. They loved being up close & climbing on the empty trains on the side tracks.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Happy 4th of JULY
Here are some 4th of July pics from North Carolina. American Flags, Rice Krispie treats, & Ninja Turtles, what could be more American than that? Paisly fell asleep playing Guitar Hero, must have been all the Rice Krispie treats :)
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
OH MY GOODNESS!
AWESOME
STUPENDOUS
UNBELIEVABLE
MAGICAL
SWELL
&
PERFECT
Our BLOG is complete
It couldn't be more perfect for our family
It was designed
JUST FOR US
by
TINA
from
THE STORY OF YOU
THANK~YOU Tina
from the bottom of our hearts!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
OH~OH
WE ARE
UNDER
CONSTRUCTION
Come back soon to see our new BLOG
TINA
from
THE STORY of YOU
will be re~designing us again!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Good morning everyone. I have had many private emails and phone calls asking why I removed my "adoption posts". "Did I get into trouble? " "What happened?"
No, no, nothing like that, even though Mike joked that he would visit me in the Federal Pen and my sister called and said she would use her AAA bail bond service to pay my bail if needed. ( thanks Pat).
No, it was nothing like that. And no I didn't get into any trouble, I was even so bold as to forward my posts to my gov. representatives. Because of my posts I had a very nice conversation with someone at DOS/USCIS who is a new voice in my little "Circle of Friends" at the DOS. And ETHICA may try and help us, that would be wonderful, they do such great work in the adoption community. Anyhow, my posts served it's purpose. I got my story out there where it needed to be.
But my BLOG was turning ugly. It seemed to have a life of it's own and that was not my original intention. I started this BLOG to celebrate my family and chronicle the lives of our newly adopted children. I wanted to show the positive side of adoption. But you all have now learned of the ugly side too. And it happens more than you know.
So, I decided to delete those posts and get back to the original reason for this BLOG, my gorgeous little dumplings God has blessed us with and the trials and tribulations of THE POKO PACK.
I'm also going to delete the travel section of this BLOG. I doubt Hannah will be coming home, but if she does, you'll be the first to know!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
TRUE LOVE
Amy's big brother Miguel sure loves her, what else would make a grown man hold ALL those babies?
WITH LOVE
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY DAD!
WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH
Michelle Denise
Kimberly Sue
Tracy Lee
Elizabeth Renee'
Wendy Lee
Megan Noel' Meng Yan
Molly Grace Alexandra
Ryan Joseph Du Xuan
Amy Valentina
Austin Alexander Be Phuong
&
Paisley Jane Ta Thi Tam
Thursday, June 18, 2009
UGH! She cut her hair AGAIN!
Do they NEVER learn? Paisley came up to me yesterday with this sly look on her face and something hiding in her hand. I asked " What's in your hands"? She looked so proud as she opened her hands and help up a nice clump of hair "TAKE MY PICTURE"! DANG! We will never grow this hair! I asked her "What have you done?" And she says " Only boys cut their hair"? The boys just got buzz jobs for the summer. I guess I should be grateful she didn't go that far!!
WE'RE MOVING
We've decided it's time to go. We never planned to stay in this house more than 5 years and it's been 7. We also never planned to adopt, ha ha didn't God have different plans than we two empty nesters? This house was BIG for the 2 of us when we bought it, now we need a bigger house. 6 kids in a 4 bedroom is a little too close for comfort. So, we're getting the house all spiffy and putting it on the market in December. I sure hope the market gets a little better by then. Tonight I packed 11 boxes~~~ in between posting~~ I had to do SOMETHING to get my frustration out and since my sister just moved from Dallas, I have lots and lots of packing supplies :) Yes, I know, I won't be moving for quite some time, but I like to have things organized, so I packed some Christmas dishes ( I have 3 sets) and stuff I don't want out when I'm showing my house. Gee, my kitchen looks so clean with all that crap on top of the kitchen cabinets packed away. I might not put it all back up in the new house. I'm sick of Roosters anyhow. No, we aren't sure where we'll move to yet. Maybe buy a big foreclosure around here, or a new house a little farther north. Or, maybe Mike will retire and we'll move out of Florida all together and go to NC. I have an appointment to see some new homes in NC while we're there over the 4th.
Monday, June 8, 2009
It's Monday morning and..........
My girls are in the air. Wendy & Miguel flew in from NC to take the girls home with them for a month long vacation. The 3 girls, Tabby, Meg, & Molly, should have a great time together. I wonder how long they will make it before the fighting begins? You know how it is, with 3, there is always one who is left out!
The littles will have fun for the next 4 weeks too, not being bossed around by their older sisters.
So, here we are, the first full week of Summer Vacation and already had to be up at 5:30 to get to the Miami airport for 7 and we have an ortho appointment at 9 this am for Ryan. Goodness, will I NEVER learn to make those appointments in the afternoon??? Apparently NOT!
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
THE BIRDS GONE TOO!
The bird's gone too! I did mention how much I love FREECYCLE.COM didn't I? We are now PET FREE totally! I know I said that on the G Pig post, but I had forgotten about the Parakeet. She left yesterday. We are now TOTALLY pet free! Then Ryan says with a sad little face "Mommy, we don't have any pets. Aren't we going to have pets"? In a moment of weakness, I said " We can get a fish" That cheered him up. The Dentist has ONE fish on his counter. Hopefully the fish will be forgotten.
GOOD~BYE DIAPERS!!!
YES! You read that right. Paisley is officially potty trained! Finally! 2 yrs 8 months and we can now say bye~bye to diapies and pull~ups. It's so nice. I'm even going to be so bold as to return 2 packs of pull~ups to TARGET today. ooohhh, I'm going to save $$ about $80 a month. The only downside to this is public potties, eeeewwww, but she has that down pretty good now too "We don't touch the potties, right mommy?" She has Princess panties of course and she knows just which Princess she wants to wear each day too, sometimes she needs to wear several Princesses each day. She has to try them all you know.
I KNEW IT WOULD HAPPEN!
aaaaahhhhh~~~~~ the first day of summer vacation, no getting up at 6:30, no fighting EVERY morning with sleepy little bodies who cry, and scream, and fight the morning rituals of getting ready for school.. SLEEP, Peace & Quiet~~~ WRONG! I was rudely awaken at 6:45 this morning by 4 little munchkins running through the house screaming at the top of their lungs, squealing, giggling, laughing, and blowing whistles. This is NOT a good sign of things to come.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Their 1st S'MORES
Yes, I know, BAD MOMMY! I just never thought about them. Yes, we live in South Florida, Yes, we grill out all the time. So, last week they all had their first S'more experience and they were a messy, gooey hit of course! But I will tell you this, they just aren't the same as when they're made over an open fire like at Girl Scouts or over a Charcoal grill. 
Saying Good-Bye
It was time for the piggies to have a new home. Meg & Molly have lost interest, and will be gone the month of June visiting Tabitha in North Carolina, they're leaving Monday. Paisley will love the to DEATH, if you know what I mean, and the other 3 don't care about them at all. I sure am not going to be cleaning that stinky cage all summer! So, it was time. We tried pets and we failed. We are now back to being petfree, which is how I like it. 6 kids is enough work. So, I put an add on FREECYCLE.COM and within minutes they had a new home. They left yesterday morning. AHHHH...freedom. Here are some of the kids saying Good-Bye. And funny thing is, NO ONE has missed them!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
WELL! I'm wide awake now! AND THIS IS LONG!!!
Well, now that Lisa sent me that Russian article and I read it, I'm wide awake.
I think I'll do some catching up and BLOG a little. It's been quite some time since I posted, except for some cute pictures to let you all know we are still alive.
Life has just got in the way of BLOGGING!
Gee, WHERE do I begin?
I know, let's start with that darling little ticker at the top of this BLOG. Hmmmm, What's if for? What's it mean? Well, I'm fed up and tired of being quiet. You all know that isn't me anyways. So, here goes and let the chips fall where they may! Let's back up. You all know we lost our sweet little Hannah when our Vietnam adoption fell apart Sept 25th, after Vietnam closed adoptions on Sept.1. No, that's not entirely correct, the USA closed the Vietnam adoptions. The Vietnamese Gov. wanted to continue. And MANY American families want to complete their adoptions! OOPS, Will I get myself in trouble for that statement? At this point, do I care? I will say, all this time the Dept of State ( DOS) has been trying to help us get our second referral. That's something the Vietnam Gov. permitted if you lost your referral through no fault of your own,and your agency had another child available to refer you. Miraculously, we were matched with a little girl with a heart defect within a few days of loosing Hannah, but because of all the flooding in Hanoi in Oct, ( remember I was posting pics on this BLOG of the floods) we weren't able to get our acceptance paperwork to Vietnam before the Vietnam Gov. changed their policy on OCT 30th and said no more 2nd referrals. So, with the DOS helping us, and Senator Nelson, and some agency owners too, and lots of ups and downs, we got to April 1, 2009 with no progress. YOU WON'T BELIEVE THIS! Mike flew to Washington DC and met with the Vietnam Delegation which included the new VICE MINISTER OF JUSTICE and 7 other officials who came here to talk with the DOS about what was needed to reopen adoptions. Mike thanked them for allowing him to present our case to them. He told them how we loved Vietnam and the people, how we have adopted Ta Thi Tam (Paisley) and Nguyen Be Phuong (Austin) from Vietnam and how we lost our Hannah when her mommy decided to take her home. He told them how we were heartbroken to lose her but felt it was her destiny to be with her mommy, and now we had another little girl waiting for us and it was HER destiny to be with us. They knew all about us and our little girl waiting in Vietnam. They were very kind and sincere and promised to do what they could to help us complete our adoption. Since that time, we have been waiting for an answer, we have been waiting for our DOS to send a letter to the Vietnam Gov. stating the DOS approves us to be permitted our second referral. And that's what the ticker is for~~~We have been waiting 1 MONTH, 4 WEEKS & 2 DAYS for a letter to go from the DOS to Vietnam on our behalf, and on behalf of the other families waiting just like us!
Oh My Goodness, that was long, but it felt good to tell our story. Are you still with me?
Let's see, what else has been going on?
Well, school is out Thursday, YEAH! We can sleep in till 7AM WOO~HOO!
Meg & Molly are going to North Carolina next week and will be staying till the 4th of July. They'll be spending June with Tabby our 12 yr old granddaughter. All 3 girls are SOOO excited. Meg is already packed. Wendy will be more than happy to see us pulling into her driveway the weekend of the 4th, if she has her sanity that long with 3 12 yr olds.
The girls got cell phones last week. UNLIMITED TEXTING! Good thing since Meg has hundreds everyday!
You know how much Meg loves school right? And you know last year she had a summer countdown calendar up in her room by the last day of school? Well, this takes the cake! She has outdone herself~~~she informed us tonight, and mind you school isn't out yet, she has her backpack packed for 7th grade already! ( she has several new backpacks, we clearance shop).
I can't stop thinking about that Russian Article! I wonder how many other countries think the same way???
We have family and friends who work for GM/Chrysler/Ford and other car companies. This ISN'T good!
Let's see, what else has happened? Oh Baby Jack! Isn't he a DOLL? We had a great time at Tracy's house. You saw how my kids loved the chicken's and go carts! They loved getting dirty too! And camping in the back yard! Tracy taught them how to do the "crab walk" on the kitchen floor and they thought those giant TURKEY EGGS were the best thing they ever ate! Aren't they the biggest eggs you ever saw? Everyday one of the "Littles" ask when we can go back to visit Tracy? Since she's 5 hours north, it'll be a while!
Everyone here has been sick, of course not all at once, no, we had to do it ONE AT A TIME. I'm #7 and Mike will be the end of the line unless he escapes it by some miracle!
I've been sick for a week now and will miss Courtney's graduation because I can't get rid of this cough! YES! Courtney graduates from High School tonight! CONGRATULATIONS COURTNEY!
And Miss JASMINE Graduates too! Way to Go Girls!
We have 3 new baby G Pigs. Anyone want some pigs?
Oh My, It's almost 2 AM. I guess I'm off to bed. I'll try to post a little more often.
Someone sent this to me tonight, A Very Interesting read isn't it?
American capitalism gone with a whimper
I am copying this article from the Russian newspaper PRAVDA which in Russian means TRUTH.-----------------------------http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/107459-0/
It must be said, that like the breaking of a great dam, the American decent into Marxism is happening with breath taking speed, against the back drop of a passive, hapless sheeple, excuse me dear reader, I meant people.
True, the situation has been well prepared on and off for the past century, especially the past twenty years. The initial testing grounds was conducted upon our Holy Russia and a bloody test it was. But we Russians would not just roll over and give up our freedoms and our souls, no matter how much money Wall Street poured into the fists of the Marxists.
Those lessons were taken and used to properly prepare the American populace for the surrender of their freedoms and souls, to the whims of their elites and betters.
First, the population was dumbed down through a politicized and substandard education system based on pop culture, rather then the classics. Americans know more about their favorite TV dramas then the drama in DC that directly affects their lives. They care more for their "right" to choke down a McDonalds burger or a BurgerKing burger than for their constitutional rights. Then they turn around and lecture us about our rights and about our "democracy". Pride blind the foolish.
Then their faith in God was destroyed, until their churches, all tens of thousands of different "branches and denominations" were for the most part little more then Sunday circuses and their televangelists and top protestant mega preachers were more then happy to sell out their souls and flocks to be on the "winning" side of one pseudo Marxist politician or another. Their flocks may complain, but when explained that they would be on the "winning" side, their flocks were ever so quick to reject Christ in hopes for earthly power. Even our Holy Orthodox churches are scandalously liberalized in America.
The final collapse has come with the election of Barack Obama. His speed in the past three months has been truly impressive. His spending and money printing has been a record setting, not just in America's short history but in the world. If this keeps up for more then another year, and there is no sign that it will not, America at best will resemble the Wiemar Republic and at worst Zimbabwe.
These past two weeks have been the most breath taking of all. First came the announcement of a planned redesign of the American Byzantine tax system, by the very thieves who used it to bankroll their thefts, loses and swindles of hundreds of billions of dollars. These make our Russian oligarchs look little more then ordinary street thugs, in comparison. Yes, the Americans have beat our own thieves in the shear volumes. Should we congratulate them?
These men, of course, are not an elected panel but made up of appointees picked from the very financial oligarchs and their henchmen who are now gorging themselves on trillions of American dollars, in one bailout after another. They are also usurping the rights, duties and powers of the American congress (parliament). Again, congress has put up little more then a whimper to their masters.
Then came Barack Obama's command that GM's (General Motor) president step down from leadership of his company. That is correct, dear reader, in the land of "pure" free markets, the American president now has the power, the self given power, to fire CEOs and we can assume other employees of private companies, at will. Come hither, go dither, the centurion commands his minions.
So it should be no surprise, that the American president has followed this up with a "bold" move of declaring that he and another group of unelected, chosen stooges will now redesign the entire automotive industry and will even be the guarantee of automobile policies. I am sure that if given the chance, they would happily try and redesign it for the whole of the world, too. Prime Minister Putin, less then two months ago, warned Obama and UK's Blair, not to follow the path to Marxism, it only leads to disaster. Apparently, even though we suffered 70 years of this Western sponsored horror show, we know nothing, as foolish, drunken Russians, so let our "wise" Anglo-Saxon fools find out the folly of their own pride.
Again, the American public has taken this with barely a whimper...but a "freeman" whimper.
So, should it be any surprise to discover that the Democratically controlled Congress of America is working on passing a new regulation that would give the American Treasury department the power to set "fair" maximum salaries, evaluate performance and control how private companies give out pay raises and bonuses? Senator Barney Franks, a social pervert basking in his homosexuality (of course, amongst the modern, enlightened American societal norm, as well as that of the general West, homosexuality is not only not a looked down upon life choice, but is often praised as a virtue) and his Marxist enlightenment, has led this effort. He stresses that this only affects companies that receive government monies, but it is retroactive and taken to a logical extreme, this would include any company or industry that has ever received a tax break or incentive.
The Russian owners of American companies and industries should look thoughtfully at this and the option of closing their facilities down and fleeing the land of the Red as fast as possible. In other words, divest while there is still value left.
The proud American will go down into his slavery with out a fight, beating his chest and proclaiming to the world, how free he really is. The world will only snicker.
Stanislav Mishin
Friday, May 22, 2009
Sunday, May 3, 2009
WELCOME TO THE WORLD
Our First GREAT Grand-baby!
Jack Michael
born May 3, 2009 at Sunrise
8 lb. 1 oz.
Blonde hair and mommy's nose
a beautiful baby boy
Mommy Felicia
Great job Miss Foo
XOXOXOXO
GREAT Grandma & Grandpap
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