Here's a Look Back
As we prepare to Celebrate our 2nd Annual Family Day…here’s a look back.
This week marks our 2nd Family Day Celebration/Adoption Day. Two years ago, Jason & I were already inside our daughter’s birth country preparing to adopt Halle-Grace! For all of you new readers here on the International Pageant Blog, I wanted to re-visit and re-post exactly what was going on in our lives two years ago when we became parents to the most beautiful baby girl in the world! I have taken our thoughts/photos that I posted on our blog http://www.ourdevinemiracle.blogspot.com/ at this exact time 2 years ago! Adoption is the most amazing blessing! It made our family complete! I hope you will enjoy our story and photos as we became a family in Tuyen Quang, Vietnam on September 1, 2008.
It's a rainy day! We went to breakfast downstairs in the hotel where we met a couple in the restaurant, another CAS family who adopted an adorable baby boy from Da Nang province. They are waiting on his US visa. We told them we were one of the TQ families with a RFE and their response "You guys are brave"!
We made our way to the Hanoi Star Supermarket and bought water, formula, clothes detergent, dish detergent, peanut butter, jelly/bread. Above are photos of "Hanoi city sights". Lots of motor bikes and the power lines…oh WOW!!! No wonder they have frequent power outages in this city!!!
Jason talked to Ninh, our coordinator and he is picking us up in the morning at 6:30am for the trip to Tuyen Quang to officially adopt Halle-Grace. Tuesday is a holiday in Vietnam so we will not get her Vietnamese Visa until Wed. and find a "home away from home". A realtor is coming to take us apartment hunting.
Tomorrow, I will post photos as soon as I can! I am so excited… I can barely stand it. The trip to Tuyen Quang is an ALL DAY TRIP. 4 hour drive, Giving & Receiving Ceremony...kiss all of the babies and the nannies....Ninh getting affidavits signed (YEAH! CAS families and hens will scream when they read this)....taking lots of photos....then 4 hours back and sleep all night with Halle-Grace! I will stare at her all night! God is GOOD! I have to pack her diaper bag and get all set for tomorrow! PLEASE keep our family in your prayers.
There are so many things I want to say but 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. Jason
You can see from the last photo, Little Miss Magic is already fast asleep! She is precious, beautiful, amazing and the BEST baby! She is so happy and laughs a lot.
SHE IS THE PERFECT BABY!!! She’s a SHOW OFF in the restaurant and wants ALL eyes on her! I have no idea where she got the idea of "being a ham"....no comments! Ha!
She found herself in the mirror and loves it! She sleeps just like her mom....all over the bed! She also found Vietnamese cartoons on TV and yelled at them forever! Everyone loves on her when we are out! They all say "BIG EYES"! She is just amazing! I can't begin to describe God has revealed HIS perfect plan! She is our baby and He has always known exactly when & where!
Thank you God for the gift of Adoption, thank you for Halle-Grace. If you would like to read our adoption journey from the very beginning, you’re invited! www.ourdevinemiracle.blogspot.com
Stay tuned for lots of photos from our 2nd annual Family Day Celebration
Until Next Post, Remain Blessed,
Shannon Devine
This week marks our 2nd Family Day Celebration/Adoption Day. Two years ago, Jason & I were already inside our daughter’s birth country preparing to adopt Halle-Grace! For all of you new readers here on the International Pageant Blog, I wanted to re-visit and re-post exactly what was going on in our lives two years ago when we became parents to the most beautiful baby girl in the world! I have taken our thoughts/photos that I posted on our blog http://www.ourdevinemiracle.blogspot.com/ at this exact time 2 years ago! Adoption is the most amazing blessing! It made our family complete! I hope you will enjoy our story and photos as we became a family in Tuyen Quang, Vietnam on September 1, 2008.
City of Hanoi
HELLO HANOI August 30, 2008 posted by Shannon
We made our way to the Hanoi Star Supermarket and bought water, formula, clothes detergent, dish detergent, peanut butter, jelly/bread. Above are photos of "Hanoi city sights". Lots of motor bikes and the power lines…oh WOW!!! No wonder they have frequent power outages in this city!!!
Jason talked to Ninh, our coordinator and he is picking us up in the morning at 6:30am for the trip to Tuyen Quang to officially adopt Halle-Grace. Tuesday is a holiday in Vietnam so we will not get her Vietnamese Visa until Wed. and find a "home away from home". A realtor is coming to take us apartment hunting.
Tomorrow, I will post photos as soon as I can! I am so excited… I can barely stand it. The trip to Tuyen Quang is an ALL DAY TRIP. 4 hour drive, Giving & Receiving Ceremony...kiss all of the babies and the nannies....Ninh getting affidavits signed (YEAH! CAS families and hens will scream when they read this)....taking lots of photos....then 4 hours back and sleep all night with Halle-Grace! I will stare at her all night! God is GOOD! I have to pack her diaper bag and get all set for tomorrow! PLEASE keep our family in your prayers.
Hours Away
(Posted by Jason just hours before our trip to Halle-Grace’s orphanage in Tuyen Quang)
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 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 our RFEs. I took from that it is simply now a matter of time to get our approval.
There are so many things I want to say but 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. Jason
Adoption Day, Sept. 1, 2008
(Posted by Shannon on Adoption Day)
You can see from the last photo, Little Miss Magic is already fast asleep! She is precious, beautiful, amazing and the BEST baby! She is so happy and laughs a lot.
SHE IS THE PERFECT BABY!!! She’s a SHOW OFF in the restaurant and wants ALL eyes on her! I have no idea where she got the idea of "being a ham"....no comments! Ha!
She found herself in the mirror and loves it! She sleeps just like her mom....all over the bed! She also found Vietnamese cartoons on TV and yelled at them forever! Everyone loves on her when we are out! They all say "BIG EYES"! She is just amazing! I can't begin to describe God has revealed HIS perfect plan! She is our baby and He has always known exactly when & where!
Thank you God for the gift of Adoption, thank you for Halle-Grace. If you would like to read our adoption journey from the very beginning, you’re invited! www.ourdevinemiracle.blogspot.com
Stay tuned for lots of photos from our 2nd annual Family Day Celebration
Until Next Post, Remain Blessed,
Shannon Devine
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