We've Moved!

Yesterday we saw Samantha's face for the first time! What an incredible little girl we have been blessed with! She is just perfect! We have decided to move our blog to wordpress to allow us to password protect some of our postings. Please email us at chkkbcs@gmail.com if you would like to follow our new site. We truly appreciate each and every one of you who have followed our journey and offered your thoughts, prayers and encouragement along the way. We are truly blessed!

*VISIT OUR NEW HOME*

Interrupting This Break......

TO WISH CHARLEY A HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Yes, another birthday in the Field household. When you have a big family, it seems that someone is always having a birthday! Today Charley turned 35! Unfortunately, he didn't have a super fantastic day. Last Friday he hurt his back playing softball on our men's church league. He took an ambulance ride to the ER, and here we are a week later and he is still in a lot of pain and can't do much of anything. It is looking like this will be the norm for him for the next month. No work and no play! But, after being cooped up all week, we managed to meet our good friends Cheryl & Sylvester (who are also adopting from Vietnam and are also DTV the same day we are) for dinner at our favorite Japanese Steakhouse and we had a great time!

Taking A Break

I have decided to take a break from blogland for a while. There is a lot going on in the world of Vietnam/US adoptions and I would prefer not to get into all of that here, as I am committed to keeping our blog a happy place. Please pray for us on this journey and pray for the US government, the Vietnam government, all of the famlies involved and most of all, the innocent babies who have no voice in this mess.

Pics From Our Vegas Trip!

Birthday Wish!

We are back home from Vegas. We had a GREAT time, even thought we didn't strike it rich while we were there. I have lots of pictures to post of our trip but I haven't gotten them downloaded just yet.

So, today is my birthday. Charley and the kids made me an awesome birthday dinner (steak, garlic smashed potatoes, corn on the cob, grilled zuccini & a crisp salad with homemade ranch dressing). It was delicious! Charley bought me flowers & a new COOLPIX red camera. We have an awesome camera, but it's really big and I have been wanting one of those little tiny ones that are easy to take on the go! I had it with me the whole time in Vegas and LOVED it!

OK, now it's cake time and I have a wish to go make!!!!

GET-A-WAY!!!

Charley and I are going to Vegas! We have really been looking foward to this trip. It is an all expenses paid trip for Charley's work, sponsored by GM (General Motors). We will be going to the GM banquet on Monday night, but the rest of our time there is OURS! We are so excited to have some time away from it all. I'll be sure to update with pics while we're there!

*Adoption Update* We are still waiting for our referral and are hoping to hear news soon!

Little Sprout!

We have a tree!!! Our "Linh tree" has sprouted and is about 3" tall! We really enjoy watching it grow. It is a beautiful reminder of our precious little Linh.

Happy Birthday Bradley!!!

Happy Birthday Bradley! It sure is hard to believe he is 10 years old!!! Amazing how quickly they grow up! Bradley got an electric guitar for his birthday and he is ready to JAM!!!

HOPE Defined

Hope Defined: To believe or trust. I looked up the word "HOPE" in the dictionary today. There were several meanings listed, but the one that was most meaningful to me was "To believe or trust." When we began our adoption journey over a year ago, things were going smoothly and quickly. Never did I imagine that we would still be waiting to see her face. As I continued to read through the meanings of "HOPE," I paused at the last one. It stated: hope against hope - to continue to hope and believe although the outlook may not warrant it. Back on January 25th, when we saw Linh's picture for the first time, our journey came to life! We were filled with hope. We believed. We trusted. It is so very painful to accept that Linh will never come home with us as she has made her way home to our Father in heaven. But we haven't lost hope. I guess you could just say that now we "hope against hope."

I Confess....

I've been shopping again! (You are all so surprised, right???) I just couldn't pass up this new line from Baby Gap. So tropical & fun!

Day 400 & Another New Look!!!

Once again, a blog make-over!!! A big THANK YOU to my very talented friend Jenna for giving our little space on the web a fresh new look! Now we are ready for our referral! I have bought everything on my list for travel, everything (and way more) that a baby could ever need, we have all the plans together for our kids when we leave for Vietnam, and we even have a great new blog look to announce Miss Samantha!

Today marks 400 days since we began our adoption. Is that possible? Actually, I guess the question is, can I possibly survive another hundred or so days before I finally hold Samantha in our arms? YES, I will survive, but patiently??? Hmmmm, probably not (OK definitely not!) Hopefully it won't be long before we see her sweet face. We know that day will be bittersweet, but we also know that Linh is in heaven with Jesus and we know that Samantha is the child God intends to come home with us. We can't wait to see who that little person is!

Sweet Angel Linh

I have been working on this post for days now. There just doesn't seem to be adequate words to honor the life of our precious angel, Linh. As the days pass by, the pain doesn't fade. She was so much more than a picture to us. She was, and is, our daughter. We love her and she will always be a part of our family.

It has been four weeks since she made her journey into Jesus' arms, and although we are devistated by the loss, we have peace knowing she is in heaven and that we have the promise of seeing her someday.

Things are moving along again. Many families have received referrals in the past few weeks, and after speaking with our agency, we know a referral is in the near future for us too. It is such a combination of so many emotions when I think about accepting a new referral. No baby will ever replace Linh. When we received her pictures, we instantly knew she was our baby. Now I get lost in thought, wondering if we will feel the same way when we see pictures of our referral. I'm sure we will, but it's hard to imagine that when we loved Linh so very much and our hearts ache to have held her in our arms. We know that God had a plan for her short life and we know that God has a plan for us and for the baby He has chosen to make the journey from an orphanage on the other side of the world, into our hearts, our arms, and our home. Please pray for our journey as we continue on.

No More Counting

Today is exactly 6 months since we were DTV. As most of you know, our road took a sad and unexpected turn two weeks ago when we got the news that the baby we were matched with passed away. We are still moving foward in hopes that the child God has for us will be in our arms eventually, but there are not any timeframes to count up or down to anymore as we really don't know when the news will come. Our agency is guessing it will take 2-4 months to be re-matched with another baby. Being we are open to special needs and toddlers, it could be sooner, but with the uncertainty of international adoption, it could just as easily be later. We truly have no idea, but what we do know is that we are trusting the Lord and continue to follow the path He has layed before us. We are on a journey to our daughter and we know she is out there waiting for us.

On a happy note, a few families from our agency have received referrals (a big congrats to Jenna & Ed on the referral of their precious daughter Ella as well as Derek & Tiffany on the referral of their adorable little son Mason!) Also, several families have just received I600 approvals and will be traveling to bring their children home from Vietnam very shortly. Congrats to all of you and safe travels! It is wonderful to finally hear lots of good news!

Following the Path

Where do we go from here? This is a question that we have had to give some serious thought. We have decided to continue down the path that God has layed before us and follow His lead as well as our hearts. We still believe that our daughter is in Vietnam and we must not give up. We are back on the "waiting for referral" list and have also let our agency know that we are very open to special needs children as well as toddlers. Please pray for Vietnam adoptions in general as things are not going smoothly. Many babies have passed away and many more are still sick. Visa's for the babies are not being issued in a timely manner and some are looking like they will not be issued at all. It is a very sad situation and we ask for your prayers.

Remembering Linh

A very special "THANK YOU" to my dear and amaizng friends Jenna, Julie & Susan for this gift to our family. Yesterday afternoon, we received a "Seeds of Life" tree via FedEx. It is a kit to plant a tree in memory of someone special. This was such a thoughtful gift and we will treasure the memories of our sweet Linh as we watch her tree grow. Also, another very special "THANK YOU" to Cheryl & Sylvester for the angel. It is on our mantle and reminds us of Linh each time we pass. The frienships we have formed on this adoption journey is incredible. I am so blessed by each of you!

Thank You & Bless You All

WOW! There really are no words to explain how loved we have felt by all of you during this difficult time. The prayers, cards, gifts, flowers, memory tree, phone calls, kind words & visits are appreciated beyond measure. God has truly blessed us with an amazing family, friends & community. It is all of you who have gotten us through this devistating time and we thank you and love you all!

Happy Birthday Cody!!!

Cody turned 9 on Saturday! It's hard to believe he is 9 already, where does the time go??? Even though it was a very sad weekend in our house, grieving the loss of our little Linh, Cody had a great birthday. Granny came down from Okalhoma and made him a cake, we went out for lunch & dinner, and he got an awesome gift - a drum set! (I will try to post pics of that by this weekend on our family blog www.fieldbunch.blogspot.com) Maybe someone will buy me some earplugs for my birthday!

Greater Plans

We recieved this in an email today and it really touched my heart in our time of need.
"God had even greater plans for her. He sovereignly and lovingly chose to adopt her Himself, and now, you are right – she IS with Jesus."
We want to thank you all for the many thoughts and prayers they mean so much to us now.
God Bless,
Charley

Our Little Angel, Linh

On Friday, January 25th, we learned of a little girl named Linh. Linh was diagnosed with Hep. B and was therefor considered a special needs baby. Our family decided she needed a home and a family just as much as any other baby, so we began working with our agency to bring her home. We learned this morning that she passed away from Pnemonia at a hospital in Hanoi. Although we will never hold her in our arms, she will always hold a special place in our hearts.

A Year Ago Today

A YEAR AGO TODAY...

A year ago today, we began the journey of a lifetime. From day one, we truly believed that God set us on this path. As the journey continues, that belief is confirmed. We have met so many incredible people along the way who have become great friens. We have learned so much and grown in our faith as we face the ups and downs of this amazing journey. We know that each day we are closer to the little girl whom God has chosen to be part of our family and we long for the day that we will finally see her, hold her and share the rest of our lives with her.

23 Weeks DTV!

HOPE

TRUST

BELIEVE

*HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY*

Tet, The Year of the Rat/Mouse & 22 Weeks DTV!

Today is the start of Tet, the Vietnamese New Year. Celebrations in Vietnam are in full swing as they begin the YEAR OF THE RAT/MOUSE! I look foward to celebrating Tet with our family next year. Samantha will be here and we will head to Dallas to experience a taste of the biggest celebration in Vietnamese culture! This year I will celebrate by.....hmmmm......maybe shopping???

Shopping Day With Charley!!!

I know you are all just on the edge of your seats, waiting to hear how my shopping trip with Charley went on Saturday. Although he may not admit it, I really think he had fun shopping for our little Samantha! First we went to breakfast and "talked adoption" while we ate. Then it was off to Babies R Us. We decided on an adorable stroller & infant carseat/carrier (love the polka dots!) We also picked up bottles, pacifiers and a few other baby necessities. Next was Costco (boring). Lastly, BABY GAP (I know, you're shocked!!!) To all of you who participated in my gift card shower, THANK YOU! I had so much fun shopping!!!

10 YEARS!!! & 21 Weeks DTV

Today is a very special day! Charley & I are celebrating our 10th year anniversary! We are going to dinner tonight at our favorite restaurant, Texas De Brazil. If you have never been to a Brazilian Steakhouse, you are missing out! THEN....Charley has agreed to go baby shopping this weekend. We will be shopping for a stroller/infant seat, bottles & a baby sling/carrier. I have already picked out the stroller/infant seat, but I would love to hear feedback on baby slings/carriers as I have no idea which one to buy. We are thinking about the Ergo or a Baby Bjorn. I'd love your thoughts and opinions!

I just had a knock on my door. A special delivery for me!!! What beautiful flowers from my amazing husband! I can't wait to see what the next ten years bring! I love you Bubbie! (That's his pet name, I never call him Charley!)

20 Weeks DTV

Today marks 20 weeks since our dossier went to Vietnam. Today I received an email from a friend with the picture of this stone. The email said "Hope - Trust, Believe." After speaking with our agecny, it sounds as though our referral could happen at any time. I'd like to think that means it will be very soon, but the reality is that it could still take another month or two. At this point, I choose to hope, trust & believe that this is all in God's hands and all in His perfect timing.

4 Things....

4 Jobs I've Had:
1. Commercial Sales at Builder's Square
2. Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance Rep.
3. DirecTV (Complaint Department)
4. In Home Childcare Provider

4 Movies I Watch Over & Over:
1. Santa Claus (1, 2 & 3)
2. A Guy Thing
3. Any Disney Movie
4. My Best Friend's Wedding

4 Places I Have Lived:
1. New York (Long Island)
2. Oklahoma
3. Arizona
4. Texas

4 Shows I Watch:
1. Adoption Stories
2. Most Food Network Shows
3. College Football (Does that count?)
4. American Idol

4 Places I've Been:
1. England (Many times)
2. Mexico
3. All of the East Coast States
4. Soon I'll be able to say "VIETNAM"

4 People Who Email Me Regularly:
1. Lindsey
2. Jenna
3. Julie
4. Dana

4 Things I Love To Eat:
1. Mexican Food
2. Asian Food (Chinese, Japanese & some Vietnamese)
3. Salad
4. Cheesecake

4 Places I'd Rather Be:
1. In Vietnam bringing home Samantha!
2. On a hot, white, sandy beach
3. On vacation anywhere with Charley
4. SHOPPING!!! (for Samantha, ofcourse!)

4 Things I Look Foward To This Year:
1. Getting "THE CALL" from our agecny to tell us about Samantha
2. Traveling to Vietnam to meet Samantha
3. Bringing Samantha home to family
4. Being a complete family (or starting the adoption process for #6!!!)

4 People I'm Tagging:
1. Dana (www.thegiftofmaiafaith.blogspot.com)
2. Cheryl (www.oursophiarose.blogspot.com)
3. Kathy (www.kathyirwin.blogspot.com)
4. Megan (www.littlemissmya.blogspot.com)

All Good Things Must Come To An End.

Notice how skinny this pitiful little piggy bank looks? Well, that's about what our piggy bank is looking like, and this time Charley is putting his foot down. It's time to fatten up the piggy bank, which means NO MORE SHOPPING! So sad. But, on the brighter side, this is all for a good cause....getting Samantha home. We are hopeful that our referral is coming soon and things will start happening. I have to believe we are getting close!

19 Weeks DTV

Today it has been 19 weeks since our dossier left for Vietnam. Although I really have no idea when we will get "THE CALL" to tell us about Samantha, just lately I have felt that it won't be much longer. (I really hope I'm right!)

It looks like we will be traveling in the warmer weather, so I couldn't resist this swimsuit and matching sun hat.

100th Post & New Look!

Well, this is my 100th post on this blog! After seeing the crafty work of other people's blogs, I decided I would commemorate my 100th post with a new look! My great blog buddy, Jenna, did the make-over, THANKS JENNA, you're the best!

18 Weeks DTV & Spring Shopping Already!

Here we are....18 weeks DTV! Yesterday was an exciting day in "adoption land" a few families received referrals and I600 approvals. A BIG CONGRATS to all of those happy families! I hope things keep moving along and we see more referrals and approvals soon!

Well, although it is just the beginning of January, the stores are filled with adorable spring clothes already, even swimsuits! Now that I am pretty sure we will be traveling to Vietnam is the warm weather, I have started picking up a few spring outfits. I couldn't resist the funky flowers!

4 Months Today (17 1/2 Weeks) - Counting It All!!!

So, now I'm counting weeks AND months! Sometimes it seems as though time is flying by. Other days (like today) it seems we have been in this adoption process forever. Today marks exactly 4 months since our dossier went to Vietnam on September 7th. I really thought we would have our referral by now and be planning our trip to bring Samantha home. When we switched agencies, most families were getting their referrals around the 3 month mark. But in the world of international adoption, there are always bumps and curves in the road. We are hopeful that we will hear news soon, but it does seem that "soon" in my book and "soon" in the world of adoption hold two totally different meanings! We're hanging in there (retail therapy works wonders, but you'll have to wait til the 18 week post for the latest outfit as I don't think Charley would appreciate me commemorating any more milestones in that way!)

17 Weeks DTV & New PJ's!

OK...did you ever see a cuter cow or piggy than the one on these jammies??? Yes, Baby Gap sucked me in again!

So, here we are, another week down for the count! The latest update I got from our agency said she hopes it will be VERY soon! That's encouraging. It has always been soon, but never before has she said VERY soon!

Happy 2008!

Happy New Year to all!!! Well, 2007 was a good year. It is the year we began the journey to our daughter in Vietnam. I am a little sad that we didn't get to see her little face in 2007, but we know 2008 will be the year we will learn who she is, see her picture, travel to her country and finally hold her in our arms and be her forever family! So, CHEERS to 2008, it's going to be a great year!

16 Weeks DTV (and to add to my collection!!!)

Well, here we are....still counting!!! To be honest, I was a little sad that there was no Christmas miracle referral for us. I was really hoping we would get "THE CALL" right before Christmas, but I guess little Samantha isn't ready just yet. I am really enjoying my 11 days off. I've done some shopping and some cleaning/organizing. I couldn't resist this little sweater and matching hat from Gymboree! If it weren't for having my two boys with me, I probably would have bought more, but my boys HATE shopping! (Like father, like sons!)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

MERRY

CHRISTMAS!!!

Well, no Christmas miracle referral, but God has blessed us with a wonderful Christmas. We spent the day as a family. My parents came down from Oklahoma and Chraley's dad was here too. The kids got lots of cool stuff (the WII is the favorite). Now I get to enjoy the next 7 days off and we look foward to all the wonderful things that 2008 holds!

And to our little Samantha in Vietnam, Mommy & Daddy are coming soon. We are sad that we couldn't have you here with us this Christmas and hope you are warm & cozy and being loved until we get there!

Tis The Season! (for shopping)

As we get even closer to the day we have Sam in our arms I am troubled with the idea of shopping! Christmas is almost here and the shopping still is not done (as if Heather is ever done). I dont usually post, the few times I have they were erased almost immediately but I had to comment on the whole "each new week holds new hope/new outfit" philosophy my wife has here lately. Somedays I am ready for Sam to be here as much as Heather is, but today I had a thought. If my wife is shopping for Samantha this much now how much more will she shop after she is home? Heather just walked through the door with TWO new outfits (I guess this makes up for last week) and a very special rubber ducky picked out by Cody just for Sam. So here I sit after 304 days since we started and 15 weeks since DTV impatiently waiting and at the same time dreading the lonely nights sitting at home while my wife and new daughter are out and about shopping, shopping, shopping, shopping, shopping, and yes even more shopping. I sure hope Samantha likes to Shop! Merry Christmas everyone!

15 Weeks DTV!

Yes, I am still counting away the weeks from DTV to referral. With each week that passes, I feel as though I have accomplished something! Can you believe another week marked and no new outfit to commemorate the milestone??? Maybe I will come across something while I'm finishing my Christmas shopping this weekend. Besides, I have to get Samantha something for Christmas, even if she isn't here yet, right?

300 Days Ago.....

We officially began our adoption journey! Sometimes it feels like it was just a few weeks ago, and sometimes it feels like it has been years! When we began our journey, I never dreamed that Samantha wouldn't be here for the holidays this year. I thought I'd be buying cute little clothes and toys to put under the tree with her name on them, but it just wasn't time yet. (Make no mistake, I am still buying, it's just going in her closet, not under the tree!!!) I truly believe that God has chosen Samantha to be with our family and it is all is His timing that things will fall into place. Maybe it will be a few more days or maybe it will be a few more weeks. It's possible that it could even be a few more months, but I really feel like it won't be much longer. However long the wait is really doesn't matter. What matters is that we will someday hold the child who God has created to be with our family.

14 Weeks DTV / New Spring Outfit!

OK, so how could I resist this one??? I couldn't!!! (I need to stay out of Baby Gap!) Well, here we are, 14 weeks since our dossier went to Vietnam and only 11 days til Christmas. There is still hope that we may get our Christmas miracle (referral) by Christmas, but it is beginning to look like it will be January. I hate it when Charley is right!!!

We've Been DTV for 13 Weeks and There's 19 Days Left to Hope For....

.....OUR CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!!! We have been officially waiting for our referral for 13 weeks, and YES, I am still hoping for a Christmas miracle! We are really hoping to see her sweet face before Christmas, but there are several families still waiting with DTV dates before ours. As one of the staff ladies at our agency always says - EACH NEW DAY HOLDS HOPE!

FRIENDS & FOOTBALL

We went to San Antonio for the weekend to watch the Sooners *WIN* the NCAA Big XII Championship game. To see more pics from the game and the Riverwalk go to (www.fieldbunch.blogspot.com)

December - The Month of Miracles!

It's hard to believe that it's December already! Only 21 Christmas shopping days left. I better get busy!!! The Christmas season is such a magical time of year and as we celebrate this wonderful season, we are hopeful that this month will bring the miracle of Samantha! Several families with our agency received their referrals over the past few days. A big congrats to those happy families!!!

The Votes Are In!

Thank you to all who voted on our "When will we get our referral" poll. It was fun to see all the guesses! To those very optomistic 6 people who voted for November, I'm sad to say that November has passed and we have yet to see any trace of Samantha yet. To those 18 Christmas spirited people who voted for December, I'm right there with ya, hoping for our Christmas miracle! For those 11 people who voted for January, you all are Charley's biggest fans! And, lastly, for those 12 of you who voted for February, I hope you're a month or so off!!!

12 Weeks DTV!!! (and things are happening!)

Today marks 12 weeks of waiting since our dossier went to Vietnam. With each week that passes, I wonder how many more weeks I will have to wait before I get to see her sweet face. BUT...things are happening! A few more families with our agency received referrals yesterday and today. (If you are one of those families and you are reading this, A BIG CONGRATS TO YOU!!!) I am soooooo ready for it to be our turn to get "THE CALL!"

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

We spent most of the day Saturday & Sunday decorating the house for Christmas. The kids did a great job getting all the ornaments on the tree. For more pics, see our family blog at (www.fieldbunch.blogspot.com)

11 Weeks DTV!

Another week closer! If only I knew how many weeks I'm counting to!!! From talking to others who have completed their adoptions, they say the wait from referral to travel is the hardest wait, but I think waiting on our referral will be the hardest. Day after day I wonder what she will look like, how old she will be and what province she will come from. I've convinced myseld that I'll be patient once we finally see her little face, but time will tell!

THANKSGIVING!

Some of the things I am thankful for:

* Our Lord & Savior

* Our Family

* Our Friends

* Our Church

* Our Home

* Our Health

* To Be On This Incredible Adoption Journey

* My Blog Buddies

And truly, the list goes on and on. Above is a picture of our four children and their Granny & Papa. We spent the day at their house in Oklahoma. I am so thankful for my parents and the special relationship that they have with our children. We are so blessed!

Baby Gap Fun - Thanks Jenna!

My GREAT blog buddy, Jenna, sent me a friends & family discount card, so how could I have resisted this??? It's a good thing I had so much fun at Gymboree last week & Baby Gap this week becasue Charley said, "NO MORE SHOPPING!" Oh well, it was definitley fun while it lasted!!!