Christmas in Omaha

Opening presents on Christmas morning. Phil loved his camera from us and hat from Rob. Looks happy doesn't he? : }


Rob was very happy with the Beer Making Kit from Phil.

Noni and Papa looking at the picture album we received from the Deno's of our grandkids...LOVED it! : }

Dad just waiting for more presents to come as he sips his coffee and watches Phil handing them out.

Phil gets this job every year since he is the youngest. He acts like he doesn't like the job, but we know he LOVES it.

Christmas in the "Little" Apple

This was at the end of the present opening and everyone was vegging out! See Emma's new purse, American Doll Baby and highchair.

Everyone loved what Will got [ a baseball batting practice for toddlers]. Batter Up, Will!

Noah trying on the hat that went with his Vietnam pajama's. It even has a long braid in the back! : }

Noah loved his Better Batter game and so did Mommy and Daddy.

The Robinson's amongst all the presents, patiently waiting to open them.

Christmas in the "Little" Apple

Teaching Noey how to slow dance to "Silent Night".


Adam couldn't resist getting dad in a strong-hold that he couldn't get out of and if you can see his face, you'd know he was trying. Noah thought it was the most fun "ever" and joined right in. And that's Tara "trying" to hold dad's legs down : }

Awwww...special kisses for a special Papa!

Noni showing how the gingerbread house plays Christmas music and all the gum drops blink off and on....quite the hit!

Papa reading a story to Emma and Will trying to climb up papa's leg to sit on his lap too.

CuChi Tunnels, VN

This is the "new" jungle that has grown back after the VN war ended in 1975. This is also the jungle where that 1 mosquito bit my foot and I contacted Dengue Fever!

These are just an example of the American bombs they collected. If the bomb didn't explode then the villagers would retrieve it and refill it with their own amunition. Then turn around and use our bombs on us!

An actual termite mound! I was stunned to see how big they get. The villagers would hollow out the inside and then place this mound over the tunnels bamboo breathing tubes that stuck out of the ground. Our dogs & soliders would walk right past the tubes!

This is one of the real entrances to the tunnels. The Chu Chi people were so small and considered us "fat Americans" even though we were'nt. My friend Mike tried to enter this and his hips wouldn't allow him through. In the war, the US would hire small people [tunnel rats] such as the chinese and send them down the tunnels to report back what they saw.

This is a miniature display of what the actual tunnels looked like underground. 25 years of hand digging and 250 miles going north, the tunnels were completed. They went 40 feet below the surface of the ground.

Getting ready to enter the tunnels. I did fine without any claustrophia! At one point we had to sit on our heels and slide down a small hill as we entered the 2nd level under ground.

Following Mike, who was following our tour guide who had a flash light.....some places we could just walk hunched over and others we had to crawl. In war times, the villagers carried laterns.

Washing my hands in water coming out of a bamboo trunk at the end of the tunnels.

This is just one of the awful booby traps the ChuChi's set up for our guys. The traps were not meant to kill but just to slow us down so they could get away. This one is called "the Souvenir" because as the leg goes into the box, the spikes go into the thigh as he would yank his foot away from the spike at the bottom. Our men would have to take the trap with the man still attached with them back to their base in order for the surgeons to remove it from the leg.

It was a very surreal, eye opening tour....very sad!

HCMCity [Saigon]

Dad met me in HoChiMin City for my 2nd week. We worked together at the Children's #1 Hospital everyday. This is the surgical waiting room for the parents [& families]

Dad is teaching proper usage of the surgical instruments and updated procedure techniques.

Everyday from 11:30 to 1:00, everyone took naps. It is the hottest time of the day. Parents slept in hallways and stairwells....wherever they could find a place together for their mats. Even staff alternated time taking naps.

Our audiology department would go crazy if their waiting room looked like this! : }

This was the clinical waiting room!! Totally blew dad and I away. I kept saying to dad, "Sweetie, you'd better get a move on, you're a little behind here!" : } On a normal day, the drs. would see 6,000 patients, YES 6000!! Unbelievable! It truly was a conveyor belt way of seeing pts. After clinic, the drs. would then get 1 hour to eat dinner and then open their private clinics in their homes and see pts. who had insurance from 5-9:00pm. Then go to bed and start all over again the next day.

Hue, Vietnam

This was our R&R weekend before we began the 2nd week. The hotel was very nice on the Perfume River. House/working boats were all along the river. Very humid!

Beautiful home grown flowers sold along the street for minimal prices. Gorgeous!

OK, toys! What would our grandkids like??

Teaching the nursing instructors with Elaine at the University of Hue. Very receptive to us!

Oh, just the corner barber shop....literally.

Hardly any cars in Hue. Parking lots "loaded" with motor bikes. Great savings on gas, even over there.

This is the Kings Tomb. I fell on these stairs [it was raining]! The king would build his tomb while he was still living so it fit perfectly into his specifications.

These were the soldiers that were protecting the dead king right at the entrance to his tomb.

At the end of the day getting ready for the unforgettable, never-imagined, 1 hour massage for $13 ~ not a good American deal.

Boarding a house boat for an evening of entertainment on the Perfume River. A family lived on this boat and this was their livelihood.

We were entertained by these singers/dancers. This is the attire known in Hue. Beautiful silks!

Small village next to our hotel that was actually a school that taught embroidery. I got to see women working on silk screens and the artist who actually drew the scene before it was sewn.

HaNoi, Vietnam

This was our mission trip to National Pediatric Hospital in HaNoi. We went room to room and instructed, explained, corrected, advised and loved.

This young doctor was awesome and did ALL our interpeting for us. I was telling him how grateful we were.

I was talking with this mother and explaining what she could do to help her son. The drs. and nurses listened and learned also. They focus more on the physical care than the mental and spirit. We were constantly touching babies and speaking softly to role model .

This grandmother stayed here 24/7. She would secretively hand signal to us to pray him.

There were times we would see up to 3 babies in an incubator. Their names were taped to their foreheads.
This is the new playroom that took 1 year to build. We were thrilled!
This is the nurses station where they served us Jasmine tea and green bean cake....yummmm! : }
I was showing the student nurses how to position a baby who was on a ventilator so she would be more comfortable.
Good old Hochiman (statue) was everywhere. This was the team that went all over the hospital with us.
Elaine, my cohort in crime, was lecturing with me to the nurses from the provinces [out in the country].