October | 2009 | Johnson Household

October 31, 2009 by Barbara

Halloween 2009

This year was the first time Little Miss D got to celebrate Halloween. This little girl went to two parties and trick-or-treating, what a way to start out.

It all started on Friday at school. Dagny had a Halloween party with her friends at day care. This was Craig and I’s first “social event” as parents and I think we enjoyed it more than Dagny.

Here is Lil D. I swear saying “Please, Mom you’re embarrassing me with all these photos.” I must admit I took a lot, but I couldn’t help myself. I want to catch every moment of this little girls life. I promised Dagny I would slow down… a little.

for real, mom?

After a crazy amount of food and trick-or-treating at school, we went home where we took a whole bunch of wonderful photos of Dagny in the backyard (previous post).

The following day we headed over to our friend’s (Jamie and Steve) house to celebrate their twin’s (Michael and Gianna) 1st birthday. Unfortunately, we had to leave early and we missed the kids blowing out their candle because Dagny got sick. Little Boo had so much sweets (she doesn’t normally consume) that it did a number on her stomach. It got so bad we weren’t even sure if we were going to go trick-or-treating. Anyhoo, here are a few photos from the party.

Here is Gianna, opening up some of her gifts.

Here is Mikey aka Yoda.

Here are a couple of Dagny before she got sick.

my pretty girl

hide and seek

After a nap, Dagny seemed much better. So we decided to take a chance and go trick-or-treating. We weren’t planning to go far, and if we needed to come home we could, but we really wanted Dagny to have this experience.

When we got to the first house (our next door neighbors) and she got her first candy, you can tell she was sizing this up. Like, “wait, I go and say “trick-or-treat” and they give me something… hmmm, I like this.” She was so ready to hit the following house. She thoroughly enjoyed herself.

here she is with her daddy

Ready to go to the next house.

hurry mom, we got to keep going

Because she was so cute (according to the people we visited and of course us) she got extra candy. We heard this line over and over again “She is so cute, here have one more” and “here is one for Bear”. It got to the point that Dagny didn’t want to carry her pumpkin because it was so heavy. So, I had to carry it, until we got to the next door, where she took it from me. When she was done it came right back to me to hold.

I’m ready for more… lets go

This was our last stop. My mom was kind enough to hand out candy while Craig and I took Dagny out. Before we went in for the night, Dagny said “Trick-or-Treat” to her Agi Mama. It was so adorable.

last stop

Here is the load.

the final count

It was a wonderful experience even with the crazy wind and chilly weather. I think Dagny really had fun, perhaps as much as Craig and I.

Barbara

October 30, 2009 by Barbara

Look What We Foundâ€¦

… the cutest little ladybug in our backyard.

it’s a ladybug

what a cutie

“Hi”

cutie

Dagny loves it when we chase her

YAY

pretty profile

Barbara

October 28, 2009 by Barbara

Meeting You

Dear Dagny,

A year ago today we met each other and a love affair started.

I remember having all sorts of emotions that day, from nervousness to total calmness. I was nervous about the process but totally calm about meeting you. I had this feeling deep inside that without a doubt I was meeting my daughter.

Max, our driver, came to pick us up and drove us to the Ministry of Education (MOE) to get our official referral for you. Masha, our translator, met us there. I remember standing in the hallway waiting to be called into the room. We were called in to the room; we were the first of the day. There were two ladies in the room. Imagine the room where there was a desk that the head lady sat at and another table attached off it forming the letter T. Dad and I sat at one side of the rectangle table, Masha to the left of us, across from us was the Assistant, and the head lady to the right of us. They asked us some basic questions and then the head lady pulled out a file and in the file was this little black and white photo of this little girl. I remember feeling a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. I finally saw my daughter. After giving a brief history about your background, the head lady asked us if we would like to meet you, Dad and I looked at each other and very loudly said “DA, DA, YES!”. The ladies cracked a smile and out we went.

From there we went straight to Orphanage #14. We were told that this was one of the best in the city. When we pulled up to the orphanage, my heart started to beat faster than ever. I was so excited to be meeting you. We were taken into the dance room, where Masha got your medical information and we went over it. You weren’t quite ready to meet us, you were busy having lunch. When we were done with Masha she went to get you. Your Dad and I were pacing the room back and forth. We both were so excited, we knew that our lives will forever be changed. Then the door opened and there you were in Masha’s arms. You were wearing a pink sweater. I remember your dark hair and your beautiful eyes looking around. Both your Dad and I teared up. I turned to your dad and said “I now believe in love at first sight!” I fell in love with you that moment. I really did. When Masha put you in my arms, I knew that you were my daughter forever.

My dearest Dagny you have made your father and I so happy and we hope we have done the same for you. You are our light, our heart, and our everything. We promise the very best for you. We hope to show you the world through books, travel, fun, and by being a family.

We love you so much, now and forever!

Here you are the day we met you.

1st day

Here you are today, one year later.

1 Year Later

What a difference a year makes.

Love,

Mom and Dad

October 26, 2009 by Barbara

Pumpkin Carving

Last night Dagny carved her first pumpkin. OK, not really, but kind of. She helped with the removal of the insides, which at times she thought was “yucky”, and at other times thinking it was cool.

Here is our Picasso designing her pumpkin.

designing

Here she is getting into it.

working hard

getting it all out

Then she moved over to Craig where the cute faces started.

She loves her Daddy

This is yucky…

yucky

…but, FUN.

FUN

I think she loved it.

I love it

The final product!

pumpkin

Barbara

October 24, 2009 by Barbara

Autumn Backyard Fun

Craig and I switched roles today. I went out with Dagny to rake some leaves while Craig was making Gumbo. Craig came out and joined us after awhile with our new Digital SLR Camera.

Here are some photos of the fun we had.