PUMPKIN TIME!!!

PUMPKIN PATCH FUN

Elaina and I went to Schaake's Pumpkin Patch today in Lawrence!! The weather was beautiful and we had a GREAT time!!!

I can't believe that my little pumpkin is 3 1/2 feet tall!!!

Here she is with her GREEN pumpkin that she picked out and she said it was just her size!!!

Elaina and Mommy


Say PUMPKIN!!!

Elaina had so much fun on the slides!!!

FIRST DAY OF PRESCHOOL

Elaina was so excited for her first day of Pre-School.

PRESCHOOL BREAKFAST

She is always asking for both bacon and sausage and she can only have one or the other so today I let her have one bacon and one sausage along with her eggs and grapes. She ate ALL of it.

Elaina LOVES blue and I found this adorable plaid jumper that has blue flowers on it. Everyone thinks it is her school uniform. It sure does look like what Mommy had to wear going to Catolic School.
Showing off her pre-school bag that she helped me decorate with Ariel and hearts.

Elaina got to be the first SPECIAL HELPER and bring snack. Here she is standing by her classroom door holding her sncak of cinnamon bread and drinkable yogurt.

Elaina hugs her Teacher Ms. Mary!!

MOGUATE at TAN-TAR-A

MOGUATE 2009

We had a wonderful weekend at Tan-Tar-A with 43 families who have all adopted from Guatemala.

The major highlight from our weekend besides seeing old friends and making new friends was that Elaina and I got to meet the family that had the same Foster Mother as us and we got to visit via webcam with Alyeda our Foster Mother in Guatemala. She cried tears of joy when she saw her Princessita and the Dunbars children. We got to see her whole family and we visited for a long time. We can't THANK Susan enough for translating for us and setting it all up. We plan to do it more often to stay in touch.

Elaina and Mommy pose by the bear in the restaurant in our MOGUATE shirts that Mommy designed.

Oops-forgot to flip pic.
PIZZA FACE!!!
Susan and I took the girls bowling for the first time. Elaina makes the cutest scorekeeper. Group shot of most of our Guatemalan Blessings!!!

Elaina steps up to the line!!!

Mommy and Elaina by the waterfall!!

I am holding Elaina-she did not go down the slide by herself-you just can't see me.

Playing with Evy and new friend A!!!

Can't wait for next year!!!!

SUMMER BIKE RIDE

What a beautiful summer evening for a bike ride. Elaina went for a ride on her new (used) bike before dinner and then I gave her a choice to play after dinner or go for another bike ride and she she choose the bike ride!!! Good Choice Elaina!!!!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!

Peek-A-Boo!!!

Here is my little firecracker wearing her Grandpa's hat!!

Elaina and Mommy at our Parade at school!!

Being Silly!!

Friends Photo Shoot

We had so much fun going to get our pictures taken with our Best Friends!!!

I don't have a scanner so I took pictures of our pictures. Gotta do what works!!

I LVOE this pic of me and Elaina!!

The poem says:

She may outgrow her Mother's arms

But she will never outgrow her Mother's heart!!

LIVE LAUGH LOVE

Framed group wall picture

Christopher, Elaina and Andrew

Elaina is 3!!!!

Best Friends!!!

Mommy's 40th Birthday!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!!!!

May 6- Mommy and Aunt Jean turned the BIG 40 and Aunt Joanie turned 37!!!

Gammie took us all out to lunch at the Mongolian BBQ!!! It was so yummy.

Elaina wrote her E in my card!!!

"LOOK MOM-I am using my chopsticks!!!"

Gammie asked me what I wanted to get Mommy for her birthday and I said: Paper, Pencils, Crayons and scissors so Mommy can cut out her pictures. SO, that is what I got her!!!

Thanks Elaina-Mommy loves her presents!!

Family Picutre

Gammie, Elaina, Mommy, Aunt Jean (Mommy's twin sister) and Aunt Joanie (Mommy's younger sister)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNT JEAN AND AUNT JOANIE!!!!

I LOVE YOU!!!!!!

Hugs and Kisses, Elaina

My Little Gardner

After a busy morning of going to my cousin Laura's confirmation and luncheon we went home and I planted flowers with my Gammie.

I picked out this pink flower all by myself!!

My Mommy says I look like Yoko One when I go outside and my glasses get dark!!
Who's Yoko Ono???

My Gammie bought me my very own yellow pepper plant. I LOVE PEPPEERS!!! Come on little guy GROW!!!!

Having fun playing in the dirt. I had dirt in my hair, all over my face and under my pretty pink fingenails but Mommy helped me clean my fingernails before dinner!! Thanks Mommy!!!

I DID IT!! I planted my pretty pink flower!!!

Elaina's Easter Pics

Elaina got puzzles from the Easter Bunny!!!

Elaina is all smiles in her Easter Dress. Even though it was cold she did not want to wear her sweater.

Coloring eggs with Gammie

Yummy Chocolate!!!

My cute little Bunny!!!

Elaina's New Glasses

NEW GLASSES

Elaina got her new glasses today. She was so excited to get them. Her Mommy, Gamma, Aunt Jean, Aunt Joanie, Aunt Ali, Uncle Richard and a couple of friends at school all have glasses too.

We went to the eye doctor on Monday and I had forgotten that she would eventually need glasses due to the Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) she had when she was born. Elaina had surgery when she was 3 months old in Guatemala. Elaina was a preemie and only weighed @ 2-2 1/2 pounds at birth and she had stage 3 out of 5 stages of the ROP. So glasses were inevitable. I had to laugh at my eye doctor (who I LOVE) she said:"Yep, she is YOUR daughter because we have the same stigmatism in our left eyes. (I also had eye surgery when I was a baby).

These are transition lenses (didn't know that before I got them today)but when she goes outside and the lenses darken she looks like John Lennon. Too cute!!

Easter Bunny

EASTER BUNNY

We had a very busy day today. We started our day with going to a WW meeting with Mommy, then we went to swim lessons and had to leave early so we wouldn't be late for the egg hunt. We go to the egg hunt just as they started and Elaina had fun gathering her eggs. (Sorry no pics-Mommy's camera card was full. Had to delete some pics,but luckily Aunt ALi saved the day and she took egg hunt pics for us.) Elaina actually sat on the Easter Bumy's lap this year. She gave him a high five but we just couldn't quite get the smile out of her. Of course once she was down off his lap she was all smiles. We had lunch and then ran some errands and then went to go watch ALi's boys play soccer. They did great!! We had a really good say!!!

Elaina and the Easter Bunny
Playing on the swings

Easter Bunny pics with our buddies Christopher and Andrew!!

MARDI GRAS PARADE

Mardi Gras Parde at school today. All the kids made some kind of masks or hats and marched around the gym. Here are a couple of pice of me and Elaina in our Mardi Gras hats.