Day 2 in Cincinnati... Zoo

We went to lunch with Wes' parents and sisters family for his mom's birthday. They all wanted to meet me, it was a little nerve racking as all eyes were on me. After lunch Krissie's grandma came and told me thank you and told me how much they all loved Krissie, it was very sweet of her to reach out to me like that. They were all in love with Aliya, her not so much. The we headed to the Cincinnati Zoo and had an amazing day. That zoo is incredible, quite large, and the best zoo I have ever been to. Aliya always wanted to be right by Krissie if she wasn't in the stroller, which she was in love with. Before we headed out I had to do a quick photo shoot, it seemed as though this was a daily tradition. To end the day we head to the famous Skyline Chili, Aliya Juel and I loved it, and Jer was quite jealous so enjoyed some form a can at home. (1 of the 3 Cincinnati must eats)

Aliya Juel and Mom head to Cincinatti

I had the wonderful opportunity to take Aliya Juel to Cincinnati to meet her sister Krissie. It was amazing. I will post per day, I took over 700 hundred pictures so it will take me awhile to decide which ones to post. Aliya was great on the plane and during the whole week. Her naps came when it was convenient with our busy schedule. She slept great and LOVED her sister. She warmed up to Krissie in about 2 minutes, the rest of the family it took much longer. I had amazing talks with Krissie, I am seriously the luckiest birth mother out there to have the relationship that I do with my daughter. I plan to journal extensively on here for personal reasons so that I can remember every last detail. I would not be where I am today if this wasn't part of my journey, and I couldn't have made it through this journey without my mom, my three amazing sisters, and some of my dearest friends that have supported me through all of this. Who have let me cry over margaritas as I let my mouth blab about what an amazing week I had. I am so happy with where I am today and where my relationship is with Krissie. It is absolutely amazing.

Day 1: Aliya Juel and I flew into Cincinnati and the Krissie's family picked us up. It was so nice to see Krissie, the last time I saw her was four years ago when she came to visit with her dad to meet Jaxon. She has grown up from a little girl into a beautiful young woman. We climbed in the car and Aliya was saying Krissie and had already bonded with her, which was amazing because it took her a few days to warm up to Wes and Carol and the whole week to not be completely terrified of Bryce. We went home and sat and talked and then I made them dinner. Within an hour of being there Wes asked about Josh, Krissie's birthfather. I knew this was coming and just told her what I knew about where he was and that I told him how amazing and beautiful she was. I told her that he called me a few years ago and apologized for being out of the picture and that he wanted to meet her. Well he never followed through and now emails me periodically to let me know where he is, per my request so I know he is alive and so I can keep Krissie in the know if she ever wants to meet him. Krissie asked me to request he write her a letter and send it through me, she is not ready for him to know where she lives, but does want to meet him one day. I have not heard back from him on this request and hope that he will come through on this for her. She doesn't want him to ever hurt her, as her brother has been let down by his birthfather. Bryce and Krissie both have great relationships with their birthmothers. 

March in pictures

Aliya Juel and Jaxon have become best of buds. Aliya has taken down her space bubble with Jaxon. It is so fun to have them be so close. Jaxon is always helping her and looking out for her. It makes me smile to watch Aliya Juel always thinking of Jaxon, she wants to make sure he gets whatever she does. Jaxon doesn't answer everything for Aliya which has helped her to start to count to ten. She still misses some letters but is getting better at saying the numbers and standing up for herself.

St Patrick's Parade 2011

Aliya Juel was all bundled up for the festivities. We met the Dunseth's, Warner's, and Mellus' families there. These are 3 of our closest family friends, our kids are all close in ages and play very well together. I love Tahlula passed out at the end of the night all dressed up. Such sweet kids we all have. 

Meg and Tim's Wedding at Library Square

Swimming with friends

Swimming with Aliya Juel's best bud, Shia and his dad. As well as Jaxon's best bud, Parker and his little sister, Zoey. The kids had a blast while the mama's enjoyed it from the sidelines.

Some stories I want to remember

*Yesterday Aliya went potty all by herself in the little potty. After she went she emptied the potty in the toilet and sat on it again to go a little poop. She emptied that and came back to finish her business before she emptied it again. It was so funny to watch. She loves to help out.
*Aliya is a love bug. She loves to hug kids her own age, to the point of annoyance, at least she isn't hitting... right?
*I spoke to Jaxon's preschool teacher yesterday for about a half hour. It was so nice to hear how much they love having him in their class and that he lightens up the class. I am glad we chose to do a year of preschool before sending him off to kindergarten. I am going to register him next week and am happy, but also sad. I will miss having him around so much. And this is the beginning to a long road of school.
*Aliya has exploded with words, she says everything we say. She has such a sweet voice.
*My kids are so sweet, they truely light up my life. I absolutely love that I get to see them grow everyday. I am so in love with being a mother to these two little beings. They amaze me everyday... sometimes frustrate, but I always end the day with smiles full of love for them.