Happy New Year!

2012 has been a very traveling year.. Distance is so hard especially now that Lilja is developing such amazing relationships with each and everyone of you..but we are lucky that we have the means and the help to be able to travel to see you. Holland was our first trip of the year with lots of memories, the zoo, the beach and Lilja feeding those little goats. . We loved being at the cabin in Wisconsin and really spend some time with Aran's side of the family. It was so sweet to see Lilja and Tae become great buds. Nicole got to travel to Seattle and see her Uncle and his family again this year of a couple of days. The highlight? Crab fishing!! Lilja loved to eat that crab. We also traveld a lot to Denver this year. We got to see Jasmin, Lilja's tummy mommy a couple of time and then met James, Lilja's birthdad for the first time. We loved see them all together and will cherish the vision of Lilja standing next to both of them. She is a lucky girl to have two birthparents who love her so much. This year Nicole's mom ended up coming a couple of times. First by herself in which she completely decorated Lilja's room and then with Opa in the Fall where they got to celebrate Lilja's birthday with all of us. Aran's parents got to buy the x-mas tree with us, go on the Polar Express  and celebrate an early X-mas morning with us. We even got a short visit from Aran's brother Hans, in which they did what they do best... fish!!
And who has been growing up amongst all of this.. Lilja Cabilja! this energetic, fun, empathetic little girl is expanding her imagination, running up a storm, taking gymnastics classes, making best friends,  learning dutch words, and her own little language and is just so smart!! We feel proud to call her our daughter
As we look back at this year, we feel so lucky. Our support system seems to grow with a few surprises here and there. Strangers become family, strangers become friends, friends become better friends and our little family just becomes better of it. Thank you to all of you!! for your love, support, talks, cries and laughs.. We appreciate you and will always love you, here is to 2013!!