Fun at Kazapalooza!

On June 13th we got in our car and headed out to Chicago for the weekend. We were a little nervous, as this would only be Taylor's second long car ride since we have been home. She did very well on the drive in and seemed to be just as excited as we were!
We arrived and checked in to our hotel, the Essex Inn around 3:30pm and were greeted by Muriel and Michelle. It felt so great to put live faces to these pictures we had been seeing for months! We checked into our room, and spent the afternoon in Grant Park until it was time for dinner. We went back to the hotel and saw Jila and Dana, all I can say is that tears almost rolled! We were all so excited to see one another again, finding it unbelievable that it had been almost a year! On our way down to the Sherwood Conservatory for a pizza party, we ran into so many more people. It was great to finally see Steve and KJ again, and not have any weirdness between us, and to finally meet Gena and Jamie in person after spending so much time on the phone with one another! The pizza party went great, and we met a lot more people. We found out throughout the weekend, that we knew many more people there through blogs than we had originally thought!

Taylor and Aitugan at the Pizza Party


After the pizza party we headed back and stopped to play in Grant Park for a while longer. This was the first time Taylor had stayed up and played outdoors after dark, and she was really into it. Around 10:30pm (Chicago time) we headed back to the hotel room to wind down and go to bed. Needless to say Taylor wanted nothing to do with it. First she semi stood up in the pack n play so that only her eyes were showing... I could not help but bust out laughing! After we settled her down, she babbled for about 40 minutes and finally feel asleep. Around 3:30 am she started screaming at the top of her lungs, still asleep! That not only woke us up but our neighbors too! She settled down quickly and slept until about 8 am. Needless to say we were all tired in the morning!

Left to right: Maegan, Tony, Taylor, Steve, KJ, Aitugan, Jen, Asher, Jay, Shelby, Hayden, Zoe, Jila and Kiana.


We went to breakfast at the restaurant in the hotel with Steve, KJ and Aitugan. I believe that this was one of the best meals we have ever had, not because the food was great (far from it) but because we all we able to have a great talk about all the events that happened last year. This was a needed conversation, and it has made us closer because of it!
After breakfast we all met in the lobby to head out to The big event! This was a party where all the families got together and really got to converse with one another. We met many people and caught up with many. We had a great lunch, had a raffle, and took many pictures. We all had a great time, but come 1:30pm all the kids were tuckered out. We all headed back to the hotel where the kids (and Tony!) got a nap.


So happy to be a family!


At 2:45pm we met in the lobby to head to the Shedd Aquarium. Our group was rather large but it ended up being us with Dana and Serena, which was great and gave us a really good chance to catch up. Taylor had a good time watching the fish with her daddy but when it came to the larger ones, she wanted nothing to do with them! Serena and Taylor had a great time running around and playing, and the penguins seemed to be a hit! We met up with Gena, Jamie, Jessie, and Berik and all went to dinner.


Taylor and Tony looking and some of the fish.


The gang at dinner!


We had a pool party that evening and Taylor had a blast! At first she let out a little squeal but she got over it once she realized that we were going anywhere. She had alot of fun splashing and playing with the other kids. She was giggly and happy the whole time. Afterwards we went back to our room and took a quick shower. We all met up with Gena, Jamie, Jessi, Berik, Jen, Jay, Hayden, Zoe and Asher and we walked a few blocks to watch the fireworks. We all headed back to get some much needed sleep and to wind down.


Tay and I in the pool!

Needless to say, Taylor had the same kind of night as the previous night, so we were all exhausted! We awoke to loud thunder and wind at about 8 am. We packed up, got ready for the day and met with all the families in the lobby for a while. We took many pictures, had a lot of fun, and had to say our goodbyes. It was very hard to say goodbye, but we hope that will keep in contact with our friend's. We plan to head back next year to the next Kazapalooza which will be in Nashville.

Some of the children at Kazapalooza!


Finally Reunited! Maegan, Taylor, Kiana, Jila, Serena and Dana