Time to update!!

Gonna update with photo's:

Little Ethiopian-Dutch girl

Future Luke Bryan keyboard player

Walking with papa & momma

playground fun!

My happy-grocery-store-helper

picnic time at Centennial Park

Uncle Kirk & Kyah

Lunch with gramp, gram & Kirk

Ready for Gabe's Graduation Open House/18th B-day Party!

Having fun with Bo-Friend

Gabe at HHS Graduation with Jordan

Loves being outside, especially helping papa Todd on the bobcat

Styling and ready to mow lawn with mom!

Kyah brushing Jordan's hair.  Jordan says this is the sister she always wanted!

John Ball Park Zoo day with Gramma Linny

Kyah loves her Jesse

fell asleep during lunch  =)

Playing with our new kittens.

Grace & Kyah playing with a cell phone....who can talk the most????

Kyah and her friend Gavin who we just happen to run into at the ice cream shop...often!!

Our Summer is going great!  Gabe is working and filling his bank account for upcoming MSU.  Jordan got her driving permit and I'm being chauffeured everywhere these days.  Jesse is at Camp Geneva and recently decided that he's ready to make profession of faith!  He'll begin meeting with his mentor soon.  Solomon is busy (as I type!) making crafts.  I can hear tape being used and he's usually making some sort of Iron Man costumes.   =)  Kyah just turned 2 this past Saturday!  Pictures of that special day to come in the near future.

Since I updated last, we rejoice with our friends Brett & Robin who have traveled to Ethiopia with their 3 kids for Ethiopian court!  It was a great trip for them and they officially adopted little "T" and are submitted to Embassy and should be traveling back to bring him home in the next few weeks!  Thanks to all of you who prayed for them and please continue to do so!  And for my friends, Lisa, Kerri and Carmen, remember them as their wait continues.


We have friends whose little boy, Erick, was recently diagnosed with leukemia.  Please pray for him as he has been and will remain hospitalized for weeks.  Pray that a bone-marrow match will happen quickly and that he will remain strong and healthy during chemo, upcoming surgery and recovery time.  


**Although it's only been a day since I posted this, much has happened!!!

Brett & Robin got an email from the US Embassy this morning inviting them to set a date and come get their little boy!!!!!!!!!!!!  Plans are being set for a date in the next 2 weeks.  Praise to God!!!

AND, Erick's oldest sister is a match for being a bone-marrow donor!  Can you believe it!?!  They were told there was only a 25% chance of a sibling being a match and, Praise to God!, she is!  Lots of things about to happen for this family.  Thankfully they are at a fantastic hospital and in the best place possible...in God's Almighty Hands!!  

Mother's Day thoughts....

As you can imagine this was an extra special Mother's Day for me!  I smile and LOL just thinking of how things have "played out" in my life.  My mom is one of the most important people in the world to me and I was reminded often in the past few weeks just how blessed I am to have her!


Gabe is about to graduate, Jordan will soon take drivers training, Jesse will end elementary school, Solomon will move on to 2nd grade and Kyah learns and amazes us more each day!  I can not imagine my life without one of these super special kiddo's!  Knowing that I was chosen by God to be their mother is a pure honor!

Shortly after we were matched with Kyah last summer, my friend, Myrna, forwarded an adoption blog that she follows.  In it, the adoptive mother wrote a wonderful poem that touched my heart.  I thought about that many times and decided that I needed to write one similar and make it my own.  I certainly am no poet (unlike my dad) but I feel that now is a perfect time to share.  I have only shared this with Todd and Myrna, until now.  When I wrote it, I was thinking about Kyah's biological mom.  The love that I feel towards both she and Kyah's bio-dad grows when I think about the complete sacrifice they made so that she could survive.  Unfortunately, we were unable to meet them face-to-face while in Ethiopia, however, I know that someday I will meet them....       


Pure Religion 

What was I doing that day?  Did I realize, deep within me, that that day was something special?  Something special happening so far away, but yet would impact me so close.  Did you know what was happening?  Were you able to be with someone who cared about what you were going through?  A family was created.  A family that was for a moment.  But not meant to be.

What was it like to look down at her beautiful little brown face?  Does she resemble you?  Did she cry?  Did you cry?  What was I doing that day?
Perhaps making breakfast for my kids.  Going through the many choices and having them decide what they wanted.  Making plans for the day, which would include an afternoon in our pool.  Did you have enough to eat that day?  Were you scared?  Did you cradle that babe in your arms tightly, knowing that it wasn't meant to be?

Oh, how I thank you for giving her life!  I'm sure it wasn't easy!  Probably no doctor, perhaps no roof over your head.  You could have ended things for her.  I'm so grateful you didn't!  I thank you that you gave her a second chance at life.  Are you able to have a second chance at life now, too?

Humbly, I will give her everything that you were not able to.  I will smother her with all the love and affection I can.  I will raise her as I do my blond haired, blue eyed babes.  I will show her no difference, since she in now my own.  With joy I celebrate her little life!  I adopt because I am adopted.  I am adopted into Christ's family.  His holy chosen people and I will raise this little one to know Him so saves.

written by Carrie, adoptive mother

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this; to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27 


 

Time goes fast when you're having fun!

Kyah's been home with us officially for 6 months now!  For an entire 1/2 year already!!  It still feels like she's been with us from her very first breath.  Sometimes I think about the 15 months that I've missed with her, time that I'll never get back.  But, let me tell you...we're making up for it now! 
Oh, this little girl is changing!  She is so social.  I keep joking that she will be the perfect girl to be on a float in a parade.  All she wants to do is say "hi" to people, wave and blow kisses.  Like the teller at the bank who gave her a sucker and she says in a very large voice "bye" and then blows  him a kiss.  =)  She has made it all the way through 2 church services (that's a big step for an almost 22 month old!) and loves wandering around church greeting people.   Hey, she could be the official welcomer there!  LOL  She absolutely loves living on our farm.  She begs to get her coat and shoes on to go out and visit our calves, goats, bunnies and cats.  She has no fear of any of the animals and tries to feed and touch each of them.  Never would have believed we'd have an Ethiopian farm girl around here!  =)  
Although I haven't had her weighed lately, I can see that she's growing.  She's outgrowing some clothes and getting taller.  Her little feet are still a size 2 - 3.  Her hair is about 4 inches long and curls up tight when wet.  I've been coming up with new hair styles and am enjoying working with those beautiful little curls of hers.  She's got great dimples and is such a happy little girl.  Can't wait to see what she'll think of our pool this summer.  I'm guessing it won't take her long to jump in like the rest of the kiddo's!
She absolutely loves her brothers and sister!  She just squeals when they get home from school.  She "talks" on the phone all the time.  When it's really Todd calling, she talks and talks to him like a little adult.  (wonder where she gets that from ??)  She always wants her nails painted and has even sweet-talked Todd and her grampa Jack into painting them for her.   =)  She is fascinated with bugs and, at this point, isn't scared to pick up worms.  ha!  She drags Jordan to our computer and says "buke, buke"  meaning Luke Bryan.  She dances like crazy to his music videos!  And, her favorite food is still cheese!  =)
Family happenings;  Todd and I recently celebrated our 22 wedding anniversary, Jesse and Solomon were in Little Hawks wrestling, Jordan and Jesse had their 7th and 2nd piano recital and we're getting ready for Gabe's graduation!  Love this family and am so thankful for each one of them!

Can't wait for a ride on the gator!

wants to see every calf

They're so cute she even kisses them!

Kyah poses with her John Deere

Jesse & Solomon at their wrestling tournament

Loves books and being read to

EASTER at the Klaasen's

Grampa Jack painting nails (his very first attempt!)

I found her playing in her empty bath tub

Coloring with Solomon

   God is good, all the time!!

Baptized in the Name of the Father....

Kyah was baptized during a wonderfully themed orphan service a couple of weeks ago.  She did really well and it was a special day for our family!
Grampa Lee prayed for her and for us as we raise her in a Christian home.  Grampa Jack sang "Lullaby of Love" to her (the same song he sang for all 5 of his grandchildren now!)   Todd and I told about our adoption journey and how God totally had this all planned according to His purpose for all of our lives.  We were also able to share about how each one of us, as Christians, are called to care for orphans.  Yes, that may take us out of our "comfort zones" but if we truly do what God wants us to do, we may have to "get dirty".  Our good friend, Lisa, shared about the new orphan fund that our church recently began.  Hooray, that our church has this vision and can now help families in this way!  And finally, Tom, a representative from God's Littlest Angel's in Haiti, spoke and raised awareness of the needs they face each day.  He has a blog, check it out at:   http://godslittlestangelsinhaiti.org/thoughts/2013/03/13/story-16-are-we-willing-to-get-dirty/
Jordan created a fantastic video that was played during the service and it went through all the events that took place during our wait to bring Kyah home.  I treasure that video and watch it often!
After the service, we celebrated with family and special friends.  It was such an amazing day for all of us and we owe it all to the One in charge!

Grampa Lee praying for Kyah

Grampa Jack singing "Lullaby of Love"

Kyah joined Todd & I on stage

Lookin' good, Solomon!!

Couldn't have done it without my "girls!"

Love, love my girls!!

 We praise God for uniting us with Kyah and being able to parent her!  She is a precious little gift and our prayer would be that others find this much happiness in what the world considers to be "the least of these".  As the song goes; "if not us, who will be like Jesus to the least of these?"