Adoption Day

Today was our adoption day, oh what a wonderful day. Reah is such a wonderful baby, she is learning to sit up and is attempting to army crawl if you put something out of her reach that she thinks is worth the effort. She grows by leaps and bounds everyday. This past week I think she has started looking less like a baby and more like a little girl. She is beautiful. It is hard to explain the feeling. She has been ours since the day she came to us, but there is something about making everything legal. Not having to check in with anyone. So today Anastasia legally became Reah, which we have called her for months. Several times lately we have sat dumbly in a waiting room while someone called for Anastasia. We were blessed by having both of our moms here and a few friends from church. At an adoption preceding you get to testify and after answering a bunch of questions they ask you to say something. For both adoptions now I have gotten to choked up to say what I wanted to say. So here is what I would say if I could. “I have thought a lot about the right thing to say today but there are no words to say for such a gift. When they called us to take Reah we were super hesitant. We just did not know if we could do it. Now people comment daily on how crazy they think we are, but to us it just who we are. Somedays we are good at it, somedays we are not. But it is us, crazy loud, lovely chaos. I think when we were a little younger thinking about starting our family we thought we knew what that took. But we never knew that God would place so many people in our lives to make us a family. Social workers, in home workers, adoption workers, visiting nurses, lawyers and judges. We would not be the family we are without them all. There is no set way to be a family we are all different and so blessed.
What a wonderful baby girl you are Reah Elizabeth. You make a wonderful completion to our family. I love you sweet smile and silly squinty eyes. I cannot even imagine our family without you now. I love you princess reah.

After court where my kids were loud and as unruly as possible we went to chuckecheese to celebrate. The kids had a blast shoving tokens in any game that they could reach. Then naps and burgers with Andy and Karl. Such a big day and she had no idea, she just knew that her mommy put her in a funny dress and made her wear a bow that she did not like. It was an ordinary day for her and anything but for us!

Reah Elizabeth Clapp

What a good looking crew

Colby testifying that we would take care of her to the best of our ability!

Minutes after the judges ruling. Judge Jacobs let the kids bang the gavel, they were only slightly impressed

Rosa and Logan trying to give Chucke a five. Bryant said he was not going near that monster


Sorry about all the lines, it goofed up somewhere

A pack of crayons

Trick or treating at Mr Franks

Have you ever seen such cute crayons?
Colby made the kids costumes and they turned out fantastic!



Reah really wanted to paint a pumpkin

Pumpkin painting

Peyson the artist

My baby boy moved to a big boy bed.

Colbys pumpkin. He is always a big show off about his carving talent

teeter totter at the pumpkin patch

Daddy are you trying to hit Rosa?

learning to spin plates

Ornery but Cute

What a month September was, this was a very long month for us, for friends and our church family. We were very ready to welcome October. In the middle of septemeber we were watching a friend from church cut limbs from a tree in the church parking lot and as the limb fell it hit the ladder and Clint fell 18 feet to the asphalt. What a hard experience for his family. We are so blessed that he was wearing a helmet, but he has had multiple surgeries and in just got out of the hospital last week. This is going to be a life change for them, he will no longer be albe to build log cabins or construction. After his last surgery the doctor told him no work for a year. They are have two small girls and it has really showed us that the life you live can change in a second. He did go home last week, was able to move into an apartment that would accomodate his wheelchair until he can get back on his feet. This has weighed so heavy on our hearts and we rejoice as his healing continues!
Then we lost a dear friend very suddenly. She had 3 kids ages 8-17 and a swarm full of friends. we take so much for granted and then it is gone so fast. This is a huge loss for her family and for all of her church family and friends. Damena was fun and real. She spent lots of time telling me to treasure Rosas quirks. Please add her family to your nightly prayers.

As for our family we are all doing well. The kids are growing big and are already anticipating Christmas. We are still waiting for the adoption of Reah to be complete, but the worker promises that it wont be long! We took the oldest four to dinner and a movie tonight for Colbys birthday and they did great. It would be a lie to say that I was looking forward to this, I was actually pretty nervous! But they showed us!

Thanks for the cake!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Reah wants to party too!

Can the old man blow out his candles?

Mike, Bryant, Logan and Bailey on the hay ride

There is nothing more fun than a corn box

A trip to the pumpkin patch (on the same day it snowed)

What marshmallow?

Hay ride

Courtney and Kaden teetertottering

Our friends at the pumpkin patch

We broke records this year for having over an inch of snow this early in October, the kids thought it was excellent.

Should I eat this?

Super cute kids at the pumpkin patch

Again with the super cute kids

You know your from Iowa if you make snow angels AND corn angels

Farmer Logan

This is Annie one of our two pet rabbits

Somebody catch him!

How can I tell him he is getting to big for this?

Hershey is a funny dog!

Fall Cake

Having fun feeding the fish at the zoo

Will anybody actually let it touch their hand?

Sadie, Rosa, Peyson, and Logan

"Please stop taking our picture!"

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Okay I dont like talking a lot about one kid and not the other, but this has been Bryants month. He is such an ornery boy but he is so funny. Today after nap (which he did not sleep) he came in and said "Everything is my fault" this broke my heart, because we really try not to use that phrase, I am not really sure where he picked it up. But the saddness was soon replaced when he said "I gave Hershey lots of toys, mom" Since hereshey resides outside I thought this was odd. So Colby goes outside and Bryant has unlocked his window, raised it, pushed the screen out, and then tossed a ton of toys out the window. Okay he was punished and we will have to replace the screen, but it was still pretty funny (Colby sees no humor at all).

Then tonight we went to eat Mexican and for Colbys birthday I sat next to Bryant, the boy has a stubborn inability to use a fork or a napkin. Half way through the meal it dawns on me that his sweet patting me on the back is actually him wiping his refried bean on my shirt. I went to the movie with bean hands on my back! Ornery but so cute!

Happy Birthday Nanny

Blue Skies and Rainbows

Our last trip to the Zoo visiting the jelly fish

Reah in Bible Class. She is getting so big!

Sisterly love

Getting ready for the campout with daddy

New PJ's for the campout

Not a ton going on around here! Bryant had tubes replaced in his ears. It went great! He cried when they took him from us, but came back in a great mood. He wanted Breakfast on the way home so we stopped at McD's and he ate his breakfast and mine too! And we never saw him waiver all day. He has become a bottomless pit though and tonight we had to try on three pair of shoes before he finally went barefoot. I think his foot grew 2 sizes overnight. Reah had been having trouble with some wheezing so they are going to treat her for asthma and see if that will help her at all. But the Dr.s are always so amazed at how happy she is when she is there, sounds terrible and smiling like crazy. We have met with the adoption worker and are just waiting on some paperwork so hopefully it will not be too much longer. Rosa is loving school, she seems so much older than all the other kids. What a difference a year makes! She has started recognizing some sight words and is showing an interest in reading. Logan really really really wants to go to school, but alas he wants are going unheard. He has learned to write his name beautifully and is working on our phone number. Peyson, well Peyson has become a handfull! For such a cute boy he has the grouchies disposition I have ever seen in a child! I hear he is a lot like Colby. He screams and throws himself down. Last week we had a garage sale and he got angry and threw himself on the ground and rolled kicking and screaming across the yard. Pretty funny really. He is stargin to talk more and loves to say "more cracker please" cracker is his word for all food and he says it very demandingly. Thankgoodness he is so cute.

our summer in pics

Rosas big day! Today was Rosas first day of school. It is a 3 day 2 1/2 hour preschool and she loves it. She was very excited to return. She could have gone to kindergarten but we chose to wait one more year to help her come out of her shell a little more. We had to go clothes shopping last night to get some warmer clothes for this odd weather we are having. I cannot believe how big she is, she has even started reading a couple of start to read books. It makes me sad, but excited at the same time. What a wonderful girl she is!

Kids at the lock in at the church building for the teens. We had 23 teens and they all did great. Our kids sleep in Colbys office and once they got to sleep slept till after 8! They were sad when they woke up and realized everyone was gone!

This is our new addition (its not a baby this time) Hershey. He is a great dog, 6 wks, half lab half collie. He is a good dog and great with the kids. BUT they are terrified of him. Colby and I are like two big kids, we love him lots. However the kids have spent the last 4 days screaming on the couch. They wont get out of bed if he is up. We are torn between sadness at their fear and the want to tell them to get over it. We are going to give it a while, but not sure if Hersheys place is very secure yet.

The kids saw the sheet like this and came up with the idea of a puppet show on their own. LTC here we come!

We made a fort in the living room, the kids thought it was a great place to read books and wrestle mom




Rosas wonderland

Thank you Aunt Tracy for the wonderful fairy hideaway!

Colby fell asleep in the chair and Bryant was trying to give him a drink of water

We tie died t-shirts while at Nannys, this is the best pictures we could get of them all together. Ellison cant get away fast enough and Peyson thinks if he hides he will dissapear.

FUN IN THE SUN

My sweet sweet niece!

Reah passed out after her swimming experience

Beach Baby!

Sami and Shi came to see us in OK. What beautiful girls they have become. Everytime I see them I am amazed at how wonderful they are.

Peysons true colors!

Noan and Rosa playing Wii, the kids had a good time at Grandmas. They are starting to get old enough to play with their cousins.

Enoch and Logan wrestling, can you believe how Enoch has grown?

While in Texas Logan was suppose to be taking a nap on Grandmas bed, but when I walked in he was about asleep in the bed with Reah. He said "Mom she neede me to get to sleep" what a good brother!

We went on a trip to KC with the youth group and left our kids with my mom for 3 days and suprize! we had a ton of fun. This is a pic of the HUGE slip n slide we used (well I was not brave enough). The more time we spend with the youth group the more I realize how they have grown and changed since we got here. They are a great group!

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