Water Paint

I can not take credit for this cheap, no-mess, outdoor activity. My good friend, Sarah showed me yesterday while Elyse was playing with her son, Mason. It's outdoor water paint. Just put water in a bucket, go buy some cheap black sponge paintbrushes and let your child have some fun. Elyse really enjoyed it yesterday, and had just as much fun painting her sidewalk, car, and house today. Just wish I would have known about this activity sooner now that summer is almost over. Thanks Sarah!

Minnesota State Fair

Nate, Elyse and I joined Tom, Jenny and Aiden and spent the day at the MN State Fair. I would have never thought that spending just under seven hours in 90 degree heat with two toddlers would turn out to be such a wonderful time. We got a good share of fair food, but not enough, there was so much to choose from. It was not only Elyse's first time, but Nate's too. Overall, I believe it was a success. However, I don't think we will be returning anytime in the next week :)
Kiddos playing at the Big farm and the little farm. So much fun. They saw cows, horses, sheep, and baby pigs. They also dressed up like little farmers and planted seeds, fed their animals and bought some food that they grew. Aiden driving the tractor, Elyse carrying their buckets next to him. Elyse at the children's train station. Closest Jenny and I got to seeing Sven (Kare 11 Weatherman)
Nate and Tom mocking Jenny and I, or are they???? :)

Destined To Be Together

Jenny posted this post a few days ago and for some strange reason I missed the entire post. Saw it tonight and LOVED it. You can click here to see Jenny's entire post, but the video is by far my favorite. Therefore, I had to post that on our blog. Thanks Jenny! I too agree that they are destined to be together.

Untitled from Jenny on Vimeo.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today was my mom's birthday so Elyse and I spent the morning doing what us ladies do best, shop! We met at Mall of America (MOA) assuming that we would find lots to buy. Ironically, it was not a success, but the rest of the time was. The time went by so fast and I couldn't have asked for a better morning than spending it with my two favorite ladies in the world!
Us ladies (mostly Elyse) having some fun at Nickelodeon Universe. Elyse riding the escalator for the first time all on her own. Elyse shopping at the Disney Store, she LOVED the giant Mickey Elyse eating Nana's b-day dessert, wouldn't even stop for a picture

All in all, Happy Birthday Mom! I am so blessed to have you as my mom, Nana to Elyse and for being my friend. Thank you for all you do and I love you with all my heart!

Princess Pose

Not sure how it got started, but all I have to do is ask Elyse to show me her "Princess Pose" and this is what she does:

Family In Town

This past weekend, Nate, Elyse and I had Grandpa and Grandma (Nate's parents) visit. We had a wonderful time! Elyse surely got spoiled and was sad to see them leave (and we were too). We just wish it didn't go by so fast and already we are looking forward to seeing them again soon.

At the Minnesota's Farmers Market in Minneapolis, love it there!
Elyse opening some birthday gifts from Grandpa and Grandma
Love you both, and thanks for coming and for everything while here!

Grateful!

I just wanted to send out a post thanking everyone who has been so supportive the last 24 hours. We appreciate all the phone calls, visits, cards, e-mails and most importantly, your prayers. I will admit all the love and support we have got has really helped Nate and I cope, morn and trust God more than we did before. God has always taken us through something which leads to pain and soon enough turns to joy. We have so much confidence, faith and hope right now that God will provide us the perfect child in His timing. We have seen His beauty with the adoption of Elyse, and are encouraged to see what He will do with this adoption. We do ask that you still continue to pray for the following three things from the previous post. We also ask that you keep us in mind if you ever hear of a child being considered for adoption. We love you all and are so blessed to have you as family and friends! Thanks again.

"I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Full of Sorrow, But Still Trusting

So we just found out this morning that Lily has decided to parent. Nate and my heart dropped as we heard the news. Not only are we confused by this outcome, but so is Elyse. Trying to tell a little girl that God wants us to wait a little longer for a brother and that Lily will not be around anymore, is a odd thing for her to comprehend right now. But as for us, we are trusting God, but we hurt so much inside. We have been praying and building a relationship with Lily and baby boy since FEBRUARY and with a blink of an eye, it's over. I did tell Lily today that Nate and I forgive her and that we are not mad at her, just need closure and then said our last goodbyes.

I guess I'm asking for prayer for a few things...
1. Strength, wisdom and encouragement from God for us
2. Lily as she becomes a mother of two at 19.
3. God would provide us a child soon(preferable a son since Elyse only knows of having a baby brother).

Feel free to call or stop by; we are in a need for support and prayer from you all right now. Words just can't express how we are feeling. We know God will provide, but since we can't see that light at the end of the tunnel, we feel like we're sitting still in the dark.

Trusting in Him

So this morning Nate and I found out that Lily delivered baby boy. He is doing wonderful supposedly. The thing is that this is suppose to be a joyous event for Nate and I and right now my heart aches. The reason is because due to some events we are unable to make it to the hospital until birth counselor goes first. She is unable to make it till at least after 2. That's also not a guarantee that we will still be invited. I know God's plan will be perfect and beautiful, but as I sit here and type this I cry at the unknown. Therefore, please pray for us. Pray that Lily follows the spirit's guidance. Pray that we can see him today and pray that he becomes our son. I know these are selfish prayers because I desire to parent this little boy, but at the same time I know they are not because we can give him so much. I desire contentment and strength from Him today and for the next 12 days (in hospital and 10 days Lily gets to make up her mind). Hopefully in the end, the Klausers of three become the Klausers of four.

Chocolate Milk

I believe one of Elyse's highlights to her day is when Nate gets home, because she knows she gets chocolate milk. Nate always has a glass before going to the gym, and sometimes just because. So whenever he heads to the fridge, Elyse comes running into the kitchen screaming, "Chocolate milk!" As you can see from the video, she makes sure to get every bit. Even if there's nothing left, she still tries to get more. I too enjoy chocolate milk, but not like Elyse does. In fact, I don't know if anyone loves it and gets as excited to drink it as she does.


Baby Boy Update: Lily is doing really well. She was dilated to almost 2 as of yesterday, but prefers not to be induced until at least a week. Her doctors say she is ready to go today, but she would like to wait and not rush baby. Therefore, if she hasn't gone by Tuesday, she will be induced then at 7:30 A.M. Please continue to pray for a safe and quick labor for her, as well as that God would provide her with comfort and healing of this process. We are very excited and have faith that God's plan is our plan. Who knows, our next post maybe to introduce our son?!?!

Mess Free Coloring

So I don't recommend a lot of things to people, but these markers from Crayola are a must for all moms! Crayola's Mess Free Color Wonders. I found the paper at a garage sale for a dime, bought the markers at Michael's (cheapest of all departments stores if print out the 40% off coupon on-line, search Michael's printable coupons), and then I handed them over to Elyse. She didn't want to stop coloring, not even for lunch, and that's huge for her. The markers are white, and after a second on the paper they change colors. Elyse LOVED watching them change. They don't stain skin, clothes, furniture, and toys. I know we will be using these on car rides. If your child enjoys coloring, especially with markers, it's worth every penny!

Story of the Missing "I"

To start off this post I have to recommend the toy I am about to talk about. The Leap Frog's Magnetic Letters. This toy not only keeps a child busy while us moms are in the kitchen, but I swear they helped Elyse learn her letters so quickly. It's a wonderful toy and even though it is recommended for a 2 year old, I say start at 1. Okay for the story of the missing "I".

For just about two months now Elyse has had to play with her magnetic letters as they are on the fridge. All 25, that's right, no "I". Randomly one day it went missing and I swore I was going to have to write into Leap Frog to buy another one. Well, yesterday, I see my daughter running into the kitchen smiling and carrying a little red "I". That's right, she found it. She found it in her washer/dryer toy set. I rotate toys every 3 weeks and so she hasn't seen her set in over 6 weeks, and that's why I haven't seen the "I". Well being so structured and an orderly person, I was going crazy with it gone and now that the "I" has returned, I can finally feel fulfilled that her magnetic board is complete.

Shakopee's Derby Days

Today, Nate, Elyse and I headed south to spend the later afternoon with Lily (birthmother) and her son, Anthony. We took the kids to Shakopee's Derby Days. They were able to play at the park, dance to the live band, see the exhibits, eat ice cream cones and play in the blow up slide/gym sets. I didn't take a lot of pictures since I was so busy watching them interact with one another and plus it was so hot! Also due to privacy, I am only posting pics of Elyse. We did have a wonderful time and love being around Lily and Anthony. When we are with them, it's so comfortable and enjoyable. We know it's just where God wants us to be. Anyway, I ask that you still pray for Lily and her upcoming decision to chose adoption (due date on Tuesday). May God give her strength, contentment and hope in this process. We are putting all our faith and trust in Him!

A special thank you to Lily and Anthony for spending the day with us!

Pictures of Elyse playing in the blow up activity set, she loved it!

Potty Update

Many have asked me how Elyse is doing or what we have decided to do regarding the potty chair. Well as you can see from the picture above, she is wearing her underwear proudly. In fact, since last week since she started going she has had only four accidents. We use to put diapers on when we left the house. However, she has been completely dry all day while playing outside or at the park for the last two days. We are so proud of her. It was so easy to potty train her. In fact, I don't think there was any training at all, she just didn't like feeling wet all the time. Major plus of cloth diapering! I think she hates it so much that last night while in bed she screamed "Potty chair" before falling asleep, even though she had a diaper on. I took her to her chair, sat her down, she went and instantly feel asleep. Oh so very proud and LOVE not having to do so much diaper laundry!

Nite to Unite

Tonight was national "Nite to Unite" celebration. Meaning neighbors are suppose to get out of their houses and meet somewhere on their block for a get to know your neighbors and have great food and conversation. Our neighbors are wonderful and we look forward to participating every year in this event. Last year was a lot harder since Elyse wasn't fully walking yet, but this year she had a blast. Even though the weather was in the 90's plus humidity, we still enjoyed ourselves and had a good turn out. We feel very blessed to live in our neighborhood and have the neighbors we do!

The firemen and firetruck always make an appearance too. (Probably helps that we have the Fire Marshall as our neighbor.) Elyse bonded with this neighbor since she let Elyse eat her popcorn. Popular place for the kids to be, free snow cones all night. Of course, Elyse had to spend some time petting the neighbor's dog.

Night Light

Recently Nate and I have been reading this book called, In Case You Ever Wonder, by Max Lucado. It's a great book, especially if your child is adopted. Anyway, there is a section in the book that talks about the girl being afraid of the dark and the stuff in her closet. So now Elyse isn't a big fan of the dark and tends to cry when we put her into bed. The crying isn't long, but still it's hard to hear. Well today during her nap, she said, "Mama, no dark please". Therefore, I in turn clicked on her adorable purse night light my mom bought her and instantly she stopped crying and quickly feel asleep. I was glad to hear the crying stopped but guess I'm now packing a mini night light every where we go.

Any suggestions from moms who have dealt with night light situations, like stories, long term use, ways to get over it, did you find it to be a good thing, etc.??

Yes that is Elyse in her bed. The picture was taken about 10 minutes after she feel asleep. Have to LOVE the sight of a sleeping child!