Spoiled

For the last twelve days, Elyse, Caleb and I have been spoiled rotten. The reason is because Nate took some vacation days off and Caterpillar always has shutdown from Christmas Eve to New Years day. Therefore, we have had the joy of having him home and boy has it been wonderful. We got to do our gym workouts in the morning and go play/shop in the afternoons. We did something everyday as a family and I treasured every moment. However, the two days that were mostly devoted to the kiddos' enjoyment were us going to Mall of America and the Children's Museum. We didn't capture a lot of pictures, but I will never forgot this past week. It's not often that Nate's vacation days are spent without extended family (don't get me wrong, we love seeing them) but I do treasure alone time with my three loves more than anything.

Top 11 for 2011

This year has flown by just like the rest of them. However, I have to say that I am thankful and blessed to be sitting here reflecting on the past year. We experienced many ups and downs this year, but still the following list (in no particular order) below are Nate and my favorite 11 things that took place in the Klauser home in 2011.
1. Adoption finalization of Caleb
2. Finishing the basement
3. Removal of Nate's plate in back from previous surgery
4. Getting a minivan
5. Finishing outdoor house maintenance
6. Traveling to visit family in Las Vegas, Michigan, Iowa and Nebraska
7. Being apart of the village127 launch, the adoption ministry at church
8. Getting a new swing set for the kiddos enjoyment
9. Celebrating Elyse turning 3 and Caleb turning 1
10.Switching to a better fit position within CAT
11.Discovering that we will become a family of five in 2012

We know there are a lot more exciting and thankful things that have happened to us this past year, and we don't take them for granted. It's just these seem to be ones that have helped us out a lot, we worked on a lot or brought us the most joy. We look forward to seeing what beauty lies ahead in 2012. We again know there will be trials, but we also know that God always does something beautiful in the end that makes us thankful for that year.

We wish you and your family a very HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!

Speckman Family Christmas

This year us Klausers got to celebrate Christmas with my mom, brother, Steven, his wife, Kim and their daughter, Chloe. It was a really quick time together but was so memorable and great to have them here. Many times it felt like we were celebrating Thanksgiving with the 45 degree temperatures and no snow. However, the celebration of Jesus' birth with family here, church, meals and gifts still gave some feeling of Christmas. Overall, our weekend was filled with lots of laughter and watching the three kiddos play.


Special thank you to Mom, Steven, Kim and Chloe for coming up to celebrate Christmas with us. We love you so much and miss you already.

Just a heads up, be on the lookout for one of Elyse's favorite gifts from Chloe and one of the cutest things I have ever seen.

Merry Christmas ~ 2011

We hope you all have a wonderful and blessed Christmas! May you and your family rejoice in the day and celebrate the reason for the season.

Klauser Family Christmas 2011

This past weekend, Nate's parents drove up to celebrate not only Caleb and Nate's mom's birthdays, but Christmas. We spent our weekend, hanging out at the house playing with all the new things the kids opened. It was great having them here and hopefully we will get to see them really soon in 2012.
Thank you Mike and Kathy for not only coming up but all the great gifts. We love and miss you lots and hope you have a Merry Christmas!!!

Paci Free

Guess who is no longer using a paci at bed and nap time?

That's right, Caleb lost all his pacies yesterday when he decided to bite through his third one. Which told us that his 10-12 teeth are using it more as a chew toy than comfort. Therefore, we cold turkey took them away and without shedding a tear, our big boy is adjusting just fine. Overall, we are very proud of him and excited to be paci free in our home for a few months at least :)

Birthday Celebration

This past Friday, Caleb had his birthday party to celebrate turning 1. Even though the party was really low key, in my opinion, it turned out perfectly. Caleb LOVES balls, and so having a sport ball theme only seemed appropriate. Caleb was blessed with having his Nana G, Grandpa, Grandma and birth family (Mariah, Rande, Judy, Monica and Malachi) come celebrate with him. Oh yeah, his cardboard Uncle Steven, Aunt Kim and cousin Chloe also made an appearance. He got lots of great gifts and after slowly sampling his cake, he ended up devouring it quite nicely.
BEFORE: AFTER:
Special thank you for those who were able to attend as well as those who sent or gave gifts.

Love you big boy and hope you had a very Happy Birthday!!!