Meet the Kimrey Family!
Tiny hearts have a way of finding you whether you birthed them or not.
With five children ranging in age from a young adult to grade school, most parents would consider their family complete. This was not the case for kind-hearted Laurie and Travis Kimrey! Laurie laughingly reports, “We went from five kids to nine in a year and a half, and then just recently added a tenth!”
The Kimrey youngsters are: Katie, now age 24; Travis Jr, 21; Jesse, 17; Bonnie, 13; Olivia, 9; Nathaniel, 7; twins Baylee and Haylee, 4; and twins Joy and Jessa, 3. The youngest five all joined the family through adoption: two sets of twin daughters though the foster care, and son Nathaniel from Bulgaria through an international adoption. With two young adults, two teenagers, two grade-schoolers, four pre-schoolers, two parents, and one grandpa residing with the family, the Kimrey home is a lively and active place.
The Kimreys credit the AdoptUsKids campaigns with inspiring them to adopt through the U.S. foster care system. In November of 2013, they were asked to care for premature twins. Baby Baylee came home to them first; Baby Haylee needed an additional stay in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) due to medical complications. Thirteen months after they came to stay with the Kimreys, Baylee and Haylee became permanent family members through adoption.
Now age 4, these precious girls have grown and developed beyond early expectations. Even at her young age, sweet and tender Baylee shows excellent leadership qualities. Affectionate Haylee shows joy in life every day. Diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and predicted to never walk, she has defied all odds. Haylee now walks and displays age-appropriate knowledge and comprehension.
A month after their adoptions were finalized, the Kimreys learned that the girls’ biological parents had once again given birth prematurely to a second pair of twin girls. Babies Jessa and Joy arrived to the Kimrey home as a foster placement in October, 2014. Laurie and Travis were hopeful that the birth parents would be able to raise these daughters, but they also made known their interest in adopting should birth family reunification not be an option. The Kimreys were motivated by their belief in the rights of siblings to grow up together. They adopted Jessa and Joy in June, 2015. Mom describes these youngest girls as “tiny and loving.” The four little girls share a very close relationship.
Laurie and Travis have been pleased with the professional services available to help their girls’ progress. These include speech, occupational, and physical therapy. The Kimreys found the court procedures and the waiting times the most challenging aspect of adoption. They would like to see the social workers’ involvement with the families continue after adoptions are finalized.
Reflecting on their adoptions, Laurie comments, “Tiny hearts have a way of finding you whether you birthed them or not. My heart grew by 10000 % the minute I laid eyes on these babies.”
