Meet the Olson Family
We just enjoy the present.
John and Erin Olson proudly introduce their daughter Kaylee Jo, a sweet 6-year-old who has a special affection for horses and unicorns. The Olsons adopted Kaylee this past August, after she had been in foster care for over 3 ½ years.
Since arriving to her new home, Kaylee has blossomed into a delightful, happy child who likes to color, do crafts, play with her toys, and cuddle up with her parents in the evenings to watch movies. Erin describes the family’s greatest strength as their love for each other. “No matter what the behavior, or what someone does to upset us, at the end of the day we still love each other.” Kaylee has clearly been thriving under this philosophy.
In addition to a mother and a father, adoption has provided Kaylee with loving extended family. She adores her new grandparents and cousins. The Olsons write, “Kaylee is our first child,” so it is likely the little girl may someday gain one or more brothers or sisters.
Fertility struggles, coupled with an awareness of the needs of vulnerable children, led the Olsons to adoption. On their application, they indicated their acceptance of an older child as well as of a child experiencing disabilities.
The adoption process went smoothly for the Olsons thanks to their agency, Lutheran Family Services of Iowa. John writes, “Their training for foster and adoptive parents was fantastic.” On-going assistance from their caseworker, as well as encouragement from friends and family, provided John and Erin with much appreciated strength and support.
Due to her rough start in life, Kaylee has some special needs. The Olsons are thankful that Medicaid insurance combines with their family insurance to cover the costs of Kaylee’s therapies and medical appointments. John and Erin are pleased with the steady progress their daughter is making.
The couple themselves has also benefited from counseling, which they say, “helps break things down to a manageable level.” Asked what obstacles they have overcome through the adoption process, John writes, “We have learned to be patient and to use that patience every day. We have also learned that you cannot predict what the next day will hold, so we just enjoy the present.”
The Olsons suggest more outreach to the public about the need for foster and adoptive families. They call upon elected officials to offer vocal support for this important endeavor.
