Fourteen years ago, if someone had whispered to a younger version of Kelsi that her future would hold seven children, homeschooling, miscarriage, Down syndrome, and even adoption, she would have laughed nervously and probably prayed half of it away. She had her own plans and tidy version of life, and none of it looked like the winding, beautiful mess she has now. But life, in its quiet wisdom, reroutes us. And sometimes what we thought we could never handle becomes something that changes everything for the better.
When her sixth child, Colt, was born, the news of his extra chromosome came with a jolt. Trisomy 21, Down syndrome, is a label heavy with all the misconceptions society throws at it. Yet the announcement they wrote wasn’t filled with grief; it was brimming with wonder. They reminded themselves that Psalm 139 hadn’t changed, that their son was just as fearfully and wonderfully made as their other five. Kelsi remembers crying, not because she was sad, but because she realized she had been handed a gift that would shake up her world in the best way.
Colt wasted no time teaching lessons his family didn’t even know they needed. His smile, silly dances, hugs for strangers, and even the way he insisted on high-fiving everyone in sight, cracked open their hearts wider than they knew possible. But he also held up a mirror. Through him, they saw their own fears about disability, their craving for an easy path, and their tendency to stay safe instead of stepping into discomfort. Colt’s presence challenged all of that.
That’s how adoption crept into their lives. They had never thought about it before, but now they couldn’t unsee the faces of children across the world who were deemed unworthy because of an extra chromosome. They discovered Reece’s Rainbow, a group that helps connect families with children with Down syndrome. Some of those kids lived in institutions, hidden away, dismissed as broken. Kelsi looked at their photos and imagined Colt being born in those circumstances. Her heart cracked. She and her husband told themselves, maybe “one day.” But then they saw a photo of a tiny boy in Ukraine, left behind simply because of his diagnosis, and suddenly “one day” became right now.
The adoption process was long and heavy with fear. People sometimes called them brave, but the truth was much messier. They were scared, second-guessing, and occasionally flat-out wondering what they were doing. Still, when they finally walked into the orphanage and held Nic, all the doubt dissolved. He was theirs. Nic was fragile, with the weak muscle tone of a newborn despite being almost a year old. He had never been held, never had visitors. He rocked his head to soothe himself, too scared to make eye contact. Even his own giggle startled him. But then came love, for the first time in his little life. And love worked miracles. Seventeen months later, Nic was a different child. The baby who once couldn’t lift his head was now running, laughing, hugging, singing, and dancing. He was Colt’s shadow and sidekick, adored by six siblings who spoiled him with affection. His story could have been one of loneliness and abandonment, but instead, it became one of joy and belonging.
Kelsi often thinks about how the world chases perfection, the flawless baby, the “normal” life. But the very people written off as inconvenient or less worthy, like her two boys with Down syndrome, are the ones who carry the most profound lessons. They teach compassion in ways polished lives never can. She began sharing their story online, calling it “Downright Wonderful,” wanting others to see the beauty in differences. She didn’t expect how much joy Colt and Nic would give back, not just to their family, but to strangers who stumbled upon their smiles.
Looking back, she feels humbled. She would have missed out on all of this if life had gone her way. She might have kept fearing a diagnosis instead of celebrating it, kept glancing at children like hers with quiet pity instead of awe. Instead, she now sees the truth: God doesn’t make mistakes. The two boys who happened to be born with an extra chromosome have filled her home with a kind of love and laughter that is rare and unstoppable.
