It's Gotcha Day!

Today is the 4th anniversary of the day my niece and her husband adopted their three kids, and tomorrow is the 5th anniversary of the day we met them. Some of you will remember. They've come a long way, and I couldn't love them more if they were mine. :heart :heart :heart :heart

First picture is about three weeks after they came to live with us, second one is a couple of weeks ago. Happy Gotcha Day! :-D

 

LOL I never thought of it being like an April Fools thing. We've always celebrated Gotcha Day like a second Christmas or group birthday. :-D

I wrote this yesterday...pretty much sums up everything. My heart is so full I can hardly stand it. :heart

Five years ago, my niece and her husband found out with about 12 hours' notice they were going to be fostering three (THREE!!) children in the morning. No one had any idea who they would be, how that would work, or what they were going to do, but they wanted a family and suddenly there was one. They were so little, so scared, so determined, and so heartbreakingly beautiful they immediately stole our hearts. Not that there weren't down days, because there were. Kids don't end up in foster care if there aren't problems. But we worked through them, because that's what families do.

And then four years ago today we all sat in a courtroom in front of a judge, and the tears rolled uncontrollably down my face (as they are now, writing this) as those three kids became legally ours, forever and always. When the judge walked in and looked at the five of them sitting there, the smile on his face seeing them together as a family told everyone with eyes to see that this was, in fact, the best decision they could have made. We knew that already, but it was nice to get the outside confirmation.

Not that there aren't still ups and downs; they're kids, that's how it works. But they have been, and continue to be, one of the biggest blessings in my life. Watching them come out of their shells, grow, thrive, and become their own people with their own strong personalities, hearing them giggle, snuggling them, getting to be part of their lives, has been an amazing journey, and I can't wait to see what's next.

 

It appears to be blessings upon blessings...wonderful all around.

LS

 

Awesome!!! :major

Not sure why my eyes are leaking.

 

What a great outcome :-D Kudos for being brave enough to foster not one but three children ......... and boy, haven't they thrived :-D

Sure is dusty round here....... must have got something in my eyes :cry

 

Am blaming the pollen.

Just for the hell of it, another thumbs up to the OP.

 

Yeah Fred.....I think you could be right.... must be the er pollen

It is still a great story -D

 

I am a GRANDPA. You have blessings in store you cannot even imagine!

 

Definitely the pollen.

I'm not usually so sappy, but every time I see the kids, which I do often as my niece and I are very close, I am amazed by them. Even more than my biological nieces and nephews, because I know the hell they went through before they became part of my family (they were 3, 2, and 5 months old when we got them, and while I don't remember the exact number any more, I do know they'd been in 5-10 homes prior to landing with my niece). Every hug or kiss they initiate, every time they crawl into my lap for a snuggle, I still get a little misty (damn pollen). :heart

 

Awwww.. I remember when you first posted about them and look at them now. Such a tragic story and I'm really happy to see that they are doing so well now.

 

Priceless, beautiful kids. Hay fever season came here way too early. What a beautiful story *sniff sniff*

 

Nice post "Auntie B"

Some pollen here also. What a moving picture of a great job done to turn these kids around.

Keep on spoiling them!

 

Warms my heart to see kids in need given hope, a good home and being loved by their new family.

 

Amen to that. :-D