HOUSTON — Wednesday was a very special day for 37 Houston-area children and their new families. They were adopted in a special ceremony in honor of National Adoption Month.
Robert and Andrea were among the excited parents who added to their families on Wednesday. The couple was originally planning only to foster 3-year-old twins Zoe and Gavin. But the adorable siblings quickly wiggled their way into their hearts.
"We can't see it any other way without them. You know, it's one of those things. Right, buddy?" Robert said as Gavin grinned in the arms of his new mother.
Once they made the decision to add the twins to their family, the process took nearly a year and a half.
"They are not going anywhere else. When they were like, 'Hey, we'll take them back in the system,' we were like 'No,'" Robert told us. "We have four others. I think our little girl Mila said, 'I love them, I can't be without them.'"
The couple's other three children were also smiling when it became official.
"Our children have grown their hearts tremendously, their minds emotionally," Robert said.
It's a storybook ending for Zoe, Gavin and the other kids who found forever homes.
However, over 250 other children remain in foster care in the Houston area and over 115,000 nationwide. Many of them have endured very tough childhoods.
"A lot of them have been through very traumatic events that led them into CPS care," Associated Judge Katrina Griffith explained. "It's usually a lot of drugs involved, domestic violence, physical abuse and sexual abuse."
Griffith sees a lot of gutwrenching stories in her courtroom, but on Thursday, there was nothing but happiness.
"They are so excited to get to this day. It really is like a birth of a child and just like this renewing of your family," Griffith said.
If you're considering adoption, Robert and Andrea suggest you start by fostering them.
"If you want to be there for someone, not necessarily adopt, but you can be there and you can try," Robert said. "You are going to deal with some tough situations. It's weird emotionally and mentally."
It can be a challenging experience for everyone involved, but this couple says if you choose to take the leap of faith, it will be the most rewarding thing you'll ever do.
To learn more, visit adoptuskids.org.