(WSVN) - Seven siblings who have been in and out of foster care for nearly three years have found their forever home just in time for the holidays.
According to KTHV, Terri and Michael Hawthorn of Arkansas became foster parents years ago, never expecting to actually adopt. However, that all changed when the couple adopted a set of siblings, Korgen and Haizlee, back in April.
The couple, who already had two kids of their own became a family of 6. That was until December 3, when a judge granted the Hawthorn’s second adoption request.
Now, just days before Christmas, the family has added seven more kids to the mix.
“This is a blessing, they are a blessing,” said Terri in an interview with KTHV. “Every day these kids wake up and they are giggling and they are happy, and you see the smiles on their faces, that’s what makes this worth it.”
Michael Hawthorn expressed his excitement of Facebook, with a post that read in part, “Most people my age are only concerned in retirement ( that would be nice ) but over that we have chosen to invest in the lives of these kids.”
From a very young age, these siblings, ages 8 to 15, learned to appreciate the little things in life.
Sharing a bed, or often times a spot on the floor, Layna Hawthorne said she was most excited about sleeping in a bed she could call her own. “When I got here I was like, oh my gosh, we get our own beds,” she told KTHV. ”
The siblings, who had always dreamed of being adopted together, now want to share their story in hopes of helping other children like them.
“It feels so great knowing we have a family now and won’t have to go anywhere else,” said Dawson Hawthorn.
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