You know how sometimes you meet someone and they are just exactly the right people you need in your life at that exact moment? That's how I felt when I met the Maxwells. Troy and I had been married for about a year, and had just found out that we couldn't have biological children when we bought our first house it Enoch, a little town just outside of Cedar City. Everyone there was super nice (it is actually STILL my favorite place I ever lived) but we felt a little out of place. The ward was FULL of new families, so it seemed that everyone had kids, and we felt like we didn't belong. No one really knew that we were struggling with infertility, so we were just "the people who didn't have kids" and we were worried that it would effect our friendships in the area. But then we met the Maxwells. They didn't care that they had 4 kids and we had none. They didn't judge us or make us feel inferior. They just loved us anyway, no matter what. They invited us over, and spent time with us, and made us feel welcome. And then as we started the adoption process they asked about it and cared about us, and made us feel like we had someone on our side. I'm sure they don't know it, but they were a huge strength to us at that time in our life. And now they have an adoption story of their own to share. I am so happy for their family, and I am pleased to welcome Killeen to share that adventure with all of you...
Brad and I have been married now for 15 years. Together we have 4 wonderful chidren. After our 4th child was born we had an unexpected tragity happen. I had gone to the doctor and was told that I needed to have a hysterectomy. I was 26 at the time, still quite young, it left an empty feeling in our little family. After a few years of praying, contemplating, and pleading to our Heavenly Father about what we should do, and with just the right example of some wonderful friends (Troy and Katie). We had adoption on our minds, we started our journey with foster care, we talked to DCFS and everything was going well, then we strongly felt that it wasn't right for us at that time, we felt that we would get attached and then turn around and have the child taken from us back to its parents, and we just couldn't take the heartache. So we felt that we needed something that would be permanent. We went to LDS Family Services. After a 2 year wait, we had a meeting with our social worker, and he mentioned that they had been contacted by the state about two little boys that were in need of a home with a loving family. So we contacted DCFS about these boys. The feeling was so strong that these were our kids, without even meeting them first. The following week, we set up a meeting to meet them. We met at a local park. When Brad and I went to the car to help them get out of their carseats, we were greeted with the biggest smiles in the world from these two boys, and of course our hearts melted. We met with the boys once a week, which was never enough, for about a month and a half. We just fell in love with these boys. We learned that the parents were going to be relinquishing their rights, and that this was going to be a foster to adopt adoption. So our minds were at ease. But it wasn't for sure that we were going to get them. The state had to have a committee meeting and we were put in the runnings with 8 other families to get these boys. We were so nervous that we weren't going to be chosen. That evening we were to get a phone call telling us if were IT. Finally the phone rang and we were chosen. We were screaming and crying at the same time. We were so happy. We finally had our empty hole filled.
We went into this expecting one, but we were blessed with two. We have had them in our home since July 5, so this coming January we are going to the Temple to have them sealed to us for Eternity. Even though we have been through lots to get where we are today, it is worth it.
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