From the very first time we met Quynsie we wanted her in our home with her brother and sisters, but it just was not meant to be almost two years ago. She was ordered to live with her birthfather at the time. We did however stay in contact with her. We thought of her often and wondered if she was ok.
Fast forward to October 2013:
Joe and I had made the decision to let our foster care license expire in November 2013. I was dealing with some serious medical issues and we felt like we were just going to accept the fact that we had these three amazing kids and move on with our lives and close the chapter of foster care. Well, that was until out of the blue we got a call from DCFS saying that the kids older sister was back in state custody and wanted to know if we wanted to take her. They also said that her birthfather had relinquished his rights, so she was free for adoption. But then they through us a blow and said that there was a family that really wanted to adopt her and that she wanted to be adopted by them. So we accepted that fact and tried to be happy for her. A couple of days later, this family that wanted so desperately to adopt Quynsie looked me up on facebook and we made plans to meet the following day. That visit was magical. The kids reconnected like they had never been apart. At the end of the visit, we as adults all knew what needed to happen and that was that the kids needed to be together. Even though for this other family, it was heart breaking to let her go, they have been so very supporting. Camilla even came to the adoption. We have become pretty good friends for life. We are so very thankful for the part they played in getting Quynsie out of the bad situation she was in.
This experience with DCFS was so much more peaceful. We didn't have to worry about visits with birthparents. Dad relinquished and mom wasn't even in the picture anymore so it made things so easy and it was so peaceful for the kids. They didn't feel like they were being pulled in all of these different directions.
Quynsie is funny, smart, outgoing, and a great help. Considering what she has had to go through in her short 12 years of life, she is an amazing kid. The bond between her and her sisters and brother is undeniable. She is learning to play the flute in band. She just turned 12 on March 1 and that meant she was going to be entering into the Young Women's program in our Church.
We are so happy to announce our family is finally complete. We are so thankful for the opportunity that we have to be the parents of these four amazing kids. We hope and pray that they will understand how important they are as part of our family. We love you Quynsie, Raven, Nadia and Carson.
