Our adoption story

This is the very short version of our adoption story. In the spring of 2007 Keith and I started to feel like there was another little boy that needed to join our family. I started filling out adoption paperwork with a few different agencies, but I could not mail them. So, I did what any person (who isn’t sure what to do) does… nothing. Later that year (its still 2007) Keith started talking about doing foster care. I would have NOTHING to do with that. I did not want ‘those’ kids in MY house near MY children. So, I continued to pray that we would find “our” baby and ignore the feelings that I needed to listen to Keith and do foster care. In January of 2008 I had a wonderful moment of inspiration. We needed to do foster care. Im grateful for Keiths patience with me and especially for our Heavenly Fathers patience with me.

We spent most of 2008 waiting to be licensed and we also had 2 little boys for a short time. The book of James 1:3 states "Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience." 2008 was a long year. Little did we know, 2009 would be longer! On January 12, 2009 we got a phone call to get Hayden. It had now been 18 months since Keith felt like we needed to do this, and a year since we started the process. I went to the DCFS building to pick him up. When I walked in, I saw this little, tiny, blond boy. He had a blanket in his hand and was staring at the vending machine. He kept pointing to it and trying to ask for something. I told him we would go home and get something to eat. He was in some clothes that came from the Christmas Box House, had his blanket, a foot ball the case worker had given him, and a sippy cup full of rotten milk. He was just barley 18 months old.

For a long time, he would have night terrors and would cry or whine in his sleep. He also had (still does) a hard time eating solids. He didn’t know how to eat solid foods. He just wanted to carry that sippy cup around with milk in it. He was so malnourished. His ribs showed, he had bags under his eyes, and his hair was thin. He just didn’t look well at all. I took him to the doctor the next day. He was below the 3rd percentile. He was dangerously malnourished and diagnosed failure to thrive. This is one of the first pictures I got of him. He is 18 months old at this point and had a nice mullet hair cut. He was wearing 12 month clothes and they were large on him.



Through all of this, we were told that Hayden would be going back to mom. She showed up about 5 weeks after we got him. We had visits with her every single Wednesday. She would blow off a lot of them until that court case in May. After that, she came to most of them. The case worker was pretty confident that Hayden would go back home. His mom continued visits until the week before Christmas.







We were scheduled to come back to court on January 13, 2010…. Exactly one year and one day after Hayden came to our home. Hayden’s mom had shown no indication that she would be willing to relinquish her right. She also had not done anything to show that she intended to keep him. She did not do anything that the state was asking her to do. We decided that we needed to ask for help with prayers and fasting. Haydens name had been added to the temple several times during this process. We asked our friends and family to fast with us as we went to court on January 13, 2010. We were fasting that her heart would be softened and she would be willing to let us adopt him. Jakob and Corrine also fasted with us. I was very touched by their faith. Corrine said “Im fasting, we have to be able to keep Hayden”. I prayed the night before court that we would be able to keep him…. I admit I did not have the faith that my children did. I prayed that Corrine would have a testimony building experience and that she would gain a greater testimony of fasting through this experience. As I was pondering this experience before we went to court and the words to this scripture came to my mind: Alma 7:23-24 "and now I would that ye should be humble, and submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated;full of patience and long-suffering; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive." We went into the court house and we were waiting for our case to be called. Haydens mom came in behind us. She had always avoided us at court. She would not talk to us. This time, she walked up to where we were sitting. She said “Im going to relinquish my rights to Hayden today” She continued “I haven’t even told my lawyer about this yet. No one knows.” She then said “I was up thinking about it last night I know that this is what I need to do for him”. We were shocked. We knew that this was a direct answer to prayer and certainly an answer to fasting. She asked that we take care of him and that we let him know that she loved him and that is why she did this.



I also want to add yet ANOTHER miracle in this story. I(camille) had terrible kidney stone pain early Tuesday morning. By Tuesday afternoon my mom took me to the ER and my sister watched the kids. I was miserable. Wednesday morning I felt a little better as we went to court. While in court, I was granted a tender mercy. I felt well enough to enjoy court and I felt the spirit while in that room. It was a great experience for all of us. After court, I went to the surgeon and he said I needed surgery asap. Keiths sister, Julie, flew in from Michigan Wednesday afternoon and got here just in time to help. Thursday morning Keith and I went to the hospital for surgery and Julie got the 2 big kids off to testing for school and took care of the 2 little kids for us. I can say there have been several small miracles this week. Im grateful I was able to enjoy the time we had at court. Im grateful for family that has stepped in and taken over the "mommy" chores for me. Im so grateful for the many tender mercies I have been given all week long.


Im so grateful that our Heavenly Father had the patience to teach me through this experience. Im grateful that He has a plan for me and for my family. Over 2 years ago, I did not want to have this experience. I did not want what my Heavenly Father knew I needed. Isaiah 41:13 "For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee." Im grateful that we have Hayden in our family now. Im grateful that Heavenly Father loves him enough to guide Hayden where he needed to be. Hayden now has the opportunity to be raised in the gospel and be sealed to a family. I am humbled by the trust our Heavenly Father has placed in me to raise Hayden. He has trusted me to raise all of these kids. I have a responsibility to teach these kids about faith, repentance, the plan our Heavenly Father has for us, and to teach them about our Savior.