It has been my intent to update on this for a while, but things didn’t quite time out the way I was hoping. So, at last, here we go…

For those of you who have been following the blog for awhile, you know that my mom and dad welcomed two little girls into their home last July as foster parents with the intent of fully adopting them once they could wind their way through the legal process that was required. Well, I am very excited to report that the process was completed on May 6th and the Jones family has two new additions to throw in the mix! If you want the full details on this part of our lives, follow this link to the original blog I did on the subject:

I think my dad does a better job than I could in describing the day. Here are his words on an email he sent out to friends and family after the adoption was complete:

“On May 6th, Lynn and I drove to Hillsboro, TX and finalized the adoption of our 2 girls. The attached picture is (from Left to Right), Angel Jones-daughter, Katie Jones-granddaughter, and Summer Jones-daughter in their Easter dresses. They are officially our daughters. As the judge said, “they are the same as if they were our biological children”. What is amazing about this whole process, almost immediately Lynn and I noticed they begin to act differently. It is like they knew that they were no longer a “guest” but a “permanent resident”. Full citizenship in the family of Jones. Even though Lynn and I have never treated them any way but as our daughters, they somehow knew that it was not official.

Prior to the proceedings, we had to sign some papers and so did the girls. It was really interesting to watch the girls sign the adoption papers. At ages 6 & 7, they painstakingly took their time, concentrated, and signed their new name in their very best penmanship. It was very important to them that did they did their very best.

Summer made the comment, “now we have the same name as Mom, Dad, Dusty, Jaime, Tristan, Jacob, Katie, Ethan, Casey, Eliot, and the 5 babies.” For those of us who have always been a part of a family, no matter how dysfunctional, we really do not know how secure or important it is. For 2 little girls, whose only family was each other and a mother that is in prison, it is a BIG deal. To be a child and not have someone “Big” to take care of you is very scary. To be in a situation of no security one day, to full security the next and to be only 6 & 7 years old and have that understanding, has got to be pretty amazing to 2 little girls.

Just for the record, Lynn and I have not had one minute of regret for taking this on. We both agree, yes the girls definitely are beneficiaries, but we are the bigger beneficiaries. We have been truly blessed. Thank you all for all of your thoughts, comments and prayers.”

Reading these words, I cannot be more proud of my mom and dad and the lives they have lived. And I am absolutely amazed at the life-altering decisions people find the courage to make in the face of incalculable costs when they open their hearts to God’s call on their lives!! So, here’s to you, Mom, Dad, Summer, and Angel! And thank you, to all four of you, for the impact you’ve had on my life and on the lives of untold others…CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!

God Bless,

Ethan