THERE
THERE ARE
THERE ARE OVER 440- THOUSAND CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE IN THE
UNITED STATES...
AND AN ESTIMATED 100-
THOUSAND OF THEM ARE
AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION
RIGHT NOW.
OVER THE NEXT FEW
DAYS... TAMI TREMBLAY IS
TAKING A LOOK AT
ADOPTION.
IT'S A WAY TO GIVE THESE
KIDS A PERMANENT
HOME.
TODAY, YOU'LL HEAR
FROM A MERIDIAN
FAMILY...
THAT HAS BEEN THROUGH
THE PROCESS, FOUR TIMES
OVER.
"WE DESPERATELY
WANTED TO BE PARENTS"
KIMBERLY CUTLER AND
HER HUSBAND ZAK...
HAD A ROUGH TIME
CONCEIVING.
"LIKE MANY PEOPLE WE
HAD INFERTILITY
STRUGGLES."
SO ONE DAY.... ABOUT TEN
YEARS AGO...
YEARS AGO...
THEY
THEY DECIDED TO FOCUS ON ADOPTION. "SHE GOT ALL THE
PAPERWORK DONE THE
VERY NEXT DAY."
FOUR MONTHS LATER...
BABY OWEN CAME HOME.
"AFTER WE HAD OWEN IN
OUR ARMS, WE KNEW
THAT NO MATTER WHAT
THE BIRTH STORY IS FOR
KIDDOS THEY'RE YOURS
WHEN THEY'RE PUT IN
YOUR ARMS THERE'S JUST
THAT BOND YOU
INSTANTLY CONNECT
WITH A BABY."
THAT CONNECTION HAS
BEEN FELT FOUR TIMES
OVER NOW.
OWEN IS BIG BROTHER....
"HE IS A NATURAL BIG
BROTHER."
TO 7-YEAR-OLD LUCA....
"WE CALL HIM LUCA-
BEAR. HE'S JUST A LITTLE
BEAR."
6-YEAR-OLD RYKER....
"RYKER IS MY WILD MAN."
AND 3-YEAR-OLD LAURALI.
"SHE JUST RULES THE
ROOST AND SHE'S SO
FUNNY."
"AND SO WE'VE BEEN
BLESSED FOUR TIMES
NOW WITH ADOPTION
AND WE'VE NEVER
LOOKED BACK."
KIMBERLY AND ZAK ARE
ALSO THANKFUL...
THEY HAVE SEMI-OPEN TO
OPEN ADOPTIONS FOR
ALL OF THEIR KIDS.
THAT MEANS THEY
REMAIN IN CONTACT
WITH THE BIRTH PARENTS.
ALTHOUGH NOT RIGHT,
OR POSSIBLE, FOR EVERY
FAMILY...
IT HAS BEEN GREAT FOR
THEM.
"I FEEL LIKE WE'RE VERY
PRIVILEGED TO HAVE ANY
CONTACT WITH BIRTH
FAMILIES."
"WE KNEW WE WERE
GOING TO LOVE THE
BABIES, I MEAN... WHO
DOESN'T LOVE A BABY?
BUT YOU REALLY FALL IN
LOVE WITH THESE PEOPLE
BECAUSE THEY ARE THE
MOST SELFLESS PEOPLE
YOU WILL EVER MEET. I
MEAN, THEY'RE LITERALLY
GIVING THE GIFT OF BEING
A PARENT AND WITHOUT
THESE COURAGEOUS
PEOPLE MY HUSBAND
AND
AND I
AND I WOULD NOT BE PARENTS." "WE'RE VERY EXCITED
AND BLESSED TO HAVE
THEM IN OUR LIVES, JUST
ENRICH OUR LIVES. IT'S
LIKE HAVING AN
EXTENDED
EXTENDED FAMILY." AND THAT EXTENDED FAMILY...
HAS NEVER BEEN KEPT
UNDER WRAPS...
IN THE CUTLER HOUSE.
"WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT
ADOPTION SO IT'S NOT
ONE DAY IT CLICKS AND
THEY REMEMBER THAT."
IN FACT... THEY SIT
AROUND A DINNER
TABLE...
WITH ARTWORK ON THE
WALL REMINDING THEM...
HOW THEIR FAMILY CAME
TO BE.
"IF YOU CAN SEE BEHIND
THE FACES YOU CAN SEE
THE OTHER PEOPLE IN THE
SHADOWS AND THAT
REALLY KINDA JUST, I FEEL
LIKE, SHOWS THAT IT
TAKES A VILLAGE TO
BRING THESE KIDDOS
INTO OUR HOUSE AND TO
RAISE THE KIDDOS
BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST US.
WE HAVE THE BIRTH
PARENTS... WE THINK IN
DECISIONS WOULD KAYLA
WANT US TO DO THIS,
WOULD NATE, WOULD
ELISE, WOULD SHANNA...
WE ALWAYS THINK ABOUT
THE BIRTH FAMILIES
BECAUSE WE'RE
PARENTING FOR THEM
AND WITH THEM."
"I THINK IT'S A GOOD
EXAMPLE OF WHAT
ADOPTION REALLY IS."
AND IT TRULY HAS BEEN A
WONDERFUL ADVENTURE
FOR KIMBERLY AND ZAK.
FROM TAKING THEIR KIDS
ON OUTDOOR
ADVENTURES....
PRACTICING MOVES IN
THE LIVING ROOM....
AND EVEN, THOSE
MESSIER TIMES.... YOU'LL
NEVER FORGET AS A
PARENT.
"LARURALI! STOP! WHAT
DO YOU HAVE? SEE! I DO
SEE!"
"SO WOULD YOU DO IT
ALL OVER AGAIN?
ABSOLUTELY, I WOULD
PROBABLY HAVE ALL THE
BABIES, BUT ZAK SAID NO
."
"WE'RE JUST REALLY
FORTUNATE THAT IT
WORKED OUT FOUR TIMES
OVER AND WE'RE BEYOND
BLESSED."
BLESSED."
IN
IN MERIDIAN.... TAMI TREMBLAY.... "IT'S DIVINE
INTERVENTION IS WHAT
BROUGHT THIS FAMILY
TOGETHER."
IDAHO'S NEWSCHANNEL
7.
THE CUTLERS SAY... THEY
HAVE
HAVE BEEN
HAVE BEEN GRATEFUL FOR SUPPORT GROUPS OFFERED IN OUR
COMMUNITY...
TO HELP NAVIGATE
ADOPTION. THEY EVEN
SPEAK AT ONE NOW. TAMI
TREMBLAY WILL EXPLORE
SOME OF THOSE GROUPS...
LATER THIS WEEK. AND
TOMORROW... SHE'LL
HAVE THIS WEEK'S
WEDNESDAY'S CHILD.
ONE OF THOUSANDS IN
THE FOSTER CARE
SYSTEM.... LOOKING FOR A
PERMANENT, LOVING
HOME.
YOU CAN LEARN MORE
ABOUT THE ADOPTION
PROCESS RIGHT NOW... BY
CLICKING ON THIS STORY