Five under five
Adoptive family has hands, hearts full with five kids
June 22, 2006

THE WOODLANDS, Texas - While three twos, a five and a three won’t make a full house in poker, it does when you’re talking about five preschoolers in the Kelly household in The Woodlands, Texas.

Mike and Natalie Kelly have two biological children: a 5-year-old boy and a 3-year-old boy. In addition, they have three children adopted through Lutheran Social Services’ foster-to-adopt program: twin 2-year-olds, a boy and a girl; and another 2-year-old girl. The Kellys have been with LSS for almost three years now and they have nothing but positive feelings about their experience.

“I love when people from LSS come to the house to visit,” says Natalie, “It’s like chatting with friends who have a big investment in my children.”

Most people find it difficult to open up their hearts and homes to children who aren’t biologically theirs, but the Kellys say, “What a joy to share the love of Christ with such innocent children.”

The Kellys decided to adopt after having two children of their own. They received their first little girl from LSS as a newborn and seven months later received twin newborns.

Natalie Kelly remembers coming home with her mother one night, checking the messages on the answering machine and hearing an LSS worker say he had triplets for the Kellys. “He was only kidding, but the look on my mom’s face was priceless!”

Although the Kellys have their hands full with five children under the age of 6, they wouldn’t have it any other way. “Watching my children interact together and show love to one another makes me very proud that we welcomed three children from Child Protective Services into our home,” says Natalie.

After hearing many horror stories on the adopting process, the Kellys were surprised at how quick, inexpensive and easy the process was for them. “Texas is in continual need of great homes for these children,” said Natalie. “Anyone can do it. There is nothing special about us. We are just average people with amazing children on a God-guided journey. With the right agency by your side, the journey can be wonderful.”

“LSS staff have bent over backwards for us in many ways,” says Natalie. “We have fallen in love with the adoption process, and we love the richness and joy of savoring each day with our new family.”

For information about adoption and foster-to-adopt call Lutheran Social Service’s Spring office at (281)-298-1450 or contact Cindy Bartholomew.

LSS is the social service arm of The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. LSS affiliated ministries serve children, elderly, and poor in Texas and Louisiana regardless of religious beliefs, ethnicity, gender or age. Its ministries include adoption, therapeutic foster care, children’s residential treatment centers, disaster response, emergency assistance, senior health care, retirement communities and adult day care.

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