From 2 to 6 — Pasco couple becomes instant family

Angie and James Sessions had one important thing to do before school started Tuesday.

Become parents.

And they made it count.

Monday, the Pasco couple became the official mom and dad to three brothers and a sister.

Angie Sessions, dean of students at Pasco’s Chiawana High School, encountered the realities of life in foster care when she worked at a church camp for children in state custody.

She remembered seeing brothers and sisters separated into different homes and it broke her heart.

With the support of her husband, she vowed to keep a family together.

They entered the Washington Department of Social and Health Services Foster To Adopt program, which places children with potential adoptive families. It was a long and difficult road.

The couple took in two sets of siblings. They hoped to adopt them, but the children were eventually returned to relatives.

The first went to their grandparents. The second set to their father. Discouraged, the couple considered giving up.

But in May 2014, Angie said a higher power intervened. A family needed respite care for the boys they were caring for.

The boys were part of a larger set of siblings. The three young boys and a baby sister were living with three separate families.

Angie and James agreed to take them in, but on the condition the kids stayed together.

In a day, the couple went from no children to four, all under 6 years old. Family and friends stepped in to help them learn the ropes.

“We’re still learning,” James Sessions said.

Three and a half years later, it was time to make the adoption official.

On Monday in Courtroom 1 at the Franklin County Courthouse, the four youngsters took their seats in the jury box. They clutched teddy bears and balloons.

There was Ajay, 9, an artist, and Nathan, 7. an athlete who loves “all” sports, and Kyler, 5, a cuddler, and Layla, 4, a pink-clad princess in sparkly shoes who everyone agreed is happiest when she’s in charge.

Before signing a mountain of paperwork, Court Commissioner Pamela Peterson asked the Sessionses if they fully appreciated the task at hand — permanent, irreversible parenthood.

Food, shelter, education and a lifetime of support that doesn’t stop when they turn 18. Raising teens. Teaching them to drive. Sending them off to prom.

The beaming couple said yes and Peterson invited the children to gather close as she signed the papers. They scrambled behind the bench and watched intently, double checking to make sure their new names were spelled right. They were.

In the midst of an emotional day, Angie Sessions offered kind words for the birth mother who signed away her rights and agreed to an open adoption agreement. The children will see her yearly.

“They have a mom who loves them, but she couldn’t take care of them,” she said.

With the adoptions final, the couple said they’re committed to helping their kids lead happy, healthy lives. But first, they had errands to run on the day before school started.

Angie Sessions planned to bring the adoption paperwork around to schools to change their status from foster parents to plain old “parents.”

There are about 9,500 children in state care at any give time. About 1,300 are legally free to join new families through adoption.

“The court is always thrilled to hear these cases,” Peterson said. “It is the happiest thing we do.”

For information about adopting from the state’s foster care program, visit bit.ly/AdoptInWashington or visit the Northwest Adoption Exchange, nwae.org.

This story was originally published August 28, 2017 at 6:31 PM with the headline "From 2 to 6 — Pasco couple becomes instant family."