Life isn’t always rainbows and sunshine; sometimes it is dark and stormy. During these times, you are being shaped into becoming a stronger person. You learn to survive. You learn your strengths and weaknesses. And when the storm passes and the sun comes out, you are a better you. The two girls in the picture were born into a storm with no say but they survived and soon enough the storm was over.

Shaelynn and Kiera, the two young girls in the image aside, did not find sunshine until they were adopted. In fact, their lives started rather different. As young children, they listened to their parent’s screams and fights on a daily basis. They remember being locked into their bedrooms and only coming out with their parents’ permission. If their parents felt like it, they would feed them but almost more than half the time if they were not locked in their room, it was Shaelynn who had to cook something. Cook? She cooked? Yes, Shaelynn started cooking at the age of five and of course it probably wasn’t good but food was food when you rarely got it. They never really met any of their family members as their parents would not allow it. Their parents weren’t really parents but they managed to survive.

After all that these two girls had gone through, in a sense, was actually preparing them for what was about to happen next. It almost prepared them to survive one of their worst days of their live. The day that they can both explain to you perfectly, if they were comfortable enough with you. The day their biological mother passed away. The day their birth father was taken to prison. The day the police took Shaelynn and Kiera to their aunt’s house. The day that their lives changed forever. However, with this life changing event, they did not understand that they would never see their mother again. She was gone and as 5 and 6-year old’s, they did not understand that so they waited and they waited. In that time, they were taken to foster care, where their lives changed once again.

A new city, a new family whom they have never met, a new school; it was scary. They were scared and confused. Everything was so different. They weren’t living in the city. They were now living on the outskirts of town on a farm. There were rules. They were fed food. They weren’t locked in their bedrooms. They had siblings and no neighbors. They were loved and they were cared for. For three years, they were in foster care with their loving parents who are also are in the picture above. In those three years, they learned to love and to be loved. They learned discipline and everything else a child should learn from their parents. They finally past the biggest storm of their live. They found their sunshine and their lives weren’t finished yet. It was soon to get even brighter; full of more sunshine. Full of more love and happiness. They were about to experience their happily ever after.

Adoption day! Shaelynn and Kiera are being adopted by their foster parents, Elaine and Brian. It was the best day of all four of their lives. The girls experienced true love as they watched their parents give up their retirement for them. They got to experience their second chance in life. Two girls that have wanted a family for so long, finally had that. A married couple that wanted two more kids, finally had that. All they have ever wanted, was here. The storm was over and their happily ever after had come at last.