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10 children find 'forever family' at Brazos County Adoption Day

On Wednesday, one Brazos County courtroom was packed with smiles, celebrations and some tears. 361st District Judge Steve Smith presided over the adoption of 10 children during the county's annual adoption day.

On Wednesday, one Brazos County courtroom was packed with smiles, celebrations and some tears. 361st District Judge Steve Smith presided over the adoption of 10 children during the county’s annual adoption day.

"Today everybody's happy and I'm happy too,” Smith said. “To those of you all adoptive parents, thank you. To those of you all who are being adopted that are old enough to understand what I've said, understand how lucky you are.”

For Rockdale couple Amanda and Nick Stevenson, adoption day brought an end to seven years of pain and uncertainty.

“We waited seven years to have children and this is something we never thought we’d get,” Amanda said. “We decided that because we couldn’t have kids we were going to try foster care and give kids that didn’t have homes a home and it wound up being the biggest blessing we’ve had.”

On Wednesday the Stevenson, went from longtime foster parents to full-fledged legal guardians of Moses, 2, and Samara, 4. They said it meant everything to them to adopt the children they had fostered for nearly two years.

The event brought new beginnings for 10 Brazos County children and 6 families but it also held special significance for Judge Smith, who himself was adopted 66 years ago.

“For those of you who are adopting children today, I can't tell you what a blessing you are fixing to be in someone's life,” Smith said. “And I'm also going to tell you, I'm holding you accountable because I know what it takes to be an adoptive mom and dad.”

Smith said he doesn’t enjoy many of the duties that come with his position but adoptions are the “wonderful exception.”

Across Texas, there are more than 3,700 children in foster care waiting for families to adopt them, including 104 in Brazos County.

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