The Webber Family:

Parents: Jason and Melody
Adopted Children: Jason and Jessie

Melody Webber grew up wanting two things in life - to be a teacher and a mother. So when fertility treatments proved unsuccessful for the kindergarten teacher and her husband Jason, the decision was easy. "We didn't want to continue spending all that money (on conceiving a child) when there were thousands of children out there that needed homes now," says Jason.

The couple completed the required MAPP training and began searching Florida's online database of children available for adoption. One night Melody went online to conduct another search. The second she saw the photo of the smiling little boy (whose name happened to be Jason), she "just knew." Her husband was asleep when she ran into their bedroom at five in the morning screaming: "I found our son!"

On August 1, 2008, the couple met Jason for the first time. Melody says, "He crawled into our laps as we were sitting at the table. It was amazing." Through supervised and unsupervised visits, Jason and Melody created a strong bond with the four-year-old, who was soon referring to them as "Mom and Dad."

Jason moved into the Webber home a little more than a month later. Despite some initial episodes of anger and acting out, little Jason received one fundamental message: "You're stuck." Melody says, "I tell him even when you're 60, we're still going to be your parents and we're still going to love you."

The Webbers recently decided to expand their family and are in the process of adopting another son, seven-year-old Jessie, who just moved into his new home where he shares a bunk bed with his pal (and soon-to-be adoptive brother) Jason. The boys love their Buzz Lightyear themed bedroom and have a lot to look forward to -- Mom and Dad have annual Disney passes.

"Being a mom is extremely unpredictable," says Melody, "but I never thought I could love in this capacity. My love has just grown and I couldn't imagine my life without those two."

<< go back to family stories