SAN ANTONIO – Even though Bexar County holds Adoption Day every month, this month's ceremony to create forever families is very special.
A total of 39 children were adopted, creating or expanding 18 homes.
One of the biggest is the Gonzales family, which clearly has a big heart for little ones.
John and Laura Gonzales already had four children of their own, then adopted three more children two years ago.
On Friday, they again opened their home to a family of six children on Adoption Day. John Gonzales said their motive was simple.
"Just to bring these kids together. Show them the love they need and deserve," said Gonzales.
His wife is a stay-at-home mom who doesn't blink at the nearly doubled workload.
"They need someone to care for them, love them, show them what life's supposed to be, not what they have already had," Laura Gonzales said.
She was introduced to the littlest of her new brood at the neonatal intensive care unit when 7-month-old Nathan was born.
"He has very little vision, he doesn't have an eye at all. He has one kidney, so there are a lot of medical issues, so it's challenging at times. We have a lot of doctor's appointments, a lot of visits," she said.
Jordan, 1, also has special needs, with hearing and sight impairment. All six are biological siblings. Brianna, 12; Alyiah, 10; Jada, 4; Eric, 2; Jordan, 1, and 7-month-old Nathan join seven others already in the home. Two older children are already out of the home.
The only issue is one most families solve with the purchase of an SUV: They need much bigger transportation for this much bigger family.
"We have a 12-passenger van but we are looking for a 15-passenger van," John Gonzales said.
Child Protective Services' Adoption Day Ceremony is held each month at the Bexar County Justice Center. Half of the new parents at the August ceremony were relatives of the children and the other half were foster parents who participated in a year-long process toward adoption.