Alayna, 9 & Ashton, 6

She always looked out for him, her little brother.

Ashton was packed into a baby carrier when they came in 2018. He couldn’t sit up or crawl at 8 months old. Alayna was 3 going on 4, shouldering big feelings of responsibility. She wasn’t sure she could trust these new adults.

Mary and David watched Alayna watch them. She eagle-eyed their every move. And they tried to ease her worries.

“They were so sweet,” Mary says. “I remember telling them, ‘I know this is scary. You’re safe. I promise you’re safe with us. You will always have enough to eat. For however long it needs to be. We will take care of you; you are safe.’ ”

So much was unknown. To the children, to the foster parents.

Do they have sleep schedules? Feeding schedules? Favorite foods? Fear of the dark? What happened before they got here? How long will they stay?

And this: “How can anyone sleep with babies in the house?” Not because they were awake, David says, but because they were quiet. Too quiet. “How do you know they’re still breathing? I would stay up all night checking to make sure.”

But that’s the nature of foster care.

Things happen fast, and you don’t have answers. You just dive in and love them with all you have.

And that’s what they did. David, himself adopted. Mary, a guardian ad litem. Their extended family. They loved without knowing what was next.

So – what was next?

Years of social services limbo. But eventually Ashton and Alayna were adopted.

Both kids love school, eating out. Being outdoors – running and playing. And they are crazy for holidays – all of them – mashing up Halloween as Easter Bunny (Ashton) with his carrot (Alayna) or Santa. Christmas arrives with elf on the shelf and St. Patrick’s Day with leprechaun hunts.

Foster care is hard work, but worth it all, Mary says: “It’s filling a hole in kids’ hearts – mending bit by bit. It’s not convenient. It’s not easy. But that’s parenting.”