Couple keeps 6 siblings together through adoption: 'There's lots of love and chaos'
A Michigan family is now a party of 10 after opening their hearts to six siblings in need of a home.
Over the last six years, Gabrielle and Shannon Fessenden have adopted Jordan, 15, Jay, 10, Myah, 9, Jericho, 5, Briella 4 and Mason, 2. The brothers and sisters join the Fessendens' biological children, Scott, 11 and Giana, 8.
"It's never quiet. There's lots of love and chaos," Gabrielle Fassenden told "Good Morning America." "There's always scampering feet, laughing and giggling running. Our family's hashtag is #theresneveradullmoment."
Fessenden said she and her husband always wanted to adopt. A few years ago, they browsed the Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange's website, where prospective adoptive parents can see photos of children whose parental rights were terminated.
Fessenden said she came across Jordan, Jay and Myah's pictures. The three siblings were about to be separated if they didn't find a home in the coming weeks.
"I printed it out and showed Shannon and I thought surely he'd say, 'You're out of your mind.' [Instead] he said, 'Absolutely. Those are our kids,'" Fessenden recalled.
On Nov. 15, 2012, Jordan, Jay and Myah moved into the the Fessenden's home and one year later, they were adopted.
At the time, Jordan was 9.
"Jordan was spunky, athletic -- his dream was to play soccer. Giving him permanency allowed him to be able to be part of a sports team," Fessenden said of her eldest child. "Looking at his story, knowing he lost his biological family, all he had were his siblings."
"Jay was very quiet and reserved, but he is amazing now. He has high-functioning autism, but he's insanely smart and incredibly social. He just blossomed," Fessenden added. "Myah was your typical, sassy 2-year-old. She was full of spunk and spice and sugar. She was a riot and she had the best belly laugh on the face of the planet."
Fessenden said her adopted children came from rough backgrounds and an unstable environment unfit for children. As a result, biological parental rights were terminated. All the kids share the same birth mother.
In May 2014, the Fessenden's were notified of Jericho's birth. His adoption was finalized in December of that same year.
"He just turned 1 and we got a call saying birth mom had a baby girl," Fessenden said, adding that she and her husband, Shannon, adopted their daughter Briella in December 2015.
Nearly two years after Briella's adoption, the Fessenden's got a call from the agency revealing that the kids' birth mom had another child, Mason, now 2.
"My husband said yes [to adopting Mason] before even telling me what was going on," Fessenden recalled. "I said, 'What did you just say yes to?' He knew I was going to say yes anyway."
Mason was born at 4 pounds 9 ounces, with multiple birth defects including fetal alcohol syndrome.
He currently receives occupational therapy, feeding therapy and sees a kidney doctor, neurodevelopmental doctor and a pulmonologist for severe asthma.
Mason's adoption was finalized June 12, 2019.
"When we adopted Mason we wondered what type of dynamic this was going to bring," Fessenden said. "We did approach the kids. When we told them about the baby they said, 'Absolutely, yes.'"
She went on, "Our oldest Jordan said, 'Mason is hilarious and fun and a missing piece. He filled the void I didn't know I had.' That of course made us all sob. It was another link for us to keep these kids together."
