Vance family blessings multiplied five-fold

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Lori Wise
  • Public Affairs
Vance Air Force Base, Okla. --  David and Cindy Evetts' Christmas blessings are multiplying five-fold this year.
Not only did they recently adopt five sons, but their family was selected for the honor of lighting the State Capital's Christmas tree in Oklahoma City Nov 30.
When Governor Brad Henry and First Lady Kim decided to choose an adopted child for the honor of lighting this year's tree, the Evetts' social worker eagerly informed the selection committee about their recent adoption of five brothers and nominated the family for the honor.
Mr. Evetts, a Computer Sciences Corporation T-1 mechanic at Vance, and Mrs. Evetts adopted Shawn, 4, twins Matthew and Mitchell, 3, Christian, 2, and Benjamin, 10 months, through the Department of Human Services' Oklahoma Adoption Exchange program.
When the couple married 22 years ago, they had no idea their future would unfold this way. After years of exploring adoption options in the United States and China that didn't work out because of expensive financial costs, they received their four oldest boys all at once in February, then baby Benjamin joined them in June. The adoption of all five children was finalized in September.
As a result of publicity in the Enid newspaper, the family was blessed when a community member visited the family's house in Covington and gave five retail store gift certificates to the Evettses to use when purchasing the children's Christmas gifts. The neighbors who gave them the certificates recently lost their daughter in car accident, and are also pursuing the process of adopting a child from Oklahoma DHS.
The new parents said the biggest challenge for them has been the growth of their patience with the boys. "It seems that crying is contagious and if one starts, the others then follow suit," Mr. Evetts said.
"When mom makes dinner the kids flock to the kitchen when they smell supper cooking," Mrs. Evetts said. "We've created a schedule and some rules and boundaries that they are adjusting well to."
To financially care for the children's special needs, the Evetts' qualified to receive a DHS waiver of legal fees and they also receive medical coverage and subsidies for each child.
"We are very happy that the boys are doing well," Mrs. Evetts said. "This dream was finally fulfilled for us in an unexpected way." Good will came from the 71st Comptroller Squadron, which gave baked Christmas goodies to Mr. Evetts for the boys and also from the Assembly of God church in Garber, which hosted a baby shower for the Evetts children earlier this year.
"We love the boys and we've been blessed by the help of our church, family and community," he said.
The children lived with three different foster families before the Evettses welcomed them into their home and adopted them. Children under the care of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services who are available for adoption have been removed from their birth families for the children's safety because of abuse or neglect, officials said. More than 1,000 children are awaiting adoption. For more information visit the DHS website at www.okdhs.org/adopt/.