Local Kids Finally Adopted, Begin New Christmas Traditions

(WTXF) - Imagine living with six different families, and you're not even a teenager yet.

That's what life was like for two local kids, until this past Halloween. That's when the Fogel family got a little bit bigger.

Now Christmas, will never be the same!

Lauren Johnson caught up with the newly expanded family from the Lehigh Valley.

For 11-years, Zach Fogel was an only child.

"I wanted a brother and sister, mostly a brother," he explained.

His mother, Robin Rooth-Fogel wanted something else. She wanted to help kids.

She and her husband had been foster parents for years, but she says the goodbyes were just getting to be too hard. So she thought adoption was a better option.

"When I got that call, I was like yes! So happy, you know, almost like with pregnancy," Robin explained.

Katie and Ben, a brother and sister set, had been in the foster care system for years, and they did a lot of moving around.

It took an emotional toll on 12-year old Katie.

She feared she would get separated from her brother, and had begun to think she wasn't ever going to get a family.

Robin was hoping she would be the last stop on their tough journey to find a forever home.

"All these kids wanted, was love," Robin explained.

Robin she was ready to pour out all she had.

Everyone was nervous, but excited about what could be, but after a year of adventures, it became official.

The adoption was finalized on October 30, just in time for the holidays.

Zach says they have big plans including the Nutcracker, Macy's, Hershey Park, and making Christmas lists.

There was a long list of wishes for siblings who were short on tradition.

"It breaks my heart to think, they were 8 and 11, and they had never, ever decorated a Christmas tree," Robin said.

They finally got the chance to do it, and they loved it!

When asked what it meant to be a part of the family, Katie said, "That we never have to move anymore, unless we're moving to a different house but we're still sticking together."

Fogel family is finally complete.

"I think that puts a whole different spin on our Christmas, we are a family and we are all together," Robin said.

If you are interested in fostering or adopting, you can find more information, here.