Sometimes, with hard work and perseverance, things just come together as they are meant to be, and that’s just what happened for the Honeycutt family when they met the young men who would quickly become their sons earlier this year.

Devon and Ryan came into care in 2016 with their two younger siblings. Due to everyone’s individual needs, OKDHS was unable keep all the siblings together in one foster home. But, their permanency worker, Veronica Coffey was determined to keep them connected, often driving up to eight hours a day to ensure visits happened.

Like many youth in care, Devon and Ryan experienced many ups and downs along the way and had all but given up on the idea of adoption. But, in July of 2020, Devon’s ATU worker, Audrey Howard, received an unexpected email – a potential adoptive family!

“The Honeycutt family had reached out to express interest in Devon after viewing his video on the Oklahoma Heart Gallery,” said Howard. “With Devon’s 18th birthday quickly approaching, we all knew we needed to act fast, and we also knew Devon would never agree to it if Ryan wasn’t part of the deal.”

After letting the Honeycutt’s know that Devon was a duo, they were happy to learn that the family was interested in Ryan as well. With everyone’s agreement, it was all hands on deck and a race to complete the adoption before Devon’s 18th birthday!

“It didn’t take us long to realize this was probably one of the best matches on paper the team had ever seen,” said Howard. “But in real life, would the Honeycutt’s be able to manage all that comes with jumping in to parenting two teenage boys head first? All the fear, anxiety, what-ifs, conference calls and late night calls to bosses and second-guessing ourselves definitely paid off. This placement was not without bumps, but this family has handled them all with grace and perseverance.”

Devon and Ryan grew and thrived in their new home despite how quickly everything came together. Mom, Jennifer, remarked how much she enjoys Devon’s passion for cooking and preparing family meals together. Dad, John, a long-time musician himself, has learned all about making beats from Ryan and says he is amazed by Ryan’s skill in music composition and arrangement. Both parents were surprised by the young men’s love of wrestling and rough-housing, but they also found them to be gentle and caring with each other, their new adult siblings and young niece. Typical teens, the two are also pranksters and enjoy teasing and playfully bickering with each other and their new family.

Howard often remarks that adopting teens is a lot more like a marriage than it is giving birth, with imperfect people who have decided to love each other and fight for each other even when it is hard. On Sept. 30, just eight days before Devon’s 18th birthday, Ryan and Devon finalized their adoption with the Honeycutt family.

This #nationaladoptionmonth and always, we’re thankful for the teams of #ourokdhs professionals who work so hard to ensure our youth find love, acceptance and permanency. Devon and Ryan’s permanency team included Veronica Coffey, Kimberli Hester and David Johnson and their Adoption Transition team included Audrey Howard, Erin Howard and Robin Gibson. The Honeycutt’s resource team included Jessica Michael, Aleyca Paden and Teressa Self-Doshier. Congratulations and happy #nam2020 to the Honeycutt’s and their teams!

Watch KFOR’s A Place to Call Home every Tuesday night at 6 p.m. for an upcoming story on the Honeycutt’s and their journey to adoption.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​