Meet the Rodriguez Family!

“God has been good to us!”

Alex and Jennifer Rodriguez describe their ever-growing family in one word: blessed. While they currently have nine children, they admit that they would adopt more if they were allowed to. When they first talked to their children regarding the opportunities and the potential challenges of expanding their family through adoption, their four children: Brandon, Alexis, Caitlin, and Sarah were excited. When their son Brandon was in high school, he told his parents about a kid he had befriended who was in need of a place to stay. The Rodriguezes welcomed Steven into their home, and they have been like family ever since. Although they didn’t know anyone who had ever embarked on the journey they were setting out on, they were up for the challenge!

Alex and Jennifer admit that initially they knew very little about adopting from foster care, but say they felt a calling and knew as a family that they had a great deal to offer children in need. They started looking into the foster parenting classes and while scheduling was problematic at first, one year when Alex was off work for knee surgery, they decided to use the time off to complete the classes. Several months later the Rodriguez family welcomed Carter and his little brother Milo into their home. After adopting both boys, they went back on the foster care list and were placed with Jeremiah. During their initial visits with Jeremiah, the Rodriguezes learned that he had other siblings, and soon after his older sister, Olivia, was placed with them as well. 

Five years later, they can attest that with the proper support, resources, and services, their children are doing just fine. Carter loves baseball and is learning to read. Milo also loves to play baseball and help make homemade laundry soap. Olivia is a happy, loving girl who enjoys having spa days with her sisters. Jeremiah loves to play outside and is a ball of energy. The Rodriguez family spends a lot of family time together, and thanks to the Adoption Tax Credit, they were able to purchase a 15 passenger van so they do not have to take multiple cars when traveling.

Alex and Jennifer value sibling connections and believe in fostering and adopting sibling groups so that siblings don’t have to be separated due to the shortage of willing and able to families. Although Jeremiah and Oliva’s oldest brother was placed with a different family, the Rodriguezes remain very close to the family and see the brother often. 

The Rodriguez family wants others to know that God has blessed them by opening their hearts to the world of adoption and they want to be able to share that blessing with others. They are always looking for opportunities to raise awareness about the number of children in foster care who are in need of good homes. In addition to finding more loving homes, they would also like to see more support groups where adoptive families can come together to learn from and support one another. Although they have been through a lot as a family, they are blessed to have one another and look forward to expanding their family in the future. 

In the time since the Rodriguez story was written, they have expanded their family to fifteen children!