SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - You might remember these girls from the cover of the 2010 Leap of Faith adoption calendar. Ana, Karla, Vanessa and Yessenia were the envy of their peers posing with Philip Rivers, but as happy as they were, there was just as much sadness in their lives without a home to call their home. In this Adopt 8, we check back in with these sisters to see how life has changed.
We first met these four sisters 18 months ago at an adoption calendar photo shoot with Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers. We watched them go from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows.
"My parents weren't able to take care of us and I really want someone who will be responsible enough to actually have responsible living," Ana said.
Thirteen-year-old Ana was overcome by emotion at a time when they could only dream of being part of a family. These days these four sisters still have each other, but life is a lot different.
Ana, who's now 15, explains.
"I have people that are like on my, not as a bad thing, but on my business constantly, like you know, worrying about me, stuff like that," she said.
Their lives are now a lot more traditional, with structure and precious family time as they live laugh and love.
"We go to the movies, we play the Wii, we have the Wii at home. We do all sorts of things,"a sibling said.
"They've just given us a lot, they have just been fully involved with us," Sandy said.
Chris and Sandy have seven biological kids between them who are all grown and out of the house.
"So this makes 11 kids for us," Chris said.
They could be empty-nesters, so why adopt?
"She asked, I said yes," Chris said.
"Well I've seen Adopt 8, I've watched it over and over and over again," Sandy said.
"There was one child on there who wanted parents that would take her to church on Sunday and I thought, 'Wow, that is such a simple request, anyone can do that'," Sandy said.
Through San Diego County adoptions classes, they learned of the need to find homes for sibling sets.
"And then Chris saw them on the Chargers calendar and said these are the girls and so we pursued them," Sandy said.
The girls' new lives have exposed them to new things that many kids take for granted. They had never played softball and had never seen or used a dishwasher, but now the dishwasher comes in handy.
"We're baking cookies, cupcakes -- I've got girls to do girly things with, I raised boys," Sandy said.
Taking in four girls at once is a handful, but Chris and Sandy say it's worth it, and have a message for people considering adoption.
"Do it, it's a life changing experience," Chris said.
If you are interested in adopting from foster care or becoming a foster family, call 1 (877) I-ADOPT-U or visit IAdoptU.org to take that first step to fill out an adoption inquiry form.
