"We adopted the boys, and their family adopted us. So whenever we visit, whether in Louisana or here, they’re like family to us. That’s how we feel." — Crissy CowellBy Lori EhdeIt was a match made in heaven when Kelly and Crissy Cowell adopted their twin boys four years ago.… And it was what some call an act of God that brought them together again with the twins’ birth family from Louisiana.The Cowells adopted Dylan and Cody, now 4 1/2, through open proceedings — which means they knew the babies’ birth mother, Kristy Beaudeaux, and have stayed in touch with her.But when Hurricane Rita forced Kristy to evacuate from her home on Sept. 21, the arrangement became more open than anyone ever imagined it’d be."People’s jaws just drop when we tell them about it," Kelly said.Full houseKristy and her daughters, Emily and Samantha, and her fiancé, Matt, and their infant son, Hunter, came to Kanaranzi to stay with Cowells on Sept. 27.At the same time came Kristy’s mother, stepfather and brother.The visitors, counting the Cowell family of four, brought the total number of people under one roof to 12.Crissy said her past history of working in a nursing home kitchen paid off in preparing food for a crowd."I made gumbo for their first night here," she said. "They’d been in hotels for a week, and I thought it might make them feel at home."Kristy said she was impressed that it tasted like true Southern cooking. "It tasted real good," she said.The Cowells had met their boys’ birth relatives during previous visits to the South, but Kristy had yet to visit the twins in their adoptive home."We’ve been trying for years to get her to come to Minnesota for a visit," Crissy said.Kelly said, "It took a hurricane to get them up here."Hosting such a large group of house guests would be taxing for anyone, but hosting the birth mother of their children had the potential for stress.But the Golden Rule, helped keep things in perspective. "Jesus taught us to treat others as we would like to be treated," Crissy said. "That priniciple would fix about any problem. … I kept thinking, ‘This is nothing for us, considering they may not have a home anymore.’"Families under observationKristy said the 2 1/2-week stay gave her a new appreciation for the Cowells’ parenting style."It’s been wonderful to see how they’ve raised the boys," Kristy said.Matt said, "You couldn’t ask for a better couple to raise them. Kristy talks about that all the time."Kristy said, "Seeing it up close and knowing what goes on here on a daily basis gives me peace of mind."Her eyes fill with tears when she talks about her decision to give up her babies for adoption — and how happy she is they’re in a good home."I knew I couldn’t do it," she said. At the time, she was already raising two small girls as a single mom.And since the boys were placed with the Cowells, she said she’s never reconsidered the decision."I’m so grateful for Kelly and Crissy," she said.For the Cowells, hosting Kristy and her family has presented unexpected perks of their own.For one thing, they’ve gotten familiar with the twins’ half sisters, ages 6 and 8, and the Cowells recognize some of the girls’ traits in the twins."Cody’s feisty like Emily," Crissy said. "I knew he didn’t get that from me!"The boys know they "came from Kristy’s tummy," but they call her "Kristy." Extended family titles get complicated, so Kristy’s mother and stepfather have become "grandpa and grandma" and other relatives are simply uncles and aunts. The boys even have great-great-grandparents in the South. "They’re the only kids we know with nine sets of grandparents," Kelly said.Kristy’s mother, stepfather and brother returned to Louisiana on Oct.7, and Kristy and Matt left Friday."There’s going to be a ton of work waiting for me when I get back," he said the day before he left Kanaranzi.They found that their home, located in Cameron Parish, had only minor flood damage.Match made in heavenAs grateful as Kristy is to have found a good home for her boys, the Cowells say they’re equally glad Kristy chose adoption for the boys."We’re so grateful for these two little boys," Crissy said.She and Kelly had tried unsuccessfully to have children several years ago and were just starting to consider adoption when a friend told them about Kristy.She had been seeking an adoptive family and her mother specifically hoped to place the children in a Jehovah’s Witness home.This narrowed the field of prospective homes considerably, but to find a couple who wanted twins narrowed the search directly to the Cowells.Crissy grew up with twin sisters nine years younger than she, and remembers helping care for them. "I’ve always wanted twins of my own," she said.The families believe a higher being has been involved in joining them together. "There’s no other way to explain it," Kelly said."I thank Jehovah every day," Crissy said.
