When Tammy and Drew Waltz of Charlotte, North Carolina agreed to temporarily host four orphaned siblings from Eastern Europe, they couldn’t have known it was the first step toward expanding their family from two to six.
Open Hearts and Homes for Children is an organization that arranges for children from orphanages to visit the United States and spends four to five weeks with host families. The idea is that they will benefit from experiencing some time in a loving home as well as making connections and being exposed to new cultural experiences. When the kids grow up, they will hopefully be better prepared for life outside the institutions they grew up in.
The orphans hosted by the Waltzes didn’t speak English, so they communicated using cell phone apps and improvised sign language, leading to much hilarity. Tammy and Drew fell in love with the four kids and really didn’t want to say goodbye when they were due to leave. So why not adopt them? They began the process but kept it a secret from their friends and family. They didn’t want to tell anyone because there was always a chance the whole thing would fall through.
But once everything was in order, Tammy set out to record family members’ reactions to hearing the news. “I just wanted to remember. I wanted the kids to see everyone’s reaction and the excitement… Even though we’re the ones adopting. There were other reactions that I thought were hilarious. I mean, it was really fun few months recording everyone.” The immediate responses ranged from emotional, to incredulous, to simply joyousness.
Check out the video below and let us know how you liked seeing everyone’s reaction to Tammy and Drew’s big news. We’d love to hear from you in the comments section below the video and don’t forget to like and share!
