A/N: It is Season 8 Premiere day…woohoo! I wanted to finish this story before the season started, but it has taken me longer to get these chapters out than I initially thought. I still plan on doing weekly updates until the story is complete. I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it! I also wanted to thank the folks who have been reviewing. The reviews totally make my day!

Chapter 16 – First Day of School

Lee and Rosemary wake up early for Patrick's first day of school. They want to do something special for him because he is nervous about today. Both Lee and Rosemary go into his room quietly and sit on each side of him. Rosemary gently brushes his hair back a few times before Patrick opens his eyes. With a bright smile on her face, she mentions, "Good morning, bud! Did you sleep well?"

Patrick rubs his eyes, answering, "No, I kept waking up. I kept having dreams where the kids would make fun of me because I didn't know something."

"Patrick, you are already friends with most of the kids. They are not going to make fun of you," remarks Lee.

"Are you sure, Papa?"

Rosemary chimes in, "Of course, we are sure. Now, what do you want for breakfast?"

"Did you make those blueberry muffins last night?"

Rosemary lightly tickles his tummy, "Why yes, I did." Patrick sits up with a grin on his face.

Lee suggests, "Why don't you get dressed first and take care of Nanny? Then time for some muffins."

Rosemary points to an outfit lying on the settee. She mentions, "Here, put this one on. I made it especially for today." Patrick nods in agreement. Rosemary and Lee go downstairs to get breakfast ready while Patrick puts on his new outfit, lets Nanny out, and feeds her breakfast. Rosemary sets the food out on the table and quickly prepares Patrick's lunch. The three of them sit down and enjoy their breakfast. "Are you nervous, Patrick?"

"A little."

"Well, you already know Vincent, Allie, and Opal pretty well. You've met Robert, Anna, and Emily. Plus, you know how much Missus Thornton loves you."

"Are you going to walk with me to school?"

Lee replies, "We both will walk you to school every morning if you like. One or both of us will pick you up every afternoon." Patrick jumps up and hugs both Lee and Rosemary.

Rosemary suggests, "Let's get these dishes cleaned up, and then it is time for school!"

Patrick and Lee simultaneously say, "Yes, ma'am!" Rosemary chuckles while they each bring their plate to the washbasin. She quickly washes the dishes and sets them out to dry.

Lee inquires, "Are you two ready to go?"

Patrick yells, "Yes, sir!" The family of three walks outside with Patrick taking Lee and Rosemary's hands. They slowly walk in the direction of the schoolhouse. Lee and Rosemary can tell Patrick is nervous and excited, so they remind him how much everyone loves him and how he will love to learn with Elizabeth as his teacher. By the time they reach the schoolhouse, Patrick seems a little less nervous. He starts to see all the other children walking up with their families. Ever since his parents passed away, this has always been something he has wanted. Parents to love him, take care of him, bring him to and from school. Elizabeth rings the cowbell, and all the children start to go inside.

Rosemary and Lee kneel down to his level. She tells him, "Now, you be a good boy. Listen to Missus Thornton. We will come to pick you up after school. We love you to the moon and back!" Patrick smiles. Lee gives him a hug and messes with his hair. Rosemary and Lee stand back up and watch him walk into the schoolhouse with all the other children. Rosemary waves to Elizabeth with a smile on her face while Lee grabs her hand, and they start walking back into town. Rosemary reveals, "I am going to miss having him around every morning, Lee. Do you think he is going to be okay? The poor little guy barely slept because he's been so nervous."

"I know, I am going to miss spending every afternoon with him. Patrick will be fine, Rosie. Elizabeth is with him, and Allie will be there too. I'm sure he will be over the moon when we pick him up."

"I hope you are right."

Lee walks her to the dress-shop, giving her a quick kiss on the lips. He mentions, "Have a good day, sweetheart. I'll come over and walk with you when school is out." Rosemary turns around hesitantly, walking into Dottie's.

The day goes by quickly for Rosemary and Lee. It is already time to go pick up Patrick from school. Lee comes into the dress-shop and sees his wife hard at work pinning a dress on the mannequin. Rosemary looks at Lee, realizing it is already time to get Patrick. She tells Clara she will take off for the day and will finish working on the dress tomorrow. Lee offers his arm, which she gladly accepts. They get to the schoolhouse just as Elizabeth rings the bell. All the children come running out. Patrick runs to them, giving them each a hug. Rosemary questions, "How was your first day of school?" Right when he was going to answer, Elizabeth walks up to Lee and Rosemary smiling.

Elizabeth mentions, "He did so well today! Can I talk to you two tonight?"

Rosemary responds, "Of course. Is there anything wrong?"

Elizabeth responds, "No. I wanted to talk about where he is compared to the rest of the children his age."

Lee mentions, "Okay, Elizabeth. You can come over whenever is good for you." Turning to Patrick, "Are you ready to go?" Lee grabs one of Patrick's hands, and Rosemary grabs the other, and they start walking home. As they pass the sawmill, Rosemary stops and waves goodbye. Lee inquires, "What are you doing, Rosie? Let's go home!" Rosemary smiles and says, "Okay, off we go," swinging Patrick up and down as they walk.

When they get home, Rosemary starts cooking dinner while Lee and Patrick play outside. Lee asks, "How was school, Patrick? Did you have fun? Did you meet any new kids?"

"School is so much fun! Missus Thornton is so nice. She helped me with my reading and writing. Allie and Opal and Vincent played with me."

"Oh really. I bet that was fun."

Rosemary comes outside, announcing, "It is time for dinner."

Patrick questions, "What is it?"

Rosemary replies, "Grilled Cheese Sandwiches!"

Patrick yells, "Yes," running in the house and straight to the table.

"Wash your hands, young man," announces Rosemary.

"Yes, ma'am." The three of them sit down and eat their sandwiches.

"Tell me about school. What was your favorite part?" inquires Rosemary.

"School was so much fun. Missus Thornton had Vincent, and I read and write things for her. Since we are both new. Then we had lunch and played outside. We all played chase. My favorite part was when she let us draw during art time."

"That's great, bud. See, I knew you would like school. Let me do the dishes, and we can all read a book together. Why don't you run up and get the Bobbsey Twins book we started last night?" Patrick runs upstairs to get the book while Lee helps Rosemary with the dishes. When Patrick comes back downstairs, she asks, "What is this one about?"

"This one is about the houseboat. Remember?"

"Oh, yes. Go ahead and sit on the settee; we will be right there." Lee and Rosemary put away the last of the dishes and join him. Patrick hops on Rosemary's lap with Lee sitting right next to them. She starts to read, and within a couple of chapters, Patrick falls asleep. Just then, Elizabeth knocks on the door and comes in with little Jack. Lee excuses himself, taking Patrick up to bed.

Elizabeth responds, "I'm sorry, did I bother you?"

"No, we were reading to Patrick, and he fell asleep. I guess school really exhausted him." Rosemary grabs little Jack and questions Elizabeth, "How are you and Nathan?" She looks down at little Jack, "How is he doing?" As Elizabeth starts to answer, Lee comes down the stairs.

Elizabeth mentions, "We can talk later. I came over to talk about Patrick. He doesn't know how to read or write very well. I'll find out about math tomorrow."

Rosemary sadly reveals, "We kind of figured that because of what Lillian and Grace had said. Do you think he can catch up to the other children his age? I can work with him every night."

Lee chimes in, "We both can work with him at night."

Elizabeth remarks, "He seems pretty smart, so I don't think it will take too long with all of us working with him." Both Rosemary and Lee breathe a sigh of relief. "Well, I better go home and get little Jack to sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."

Lee and Rosemary both say, "Good night!"

Patrick's first week of school went by quickly. Each day, either Rosemary or Lee or both pick him up from school. They bring him back to either the dress-shop or Lee's office until they finish up work for the day and then go home. They work on his lessons, practice his writing and reading until dinner. Rosemary will fix a quick dinner for them to enjoy while talking about Patrick's school or something that happened in town. After everything is cleaned up, the family of three will play a game, act out a skit, or read a book. Bedtime always comes too early for Patrick, but it usually doesn't take him very long to fall asleep once he is in bed, not unlike tonight. Rosemary covers him up, kisses him on the forehead, whispering, "Sweet dreams. Love you more than the stars in the sky."

Patrick groggily whispers, "Love you to the moon and back."

Lee leans over and kisses him on the forehead, whispering back, "Love you, buddy." Rosemary and Lee turn off his light, walking out the door. "Do you want some tea, Rosie?"

She smiles. "I'll be right down," responds Rosemary. Lee goes downstairs to make some tea before sitting down on the settee. He reads the newspaper until Rosemary joins him with her sketchbook. "What do you have planned for your father/son day tomorrow?"

"Rosemary, you know it is only between Patrick and me."

"Lee, why can't I know? It is not fair I get left out all the time."

"Really? You do the same with mother/son time. What are you going to do with him next Saturday?"

Rosemary giggles, "I can't really say, but that is only because I don't know."

"So, you are going to tell me when you do know?"

Rosemary thinks about it for a moment before chuckling, "Maybe."

Lee chuckles, "I'll only tell you this, we will be using the car tomorrow."

"Well, have fun. I know how much Patrick loves spending time with his Papa. I do too."

Lee smiles. "What are you going to do tomorrow?"

"Oh, I don't know. I might go into the dress-shop and get some work done. I think Elizabeth and little Jack are busy with Nathan and Allie. Do I need to have lunch or dinner ready for you two at a certain time?"

"We will be gone through lunch, but we will bring dinner home." Lee takes the last sip of his tea, carrying their tea dishes back to the kitchen. He cleans and puts everything away. "Are you ready for bed, sweetheart?" He holds his hand out, which she gladly takes, and they walk up the stairs.

The next day Lee wakes up early. He is so excited to go car shopping with his son. Lee sneaks out of bed, quietly changes clothes, goes across the hall, and wakes up Patrick. He lightly shakes Patrick's shoulder, whispering, "Wake up, Patrick."

A very sleepy Patrick barely opens his eyes, saying, "Good morning, Papa. What are we going to do today?"

"Why don't you go ahead and get dressed. I'll make us a quick breakfast. I will tell you when we get in the car."

"Is Mama awake?"

"No, let's let her sleep late this morning." Patrick nods. Lee fixes Patrick and him a quick breakfast of oatmeal and writes a note to Rosemary.

Rosie,

Good morning, my love. Patrick and I got an early start. Have a fun, relaxing day; we will be home before dinner. Don't forget, we will pick up dinner.

Love,

Lee

After Lee cleans up the dishes, he gathers everything he needs, and they go out to the car. "Are you ready to look at bigger cars?"

Patrick shouts, "We're getting a new car?"

"I think we have outgrown this one; it is time to look for a bigger and better one. Hopefully, Mama will like the car we pick." Lee first drives to Benson Hills, hoping they will have some cars to choose from. If not, he is hoping Buxton will have some.

Rosemary wakes up to an empty bed and a quiet house. She puts on her robe, checks to see if Patrick is in his room, and goes downstairs. Rosemary sees the note on the kitchen table as well as the coffee warming on the stove. She pours herself some coffee, sitting down at the table. Rosemary thinks to herself, "It is too quiet in this house without my boys. I need to be doing something." She looks at the time and decides to go into town. She gets dressed, heading to the dress-shop. Rosemary busies herself with finishing up some orders and starting on some new ones. She always feels like she gets more done when working at the dress-shop alone. It's where her creative mind can come out and thrive. Rosemary is lost in thought when she hears a knock at the door. "Oh, Ned. What brings you by?"

"I was walking by and saw the light was on. I thought I would bring you your letter. It is all the way from Brazil."

Rosemary gasps, snatching the letter from Ned. "Oh, my. I have been waiting for this. Thank you."

Lee and Patrick check out the few cars in Benson Hills. They didn't quite have what Lee wanted. He still has his heart set on another Model T. Lee inquires, "Patrick, did you like any of those?"

"No, sir. I think we should go look at more."

"Okay, then. Let's go to Buxton."

Patrick runs and jumps in the car. He asks, "Can we eat when we get to Buxton?"

"You bet. Now, let's get going." Patrick makes up story after story on the way to Buxton. Lee has no idea where all Patrick's imagination comes from. He hopes that part about Patrick never changes as he gets older.

Ned leaves, and Rosemary is left by herself with a letter from Diogo and his brothers. She wants to rip it open, but she knows she should wait for Lee. Rosemary offers up a quick prayer, "Please, Lord. Let this be good news. They have found their forever family, and they are thriving." She puts the letter down and gets back to work, or at least she tries. Rosemary hears her stomach growling, realizing she hasn't eaten anything all day. She locks up the dress-shop and walks over to Abigail's café.

Clara greets her, "Hello. What are you doing today? Where are Patrick and Lee?"

"Oh, they are on one of their father/son outings."

"He still won't tell you?"

"No, but that is okay. I get it." Clara smiles. Rosemary inquires, "What is the special today?"

"Beef stew."

"Sounds good, thank you."

Once they arrive in Buxton, Patrick eyes a café that looks similar to Abigail's. Patrick inquires, "Can we eat there, Papa?"

"Of course. Let's get something quick. I saw a Model T when driving in." Patrick and Lee have no problem with scarfing down their food and heading out to the car lot. Lee's eyes open wide when he sees the 1917 Model T Touring sitting right in front of him. It is just what he has been imagining. Lee finds the salesman and immediately starts asking questions about the car. How much horsepower does it have, how big is the gas tank, how much is it, and how much will he give Lee for his car? The salesman answers all of Lee's questions and offers to take Patrick and him on a test drive.

Patrick happily sits in the back seat, looking out the window. He reports, "I love this car, Papa. I think Mama will love it too."

"I think you are right, buddy. Do you think we should buy this car?"

"Yes, sir!"

Lee speaks to the salesman, "You heard my son. We will be happy to take it off of your hands." Patrick cheers.

Rosemary finishes up the last few orders she wanted to get done and decides to go home. She takes the long way around the pond to breathe in the fresh air and look at the beautiful mountains in the background. Just as she is about to walk into their house, she hears the car driving up the road. Rosemary turns around and sees a car, but it is not theirs. She frowns and walks into the house. Not a minute later, Patrick runs in, yelling, "Mama! We are home. Come look!" Patrick takes her hand, leading her outside. Rosemary sees a grinning Lee getting out of a car. She looks again, realizing it was the car she saw driving up.

"Lee Coulter, what is this?" questions Rosemary.

Lee meekly answers, "Our new car." He waits to see Rosemary's reaction, preparing for the worst.

She runs in his arms, saying, "I love it! Why did you buy a new car?"

Lee responds, "I thought it was time for a better car for our new family."

"I think it is perfect. Did you help Papa pick out the car, Patrick?"

Patrick replies, "Yes, ma'am. This one is my favorite, and I told Papa you would like this car."

Rosemary hugs Patrick, revealing, "You were right, bud. Thanks for helping. When do I get to drive?"

"We can go now if you want," responds Lee.

"Are you up for another ride, Patrick?" Patrick nods and climbs into the backseat. Rosemary gets in while Lee cranks the engine. She looks back at Patrick, asking, "Where should we go?"

Lee chimes in, "Why don't we go to our picnic spot and back?" Rosemary acknowledges. She drives to their spot and parks near the tree.

Patrick inquires, "Can we please get out and run around?"

Lee replies, "If it's okay with Mama, then yes." Rosemary grins and gets out of the car, followed by Patrick and Lee. She chases Patrick out into the clearing, going slow enough where she doesn't quite catch him.

Patrick turns around, yelling, "You can't catch me, Mama!" Rosemary chuckles and catches up to him, picking him up and spinning him around. Patrick has to regain his balance when she puts him back down. "I'm going to get you." Rosemary runs away, but Lee grabs her, holding her until Patrick can catch up. Patrick jumps into their arms, and they all fall in the thick green grass. Lee receives the brunt of it, with Patrick being padded by Rosemary and Rosemary by Lee. Everyone just lays there laughing.

Lee mentions, "We better get home. Rosie, did you want to drive?"

"No, I'll sit in the back with Patrick," answers Rosemary. The three of them climb into the car and head back to Hope Valley. Rosemary and Patrick sing "This Old Man" while Lee just listens to his wife and son. After about twenty minutes, the car rattles and then comes to a complete stop.

Rosemary questions, "What happened?"

"I don't know. Let me check a few things." Lee gets out of the car and lifts up the front seat, checking how much gas is in the tank. "Uh, oh."

"That 'Uh oh,' better not be what I think it is."

Lee asks, "What do you think it is?"

"You ran out of gas," answers Rosemary. Lee touched his nose, and Rosemary groaned. "What are we supposed to do, Lee? How far are we away from home? What about the extra gas can you have in the car?"

Lee runs his hand through his hair before answering, "I used the last of the gas can last week, and I have not had a chance to refill. We are probably about three miles from Hope Valley. Unfortunately, I think we should probably start walking back to town."

Rosemary sarcastically remarks, "You expect us to walk three miles?"

"I am sorry, sweetheart. I was so excited about the car, I completely forgot to check the gas tank. If you don't want to walk, I can go by myself or take Patrick with me."

Rosemary offers, "No, we can all go together. Three miles is not too bad. Besides, maybe someone will drive by and give us a ride."

"Thanks, Rosie. Let me grab the gas can, and we can start walking." The three of them start the trek back to Hope Valley. For the first mile or so, Rosemary and Patrick continue to sing "This Old Man." Suddenly, they hear a loud sound coming from the woods, and everyone stands still. Out of the corner of her eye, Rosemary sees a bear.

"Patrick, come here slowly."

Lee inquires, "What is it, Rosie?"

"I saw a bear."

"Where? What is it doing?" inquires Lee.

"It's over there. It is standing there smelling something. What do we do, Lee?"

"Where is it?" Rosemary points in the direction she saw the bear. Luckily, Lee finds the bear looking over at them and hears it grunt. "I think we are okay now, but we need to speed up a bit. There needs to be more distance between us. Here, Patrick. Why don't you get on my back for a while?" Patrick gets on Lee's back, and they start to speed up quite a bit. Lee is impressed Rosemary can keep up in her shoes. Rosemary looks back, trying to find the bear again. She sees it starting to run towards them when she trips on a rock. She falls forward, landing on her arms and knees. Lee puts Patrick down and helps Rosemary get up.

"Lee, the bear…is running towards us."

He stands in front of Patrick and Rosemary, searching for the bear. Lee whispers, "We need to be still. Maybe the bear will get distracted." The three of them stand still there for a minute when they see that the bear started running in the opposite direction. Lee and Rosemary are relieved when they see the bear chasing after some deer. "Maybe we better pick up our pace and get back to Hope Valley before the bear comes back." Rosemary agrees. She looks down and sees her ripped sleeve and soiled skirt before hastily brushing the dirt and gravel off of her. She then reaches up to her hair, and her usual perfect hairstyle is disheveled.

Rosemary laughs, saying, "I must look a sight." Patrick and Lee laugh as well.

"Are you hurt, honey? Can you still walk?"

"Yes, I am right as rain. We better get going." After about another thirty minutes, they finally get to the Hope Valley Gas Station. Lee quickly fills up the gas can. Rosemary remarks, "Lee, I don't want you going back out by yourself right now. Can't you see if Henry can take you out there?"

"We can certainly try to find him in town." Rosemary smiles. Lee suggests, "Why don't I try the saloon, and you and Patrick can try the café?" She agrees. Before they split up, they see Henry coming out of the saloon. Lee yells out to Henry, "Hello. Are you busy right now? I need your help." Henry listens to the whole story, offering to drive Rosemary and Patrick home and then Lee out to the car.

Both Lee and Rosemary say, "Thank you" over and over again. Henry drops Patrick and Rosemary off at home.

Lee announces, "I will hopefully be home within the hour with dinner." Rosemary and Patrick wave as they drive off.

Rosemary asks, "Do you want to see if Missus Thornton and little Jack are home?" Patrick shakes his head yes. "Okay, run and knock on her door."

Elizabeth answers the door, asking them in. She sees Rosemary's ripped sleeve, filthy clothes, and unruly hair. She immediately questions, "What in the world happened?"

"Patrick, why don't you tell her?"

"Papa and I went on our father/son outing and looked at cars. He said we needed a bigger one for our family. Papa told me I found us the perfect car, so he bought it. He drove it home to show Mama, and she was really excited. Mama wanted to take it for a drive, so she drove us out to our picnic spot. We played some and got back in the car to come home. After a while, we ran out of gas. Papa forgot to check to see how much gas we had before we left Buxton. Then, while we were walking back to Hope Valley, we saw a bear coming near us. Luckily, the bear got distracted by some deer running by. Mama tripped on a rock and fell down, but she didn't get hurt. I think that is it. Oh, and Mister Gowen drove Mama and me home and is taking Papa out to the car with a gas can."

Elizabeth looks over at Rosemary for confirmation. Rosemary reports, "He is right. That is precisely what happened.

"Well, it looks like you had an eventful day. Are you okay, Rosemary? Did you hurt yourself?"

"If you can believe it, I wasn't hurt at all. I just ripped my sleeve and soiled my skirt. I am so lucky." She looks around, "Where is little Jack?"

"He is spending time with Nathan and Allie," replies Elizabeth.

"Well, we won't bother you anymore. Lee should be home with supper soon. I am sure he will want to eat the instant he gets home." Rosemary and Elizabeth chuckle. "Come on, Patrick. Let's go."

Patrick responds, "Yes, ma'am. Bye Missus Thornton."

Elizabeth replies, "By Patrick."

The next day, after church, Rosemary asks Patrick, "Should we plant some more flowers together?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Now, go change your clothes and meet me in the backyard." Patrick acknowledges. Rosemary puts her apron on and goes outside with the seeds she had bought the other day. She prepares the dirt while waiting for Patrick.

"Okay, I am ready, Mama."

"I thought we could plant some violets. I think they will be pretty with all the other flowers you and Papa planted." Rosemary gets down on her knees, telling Patrick to put his hands out. She gives him a few seeds, pointing to where she wants Patrick to put them. Patrick digs a little hole with his fingers and puts in a seed. He does this about five more times. Rosemary claps her hands together, saying, "Perfect." She hands the water bucket to Patrick, telling him to water the seeds and the other flowers as she looks on. "We will have to give the violets special attention every day so they can grow like the rest. Like we do with you." Patrick giggles. "Come here. I need a Patrick hug." Patrick happily gives her a hug. "Love you, Patrick."

"Love you, Mama."

Rosemary inquires, "Are you ready to go back inside? I have something to show you and Papa." Patrick and Rosemary come inside and clean up all the dirt they picked up outside. "Why don't you two sit down with me on the settee. Patrick sits in her lap while Lee sits right next to them. She wants to show them a letter she received the day before. Lee looks at her quizzically as if asking who this letter is from. Rosemary reveals, "The letter is from Diogo and his brothers who live in Brazil. Patrick, do you remember us talking about them?"

Patrick answers, "Yes, they are the ones who gave you the idea to adopt me."

Rosemary responds, "You are right. They made us realize how much love we had to give a child or children."

"We are so thankful for them for opening our hearts, and we are grateful you came to live with us. You are the best thing that has happened to us. Rosie, do you want the honors, or should I?"

"You can, honey," responds Rosemary.

Lee begins reading aloud:

Dear Mister and Missus Coulter,

I am sorry we have not contacted you for a while. We want to thank you for your letters and telegrams. It means so much to all three of us. I am happy to report, we have been adopted by a wonderful family. Our new parents are a little older and have raised two grown daughters. They always wanted to have three sons, so they thought it was meant to be when they found us. We couldn't be happier. They love us unconditionally and provide for our every need and want. I can't thank you enough for coming into our lives and changing it for the better. If it weren't for you two, we would probably still be on the street hungry and scared.

Matheus wants to say thank you. He wants you two to know, you are our heroes, and we will never forget what you did for us.

Alexio wants to also say thank you. He wants you to know that because of you two, he will make something of himself. He wants to invent something that will change the world or help other children like us.

Well, we have to go. Our parents are calling us to dinner. I have attached our new address and phone number. Maybe we can contact you one day, or you can reach out to us. I would love for you to "meet" our new parents.

Sinceramente.

Diogo, Alexio, and Matheus

Rosemary wipes the tears off of her face. She mentions, "I am so glad you were reading. I don't think I could have gotten through that, Lee."

Patrick asks, "Why are you crying, Mama?"

"You'll understand when you get older, but these are tears of happiness. We are so happy and relieved they found a forever family," she taps his nose, "just like you." Patrick giggles.

Lee wraps his arm around both Rosemary and Patrick, saying, "I am so glad the boys are happy. A big weight, I wasn't aware I was carrying, was just lifted off my shoulders."

Rosemary squeezes Lee's hand before revealing, "I love you, Lee Coulter. So much!" Lee leans in for a soft kiss on the lips. Then she squeezes Patrick a little bit too tight before saying, "I love you, bud. I am so glad you are my forever son."

Patrick chimed in, "I love you to the moon and back, Mama, Papa. Thank you for being my forever parents."