One BIG Happy Family
San Antonio TX Express-News 26Oct99 N6
By Jacque Crouse: Express-News Staff Writer

Nina And Scott Isaacson weren't looking for a brood when they began searching the Internet to adopt a child to close the age gap between their 7-year-old and 1-year-old. Yet, when she saw the faces of the five oldest children looking up at her from the computer screen, Nina Isaacson stopped.

"We saw their pictures and were struck," said the full-time mom from Central Utah. "Really, we just knew." Things got worse when she called the Texas Department of Human Services. Nina discovered there were three more siblings up for adoption, ages 5,3, and 2. Nina and her husband had always believed in keeping siblings together.

"It was sort of like God had played a trick on me," she said. "It still took a lot of talking and praying, but we decided to do it anyway." In a courtroom in Provo, Utah the family became officially the Isaacsons. They now have 17 children, some Hispanics, Anglos and some a mixture of both.

Today life has been a transformation for Levi who joined the family and left a gang on the streets of San Antonio. Today he is in sports and choir and looks forward to performing in Brigham Young University's "Nutcracker Suite."

The other children are in soccer, baseball, football, gymnastics, karate, choir, piano, guitar, dance, cross-country running and more. The two oldest attend high school, the rest go to private school in the morning and are home schooled in the afternoon.

The family belongs to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They observe Monday for family night where they talk out problems, play games and pray together.

Social worker, Rosie Quiroz explained that it is hard to explain the family dynamics. "This family is awesome," she said. "I spent time in their home, and it was an enlightening experience for me. In some ways, I felt like I had walked into a storybook."

Some people can't understand how Nina does it. "It may sound hokey, but I believe we are all God's children and that He really does know us each intimately and loves us," Nina said. "And that is billions of us. If I am a child of God, I have some of his qualities, and if God can do billions, I can do just 17."

Scott Isaacson tells hes wife he has never been happier, and she understands. "It's true. When we first started adopting, we were terrified, but we forgot one thing. That was to plan in all the joy and fun and love."

One child, Daniel, misses his birth mother. She quit visiting when they were in foster care in San Antonio. "It's really important to them to know their mom is OK, and to let her know how they are doing," Nina Isaacson said.

Quiroz said the children's birth mother could contact them through her by calling 337-3447. "They are wonderful people," Quiroz said. "These kids used to be typical of what we see. They couldn't be happy for too long for fear of looking childish. Now, this family is giving these guys their childhood back."