Fresno foster mom opens heart, adopts 6 sisters

FRESNO, Calif. -- Five years ago Lacey Dunkin was single, in her mid-20s, and far from having children of her own. But now family is the only thing on her mind.

"You don't set out to have six little girls," she said. "I'm glad that it happened, I'm so blessed."

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Lacey always knew she wanted to be a mom and set out to be certified as a foster parent in 2011. Late one night in September, she got the call.

"Four little girls, ages 5 to 2 and 1," she explained. "And I said yes, like, before she could finish talking."

In the next few years, her family would grow but also endure separation. The girls' biological mother had another baby, and all the kids went back. A month later, Lacey regained custody. Then in 2013, the birth mother had a sixth child, and the future become uncertain.

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"Their first reaction was like 'but not us,'" she explained. "This is home, we can't go anywhere, right? I didn't even realize that was so important to them."

Lacey put those worries to rest adopting all six girls.

"I just really wish people didn't think that they were bad," Dunkin exclaimed. "It's not their fault that they are in the system."

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Foster kids may come into a family looking for love.

"Kaylie will stop in the middle of lunch and just say 'mom, mom, mom,' I'm like 'what?'" she said. "And she's like, 'I love you.'"

But Lacey says they give much more than she thought she could receive.

"You're able to love them because they love you," she said. "And your heart just grows more and more."

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