2 local families celebrate ‘Gotcha Day’ finalizing adoptions

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(LEFT) Seated are Jasmine Johnson and Summer Johnson. Standing immediately behind them, left to right are Jared Johnson, Laney Johnson, Cullman County Probate Judge Tammy Brown and Autumn Johnson. In the crowd are friends, family and faculty and students from Harmony School. (Christy Perry for The Cullman Tribune); (RIGHT) The Killion family poses for a photo. Third from left is dad Kyle Killion, holding her adoption certificate is Annabelle Texas Kore-Killion and standing second from right is mom Jennifer Killion. (Christy Perry for The Cullman Tribune)

CULLMAN, Ala. – It was a wonderful “Gotcha Day” for two families at the Cullman County Courthouse Thursday morning as two adoptions were made official by Cullman County Probate Judge Tammy Brown. 

The commission conference room was standing room only as Jared and Summer Johnson’s adoption of their daughter Jasmine was finalized. Jasmine was surprised as her entire eighth-grade class from Harmony School was bussed in to celebrate with their classmate. 

The Johnson family began the adoption process in March 2018 after the passing of Jasmine’s grandmother.

“She and my daughter were best friends when her grandmother died,” said Summer Johnson. “After that, we just knew she belonged with us.”

She passed out special commemorative Hershey’s Kisses to everyone with a special “Gotcha Day” printed on the bottom. 

As the Johnsons celebrated outside with friends and family, another adoption proceeding began as 18-year-old Annabelle officially became a Killion. Also supported by a crowd of family and friends, Annabelle was all smiles in a T-shirt that read, “My parents chose me. Yours got stuck with you! #proud2BEadopted” 

Annabelle is now the daughter of Kyle and Jennifer Killion and was joined by her new siblings at Thursday’s proceedings. Now a freshman at The University of North Alabama majoring in art, Annabelle is a 2019 graduate of Cullman High School.

She said upon the completion of the adoption, “Yeah!”

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Seated are Jasmine Johnson and Summer Johnson. Standing immediately behind them, left to right are Jared Johnson, Laney Johnson, Cullman County Probate Judge Tammy Brown and Autumn Johnson. In the crowd are friends, family and faculty and students from Harmony School. (Christy Perry for The Cullman Tribune)
The Killion family poses for a photo. Third from left is dad Kyle Killion, holding her adoption certificate is Annabelle Texas Kore-Killion and standing second from right is mom Jennifer Killion. (Christy Perry for The Cullman Tribune)