44 year old Mandi Septer, lives in Kentucky, and always dreamed of having a large family.
When she found herself getting older without a husband she chose foster care with the intention of adoption. When her social worker told her about 6 sisters who needed a home. Alaynah, 16, Alyviah, 14, Alyssah, 13, Alyciah, 11, Alyse, 9, and Julie, 3, she looked at it as a God thing.
The reunion happened at a local restaurant and was very emotional, as the sisters had been separated into 4 different foster homes and hadn't seen in each other in about a year.
Mandi took all 6 in as a foster parent and recently became their mother when their adoption was formalized.
Mandi works as an IT contractor for the military, but can do most of it from home so she can spend lots of time with her girls. .There is a 7th sibling, Aaliyah, 19, who wasn't legally adopted because she’s 19 but considers Mandi as her mom now too.
She credits Mandi with inspiring her to pursue higher education. Aaliyah has been living with her boyfriend for a couple of years and is expecting a baby soon. She tells NBC news; “Mandi will be in the delivery room when I give birth. She’s bought a majority of the baby stuff and planned my baby shower.”
Mandi hopes that in the future the girls' biological mother can be a part of their lives, saying, “I would love that. There’s room for everyone.”
But for now the girls are thrilled to be loved and in a secure home. Mandi admits this isn't how she imagined her family would look but it feels even better than she had imagined.