Legal proceedings, such as an adoption hearing, are usually uneventful and straightforward. But a judge in Grand Rapids, Michigan allowed for a special kind of adoption process to take place in her court room. Case workers arranged a Disney-themed session to make a little girl's dreams come true and it became a truly magical moment for her.
Judge Patricia Gardner of the Kent County's 17th Circuit Court came as Snow White, while the other witnesses were dressed in Disney princess costumes. This was the day Danielle Ross, 5, would learn she would now be known as Danielle Koning. Her adoptive parents, Jim and Sarah Koning, were in on the surprise as well.
"The look on her face was priceless," said Sarah, via ABC News, when Danielle watched case workers marching in the courtroom in their Disney gowns. This started off as a simple request from one of the social workers handling Danielle, but pretty soon, others were in on it as well.
So sweet! An adoption hearing, Disney-style.https://t.co/ea6hnoB4ww pic.twitter.com/GttMADnCxI
— KXVA FOX Abilene (@FOXAbilene) June 9, 2016
Judge Gardner told USA Today that she has never seen this done in court before. She also said that adoption hearings can be quite difficult for children, but this particular scenario made one child feel a lot special.
Danielle and the Konings initially met in 2014 when they became her foster parents. But right there, Sarah knew she already wanted to adopt the little girl, along with another foster sister, Neveah, 1.
This little girl's Adoption Day was made magical with Disney Princesses. https://t.co/3Osr6abJJf pic.twitter.com/ONn6hhZbGh
— The Next Family (@thenextfamily) June 9, 2016
Adoption process takes months or years before the court makes its final ruling. It didn't become very easy for the family at first, as Danielle once told her social workers she wanted to leave the Koning's home. This was around the time she learned her real mother no longer has parental rights over her and she has been challenged to make the transition, per MLive.
Eventually, Danielle got around to calling the Konings mom and dad, especially after realizing she's with a safe and stable family. Now, they can finally be a real family in the eyes of the law as Danielle has gotten her happily ever after. Watch Danielle's adoption proceeding with some Disney princesses in the video below:
