During Randee’s high school years in Lund, Nevada, her mom and dad decided to become foster parents.
“I had always been the youngest, and suddenly I was a big sister,” Randee says. “At the same time, I saw how my family could be a positive influence for the kids who joined us.”
Midway through her senior year, a new child arrived at their home—a baby who would change Randee’s life.
Tiny baby, instant connection
“I came home from school, and my mom introduced me to this cute baby,” Randee remembers. Born prematurely, Michael had failed to thrive. Although seven months old, he was the size of a two-month-old and relied on a feeding tube.
Randee spent the next hour gently coaxing Michael to use a binky. “I loved Michael from the minute I held him,” she recalls.
The baby grew healthier and happier as the months passed, although he still needed to use a feeding tube for nutrition.
After graduation in 2005, Randee moved to Cedar City, Utah, located 250 miles away, returning often to visit Michael. The following year, she started dating Ben Logan, and brought him home to meet her family. Michael, now two-and-a-half, was usually shy with strangers, but chattered away to Ben.
Michael’s wish
Ben and Randee married in November 2006 and settled in Enoch, Utah. “Before we married, Randee told me about wanting to adopt Michael,” Ben remembers. “I wasn’t surprised because I could see the bond between them.” Due to fertility issues, adoption would be the way for the couple to have a family.
As Michael learned to talk, he had a special message for Randee and Ben: “My name is going to be Michael Logan. Randee is going to be my mommy and Ben is going to be my daddy.”
Those wishes came true. The Logans completed training to become foster parents, and Michael, who would soon become available for adoption, joined their home in 2009. The following summer, they legalized his adoption, and Michael finally became their son.
Becoming the parents of a kindergartner was exciting, fun and an adjustment. Due to medical needs, Michael continued to use a feeding tube until he was eight. Randee’s mom and other foster and adoptive parents became important sources of support and advice for the new family.
Fostering—and hoping to adopt again
Michael, now ten, likes playing board and video games with his parents, and enjoys hunting, fishing and farming with his grandpa.
While raising Michael, the Logans have continued as foster parents, while waiting for the right opportunity to adopt again. They have cared for six children ranging from four months to eleven years old.
“I love being around kids,” Randee says. For Ben, larger families feel like home—he grew up as one of nine.
They are direct about the rewards and demands of foster parenting, as Randee shared in a publication for other foster parents:
“I often hear things like ‘Wow, you are supermom.’ After a conversation with my mom, I learned that it is okay to say ‘thank you.’ The reason I am a ‘supermom’ is not because my house and kids are perfect. It is because I do something that not everyone can do.”
The Logans keeps balance in their lives through time with Michael and regular date nights.
Their advice to others considering adoption?
Randee: “Follow your heart. Build a support system too.”
Ben: “I’d recommend it—and we’d do it again!”
