15 heartwarming photos of newly adopted children and their families

After three years of fostering 16-year-old Deryck Blake, Michael and Kay Wolfe adopted him in 2011.

Attorney Sasha Stern captured the moment on camera as they left the Los Angeles courtroom.

The Australian couple also has another adopted child and a biological son.

Katie and Dennis Whitaker first fostered their son Soul one hour before his first birthday. Two years later they officially adopted him.

"It was surreal," Katie Whitaker told the Los Angeles Times. "I had the image of when I first held him two and a half years ago."

Lance Cpl. Christopher Mohedano-Hernandez, second from left, and members of his family greet another newly adopted child, 4-month-old Chinaza Thornhill, and her adoptive mother Chinyere Thornhill, left, after an adoption ceremony.

Judges from Miami-Dade County Juvenile Court officiated the finalizing of more than 50 adoptions in courtrooms set up inside the museum on National Adoption Day in 2015.

National Adoption Day strives to raise awareness of the hundreds of thousands of children in foster care waiting to find permanent families.

Bella Gonzalez was one of the 50 adoptions finalized at the Miami Children's Museum in 2015.

The smile on Lisa Alvarez's face says it all.

Giselle Malagon and her husband, Victor, adopted Alyssa in 2015.

Adopt US Kids writes, "For many children in foster care, their brother or sister has been the only constant presence in their lives. A brother or sister may be the only person who understands and shares their experiences and can help them make sense of their new lives."

Davion's story of being in the foster care system all of his life gained worldwide attention when he stood in front of a church congregation in 2013 and begged for someone to adopt him.

DeBoer and Rowse, a same-sex couple from Michigan, have jointly adopted five children, closing a case that started when they challenged the state's restrictions on adoption and helped pave the way for the landmark 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision to guarantee the right to gay marriage.

Angel and Sandra Rubio had waited almost two years for the adoption of their daughter Alexandra to go through.

"It's great to have a day like this; I wish we had more," Judge Daniel Swords told The Boston Globe.

Rebeka Romero and her husband, Travis, fostered Joseph, left, Travis, right, and their younger sister Lily (not pictured) for 22 months before adopting them. The couple was also fostering two other children at the time of this picture who they planned on adopting.

• Read more:
• 27 celebrities who adopted kids
• 6 things you should know when you've adopted a child of a different race or culture, according to an expert
• 20 celebrities who have adopted rescue animals