Ohio Couple Adopts All Four Siblings So They Can Stay Together

November 29, 2025

An Ohio family is stepping into the holiday season with hearts (and a minivan!) a whole lot fuller after officially adopting four siblings.

Photo by WCPO 9

As first reported by WPCO Cincinnati, Joni and Nelson Janney of Miamisburg finalized the adoption of 15-year-old Chevy, 12-year-old Kaleb, and 10-year-old twins Vida and Zoey on Wednesday morning at the Hamilton County Probate Court. And while the timing is special, what makes this story truly extraordinary is that all four siblings got to stay together.

In the world of adoption, keeping brothers and sisters united is incredibly rare. Judge Ralph Winkler, who oversaw the adoption, said that out of the 2,500 adoptions he’s handled in the last decade, fewer than ten involved a group of siblings who were able to remain a family. But these four were determined to stay side by side—and the Janneys were determined to make that happen.

The moment the kids met Joni and Nelson, something clicked. The Janneys say it felt like their family suddenly… made sense. They went on vacations together. The kids began thriving in school. And before long, it felt as if they had always been part of the Janney crew.

"It's almost like they've never not been a part of our family," Nelson said.

This isn’t the couple’s first experience with adoption—they welcomed their youngest son, 5-year-old Nicholas, a few years ago. Joni, a stay-at-home mom, and Nelson, an Ohio State Trooper for more than a decade, say expanding their family in this way has been nothing short of a blessing.

But making everything official right before Thanksgiving added an emotional punch.

"We can go into the holidays with everybody having the same last name," Joni said, beaming.

The family plans to celebrate throughout the season—especially with twins Vida and Zoey’s birthdays just around the corner. Their home is now filled with more laughter, more love, and a beautiful reminder that families are sometimes formed in the most incredible ways.

Or, as Nelson put it perfectly: "It's just been a blessing."