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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Parenthood is a remarkable adventure, an
3incredible responsibility, and a constant challenge; adopting
4a child is one of the most transformative, selfless, and
5rewarding acts of parenthood, which is magnified when adopting
63 children at the same time; and
 
7    WHEREAS, In the summer of 2013, out of their desire to
8share their home and their love with children and understanding
9that countless children around the world are in need of a
10family, Will and Macy Cousineau made the life-changing decision
11to adopt 3 young sisters from Latvia: 8-year-old Sindija,
127-year-old Linda, and 4-year-old Ieva; and
 
13    WHEREAS, As part of the months-long, involved, and
14exhaustive adoption process, in December of 2013, Will and Macy
15opened their home and their hearts to Sindija and Linda by
16hosting them for 4 weeks; though the girls spoke very little
17English, they were immediately kind, well-behaved, and loving
18and Will and Macy bonded with them instantly; and
 
19    WHEREAS, During the girls' visit, Will and Macy took to
20parenthood naturally and embraced the girls as their own; they
21got to know as much as possible about Sindija and Linda and
22their lives, took family trips to Chicago and St. Louis, and

 

 

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1taught the girls how to translate on an iPad; the 4 weeks
2passed all too quickly and Will and Macy struggled to say
3goodbye when the girls had to return to Latvia, unable even to
4tell them they would be together again in a short time; and
 
5    WHEREAS, In April of 2014, Will and Macy got the call they
6had been waiting months to receive, that, in just days, they
7would reunite with Sindija and Linda and meet Ieva for the
8first time; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Will and Macy made the nearly 20-hour journey to
10Latvia to spend 3 weeks with the girls, the first of 3 trips to
11the country as part of the adoption process; they spent time
12with the girls' loving grandmother, traveled from their
13orphanage to the Latvian capital of Riga, where they visited
14Riga's old town, spent several days at the park, went to the
15zoo and the Riga Circus, ate lunch at Cathedral Square, waded
16in the Baltic Sea, climbed Gaizinkalns Hill, the highest point
17in Latvia, and attended Easter service at St. Peter's Church,
18one of the oldest monuments of medieval architectural in the
19Baltic which was first mentioned in written documents in 1209;
20and
 
21    WHEREAS, The girls could not wait to arrive in their new
22home, asking Will and Macy every morning how many "good
23mornings" until their arrival in America; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The Cousineau family, now 5 strong, returned to
2the United States on May 1, 2014, just beginning their new life
3together as a family; Will and Macy are learning more about
4their new daughters and the girls' homeland and culture; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Sindija, Linda, and Ieva have seamlessly adapted
6to their new surroundings and lives; Sindija's favorite color
7is red and Linda's and Ieva's favorite color is violet; the
8girls enjoy riding their new bicycles in Washington Park and
9will soon begin a summer school program; and
 
10    WHEREAS, New parents Will and Macy Cousineau have forever
11changed the lives of 3 young sisters from Latvia and made sure
12the sisters remain together as a family; where language and
13cultural differences may often create barriers, Will and Macy
14have made their devotion to their new daughters unquestionably
15clear through their unconditional love; therefore, be it
 
16    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
17NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
18we congratulate Will and Macy Cousineau in bringing Sindija,
19Linda, and Ieva into their lives and wish them all the best as
20they continue their amazing journey as a family; and be it
21further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2presented to the Cousineau family as an expression of our
3esteem and respect.