It's official! Two sisters from New Jersey have been legally adopted, over a year after the family shared a TikTok video of the siblings asking their stepmother to adopt them.
Twins Gabriella and Julianna Ruvolo had made a photo book filled with family snapshots and on the last page, above a photo of the sisters with their stepmother, Becky Ruvolo, they included a question. It read, "Mom, will you adopt us?"
"This is just one step closer to prove that like you are always our mom and we figured like, what's the best time to ask the biggest question we will probably ever ask? And why not make it on Mother's Day? Ask our mom to officially be our mother on the day dedicated to her," Julianna Ruvolo explained to "GMA" last May.
Becky Ruvolo added that she was completely surprised at the time.
"I was so caught off guard," she said. "When I read that, it was just pure shock and an honor and the emotions of just like, 'Is this really happening?'"
The sisters captured Becky Ruvolo's emotional reaction on camera when they surprised her with the touching gift and message and since the video post, which was set to Coldplay's hit single "Yellow," was first shared on May 9, 2022, it has been viewed nearly 8 million times.
Gabriella and Julianna Ruvolo were officially adopted on March 2 and Becky Ruvolo shared a video clip from their day in court with "GMA."
In the video, a judge off-camera can be heard saying, "The room is really swelling with an example of what a family should be. So I feel honored to have shared this very special day. And please, everyone stay well and come back and see us sometime. Best of luck to you [all]."
The Ruvolos shared a long embrace together after the judge finalized the adoption's legal proceeding.
"It was a wonderful day, Judge Ellen Torregrossa-O'Connor was so very nice and the process was beautiful," Becky Ruvolo told "GMA" in an email afterward. "We're all very happy it's official & done. It's hard to put into words the feeling I had last night of peace and calmness, was so nice."
The family told "GMA" last year that the move towards adoption had been over 12 years in the making.
"When I met the girls, I was very nervous, but we hit it off and they were 8 years old at the time. And it kind of just snowballed and flowed from there into our family," Becky Ruvolo said.
