A True Hoyt

As many of you know, Ashley has a different father than Anthony. I left him when Ashley was just over a year old. We not together very long when I got pregnant and we never got married. It was not a good relationship at all due to the constant arguing and control issues that he had with me. I knew that if I stayed with him, I would be a horrible Mom because I would be miserable being with him. When I had Ashley, I gave her his last name because...well I guess I thought we would get married at that time, for her sake. Thank goodness that never happened because then I would have been stuck in that relationship (I don't believe in divorce), and who knows how Ashley herself would have turned out being raised in that kind of environment.

When Ashley turned 2, Jason and I started dating. We had known each other 4 years prior, but never had a serious relationship with each other. When Ashley was 3, Jason and I got married. From the moment we were together, Jason accepted Ashley and treated her like his own. He knew she was the most important thing in my life, and was okay with being 2nd in my life. He was sad when she wasn't with us, as I agreed to a cordial arrangement with her father for joint custody. Jason was excited to have her with us, as we both wanted to share our lives with her completely! Jason absolutely loves Ashley. As an only child himself, he only wanted one child and was completely okay with Ashley being that child for him. It never mattered to him that she was not his biological daughter. Of course, we now have Anthony too. But Jason has never treated Ashley any different than before. He has always been loving and supportive to her.
Over the years, Ashley has chosen to live with us more and more. Ashley is now 13 and has been living with us permanently for over 9 months. There were some very serious and major issues that were happening at her father's house that needed immediate removal of her there. In the spring, Ashley asked me if she could have her last name changed. Not only did she want to have the same last name of me, Jason and Anthony (as she considers us her true family), but she finally wanted the name of where she belonged. She wanted the name of her Dad, Jason, because he has been her DAD. (Anyone can father a child, not everyone can be a Dad.)

We submitted all the paperwork to have her last name changed a couple of months ago, and even her biological father gave his consent. We got a call from our lawyer yesterday and it is official! Ashley is now a HOYT! The judge didn't even need us to be at a hearing. There was enough evidence for him to make a decision without us being there.

We are more than thrilled that legally Ashley is a Hoyt now! In our eyes, she always has been. In Jason's eyes, she's always been his daughter. Next up...Ashley has to do the thing that a true Hoyt does...hunting!