MURRAY, Utah – In Utah, the average stay in foster care is 17 months. For 8-year-old Wesley, it has been almost 2½ years.

“He’s had a rough go, just like any kid in foster care,” said Jaynie Palmer, an intensive recruiter with The Adoption Exchange. “We’re lucky he has a really great placement who he’s been with for a while, who supports him and works with him. So he feels stable in that sensed.”

“But,” she added, “he has not had a family in many years, and that is something he is missing out on and wants desperately.”

Like many children his age, Wesley loves school, animals, and LEGO® sets. Thanks to the LEGO® Store at Fashion Place Mall in Murray, he got an exclusive tour LEGO® fans dream of.

As Wesley was shown each of the store’s LEGO® sets, picking out some of his favorites to take home, he opened up about some of the things that matter in his life – like chickens.

Wesley said he’s been raising 12 chickens at his foster home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Their names are Sweat Pea and Toasted Marshmallow,” he said when asked which are his favorites.

“He really loves the chickens,” Palmer said. “I think part of that is that he’s been able to see them grow and feels very connected to them.”

Wesley would love to be adopted by a family that love animals as much as he does, even if they don’t have chickens.

He said he is a fan of bunnies, too.

When the employees at The LEGO® Store learned these endearing details about Welsey, they presented him with his very own chicken and bunny mini figures, which were possibly the highlight of his visit.

“I would say he’s spunky in certain times, but he definitely has a tender heart and really cares about people and cares about how he’s doing,” Palmer said. “He wants to be good. He’s a sweet little boy.”

Wesley said he hopes to join a family with siblings, but when asked what the No. 1 thing is he wishes for in a family, his answer was simple and sweet: “A mom.”

“He needs someone that is going to commit to him through the good and bad times,” Palmer said. “He needs someone that is going to be 100% in and give their all, just as he would give his all.”

For more information, contact The Adoption Exchange at 801-265-0444 or go to adoptex.org.

Shara’s note: Thank you to the amazing staff at The LEGO® Store at Fashion Place Mall in Murray for being so generous during our visit. And a special thank you to Denise at The LEGO® Store for being so sweet and understanding with Wesley. You made this day a day he will never forget.