Carter Wyles has had a rough life. He lives in Lancaster, Ohio, and the 11-year-old has been bounced from one foster home to the next. Luckily, his aunt, Leah Kiphart, decided to give him a break for the holidays.

She brought Carter to her home for their holiday celebration, but she had more than a few gifts in mind for the boys she describes as being a very good kid.

The video below shows Carter sitting in the living room floor at Leah’s house surrounded by gifts and wrapping paper. He thought he’d finished unwrapping his gifts, but there was one more that hadn’t been opened. Leah handed him a gift and the entire family held their breath as Carter pulled tissue paper from the bag. Inside was a photo frame with a picture of the entire Kiphart family. Included in it was a note just for Carter.

The note said, “Here is the most recent picture of our family. All of us would love for you to be in the next picture and for you to be part of our family. Carter, would you like to be a Kiphart and be our son and brother?”

Carter started out reading the note out loud, but as he realized what was happening, he could barely mutter a yes through his tears. “What do you think buddy? We’re going to adopt you, Carter,” said Leah’s husband.

Leah explained that Carter’s adoption status deadline was about to change which would have allowed strangers to adopt him. Faced with the fact that she might never see her nephew again, Leah and her family decided to make Carter a permanent part of theirs.

The decision was a bit of a spur of the moment decision. They discussed their decision on Sunday night, and on Monday shared it with him. Now they want people to know the joys of adopting an older child.

Carter says he is thrilled the video is bringing other people joy and says that it feels good. Check out the amazing video below and be sure to share it with your family and friends.