Music, kids, costumes and candy - Judge Tammy Harrington's courtroom in the Blount County Justice Center might have looked like a Halloween party, but it was something much more momentous.
Each year, the Blount County judge celebrates National Adoption Day in a big way, hosting families, agencies and case workers for a special celebration as they finalize their legal adoptions.
On Monday, the courtroom became a superhero convention as more than 30 children were officially adopted into new families.
"We have families from many agencies and (the Department of Children Services) that are doing their adoptions today," said Mark Acres, a case manager for Child Help. "It's a big day, an exciting day."
For Nick and Allison Jacobs, the day was another milestone for their growing family.
"Today we are adopting those two to make our family eight kids, and us two adults, so a family of 10," Allison Jacobs said.
William and Zoey have added Jacobs to their names. Now, Wonder Woman and Batman will also be known as their Mom and Dad.
"These are just two great kids that we're taking in today. They deserve all that and more," Allison Jacobs said.
Acres has been working with the Jacobs family as a case manager for much of the adoption process. He said there are a large number of foster cases in East Tennessee.
"You've got several thousand children in foster care, many of whom are adoptable. So, you need to find forever families for those kids," Acres said.
The Jacobs family adopted three of their children in 2015. Allison Jacobs said it's not easy raising so many children, but she wouldn't trade it for anything.
"It's like the saying, 'the more you have you don't build a higher fence, you build a bigger table,'" she said.