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Couple's sweet adoption announcement goes viral

Cara and Eric Taylor announced their plans to adopt in an unconventional way. (Cara Taylor/Facebook)

Cara and Eric Taylor are hoping to adopt from the state foster care system in 2015.

To announce their plans to expand their family, the Alabama couple opted for a twist on popular baby-announcement photos and posed in front of a row of six pairs of children’s shoes of varying sizes.

“Whichever one fits,” their holiday card reads. “It is our hope and prayer in 2015 to grow our family by adopting a child from foster care.”

“It was a way to say, ‘We’re adopting’ in a fun, unique and almost baby-announcement way,” Cara, 31, a bank teller and photographer, told TODAY.

"To me, sitting there with a little sign saying ‘We are adopting’ just didn’t’ do it. We wanted to bring attention to the foster care system as well, so that’s why we created it the way we did with all the little shoes," Cara told AL.com.

When Cara shared the photo with Together We Rise, a nonprofit group dedicated to improving the lives of children in foster care, the group posted it on Facebook. People loved it.

"It definitely was not our intent for it to go viral. But if it has people talking about and looking into the foster care system, I’m excited it’s going that way. If it means more people will possibly get involved in the process, then that’s awesome," Taylor said.

The Taylors, who have been married for five years, are open to adopting a boy or a girl, a young child or a preteen, and have no race preference.

“We’re pretty open if it’s the right child,” Cara said.

According to a state spokesperson, Alabama has about 5,000 children in foster care. About 500 a year are adopted.

"When we researched the different avenues of adoption we could take, we just felt a sort of pull towards the children in foster care," Cara told The Huffington Post. “The need for good homes for these children is so great in our country, we felt like we have enough room in our hearts and our home to help be a part of the solution. “

“I want to give a kid a loving and deserving family,” Eric, 27, an Army sergeant and recruiter, told TODAY.

“We’re very loving people and just want to be able to share that love with a child.”

The Taylors said that the attention their photo has received so far has been all positive. They hope their photo will encourage others to consider welcoming foster children into their homes, too.

“It’s going to be difficult,” Cara said. “Those kids are going to come from tough situations. The biggest thing we’re looking forward to is showing them that they are loved, that they deserved to be loved.”