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Mike and Hayley Jones always wanted more than two children. But after both their sons had difficult births they decided to adopt a child from Africa.

Just one, maybe two, was the plan. But they ended up with EIGHT. All from the same family and all at once.

Hayley went from being a mum of two to a mum of 10 in the space of a plane journey. The amazing adoption is thought to be the first of its kind in the world and it has turned their lives upside down.

“Not a second goes by when I don’t need to be cleaning, cooking, teaching, washing or just listening,” says Hayley, 31.

“But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

After planning to take one child from an orphanage in Sierra Leone they heard about seven boys and a girl, aged five to 16, whose father had died and mother couldn’t cope.

Incredibly, they decided they would take them all.

Mike, 34, explains: “When we were told of a group of eight siblings, I got chills all over my body. They were just names on a piece of paper but I knew we were meant to adopt them.”

Hayley wasn’t sure at first. She says: “Mike is such a planner and he’d say we could only afford two at the most so I was open-mouthed,” she says.

“But I’m so pleased I trusted Mike because he was right. Now our family feels complete.”

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The couple, from Franklin in the US state of Tennessee, married 15 years ago after meeting at their local church. When their sons Tyler, nine, and Tucker, five, were born Hayley needed emergency sections.

“I was bedridden with Tucker and hospitalised for several months with Tyler. It was a scary situation,” she says.

After talking about adopting, teacher Hayley discovered one of her students had been adopted by a US family who later set up their own orphanage, The Raining Season, in his Sierra Leone homeland.

“We met up with my student’s mom to find out more. She had a long list of names and when she said she had a group of eight, I laughed.”

But she wasn’t counting on Mike’s reaction. “We were lying in bed and he just came out with it,” she says.

Their sons were excited by the idea, but Hayley’s mother was stunned.

“She said after I’d said ‘eight children’ she could see my mouth was moving but couldn’t hear anything else. But she quickly got used to the idea and has been there to support us 100%.”

In 2010, Hayley flew out to meet Michael, now 16, Samuel, 15, Gabrielle, 12, Levi, 11, Malachi, nine, Judah, eight, Isaiah, seven and Zion, five.

“They were all waiting for me at the gate,” she says. “They ran up and kept touching me and asking questions. I definitely knew right then they were going to be our kids.”

(Image: SWNS)

Six months later, Mike, a water board manager, made the trip himself, and over the next three years Hayley went eight more times.

Meanwhile, the couple extended their four-bedroom bungalow after raising £10,000 helped by the local community, which also donated clothes and bunk beds.

Then in March last year, Hayley went to collect the children.

“They were so excited,” she says. They were greeted at Nashville airport by hundreds of well-wishers.

Hayley says: “Tucker had a sign: ‘I’m the little brother.’ ”

All eight have now settled into their new home. “At first, they were mesmerised,” says Hayley. “They’d stare at two-storey buildings and ask, ‘How did they build that?’.”

The family travel in a minibus and are known as the “Jones Dozen”. But just getting out of the house is difficult.

“We shout ‘shoes on’ and 15 minutes later we’ve still not left,” says Hayley, who has now given up her job.

“We have a chore rota, so after dinner we have two washing up, one wiping the table and another vacuuming under it. You could eat a whole other meal off the food left under the table!”

(Image: SWNS)

The couple have been overwhelmed by the generosity of friends and strangers. “I was at a drive-thru and a woman just handed me $40,” Hayley says.

Every little helps with a weekly food bill of £400-plus.

Most of the children go to the local school but the eldest three are home-schooled by Hayley.

“They’ve missed years of schooling and really benefit from the one-on-one tuition,” she says. “The others love school and have fitted right in.”

The couple have also enjoyed seeing see the children’s personalities shine through.

“Michael is the eldest and he’s such an old soul,” Hayley says. “He sets a great example. Samuel is quiet then suddenly he’ll say something really funny.

“Gabrielle is a bit of a tomboy but my mom’s just introduced her to shopping. Levi’s our little artist and Judah’s a real talker.

"Isaiah and Zion are always busy. They are always with Tyler and Tucker. They’re all so special.”

(Image: SWNS)

Dan French of the British Association of Adoption and Fostering says: “I’ve never heard anything like this. It would take a very special family to take eight children in one go.”

When it comes to the Jones family, it seems he’s right. As Hayley says: “Our family has tripled in size and happiness.”