“People say to me all the time how lucky the boys are but they’ve got it totally wrong,” she said.

“Sure, the boys will be given opportunities here that they wouldn’t have otherwise but we’re the lucky ones.

“We have been totally blessed by having them in our lives.”

Overseas adoption has been in the headlines lately following efforts by pop star Madonna to adopt another child from Malawi, however there has always been strong interest in the Shoalhaven in adopting children from other countries.

In fact, there is even a local support group helping parents navigate through the long and drawn-out processes.

Ms McMaugh and Mr Anderson adopted their first son Jonas about five years ago and their second son Ramir nearly a year ago from the Philippines.

They chose to adopt after going through the lengthy, emotionally demanding and expensive IVF process.

They found themselves smack in the middle of another lengthy, emotionally demanding and expensive process.

“Looking back, I wish we had gone straight to adoption,” Ms McMaugh said.

She said it took 12 months just to work through the Department of Community Services requirements and another 16 months to slowly deal with the Philippines government.

“You have to be very bloody-minded,” Ms McMaugh said.

“It takes a long time and there will be setbacks along the way because you’re dealing with two sets of bureaucracies.”

Delays included six months just waiting for a visa for Ramir.

Each adoption cost about $20,000, including a raft of fees imposed by both governments, donations to orphanages and travel arrangements but “at the end of it you have a beautiful child, or two if you’re brave enough to go back”.

The Currarong couple chose to adopt from the Philippines because at the time it was faster and cheaper than other countries and was closer so it would be easier to take the boys back to find out more about their birth culture.

Ms McMaugh and Mr Anderson also had Filipino friends and “we quite liked their values”, Ms McMaugh said.

After the first adoption, the couple hoped going back for a second time would be faster as they had already been through all the processes and requirements, however there was no difference in the system apart from DoCS trebling some of its fees.