Katherine Heigl's 3 Kids: All About Naleigh, Adalaide and Joshua

Katherine Heigl is raising her three children away from the spotlight.

The Firefly Lane the star shares daughters Naleigh (15) and Adalaide (12) and son Joshua (7) with her husband Josh Kelley. The couple met on the set of Kelley’s “Only You” music video in 2005 and married in December 2007 in Park City, Utah.

Heigl and Kelley were eager to start a family from the start.

“I always thought I’d be scared, but I’m ready,” Kelley told PEOPLE ahead of their wedding. “I’m 27 years old and I feel like I’ve done more than most people will do in a lifetime. I’m ready to settle down, start a family and build my Kelley empire.”

The couple became first-time parents in September 2009 after adopting Naleigh from South Korea. They increased their Kelley empire again in 2012 and 2017, respectively, with the adoption of Adalaida and the birth of Joshua.

Today, the family of five lives a quiet life on their ranch in Utah, which they moved to full-time in 2010. “In our minds, this has become the best place for our family,” the mom of three told PEOPLE. “It’s quiet and there’s a different way of living here.”

Heigl continued, “Our time is focused on being home and being together… it’s grounded. I think we just appreciate the quiet of this lifestyle. We just have more time for each other.”

While it is Grey’s Anatomy The alum chose to raise her children away from Hollywood, she’s not shy when it comes to sharing her love for her family on social media.

In January 2023, Heigl spoke to NewBeauty about how she’s raising her daughters not to be people pleasers.

“I think there’s a hidden, unspoken, collectively understood vibe that women should be ‘nice.’ I see it in my young daughters, and it’s just this weird, inherent societal thing,” she said. “I certainly don’t teach them to be like that, but they pick it up somewhere. I keep saying, ‘I need you to understand that it’s not your job.'”

Keep reading to find out all about Katherine Heigl’s three children.

Nancy Leigh “Naleigh” Mi-Eun Kelley, 15

Katherine Heigl’s Instagram

In 2009, Heigl and Kelley adopted their first child, daughter Nancy Leigh Mi-Eun Kelley (affectionately nicknamed Naleigh), from South Korea when she was a baby. Naleigh was born with a congenital heart condition and underwent open heart surgery before being reunited with her parents.

The Life as we know it star said adoption was always part of her and Kelley’s family plan. “Josh and I started talking about it [adoption] before we even got engaged,” shared s School parent and child 2014. “My sister Meg is Korean, and my parents adopted her three years before I was born. I wanted my family to be similar to the one I came from, so I always knew I wanted to adopt from Korea. We talked about having biological children as well , but first we decided to adopt, so however we do it, it’s fine with me.”

Katherine Heigl’s Instagram

These days, Naleigh is entering her teenage years. In an interview with in 2021 ParentsHeigl talked about her experience as a mom of underage children and shared that Naleigh was “one of two kids in her class” at school without her own phone.

“I know she thinks I’m a bully, but I worry about the effect of social media on kids her age. I’ve been watching A social dilemma. So I said, ‘Go ahead and hate me. I’m trying to save you!’ ” she said, adding that Naleigh was “sneaking around my iPad and making TikTok videos without my permission.”

On Naleigh’s 13th birthday, the proud mom wrote an emotional tribute to her daughter on Instagram and shared the first photos of Naleigh that she and Kelley got. “This girl. The girl who made me a mother. The girl who gave my life purpose. Meaning. Direction. Boundless eternal love. This girl turns 13 today. 13. She’s officially a teenager. I can’t seem to figure it out,” in part wrote Heigl.

Although Heigl tries to provide a normal childhood for her children in Utah, they have occasionally accompanied her to work over the years. When she was little, Naleigh made her debut on View and stole the show. Ten years later, in November 2022, she watched her mom reappear on a talk show from the audience.

“Naleigh came to us at 9 months and three days later I got on a plane and went to work in Atlanta. At that time, when I became a new mother, I was like, ‘I get it, I get it, I can handle this,'” Heigle explained on the show. . “You know, ‘They told us we could have everything. We can have careers and families and it will all be great. Everything will work out.’ I never saw that baby…she bonded with my husband – of course – he was with her, so I was always afraid that I had missed this opportunity to bond with her and that she didn’t love me.”

Adalaide Marie Hope Kelley, 12

Katherine Heigl’s Instagram

Heigl and Kelley adopted their second child, a daughter named Adalaide, from Louisiana in 2012.

During the performance at Tonight’s showHeigl told host Jay Leno that Adalaide’s adoption was a “lucky accident.” She explained that she and Kelley initially wanted to adopt internationally again, but the process became very difficult. “Korea was very difficult to adopt, and China had a very long waiting list. I said, ‘Tick, tick, tick. Every day!’ ” she said.

She went on to say that they had just started considering domestic adoption when they got the call about Adalaide: “My lawyer called and said, ‘There’s a biological mother and she’s due in four weeks. She’s yours if you want her!'”

As Adalaide and her sister grew older, they began to “have more questions” about their origins, as Heigl shared in her April 2021 cover story. Parents.

“We told them, ‘This is your story. We don’t have any information about your biological fathers, but we do have some information about your biological mothers,'” Heigl said of Naleigh and Adalaide.

Later in the interview, Heigl discussed Adalaide’s personality and hobbies. “She’s my gun, all piss and vinegar,” the actress said of her “fearless” middle child. “She actually wants to start barrel racing,” she added of Adalaide’s passion for riding horses on their ranch. “And he likes to make Naleigh laugh.”

Katherine Heigl’s Instagram

In April 2022, Heigl shared a carousel of photos on Instagram in honor of Adalaide’s 10th birthday.

“My beautiful, fiery, funny girl turns 10 today,” Heigl began. “Ten years ago today, Adalaide came into the world and into our arms. She was the smallest baby I had ever seen. She weighed only 4 pounds 11 ounces. I could put her in the palm of my hand and her little legs after that I started calling her Peanut .”

Joshua Bishop Kelley Jr., 7

Katherine Heigl’s Instagram

In June 2016, PEOPLE confirmed that Heigl and Kelley were expecting their third child.

“The Kelley clan is thrilled to announce that we are expecting a third addition to our family,” the couple said in a statement to PEOPLE at the time. “Naleigh and Adalaide couldn’t be more excited to welcome their new sibling into the fold, and Josh and I are overwhelmed with joy and gratitude.”

Joshua Bishop Kelley Jr. he was born on December 20, 2016. Immediately after his birth, the couple and their newborn graced the cover of PEOPLE and opened up about how Joshua came to be.

“It was a surprise! I knew I wanted to expand our family, I knew I wanted to have more kids,” Heigl said. “I just didn’t know how we were going to do it.”

She later admitted during an interview for Parents that she was “so relieved” when she found out she was having a boy. “That was actually a big reason why I was torn between trying to get pregnant or adopting again, since with adoption you can determine the gender,” she explained, adding jokingly, “I just thought another girl could mean a lifetime of therapy for all of us. .”

Katherine Heigl’s Instagram

By the time he was 5, Joshua was “obsessed with Spider-Man and the Hulk,” as Heigl said. Parents. He also likes to help his mom on set. While filming the second season of her Netflix show Firefly LaneHeigl brought along Joshua, who posed for a photo with his mom wearing director’s headphones. “Future director? ❤ #FireflyLane #FireflyLaneSeason2 #behindthescenes #family,” the actress captioned the photo on Instagram.

Joshua also recently started kindergarten, which made Heigl a little emotional. On the first day of school, Heigl posted a series of photos of all three of her children, writing in the caption, “Well it’s that time of year again. Back to school for these two and off to daycare for my last and last baby.” She continued: “I feel funny. Like maybe I might start crying. Or maybe I’ll just run around the house for the next seven hours yelling FREEDOM on and off!!! We’ll see. 😏❤️.”

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Source: HIS Education