The Saturday excursion was a classic family portrait, full of harvest fun and love.

Mom, Dad and their three children, ages 6 through 9, at the family ranch picking pumpkins they had grown.

"They love to have fun," said Catherine Rowe. "Sometimes just seeing them is the best part of my day."

But it was just a few years ago that parents Ty and Catherine Rowe were not yet in the picture.

In 2004, the Rowes saw two boys and one girl posing in photographs in a gallery featuring Sacramento County foster children who were looking for permanent homes.

Now in its fourth year, the Heart Gallery celebrates the opening of its exhibition – on Saturday at the Library Gallery at California State University, Sacramento – presenting 14 large-scale photographs of children, most of them returning from last year.

The Heart Gallery of Sacramento is a collaboration among Sacramento County Child Protective Services, CSUS, Sierra Adoption Services, Lilliput Children's Services, Sacramento Court Appointed Special Advocates and community volunteers.

For the first time, this year's gallery offers even more hope: family portraits of children who were once stars of the Heart Gallery and their new parents. Portraits of families like the Rowes.

"The family portraits speak to that journey. Here's what it looks like when we truly land those youth and family," said Mary Tarro of Child Protective Services. "The portraits say, 'These kids fit all along.' That's powerful."

Before the Rowe family adopted their children, they wanted to adopt a baby. "Everyone's looking for that baby," Ty Rowe said. "Those blue-eyed, blond-hair babies."

Over the years, about 90 children have been selected for the gallery because they are not that "blue-eyed baby." The children are characterized as hard to place because of their age, their background or because they have siblings with whom they need to be adopted.

The gallery that is designed for these children has been successful, Tarro said. She credits the photos with capturing the children's emotional state. "It's undeniable that they can link better with a child that's presented in a portrait," Tarro said. "It has changed the face of adoption for the better."

"Because of the efforts of CPS workers and community volunteers, Heart Gallery photos have been displayed at more than 30 public venues since 2006," said Karen Seeback, co-chairwoman of the Heart Gallery's board of directors.

According to Laurie Slothower, spokeswoman for Sacramento County Child Protective Services, as of March, 13 of the 87 participants had finalized adoptions. Another 13 had finalizations pending, and 10 more were placed in potential adoptive homes.

The Rowe family will go to the gallery to speak and celebrate their new family and to raise adoption awareness, advocating for more than 1,200 children in the area who seek permanent homes.

The exhibit travels throughout the region and helps expedite the educational process for individuals exploring adoption.

"We make the path to adoption very clear," Tarro said.

"What they're doing is amazing," Catherine Rowe said. "That's why we go every year, because it's really good to remember that this happened and the impact it has."

The Rowes still have the three solo portraits of their children that were taken by volunteer photographers.

For more photos of the children up for adoption through the Heart Gallery, click here.

Call The Bee's Gamaliel Ortiz, (916) 326-5549.