Twins Return Photo Booth Pictures, Meet Birth Mother

Marielle and Mireille Landry were just trying to be helpful when they found forgotten photo booth pictures at a mall. The 12-year-old twins tracked down the strangers in the photos and returned them.

Minutes later, they spotted their mom talking to those same two women. When they walked over, their mother delivered news that would change everything: one of the women was their birth mother, Nicole.

The twins had been adopted at three months old in a closed adoption. That meant no contact with birth parents until age 18. But Nicole had been receiving yearly photos through the adoption agency and recognized the girls immediately across the crowded mall.

The coincidences kept stacking up. The twins' birth names came from those two women. That day, Mireille happened to be wearing the same shirt as Nicole's sister.

"It was such a surreal moment," Marielle told TODAY. "Nicole asked us if we had any questions, but I couldn't think clearly."

The twins learned Nicole had been just 15 when she had them. They discovered their biological father had returned to Zambia after playing university soccer in Canada. Even though Nicole was essentially a stranger, something about her felt immediately familiar.

Sunny's Take

This wasn't supposed to happen for another six years. A soccer game in a city 90 minutes from home, a forgotten strip of photos, and a simple act of kindness rewrote the script. The twins describe Nicole's role in their lives now as "close cousins" rather than a traditional mother-daughter relationship.

"We were raised by the most incredible parents," Marielle said. "But I am so glad the universe brought Nicole into our lives."

The twins have built connections with Nicole's extended family too, including her son. What started as returning lost photos became gaining a whole new branch of family.

Sometimes the smallest gestures open the biggest doors.