PERFECT GIFT FOR MOM, SON POWER OF LOVE TURNS THREE PEOPLE INTO A FAMILY.

Byline: Krystn Shrieve Staff Writer

Wearing a necktie he knotted himself, 11-year-old Jake sat on a bench outside a third-floor courtroom, practicing what he would tell the judge, that he wanted to become the son of Heidi Christensen and Ed Morris.

Back in the hallway a couple of minutes later, he received a hug from Christensen, affirmation that the nightmares of his childhood had turned into a dream come true and he was now the couple's adopted son.

``You're stuck with us,'' Christensen said, kissing's her son's soft, brown hair. ``Now nothing is ever going to change.''

Right from the start of their relationship five years ago, Jake called Christensen ``Mom,'' right from that day nearly five years ago when he arrived on the doorstep of their Newbury Park house - his eighth foster home - with just a trash bag full of damp clothes and a yellow Tonka truck.

``We knew the best thing we could do in our lives was to make a difference in Jake's,'' said Morris, a 44-year-old air-quality compliance inspector with the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District.

``He grew up in the court system, and we realized early on that he would never live with his natural mom. But we knew that he would never go back to the system - not if we could help it.''

The first year was the hardest, said Christensen, 42, a clinical child psychologist for Ventura County. Jake had nightmares and could only brave the night with the glow from both a night light and the hallway light.

``He would cry if you looked at him the wrong way,'' Christensen said. ``He was easily frustrated, and he would easily give up when things got tough.

``We felt like we were doing so much to try to make him happy. But at times his unhappiness was just too big.''

It took Jake two years to let down his guard. The first sign that Jake was beginning to heal was when he called Morris ``Dad.''

And Morris has proudly hung a sign on the garage which reads: ``Dad's Fix-It Shop: Specializing in broken toys, hurt feelings, 2-wheeler lessons, math homework, lost pets. . . .''

And life for Jake is better now. He says simply, ``I feel happier.''

One of the biggest challenges was getting Jake up to speed socially and academically. The youngster attends a tutoring center in the morning for core subjects such as math and reading. In the afternoon, he attends Madrona Elementary School in Thousand Oaks, where he takes classes in social studies, science and physical education.

They also involved him in soccer and Little League before finding the sport he loved the most - BMX racing. His dresser is overflowing with racing trophies.

His room looks like that of a typical 11-year-old boy. Models of spaceships, airplanes and the Batmobile hang from the ceiling, and a homemade, cardboard motorcycle racetrack sits on the floor along with a drum synthesizer and a guitar.

The bookshelf holds the popular ``Harry Potter'' series, and his CD collection features Smashmouth, the Beatles and the ``Best of James Bond.'' The calendar on the wall reminds him that his book report is due Friday.

Today is Christensen's first official Mother's Day, and the family plans to celebrate by going mountain biking at Big Bear.

``Jake's been here for a long time, and I feel like I've been his Mom,'' Christensen said. ``He's always called me Mom, which is a great feeling. But now that it's official, it's really nice.''

Mother's Day is just one of many celebrations the family plans to spend together. But it's the memories they've already created that made them a family long before any official paperwork was signed.

Jake remembers the time they went to a French restaurant in Santa Barbara, where he ate escargot for the first time. He loves their family bike rides, their trips to Mammoth and the day they rode nearly every attraction at Disneyland.

And then there are the evenings when the family piles into the parents' queen-size bed to read. The ritual started as a way to improve Jake's reading skills and blossomed into one of the best parts of the family's day.

``I think it's helped a lot,'' Jake said. ``My reading is getting better. I try to read as much as I can every day. It's more fun - and it means I don't have to go to bed right away.''

Jennifer Wacenske, who has been Jake's social worker for the past six years, said it was this type of dedication to Jake that impressed her.

``Through a miracle of sorts, he was placed with Heidi and Ed, and what evolved was a family,'' Wacenske said. ``That is the kind of thing no social worker orchestrates. That's just the power of love.''

CAPTION(S):

7 photos

Photo: (1 -- color -- ran in Simi and Conejo editions only) Eleven-year- old Jake beams with happiness at the certificate of family membership, as his new parents, Ed Morris and Heidi Christensen, look on.

(2 -- Conejo and Simi editions only) Jake leads the way while mountain biking with his parents on the Los ROBLES Trail near their Newbury Park home.

Tina Burch/Staff Photographer

(3 -- color) A happy Heidi Christensen, of Newbury Park, and her new son, Jake, embrace last week after a judge signed adoption papers at the Ventura County Hall of Justice.

(4) Ed, Heidi and Jake pile into the parents' big bed _ along with Sasha the dog _ for some before-bed reading. The sessions improve his reading and delay his bedtime, Jake says.

(5) Ed gives Jake some last-minute advice before a BMX race at the track in Simi Valley.

(6) After working on a school paper on aviator Amelia Earhart, Heidi and Jake take a moment to relax in their kitchen.

(7) Jake gets a face-wetting kiss from Sasha, the family dog.