COEUR d'ALENE — The lives of Andrew LePeilbet and Marie Ham are complete this Christmas.

Last year the Coeur d'Alene pair was homeless, addicted to methamphetamine and lost their 4-year-old daughter, Jordann LePeilbet, to Child Protective Services.

"The only thing out there was to do drugs to feel better," Andrew said.

After hitting rock bottom, he and Marie finally realized that, to get Jordann back, they would have to earn it.

"CPS got involved and we were forced to get treatment if we wanted to ever have our daughter back," Marie said softly. "We were determined to get her back. We take our recovery very seriously."

After receiving several certificates in rehabilitation and recovery, which are displayed on the walls of their apartment, the two received their greatest Christmas present ever.

Jordann was returned to them after 14 months on Dec. 16.

"It means everything, the world," Andrew said of his daughter's return. "It was very painful having her gone. Something was missing."

Jordann has lived with her grandmother in Reno the past seven months. Before that, she was cared for by a foster family for seven months.

"We're grateful for her foster family," Andrew said. "They're still a part of our lives. But, the way things were going at the time, we wanted to make sure she'd be with family and not in the system, so we opted for her to be at grandma's."

The three have spent the days since Jordann's return getting reacquainted. That has included sledding at McEuen Park, watching "SpongeBob SquarePants," playing the roles of those characters and Jordann placing toy antennas on her father's head.

"We're learning new traditions," Marie said. "We're really trying to transition and interact with each other. It's a brand-new start and the perfect time to do it."

Marie, a 30-year-old stay-at-home mom, said this holiday season is also extra special because she's five months pregnant.

"It's really been magical," Marie said with a smile.

Andrew, 41, said the dishwashing job he received at the Breakfast Nook last spring has given him a purpose and sense of achievement.

"It's helped me to keep moving forward," he said. "My boss and the crew are great. I'm part of a team. You've got to have that."

Andrew and Marie, who have been together for 13 years, also continue to take recovery and parenting classes.

"We've still got work to do," Andrew said.

Niki Forbing-Orr, spokeswoman for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, said the agency can't comment on specific cases due to privacy reasons but the goal for any child in foster care is to reunite them safely with their parents.

"We look to relatives for placement as the first option, and they may be either in-state or out-of-state," Forbing-Orr said. "However, the relatives also have to be committed to helping the parents and child reunite."

She said more than 70 percent of children entering Idaho foster care are reunited with their parents, with the final decision on reunification made by the courts.

"Reunification is based on the parents’ efforts to follow the court-approved service plan to make their home safe for their child to return," Forbing-Orr said.

For those struggling with addictions, Marie said she's proof that overcoming them is possible.

"It's accomplishable, don't give up," she said. "Know in your heart to go for it and be strong enough to find help when you need it. We put our minds to it, and we did it."

Marie said she believes losing Jordann was a blessing in disguise.

"It was hard, but if it had not happened our daughter would have suffered even more," she said.

Andrew said he and Marie picked each other up in recovery when the other fell back.

"What she did affected me, too," he said. "I was the one who didn't want help for a while, and she's the one who said, 'Let's do it."

When Andrew reflected on his turnaround, he looked at Jordann as she bounced around the living room.

"When she gets older, I'll thank her," he said. "She may not understand it now, but she saved my life."