Tom and Lisa here with our three-year-old Isabella! Thank you for taking the time to check out our story and what we have to offer as parents and a family.
We met online. We each had our own unique backgrounds, however, we knew early on that we wanted to start our lives together. We quickly became best friends and soulmates. Not quite a year later, we were engaged and the following year we married in 2017.
We have many common interests and love to share time exploring them! We are both history nerds that like culture, museums, Tigers baseball, music, travel, books, and much more!
We both have always wanted to expand our family and right away made a plan to add children to our lives. After years of fertility trips and doctor visits, we found that we had to take another direction.
We began fostering children, and that is how Isabella came into our lives. She came to live with us when she was eight months old, and we became her legal guardians in 2021. This is a long-term stay in our home with the possibility of adoption in the future. She is a bundle of joy and we cannot imagine our lives without her. In addition to Isabella, we have also added three rescue puppies to our home.
Even as a young child, I dreamed of being a mom surrounded by children. I come from larger extended families—aunts, uncles, grandparents, great aunts, and uncles, cousins, you name it—we visited with them often and I loved it! I have extended cousins that were adopted from overseas, so I always imagined that adoption would be part of my family plan.
Most people who knew me growing up were not surprised when I chose to go into teaching. It may not have been part of my career plan, but it is truly where I am meant to be. I have taught Elementary Art, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and now 4th grade. While I have loved all of these areas, right now I am really loving 4th grade. There is nothing compared to seeing a child light up when they have finally solved a problem or learned something for the first time. Teaching children is truly a blessing.
I love reading and sharing that joy with children, especially Isabella. I love when she says, “I read books!”, and then sits down to dive into the pages. I look forward to sharing that love for adventure, learning, and imagination with more children in our family’s future. I love being a mom and having Isabella come to me for questions, for comfort, to learn and share exciting parts of her day with me. I cannot imagine life without Isabella! I look forward to her having a little sister or brother to share all of life’s exciting moments with.
As a little girl I would sit and watch my mom sewing, basket weaving, painting, and crafting. I loved every minute of it. I love to create when I have the extra time! This is something that I enjoy with Isabella and look forward to sharing with future children. My mom is awe-inspiring in creative ways. As a mom, spending time with my children and their grandmother working together on creative projects is something that I look forward to.
I love traveling and exploring with our family. This involves beaches, museums, parks, historical sites, and more. Sharing life together and making memories are the best moments in life—moments I can’t wait to share with another little one.
Growing up, I always imagined myself being a dad and having children of my own. While the path to parenthood hasn’t been as easy as I thought it would be, I love raising Isabella and I can’t imagine my life without her.
Compared to Lisa, I have a much smaller family. Much of our family activities took place either with our immediate family or with our cousins. We spent many summers in state parks and enjoyed all the great things that Michigan has to offer. My favorite memory of trips with my family were the “mystery trips.” We would know how long to pack for and whether we needed to plan to be warm or cold, and we’d hit the road without any other ideas. Once, we ended up in Niagara Falls, another time, we went to Disney. I can easily see this being something that we continue as Isabella grows older!
After high school, I worked in several restaurants and retail jobs while also attending college. These jobs taught me what it means to perform hard work, as well as how to reach a goal, even if it takes longer than expected. I finally completed my degree in 2020 and have been working in software development since. I love what I do and have fun every day tackling new problems and working with others.
I still enjoy working around the house, from simple housework like mowing and gardening to construction. I have built decks, furniture, and even remodeled and added rooms in our house. I am also one of those crazy people that enjoys shoveling and snow blowing. Speaking of snow, in the winter, I love downhill skiing, even though I haven’t been in a few years.
I enjoy singing at church and have been doing so since I was 8. Singing is my stress relief as well as how I keep myself occupied, so it’s not uncommon to hear me belting out a song while working around the house.
I love to learn new things, and I’m usually looking for opportunities to learn. In addition to English, I learned Spanish in high school, and I’m currently working on learning German. I love experiences and traveling. There is so much world to see, and I can’t wait to enjoy it all as our family grows!
Isabella loves dogs, unicorns, her baby dolls, and playing outside in the water and the dirt! She is a perfect mix of girl and tomboy, she loves her dresses and the dirt! She is full of curiosity and spunk! She loves to imitate and watch those around her, these moments are so precious and bring so much joy to our household! She is learning and growing to be a bright young girl. Isabella wants to be just like mommy and daddy, she loves to imitate and in fact, as we are sitting here and typing this profile, she is typing on her toy laptop discussing her entries!
Isabella attends dance classes and had her first recital this spring. She loves to sing and dance! We know all of the Frozen songs. She is often found serenading us, her toys, or the puppies with one of her toy microphones. She loves to spend time with her cousins, whether they are playing with trucks or getting dirty outside! She loves to follow Papa around wherever he goes, especially if that means she will get to ride in his truck!
We live in a charming single-story home nestled around trees on our modest 1 ½ acres. We have added flowering trees, flowers, a dog run for our pups, and a play area for Isabella (and future children) to our yard. Our home and spacious yard give us a wonderful area to spend time together as a family. Our home is cozy and lived in, with a character added in throughout our home. Tom is pretty handy and has worked on our home to help make it our own.
We live in a quiet neighborhood where everyone has lots of space. We have a few friendly neighbors and everyone keeps to themselves. We are nestled between a few small towns, and we are lucky to have a few good friends living nearby! Our home feels quiet and like it’s ours without being withdrawn from life.
We live in a small town in West Michigan. It is nice to take a drive and visit “big towns” or visit the beautiful beaches along the shoreline. Lisa’s family is a short drive away, and Tom’s is just a bit farther. Living in a small town gives us the small community vibe, while also having the opportunity to enjoy a nice night or weekend on the town exploring.
Lisa has one brother who is happily married with three boys. We see them often at her parents, family gatherings, or at their house. We love spending time outdoors swimming, having bonfires, and visiting. There are many other cousins and extended family members that we see throughout the year.
Tom has two sisters and their families. One of his sisters is also happily married with three children, two boys and one girl. We meet and see each other as much as possible as they live in neighboring states. We talk often through technology on phones and computers when we are not able to meet in person.
Even though we were raised on opposite sides of the state, our families are similar! We all love seeing each other and enjoy watching the children grow. Tom might have a smaller family, but they still rally beside one another. Lisa might have a larger family, but the same family feel is there. Our parents LOVE being grandparents and spoiling their grandchildren in the ways that they can.
4th of July, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are always celebrated with extended family. We like to spread cheer around. Spending holidays and birthdays together, and a weekend here and there are some of the best times and memories to be had. Our family is always there to come to dance recitals, ball games, fishing, or to make crafts together and learn a new skill. They can’t wait to love on another child!
We are history nerds that like to travel. We love visiting historical sites and learning about the world around us. We have had fun exploring as a family and taking in beautiful sights and scenery. We also enjoy music, whether that’s listening to it at home or attending a show!
We both enjoy reading and spending time outdoors with Isabella and our dogs. This brings us to our fur family! Luna Belle is about 4 ½ years old and was our first “fur baby.” Two years later we added Dixie Rey to our mix—she and Isabella are “as thick as thieves” and love each other so much! We recently added little Gru to the mix and he is fitting in just great. He may be small, but he has a big personality.
We have enjoyed traveling and staying in hotels, resorts, tents, and campers. There is not just one way to travel and enjoy life to the fullest. We have plans to bring our travel outside of the states when it is right for our family! We recently enjoyed a Michigan State football game together as a family (Tom, Lisa, Isabella, and Lisa’s Dad) which was a blast!
We like to take a day’s drive and meet up with Tom’s sisters and their families when we can. It gives us a great day of travel and togetherness. His parents live on the other side of the state where he grew up so this gives us time to make fun stops on the way there and back!
Thank you for reading about us. We hope that we have given you a view of the love that we share for each other.
We know that you are facing an incredibly difficult choice and we would be honored to be considered as parents. We view this process as a partnership and if we are the right fit for you, we would love the opportunity to keep an open relationship with you, if that is what you are looking for. We would like to ensure that you remain in your child’s life, however, that looks. No matter what, your child will know that they are loved, by you, and by us.
We write this letter with an indescribable level of excitement and anticipation. While we cannot imagine what you are feeling, we imagine that this is a huge decision to consider.
We hope that we have shown you the love that we have to offer, and if we are the right fit, the family experience we hope to share with your baby.
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