About Us
Our Story
Our family is large and overflowing with love. We have a deep love, respect, and silliness for each other and our children. Together we have 4 biological children and 1 adopted child (through foster care), 3 small dogs, 2 indoor cats, 2 fish tanks, lots of barn cats, chickens, and bees.
We met in elementary school when our younger brothers became best friends - and they still are today. Our relationship blossomed when both of our fathers coached our younger brothers’ football team together and we sat in the bleachers each afternoon doing homework and chatting. We were both shy and nerdy, and loved challenging each other in chess and video games. We dated through high school and college, and got married a month after graduating.
We both have always wanted a big family. We see the benefits of having many siblings to help each other along. When Walter recently broke his foot, each of his siblings eagerly helped him - Cecilia getting him cereal in the morning, Evelyn carrying his books to class, and Jasmine helping him keep his room clean. Our children care deeply for each other and look forward to supporting a younger sibling. Your child will have the love and protection of 5 older siblings.
Our journey to grow our family has had many twists and turns. After Valerie’s early arrival, we opted to grow our family through foster care and adoption. When we met Jasmine, she had already had 4 failed adoption placements and was so in need of caring advocates. Just a few weeks after Jasmine came to our home, we found out Kim was pregnant with twins! After the twins were born, we finalized Jasmine’s adoption and went from a family of 3 to a family of 6 in just 1 year! We are again seeking to grow through adoption, so that we can continue expanding our love permanently.
Our Home
We live in Kim’s childhood home, surrounded by farmland and forests. The kids get to pick blueberries at the neighbors house with the children (now adults) that Kim grew up playing with. In Cecilia’s bedroom she has drawn her name on the same door that says “Kim.” Your child will grow up in a large bustling house with the comfort of knowing that it will be their home forever.
We live on 30 acres of land, with chickens, bees, a large garden, and woods. Being outside, exploring, and foraging are weekly activities. The kids love exploring our woods, and the adjacent 50 acre park. Last summer we wandered the woods searching for edible mushrooms. The kids were excited to spot lots of orange chanterelle mushrooms in the woods. We took them home, checked that they were safe, and then cooked them up with pasta. Our family loves harvesting and cooking our own food - and the kids will eat mushrooms if they did the work of finding them! Your child will learn to appreciate the wild foods that grow in our area, like mushrooms and blackberries, and they will love to eat them.
Our family and friends are all nearby to help and support us. Your child’s great-grandfather, grandparents, uncle, and cousin live in their own multigenerational household just 5 minutes away. On Memorial Day, our small town holds a festival in the square. Kim and Cecilia went in the early morning to see all of the handcrafted items. We bumped into Kim's cousin and her 2 adopted children, plus her 2 new foster children. We spent time chatting about foster care and kids, while watching the kids play. On our way to the car, Grandma unexpectedly called out to us from across the street. We stayed with grandma, her uncle, and cousin to watch the parade, and then Cecilia chose to go home with grandma to play in her pool. It was a wonderful reminder that our village is large and always around. Your child will grow up with family all around them.
Kim
Kim spends most of her free time sewing, cross stitching, and quilting. She gets great delight in making handcrafted items. When Kim learned of an employee having a child, she jumped at the opportunity to hand stitch a blanket with personalized details, and send it to them. Kim wants everyone to feel seen and loved through individualized gifts. Every friend, family member, coworker, and foster child has something that she has tenderly stitched. Your child will have many handmade onesies and blankets.
Kim is the organizer of the family. She is a master of scheduling all appointments, obligations, parties, and a million other things a family needs to do. This spring we got just hours notice that bad weather would delay our trip unless we left immediately, 24 hours early. Kim had the master packing list printed, helped everyone pack up in an orderly manner, and got us to the ferry with minutes to spare. We enjoyed our vacation, and the total eclipse, with nothing forgotten because of her trustworthy planning. Your child will have a parent that keeps track of every appointment and school function, and will be there to support them.
Kim is incredibly patient. Not only is Kim patient with the kids, but with the animals and her husband as well. When we were working on adopting our oldest child, Jasmine, Kim had to wade through massive amounts of bureaucracy, dropped calls, and unexpected canceled visits. The whole process took over a year of frustrating and repetitive interactions, but Kim stuck to it because she knew her family was worth it. Your child will have a parent that will never give up, persevering through the hard times.
Justin
Justin is extremely strategic and silly, which is why he loves board games. Justin has a huge collection of board games and enjoys planning game nights with friends and family. Every Saturday we play a campaign game with 2 of Justin’s brothers. Justin enjoys leading these games, teaching, and helping the group plan tactics. Your child will get to learn math, strategy, being a good winner and loser, and how to have fun together - through board games.
As Justin adds to his board game collection, he frequently is painting miniatures and board game pieces. Justin has honed his craft, learning new methods and getting feedback, to paint beautiful and realistic miniatures. For the past year he has been painting a large number of figures so that each of our friends can have their own customized army to play an extensive miniatures game. Your child will be able to paint alongside their father and use the things they paint to play together.
Justin is thoughtful and sees the individual. He remembers everyone’s favorite things and always picks the perfect gifts. For our 8th anniversary, Justin spent weeks secretly writing and recording a love note to me on CD. He loaded the CD in my car stereo so that it would play when I got in for my drive to work. It was sweet, kind, loving, and exactly what I needed during a stressful time at work. Justin will affectionately care for your child and see them as an individual.
