Hi there!

We’re Thom, Dave, and Caroline, and we deeply appreciate the time you’re taking to get to know us. We (Thom and Dave) enjoy an extremely committed marriage and have been together for 18 years. We were blessed with our daughter Caroline in 2016 and have been overwhelmed with happiness ever since. Our life revolves around Caroline, but we want to offer every opportunity we can to another child. We look forward to the special bond Caroline and a sibling would share through adoption. 

While adoption is a long and often difficult road, we believe that there is room in our hearts and home for our family to grow. We are certain our family is ready to share our lives with another child - one that we will love endlessly and wholeheartedly and offer them every opportunity we possibly can.

In 2002, our lives changed forever when we met on a blind date. Having both attended the same university and sharing the same fanatical love for college football, what started as dinner quickly changed into the start of an undeniable bond that set the foundation of our ever-growing love. Despite the legal restrictions against same-sex marriage, we knew we would spend the rest of our lives together and considered each other husbands, with or without a marriage certificate. In 2013, the legal restrictions were lifted and we both said “I do” at the Washington National Cathedral in D.C.

Our life together in early marriage was blissful, as our mutual love for family, faith, travel, and football kept us happy. However, we couldn’t help but feel that something was missing. We realized what we felt was the yearning to be parents, and so our adoption journey began. In November 2016, we were on our way to a Georgia football game when we received an unexpected call: we were going to be parents. After countless days of anticipation and sleepless nights, we met Caroline for the very first time. Words cannot describe the joy she has brought into our lives. Every moment we spend together as a family is a blessing.

We are hopeful to welcome another child into our family and share our love. We are committed to providing the children a life full of love, purpose, compassion, and support that is shaped by their own unique passions and interests.

Thom is an incredibly devoted and caring father and husband. He’s always patient with me (no small task), the most intelligent person I know, and always loving and encouraging. He dealt with a lot of stress during my military career, but he always supported me. His amazing ability to be steadfast and calm is just one of the reasons he is such a great dad. 

When I watch Thom with Caroline, I see a portrait of pure love and joy. He’s always the first to kiss Caroline’s boo-boos, dry her tears, or console her if she is hurt or upset. He is the emotional support for our family, the one we always turn to. He also knows what to do or where to go to have fun and create lasting memories we will cherish forever. He is a natural-born nurturer who loves his family more than anything. If our home was a ship, he would be our captain by unanimous vote. I strive to be more like him every day. 

Starting a family with Thom has been a dream, and I’m so glad we’ve been able to go on this journey together. He is an amazing father to Caroline and I can’t wait to see him share his love with another child. I look forward to watching him pass along his love of music, his passion for the outdoors, and his cooking skills, just as he has with CarolineThom will raise this child to be a loving, compassionate, and self-confident person.

Because of Dave’s military career, he is our family’s protector, financial planner, moral compass, and moral support. But, when I see Dave with Caroline, he becomes a little kid and it’s all about hide-and-seek and being the tickle monster that Caroline loves so much.

He is the most humble and honorable person I have ever met. He is a man of unshakable integrity, even with things that, to me, seem small. He’ll be the last one to speak about his numerous honors, accolades, and achievements as a Colonel in the Air Force, but that’s part of what makes him so lovable. He has an undeniably unique sense of humor that always has me and Caroline laughing until our bellies hurt. He knows when I have had a rough day and turns on that humor that I can’t help but find charming.

With our family being fans of college football, often you will see Dave and Caroline playing football around the house. He instills in her the belief that she can be anything that she wants to be - even a running back for the Bulldogs.

Another passion of Dave’s is astronomy. There are times when Dave and Caroline are outside in the back with the telescope with him showing her all the different planets and stars systems.

I love that he is able to inspire her in many ways. I couldn’t ask more of Dave as a husband, and certainly not as a father. He is amazing with Caroline and loves children.

There aren’t enough words to describe just how amazing our daughter Caroline is, so we’ll do our best to keep it short. 

Caroline is incredibly intelligent. She is perceptive and wise way beyond her years. Her curious nature has forced us to learn about things we had never considered before, like what eyeballs are made of or why Mickey’s dog Pluto can’t talk but Goofy can (we still haven’t been able to answer that one).

She is so caring and thoughtful, always putting the needs of others before her own. If we are playing backyard football or having a race in the pool, she will often whisper to one of us, “Let Papa/Daddy win so he can get a trophy too.”  She is a sensitive, gentle soul, yet has a determined spirit that is steadfast and strong. She balances these charming characteristics with such grace and poise that it is sometimes impossible to believe she is only 4 years old. To say she would be a good big sister would not do justice to how perfectly she is suited for the role. We know this not only from her kindhearted, affectionate, and empathetic personality but the content of her prayers as well, as they always start with a thank you for her family and friends, followed by a gentle request for a baby brother or sister.

Our charming, mid-century home is nestled in the suburban outskirts of downtown in a central Florida city. Our neighborhood is a welcoming community filled with friendly neighbors and children of all ages. We constantly have children knocking on our door to see if Caroline wants to come out and play, whether that’s kicking a soccer ball, riding a bike, or making chalk drawings on the sidewalk. We adore the town we live in, as it provides a quaint, small-town feel while still having the many, big-city amenities we love such as parks, theaters, restaurants, and museums. We are incredibly fortunate to be just a short drive away from some of the world’s best theme and water parks, which we take full advantage of throughout the year. 

We love being outside and beating the heat at our pool. We like to spend quality family time at home, playing with the dogs, watching Disney movies, and doing arts and crafts. 

Our city is also home to one of the nation’s top preparatory schools in which Caroline is currently enrolled. We have two wonderful dogs, Riley, an incredibly smart, motherly Australian shepherd, and Brody, a lovable, goofball Labrador. Together, they provide us with endless entertainment and love, and we are so lucky to have them in our lives.

We can’t wait to take another child to every theme and water park and enjoy lazy days at home as a family. They will certainly have an endless amount of friends and opportunities living in our community!

We are so blessed to be surrounded by such a loving and supportive family. Ranging from Georgia, South Carolina, to right here in Florida, Caroline has no shortage of cousins, aunts and uncles, and two grandparents who love her just as much as we do. Being so close, we are fortunate to be able to spend a lot of time during holidays and birthdays with our extended families who love to spoil Caroline with hugs, kisses, and gifts. They are incredibly invested in giving Caroline the sense of belonging, acceptance, and love that any blood relative would be so lucky to enjoy. They have been so supportive of our adoption journey and look forward to getting to know another child. 

We were both raised in homes where our parents placed the children first in all matters and we embrace that parenting philosophy ourselves. A child would be loved unconditionally and he or she, along with Caroline, would be our primary consideration in all decision making.  

We also employ a full-time, live-in nanny who has quickly become like an extension of our family over the past four years, especially to Caroline. With an educational background in teaching, art, and music, our nanny has been an incredible addition to Caroline’s childcare and educational development. We look forward to sharing this experience with another child, ensuring they have all that they could want and need from two loving parents, an amazing extended family, and a live-in nanny to give extra help whenever needed.

Our relationship began with a mutual love for college football, and that hasn’t changed in the many years we’ve been together. The only difference now is we have Caroline to help cheer on our team! At times we wonder if she’s an even bigger fan than we are - she’s certainly not too shy to let those boys know when they’ve fumbled the ball or thrown an interception. We try to attend at least a couple of games a year, which Caroline absolutely loves because she gets to yell as loud as she wants. 

We love to travel both domestically and internationally as a family. Our recent trips include our annual Disney cruise, Key West, Rhode Island, Germany, and Spain with upcoming trips being planned to the United Kingdom and more. We also take many “staycation” weekend getaways throughout the year to many of the outstanding resorts just a stone’s throw away from our own backyard. 

Celebrating holidays is a big deal in our home, as we do our best to make each one memorable, full of joy, laughs, and love. From everything Christmas has to offer (cutting down our own tree, lights all over the house, setting up special decorations, and caroling) to trick-or-treating on Halloween, we try to make each holiday special for Caroline so that she can pass those traditions on to her children when she has a family of her own. We can’t wait to share our traditions with another child and make lasting memories together.

Thank you for taking the time to read our profile and considering our family as a potential home for this child. Regardless of your choice, we thank you for choosing adoption and helping others create a family. 

When we started our adoption journey years ago, we had a lot to learn about adoption. Neither of us anticipated the whirlwind of emotions the process would bring. The fears, the excitement, and sometimes the feelings of helplessness were often difficult to confront, but we are so grateful that we had each other to lean on as we navigated these uncharted waters together.

We are still so grateful to have each other as we once again patiently wait to bring another child into our family. We have so much love to share and are ready to open our hearts once more.