Growing up, I always knew I wanted to be a mother. It was the one dream I never questioned. After losing my own mom at five, the few memories I held onto guided me toward the kind of parent I hoped to be.
I met Patrick at 18, and we married soon after. From the beginning, we shared a vision of a big family. While I was one of six children, Patrick was an only child, but he embraced the idea wholeheartedly. We started trying in 2009 tracking cycles, trying old wives’ tales, doing everything “right.” Still, pregnancy tests continued to disappoint.
Years passed, with moves across the country and seasons of pause. Then, in 2015, we decided to try again this time with medical help. Three rounds of IUI later, our hearts were bruised by the same result: nothing.
During this time, a friend who fostered children reached out to talk. I was hesitant. Foster care felt unfamiliar, uncertain, and honestly, scary. But after hearing about the urgent need for loving homes, something in me shifted. I brought it up with Patrick, and after much prayer and conversation, we decided to begin the training.
By June 2017, we were licensed foster parents. Our first call came in July a 15-month-old girl needed a new home. Without hesitation, Patrick said yes. When she arrived, scared and clinging to me, I wondered if we’d made a mistake. But days later, when she started calling us “Mommy” and “Daddy,” I knew we were exactly where we were meant to be.
Nine months later, we said yes again. A newborn baby boy needed care. He was drug-exposed and fragile, but we knew we could love him through it. Soon, his biological mother reached out pregnant again and asked if we would take the baby too. We prayed for that baby for nine months, and when he was born, he joined our family as well.
Three children, all under two years old, entered our lives within 18 months. It was chaotic, emotional, and beautiful. Felicity, Samuel, and Judah weren’t part of our original plan, but they were meant for us.
Though our skin colors don’t match, our love speaks louder. We embrace their stories, honor their roots, and talk openly about race and identity. Adoption was never the goal love was. Adoption just became the most beautiful side effect.
We’re now exploring ways to share our journey and support others, because families like ours are real, and we want the world to know we exist.
