They dreamed of a loud house; life answered with love loud enough to cross an ocean and make eight hearts one home. Jamie and Joe met as teenagers, the kind of couple who joked about one day living in a noisy house with kids, dogs, and wild holiday mornings. They married after college, he finished law school while she taught high school, and soon welcomed two sons, twenty months apart.
Life took on a comfortable rhythm: work, daycare, brothers underfoot, weekends with friends. Then came a plot twist they hadn’t planned for: twin girls. Overnight, they were parents of four under five. Jamie stepped away from the classroom because childcare costs more than her paycheck. She loved structure and adult conversation, so staying home wasn’t her dream, but they agreed it made sense. Not long after the twins arrived, Joe volunteered for a permanent solution so they wouldn’t have more children. He joked he’d do it only if they could adopt someday. Jamie laughed it off; she felt done with babies. A few years later, Jamie launched a small business to have something of her own again, and Joe chased a new career path.
Work changes took them from their hometown to North Carolina. It wasn’t a smooth season, but they found their footing with new neighbors and new routines. Through Jamie’s work, they met a couple who ran an orphanage called The Raining Season in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Joe, hands-on, happiest on the field with kids, was drawn to it immediately.
In early 2019, he made his first trip. He met a sharp and kind teenager named James and came home determined to mentor him. Adoption wasn’t on the table. On a second summer trip, he saw James again and met his brother, Abraham. Circumstances were hard. Joe returned changed. He felt their family was being asked to do more. He floated the idea of adoption. Jamie said no. Their lives were already packed, and this was not in her plan. But she also knew she needed to see for herself so that resentment wouldn’t grow. She flew to Freetown in November 2019, ready to gather reasons to decline.
Instead, she met Abraham sprinting toward her with open arms and a smile that wouldn’t quit. Later, she spotted James on a balcony; one wave from him, and something in her shifted. She spent the week watching the boys, asking questions, and listening to her heart. When she flew home, she couldn’t shake the sense that these were her sons. The following weeks were full of family conversations—parents, kids, every combination. The questions were practical and big-hearted: What grade would they be in? Where would they sleep? It came down to trust. The children trusted their parents wouldn’t risk the family’s future.
The parents trusted their kids to speak up if they felt lost in the shuffle. James and Abraham were old enough to choose and wanted to come, though the airplane sounded scary. The process officially began around Thanksgiving 2019. Joe and the two older boys visited Sierra Leone in January 2020 so the brothers could meet their brothers.
Then the world shut down. Calls were limited. Paperwork stalled. Months stretched. They held on. In October 2020, Sierra Leone recognized Jamie and Joe as the boys’ parents. The U.S. process was more complicated, with denials, appeals, and affidavits until September 2021, when approval finally arrived. Joe was in Freetown when Jamie called with the news. Joy filled the room. On November 5, 2021, Joe, James, and Abraham landed on U.S. soil. The family of eight was finally under one roof.
Everything felt new for the boys: escalators, car washes, pantry snacks, Chick-fil-A at the airport, dry-erase boards at school. Their first American holidays came fast. On Abraham’s birthday, he cried at the sight of a cake made just for him, track hurdles and a toy car on top, his name in icing, candles he’d never been taught to blow out. It was a moment everyone will remember.
Their adoption story isn’t typical, but most aren’t. They met their sons before choosing adoption, and the boys brought with them a history Jamie and Joe didn’t share. Jamie sometimes grieves the missing baby book pages, but she focuses on what they’re building now: memories, inside jokes, and a home where everyone belongs. There are daily challenges and steady progress. The boys keep teaching the family what matters and what’s extra. On a beach trip, after they hung a big canvas photo above the mantle, Abraham looked up and said, “It’s so cool to have a family.” That one line made the long road worth it.
