An Intro to Tony from Christine
Tony is one of the most loyal, kind and loving humans I have ever met. His realist mentality is one that keeps my dreamer mentality grounded – he really is the yin to my yang.  He works as a server administrator and is hard working, dedicated and supportive – he is always trying to find ways to help me (which is great because I’m terrible at asking for help!).

It has been an immense joy watching his personal growth since we became foster parents.  He’s very involved with the children in our lives – whether he’s spending quality time teaching them how to cook or reading through our favorite story books. He is compassionate, patient, and loves unconditionally. It has been an honor to watch him step up and be the father he did not have to be to all of our bonus children.

On Parenting
Our experience in foster care has taught us so much about parenting. We are a household that does not utilize corporal punishment of any form; rather, we focus on using our words to discipline, educate and guide our children through their emotions. We believe in leading by example and being consistent in how we parent. We’ve found this to be extremely effective in creating a supportive relationship with the children in our lives.

An Intro to Christine from Tony
Christine is a super creative person working as a graphic designer and technical program analyst, and she uses that creativity in all aspects of our lives. She loves to find creative ways to teach children. The best example was when she used “Mary had a Little Lamb” to teach our foster child Dominic to spell his name. She has also channeled her creativity to transform our house into a “Home”. Our walls have been filled with memories and homemade crafts thanks to her.

From our time fostering, I have seen my wife show compassion and support to the littles in our life, and I know that she will do the same for the child we have the opportunity to adopt.

Our Home
We live northeast of Indianapolis in a two-story home with our two pups, Bernie and Wheldon. Our fenced in backyard overlooks a large pond making it a great place to relax – whether around the bonfire or the water table with kids on a hot day. Our home is just a few houses down from one of our neighborhood parks, and our bonus kiddos always love taking a stroll down to let some energy out!

With our large dining room and an open concept between the kitchen and family room downstairs, we absolutely love hosting our friends and family for weekend dinners, holidays, and game nights! Thankfully, we have four bedrooms and a playroom on the landing upstairs so the littles can get away and be as loud as they want.

Our Village
Our village is incredible. Our families. Our friends. Our work places. The outpour of support and love we have seen along our journey has been so humbling. Everyone has loved all of the children in our care as if they were our own – which has been very important to us as our family and friends play a large role in our lives.

On most weeks, if we aren’t getting together for family dinner with Tony’s mom and extended family, we’re at home hosting a family get together with Christine’s parents and sister and Tony’s mom. At least once a month, we get together with our large group of friends to celebrate birthdays, holidays and game nights as well.

Our Journey
We met in 2006 while attending Ball State University and started dating a couple years later. Early in our relationship Tony joined the United States Marine Corps, and we spent the better part of two years apart as Tony completed basic training, MOS training, and ultimately a deployment to both Iraq and Afghanistan.  Upon his return we got engaged, purchased our first home and put down roots in Bloomington, IN – though we have since relocated northeast of Indy to be closer to family. We married in 2011 and within a few years of marriage our journey with infertility began.

After a miscarriage in 2014 and a couple years of continued struggle, we decided it was time to explore what all of our options were to grow our family. We attended an informational meeting that spoke on 3 different ways to adopt – domestic, international, and through foster care. Ultimately, our hearts felt called into the foster care world, and we began the process of becoming licensed in early 2017.

After becoming officially licensed to parent, we spent the first 8 months pouring love onto our first placements, a sibling set of three beautiful blonde littles. When they successfully returned home to their mom, we spent the next 16 months nurturing and raising a set of twin baby boys we have affectionately come to call Biggie and Smalls.  As the time came for the boys to also return to their mother, we decided to take a step back from actively fostering to evaluate what direction we wanted to go in next.

While we are beyond blessed to continue supporting and loving on these children we have loved unconditionally as our own, we are excited to offer our home, hearts and family to you through an open adoption. We welcome the opportunity to get to know you and answer any questions you may have about us!