Tommy and Katie

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From Us to You

We are so excited to be a part of this process!

We want to start our family through adoption, if we are lucky enough to be chosen. This was an easy decision for us because we have wanted children for years and can’t imagine a better way to do so. While we are excited about this opportunity, we understand that this would not be possible without you. If we are chosen, we hope to serve as another source of support for you and we feel honored to be part of this and your experience.

We’ve also made efforts to educate ourselves on being good parents to an adopted child. We plan to be honest with a child about their adoption as soon as they are old enough to understand while also making it clear that they are wanted, chosen and loved.

If you would like to be updated as the child grows, we would be happy to do so. However, we are also flexible and respect your wishes either way. Lastly, we also do not expect you to make that decision from the outset, either, and we welcome you to stay in communication if you wish.

With Love,
Katie and Tommy

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Why we are Choosing to Adopt

We would love to be parents. Over the time we’ve been together, we’ve become sure of what we want and our lives are in a place where we can care for a child well. We love the children in our lives and hope to provide that love and support to another.

Additionally, we are both established in our careers as well as who we are, making us more prepared for parenting; we are more emotionally equipped to give our best to a child.

While we did try to have children biologically, we ultimately felt that growing our family through adoption was the right next step.

Our goal in caring for a child would be to provide them with unconditional love and support while helping them find who they are. We both grew up with involved parents and we look forward to having an active relationship with a child while encouraging them to discover what they love. We want to teach a child to be independent while knowing that we will always back them up.

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Our Lifestyle

We stay busy! We have a good routine that we are excited to expand upon. We both work most days of the week and then come home to cook dinner together. Katie works close to home and Tommy works from home so we are together in time to do this most nights. Afterward, we walk the dogs and then we might play a game, visit with friends or read. When the season is right, we try to go out to a concert or a sports event and, on the weekends, we make a point to go hiking and visit one of our state parks.

Outside of work, we love to travel and see different parts of the world. Minnesota is also full of beautiful scenery so we take the opportunity to hike, camp and enjoy the state as much as we can. Most of our friends grew up here and live close as well so spending time with them and their kids makes up a big part of our weekends.

We also have a lot of family throughout the state and we get together for every birthday and holiday. We’re lucky to have a supportive, open minded family with many kids so we’ve gotten the chance to practice our childcare skills on a regular basis.

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About Tommy

Tommy LOVES kids. He has always wanted to be a parent and he has always sought out chances to babysit or visit friends just to be a regular part of their lives. Kids also love him; whenever we babysit our nieces and nephews, they gravitate to him.

He’s also the most caring person I know: for years before we were together, Tommy would come to visit me when I was going to school farther from home. For mother’s day, he has always sent cards or called his friends or his friends’ wives who have children to wish them well. He also loves his family deeply. He never misses birthdays and calls his parents every Sunday just to talk

When I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, I told him he didn’t have to stay if things got tough but he didn’t hesitate for a second, showing how strong our bond really is. Thankfully, this has been well controlled and hasn’t affected our lives since then.

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About Katie

Katie is the best 🙂 She has many amazing qualities as a wife that I know will make her a fantastic parent. Her number one attribute is the ability to make others (kids especially) “feel heard.” Over the past few years we have had the privilege of watching my sister’s children when they are on vacation. In our home she treats the kids as our own and gives each her complete focus and undivided attention – which is saying something nowadays! No phone – no distractions – just being present with the kids and making them feel like the most important little people on the planet! From dance parties and singing Swifty songs to bed time stories and snuggle time – Katie can do it all.

I am so blessed to call her my wife and so pumped to go on to the next chapter in our lives raising a child together. I wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else.

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Our Home

We live in a suburb just 15 minutes from downtown Minneapolis. We’ve lived in our house for 5 years and we have a great group of families here, including a few who have adopted children. There are tons of kids that run around and play in the warmer months and we have three parks in easy walking distance of the house. Because of our dogs, we’re outside a lot and our town has a ton of parks to wander through.

Our favorite part of the house is a bedroom that we’ve turned into a home library because we love to read so much.

We also love Minnesota! It has a great mix of landscape and weather; the summer is beautiful and the lakes and north woods offer a lot to do. The winters are cold but give us a chance to go sledding, build snow men and hike. The state fair is also an institution here! We try to go every year and would love to show a child all that this and Minnesota have to offer.

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Our Family

Family is such a big part of our life and time in addition to our friend group. Katie is one of three and Tommy is one of two but we have 8 nieces and nephews between our families. Additionally, Tommy has several cousins that we are close to and they have several young kids as well. We like to support them in any way we can, especially by attending sports games or helping babysit. Tommy also dressed up as Santa for one of their basketball teams!

We don’t have any other adopted children as part of our family but our family is aware that we hope to adopt and they are very excited about this. Our neighborhood, however, is full of other adopted children! There are three other kids on our street who have been adopted and we spend a lot of time with those families.

Our parents love being grandparents and try to be involved as much as possible, from dance shows to soccer games.

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Racial & Cultural Diversity

A child of any ethnicity and cultural background would be welcome in our lives. We are aware that we can offer all of our love to a child and we still do not have the full understanding of what it means to be a person of color. Keeping this in mind, we make a point to communicate how we are feeling often and would encourage a child to do the same, making sure to address any concerns directly. We also promise to be mindful of the heritage of a child and actively seek out chances to expose them to events, celebrations and other people of the same background.

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Our Pets

Our dogs are wonderful and such an important part of our lives. Freddy is a golden retriever and is the happiest dog you’ll ever meet. Sweet Martha, named after a cookie company in town, is sleepy in her old age but loves people, especially children. Reggie is our youngest and most cautious around new people but loves to cuddle once he’s comfortable. We walk together every day in the evenings and usually have a cuddle before bedtime.

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Adoption in our Lives

We are lucky enough to have several adoptive families in our lives. In our neighborhood, we have three nearby houses with adopted children. Various members of our family have pursued adoption in the past so our families are familiar with the process and excited about it. One of Tommy’s cousins is adopted and Katie also takes care of many adults that were adopted as children so we are familiar with the challenges that may come with that in the future.

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Our Promise to You

• We plan to raise a child with unconditional support.
• While we each have our individual hobbies and personalities, we aim to encourage a child to become themselves without pressure or judgment. We want to include a child in our hobbies as well and expose them to opportunities to travel, to see different cultures and landscapes from their own.
• We were both taught to treat others with respect without exception and hope to instill this as a core value into a child’s life.
• While we are not hugely religious, we do attend church and hope to teach those values as well
• Communication is important to us. We make it a point to communicate clearly with one another and would encourage the same thing for a child, asking them about their feelings and working hard to be sure their concerns are addressed.