Family Timeline

Our family’s foster care/adoption timeline:

Summer 2000: God puts adoption on K’s heard through seeing a family adopt and a mission trip to Jamaica.
2002/2003: K starts praying for a husband who wants to adopt kids (among other qualities).
June 2003: D mentions to K that he wants to adopt kids someday during an awkward one-on-one basketball game; K makes mental note of this.
July 2003: We start dating.
August 5, 2006: We get married.
Late 2007/Early 2008: K starts listening to Foster Parenting Podcast (FPP) and promptly forces D to listen as well. He agrees that it is awesome.
Spring 2008: We decided we want to become foster parents and eventually adopt through the foster care system at some point in the future. K starts emailing T & W incessantly with questions and they are kind enough to answer.
Summer 2008: While on vacation in California, we meet T & W of FPP. We decide we will start the process after our third anniversary.
Fall 2008: We read up of foster care, pray about it for our future and continue to take in any information we can about foster care and adoption. In October, we attend the Together for Adoption conference in South Carolina.
January 2009: We are not that patient and bump up our start date.
March 2009: We attend foster parenting orientation.
April through August 2009: We complete our foster parenting training.
September 2009: We have our first home study and find out we need an egress window in our basement to become licensed.
November 2009: Egress window is installed! And we have our second and third home study.
January 2010: Licensed! And waiting…
February 2, 2010: First placement (5-year-old boy)
March 9, 2010: Kiddo #1 (S)* is reunited with family. We begin the wait again.
March 11, 2010: But not a long wait. Two days after Kiddo #1 went home, Kiddos #2 (M)* & #3 (T)* arrive.
April 2010: We go to court. Nothing happens.
June 2010: We go to court again. Judge decides to reunify M & T with their mom.
September 2010: M & T reunify with their mom permanently.
November 2010: Baby for the weekend! Respite placement, C (age one) just for a few days.
Late November 2010: Brothers! D2 and A move in.
January 2011: DIB & AIB’s parent’s rights are terminated. We begin the process to adopt.
March 2011: C comes to visit again for a longer respite stay. The boys enjoy him. We can’t help but love him; maybe he will come again someday.
June 2011: Guess what, everyone? We’re having a baby.
August 2011: Baby R comes for a short visit.
September 2011: G comes to stay with us for a little bit.
January 2012: MNB is born!