HEY THERE! Thank you for taking the time to learn a little about us. With this profile, we hope you feel the love we have for each other, our family, friends, and our future children.
Adoption holds a special place in our hearts, and we do not enter into this space lightly. I, Tori, spent years in and out of the foster care system, and was eventually adopted. My experience has taught us that adoption is complex and should be approached with care. We understand the weight and loss that comes with adoption, but we have also seen the beauty and richness that can simultaneously be found. We have long dreamed of adding to our family, and we can’t wait for Leyonder and Ezzeri to be a big brother and big sister. God has opened our hearts to loving a child through adoption unconditionally. If you should consider us as parents for your child, we promise to provide a home with lots of love, opportunity, and unconditional support. May you find peace, confidence, and all the strength we know is inside. Thinking about you.
Relationship/Journey
Our love story began on the campus of Hillsdale College. We graduated in 2018 and then got married a week after our graduation. Since we have been married, we have loved traveling, hiking, and finding restaurants with the best food. We set out to live our lives on mission, serving and loving others, and teaching our kids to do the same. As people of faith it is important to us that we do not just say we want to do good, but we actually be the hands and feet of Jesus. Outside of service to our community and missions, family is everything to us. We believe in showing up for one another, making memories big and small, and creating a home where every child knows they are deeply loved, fully known, and safe to be exactly who they were made to be.
Why Adoption?
We are choosing to grow our family through adoption because it holds a special place in our hearts—Tori was adopted, and her life is a beautiful reminder of the love and hope that adoption brings. For us, adoption isn’t just a way to build a family; it’s a deeply meaningful act of love that has already shaped our lives in the most incredible way. We truly feel that our family wouldn’t be complete without embracing adoption once again, and we’re excited and ready to welcome a child into our hearts and home.
Home
Our home is one of our favorite places in the world. It's a large, historic house with so much character— creaky wood floors, big windows that let in lots of light, and cozy corners perfect for reading. There's plenty of room to grow, play, and dream here. One of the sweetest parts of our everyday life is how close we live to the library—just a short walk down the street! We go on walks often, and the library has become a special part of our weekly rhythm. It offers wonderful programs for kids, like art classes, reading groups, and story times. Because of this, our children learn to love books and reading from a young age.We treasure reading together as a family—especially books that teach about character, virtue, and love. These quiet moments together, cuddled up with a book, are some of our favorites.
Travel
We travel often as a family, at least once a month. We love hiking, kayaking, and exploring nature any chance we can get! We have traveled to almost all of the states in America and we make traveling a regular rhythm a part of our family because it creates great memories and brings us closer together. We want our kids to see as much of the world as possible and appreciate it.
Hobbies
I, Tori, in my free time, like to workout, compete in races, and try new cooking recipes. Jacob loves to flip furniture and houses, restoring old pieces to look brand new. Leyonder, our son, loves to play hockey and football. And Ezzeri is in gymnastics and loves to ice skate and dance. We have a lot of dance parties as a family, and we love to spend time with other friends having playdates at the park!
School & Work
Day to day my work is vast and involves a lot of different aspects. I am an author, public speaker, and advocate for vulnerable children. I have been honored to advocate to Congress, and in 2021 I won the title of Mrs. Universe. Jacob flips houses so that people have a good place to live.
Our Extended Family
We spend a lot of time with extended family. She has three sisters that are nearby as well as her adoptive dad, Scott. They come to celebrate the holidays with us and love getting the kids a lot of gifts for their birthdays.
Family Traditions & Holidays
Every Halloween, we as a family, choose a movie, watch it and all dress up as characters from the movie. We have dressed up as Alice in Wonderland characters and Beauty in the Beast. This year I think we are going to do Mario. For Christmas, our favorite tradition is opening our matching pajamas the day before Christmas. We then put them on, bake cookies together, and deliver cookies to our neighbors as a way to wish them a Merry Christmas and let them know we care about them.
Find Out More
Would you like to learn more about this family or the other families waiting to adopt a baby? Contact the caring counselors at St. Elizabeth. There’s no pressure—we’re just here to help you decide what’s best for you and your baby.
