Teacher / Stay at Home Mom
Ohio
Caucasian
Christian
We are an active family of five. Our three children are Aiden, Emma, and Nolan. They are so excited to have more siblings to love and play with. They often say we have room in our house for more brothers and sisters, and we know we have more love to give too.
Tarah was born and raised in a small town in Northwest Ohio, where her parents still reside and are visited often. Tarah’s younger sister passed away in 2016, and this loss changed the direction of Tarah and Garrett’s life. Tarah had been a middle school and kindergarten teacher for 8 years and took a leap of faith to become a stay at home mom after realizing two things: life can change in an instant and our kids would be young only for a short time. She dedicates each day to raising, loving, caring for, and teaching the kids. She loves Jesus, date nights with Garrett, playing and exploring with the kids, baking, crafting, meeting up with other mom friends on play dates, and spending time with extended family as much as possible.
Garrett was raised in Northeast Ohio. After attending Ohio University, he returned to the area to be a middle school band director and has been in his current position for a number of years. His job allows him to be home early in the day and during the summer, which is great for family time. He enjoys spending as much time as possible with Tarah and the kids by going on family bike rides and hikes, playing board games, camping in the backyard during the summer, and cooking dinner each night.
We first considered adoption as a way to grow our family in 2013 after struggling with infertility. After seeking fertility treatment, we were able to conceive our three children. After a difficult third pregnancy, we were no longer able to become pregnant. Adoption has always been on our hearts and we feel that this is God’s plan for our family.
What our children have to say about adoption:
Aiden
When we asked Aiden why he felt someone should choose our family for their child he said, “because we will love and care for them just like I love and care for my brother and sister.”
Emma
When we asked Emma why she felt someone should choose our family for their child she said, “our family is loving, kind, and helpful.”
Nolan
When we asked Nolan why he felt someone should choose our family for their child he said, “because we will love them.”
We live in a family friendly neighborhood within walking distance to playgrounds, the bike and hike trail, and a family favorite - ice cream places for dessert! If you were to peek into our home, you would see artwork from the kids hanging on the walls, barbies, legos, puzzles, and board games recently played with, and family cuddles on the couch during our weekly pizza and movie night.
Our home is spacious, with plenty of room for more children. The first floor is an open concept, used for entertaining friends and hosting family gatherings. We recently finished a portion of our basement for the kids to have an additional space to play. During most days, when the weather is nice, you can find us in our backyard playing on the playset, swimming, enjoying campfires, and having picnics with family and friends.
About Garrett (in Tarah’s words):
Garrett is a tender hearted, loving, and faithful husband and father. Watching him give our kids hugs & kisses in the morning before work, have dance parties in our living room, splash in the pool in the summer, and pray with his family each night, warms my heart and makes me fall more deeply in love with him each and every day.
About Tarah (in Garrett’s words):
Tarah is one of the most kind and supportive people I have ever met; I am so thankful I get to do life with her. She is compassionate and loving, always putting our family and children first. She is known for making the best birthday cakes for our children’s birthdays - whatever they want their cake to be, she is able to make it happen. I love watching her interact with our kids by completing fun arts and crafts, making homemade pizza on Friday nights, playing games and reading with them, and creating so many different learning opportunities for them everyday.
We met and started dating while at Ohio University in 2006. We were both trumpet players in the marching band and studying to become teachers. After dating for about four years, Garrett proposed to Tarah on a NYC trip and they were married a year later in 2011. After getting married, we enjoyed going on vacations and spending quality time with each other. Then in 2015, 2017, and 2019 our family grew as we welcomed each of our children. We look forward to our family growing and welcoming more children in years to come.
“Love is patient, love is kind…love bears all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.” 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 You are eternally loved beyond understanding little one; share that type of love with everyone around you, including yourself.
We respect your decisions and believe that your child is loved beyond understanding. If you choose us as adoptive parents, we will honor your child’s story and love them unconditionally. As we get to know each other, we look forward to open communication and building a relationship with you, as you feel comfortable, based on trust and mutual respect.
Thank you for taking the time to consider our family; as a mom making one of the most important decisions of your life, we hope you feel supported and loved during this journey.