Trisha & Doug In Missouri

We are a Christian family, and attend church services as often as possible. We have faith, but do not force our beliefs on others. Phillip and William are both in Church Squad, a youth group for our church. Phillip has been on several mission trips and learned carpentry skills while helping people in need. Trisha has attended the same church since she was a little girl, and Douglas started attending shortly after meeting Trisha. The entire family has been baptized into the church.

We have many hobbies that keep the family occupied. Douglas and Corey are in Tae Kwan Do. Corey plays soccer, basketball and football. William plays saxophone for his high school marching band and plays tennis. Phillip played football his sophomore year in high school and is currently in Iron Knights, a weight lifting club. Douglas also plays guitar as a hobby. Trisha like to do scrapbooking and arts and crafts projects. We are a Disney family. Trisha is a fan of the Disney princesses, and Douglas is a Star Wars fan.

Trisha has worked as a veterinarian technician for many years and loves animals. We have two dogs, three cats and an umbrella cockatoo that are a loved part of our family. Douglas is in the Air National Guard and works there full time in cyber security. Phillip is starting a school work study program beginning this summer where he will work at a grocery store. We have supported all of our children's interests to the best of our ability and believe in giving them as many opportunities as we can.

We live in a newly developed neighborhood close to Trisha's family. We have a lot of parks with swimming pools and nature trails very close by and like to remain active as much as possible. There is also the Family Arena about 2 miles from where we live where various concerts, sports event and other entertainment is frequent.

We moved into our new 5 bedroom house in December. We have a partially finished basement, a main floor with a kitchen, living room, dining room, breakfast nook and hearth room. The hearth room is where the dogs' kennels and Charmin's kennel are. There is a bedroom in the basement that William stays in, along with a bathroom and a game area. The second floor has Phillip and Corey's rooms with an adjoining bathroom between there rooms. There is an upstairs bonus area that we have made into a little living room for the kids with two couches, a TV, and video game consoles. There is an extra bedroom on the second floor with a private bathroom and a walk in closet that is currently unoccupied. We also have a half acre yard with a fenced in back yard area that will have a patio soon. The dogs and kids all like to play in the back yard.

Our neighborhood is in a quite place with lots of nature around, but we aren't far from a lot of fun and exciting activities. It is a short trip to get into St. Louis, where we have watched Cardinal games and Blues hockey games. The boys schools are very close by and give them plenty of opportunities to learn and get into extracurricular activities.

William is Douglas's biological son who is 15 years old. Trisha first met William when he was 22 months old. She immediately started taking him to do fun activities and out to eat. He lives with us and visits his biological mother most weekends. He is in scouts and marching band.

Phillip and Corey were our first foster placements after becoming foster parents. Phillip was 8 years old when he came to us. He had been through a lot. He has grown into a great young man of 16 years old. He played football his sophomore year, and is in the weight lifting club. Phillip is very artistic and likes to draw. We make sure he always has paper, markers, colored pencils and what ever else he needs to continue his hobby. He will start working this year at a grocery store with a school program to get work experience.

Corey was just over a year old when he came into our home. He was crawling, but not walking or talking at the time. He is now 8 years old and loves to talk and sing and dance. He likes to play every sport he can think of. He has taken dance classes and likes to show off. He is a very loving and caring boy who loves his mom very much.

We celebrate St. Nicholas Day by leaving boots outside our rooms, along with cookies for St. Nicholas and carrots for his horse, Silver. When St. Nicholas comes he leaves little toys and candy for everyone. Christmas is celebrated when William, Doug's son, is back from his mother's house. We attend Christmas Eve service at church, and enjoy the candle light vigil that ends the service where all the lights are off and everyone has a lit candle while we sing Silent Night.

On New Years Eve, we gather as a family and play board or card games until close to midnight. At midnight, we go outside with pots and pans and other noisy things and loudly ring in the first minute of the New Year. The Tooth fairy frequents our house when our kids lose a tooth. The Tooth Fairy leaves a letter letting the children know how well they have taken care of their teeth and encourages good dental hygiene. When she has taken the tooth, she leaves a small present by their bed as a reward for taking such good care of their teeth. We usually celebrate the fourth of July with fireworks and barbecue. The little ones get to use sparklers while on an adults lap to keep things safe. Doug usually sets off the bigger firework, but since William and Phillip are in their teens now, they are allowed to do some of the bigger ones under supervision.

We have had miscarriages and have been through IVF and IUI. We are also foster parents. We had a sibling group with a newborn and his sister. That newborn baby was the best thing we could have ever imagined. Our hearts need to have another newborn with us!