Introduction
Hello, we are Jolene and Tommy. We were both born, raised, and currently reside in Mims, Florida, which is close to the beach and Kennedy Space Center. We adopted our son, SJ, in 2013 and we have an awesome dog named Paisley. We stay busy with extracurricular activities for our very active 8 year old. He is regularly involved in little league baseball and he will be playing football starting this August. My (Jolene) hobbies include clogging and scrapbooking. Even though I do not regularly attend classes, I do participate in various workshops when it fits into our schedule. Tommy's hobbies include hunting and watching Florida Gator football. We like to take the boat out and go fishing in both fresh and salt water and we are thankful to live so close to the water! Sometimes on the weekends we cruise around in a 1957 Oldsmobile to the local antique car shows with my parents. Child Preferences
We are looking to extend our family through the adoption of a little girl up to age 7. We want our son to have a little sister to play with and look after. We are a loving and affectionate family with lots of love to share! |
Home and Community
We live in a small town on the East Coast of Florida. This is the town we grew up in and we know just about everyone. Our local elementary school is amazing and we could not ask for a better and safer place to send our children. Our son will be starting second grade very soon! We live on 2 acres next door to my (Jolene's) parents. We do not really interact with our neighbors much, but we have a large group of friends that have children for our son to play with. He is also very active in Mims Little League and coming soon, Pop Warner football. Parenting Experience
I (Jolene) am a special education teacher for children with diverse backgrounds and varying ability levels. I have my Florida Teaching Certificate in the areas of Primary Education (PreK-3), Elementary Education (K-6), Middle Grades Integrated Curriculum (5-9), ESOL (K-12), ESE (K-12), and Reading Endorsement (K-12). I am currently working for the Devereux-Threshold Center for Autism with students with autism and intellectual disabilities. I have a very diverse behavioral management background. I am CPR/First Aid certified and am regularly trained in Safe and Positive Approaches, along with some ABA training. Tommy worked for an environmental company for over 12 years on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The company worked to restore Florida Scrub Jay habitat by maintaining the habitat through removal of invasive plant species and regular prescribed burns. After being laid off last year, Tommy currently works for Brevard County Public Works. Tommy is an avid deer hunter and regularly hunts with his dad and was excited to get to take our son on hunting trips with them last year. Tommy has been coaching our son's little league baseball team for the last two years and his summer fun softball league this year. We have both attended and completed the PRIDE training for adoption in Brevard County, Florida and we are being educated daily by our amazing son. Tommy and I have attended some online webinars regarding parenting after adoption and are willing to continue any necessary training to meet the needs of our family. |
Support
We are blessed to have both sets of our parents living close to us that love us very much and have been married to each other for 41 and 44 years now! They are excellent examples of what marriage should be and they are great parents and grandparents to our son! We have a large extended friend group that has accepted our son as their own and would be excited to share that love with another child. We are also regular members in our church, The Pentecostals of Titusville, and we have a wonderful church family awaiting the arrival of the newest member of our family. Motivation to Adopt
Tommy and I have always desired a family, but have not been able to conceive naturally, so we began to pray for direction in our lives. We decided that adoption would be one of the avenues we would explore on our journey to parenthood. We are actively seeking God's guidance in our lives and in the lives of all that we may have the experience of loving in this lifetime. In 2013, we were blessed to adopt our son from Brevard County, Florida. He is now 8 years old, adjusting nicely, will be in second grade this year, and is doing very well academically. He plays baseball at Mims Little League, where Tommy and I both manage and coach his team. His favorite position is catcher. As we continue to pray for God's guidance, we have decided to move forward in expanding our family once more. |
