We work full time but in our off time, we love working on our house, being with our many animals, traveling/camping, cooking/baking and having movie or game nights. We love having family and friends over but often go to other houses for BBQ's, campfires and special occasions.
Tanner has many hobbies that include gardening, wood working/building projects, operating his small sawmill, working on classic cars, cooking and is a big fan of the Office!
Zoe enjoys shopping, baking/cooking, craft projects with her cricket, home projects, gardening-flowers, watching movies and also loves the Office!
The Lewis-Clark Valley is a wonderful place. Both Zoe and Tanner grew up in the area. Summers can be very hot but there is the river, lakes in surrounding areas, community pools and the Aquatic Center to help cool off. Winters are fairly mild, but we do get some snow and have great places for tubing/sledding skiing and snowboarding. Tanner enjoys snowboarding but Zoe is more likely to be found on a tube or a sled. We are surrounded by mountains and national forests that can be reached with a short drive. Although the valley is growing, there are many things that still feel like a small town. We have great schools and options for sports and other extra curricular activities.
We have many animals on our small ranch. We have two donkeys- Willis and Cleetus Two alpacas- Loratta and Patsy Two horses- Keziah and Tip Three dogs- Koda, Clyde and Sweetpea Many cats! Chickens Goats- Buckley and Finn Dairy Cows- MayBelle, Clara, June and Annie
We believe that caring for animals is a great experience for kids to grow up with. Both of us grew up around farm animals and learned responsibility but also were provided with a therapeutic outlet. Animals provide unconditional love and we believe that is an important and needed aspect of growing up.
We both have experience from being around our nieces and nephews. Zoe's 12 year old nephew has Autism and ADHD. We both completed trainings from Foster Parent College and have books we will begin reading soon.
Zoe has worked with individuals who have a disability, both adults and teens for 7 years. For the last 4 years, she has worked with Idaho Vocational Rehabilitation and has vast knowledge on many disabilities and how they can impact youth. She has worked with many students who have Autism, ADHD, Anxiety, Specific Learning Disabilities and Depression. She works work with all the school districts in ID region 2 and has great connections with not only the schools but outside resources in the community. She also has experience working with kids and adults with developmental disabilities at her previous job, Imagine Behavioral Services. Zoe also has a degree in social work and rehabilitation counseling.
We are also licensed foster parents for ID. We completed our license July, 2022.
We have a great support system through our family and friends who will be involved in our and the Childs life. We have young nieces and nephews that our children will be able to play and grow up with.
Most of our family lives in our area, about 20 minutes from us. Trudi (Zoe's mom) currently lives with us and is a great support for watching kiddos and assisting us when needed.
We have a close group of friends that are able to help watch our future kiddos as well. We feel our friends are highly supportive of our adoption journey and all are excited to meet our future kiddos! We often have BBQ's, game nights, holiday parties and just random get togethers throughout the year.
Our community is rural and small but we have great schools with caring staff, competitive athletic programs, FFA programs (our county fairs are also great!), FCLA programs and DECA programs and therapy services including Kelley Kids Ranch that provides equine therapy.