thomas + mandy

Mandy and Thomas have been married for fifteen years, together for twenty, and have always been overflowing with love and enthusiasm for life and excited to thoughtfully grow their family. Parents to two biological sons, they’d always wished to add a third child to their family. Adoption had been something they have talked about since meeting as teenagers, but they hadn’t been certain when the time would be right.

In 2020, Mandy and Thomas felt the pieces of life fall into place; they found and moved into their forever home, the boys were past the toddler stage and begging for a sibling, and the family was ready to seriously explore adoption. They found an incredible adoption agency and through them learned more about Bulgaria and the need for adoption there. They had assumed they would take a traditional route to be matched and that the process might take years, but while working through the required documentation, they saw Tippi’s profile posted on their agency’s waiting child list. They felt an instant connection (it is truly impossible not to fall in love when you see her beautiful little face) and they immediately felt called to be her family. Even though the odds were against them this early in the process, they moved forward applying. Exactly a month later on Thomas’s birthday, they received confirmation that they had been matched!

“Looking at her photos and videos, we are struck by her determination, inquisitiveness, and sweet demeanor. We are in awe of her resilience, strength, and abilities after such a hard medical start to life. We talk regularly with our boys about growing our family, and both love the idea of having a little sister to dote on and teach. Our strong family bond means Tippi will be welcomed with open arms and hearts by us – her parents, brothers and community, whatever her long-term needs may be. We are so grateful for your support and love, and hope you’ll follow along on our adoption journey to bring our daughter home.”

atlas + pilot

Atlas (8) is the kindest, happiest, most empathetic child a parent could hope for. He loves reading and books, is an incredible bike rider and tree climber, is passionate about LEGO, bird watching, and adventure, and is truly the most wonderful big brother. He has an engineering brain and can build and fix almost anything. He currently takes weekly ceramics, horse riding, and swim lessons. We know he is going to make a huge positive impact on the world, because he has already made an impact on those lucky enough to know him. Atlas is so excited at the idea of being a big brother to a little sister.

Pilot (4) is our ray of sunshine. He is easy going, independent, and loves being with his family and friends. He wants to do school like his brother and is interested in learning about numbers, letters, and writing. He is especially excited to learn to read and does his best to sound out all the letters and words he recognizes. He loves to be outside, ride bikes, play in the sandbox, and his weekly swim lesson. Inside he enjoys building with LEGO, puzzles, and playing board games. Pilot loves his big brother more than anything, and is beyond thrilled that he gets to be a big brother too.