Some stories take unexpected turns.
Some ask for more patience, more sacrifice, more faith than you ever imagined.
And some, like this one, end with tears, joy, and the beginning of a forever kind of love.
After 9.5 long months, Will and Katie officially adopted their son, Baby Theo.
But this journey wasn’t smooth, and it certainly wasn’t simple.
It started with heartbreak…a failed private adoption that left them reeling. But instead of giving up, they took a leap of faith that changed everything.With careers and routines back in Dayton, Ohio…Katie, a teacher, and Will, working in a hospital…they did something unimaginable:
They pressed pause on their entire life and temporarily moved to Arizona, becoming residents of a completely different state. Why?
Because that’s where Baby Theo was and it was what the Arizona law required for fostering and adoptions.
And nothing was more important than becoming his parents.
They became certified foster parents in Arizona, knowing that there were no guarantees. But from the moment they were placed with Theo, they knew their hearts were already spoken for.
And after months of showing up, loving fiercely, and advocating for their son, they finally stood in a courtroom and heard the words they had been longing for:
“He is officially yours.”
I was honored to be in that room when it happened. The emotion in that courtroom when Will and Katie cried tears they had been holding in for nearly a year was something I’ll never forget. That moment will stay with me as a photographer.
But this story doesn’t stop in the courtroom.
Just a few days later, I met them again, this time in the Arizona desert, for their very first family photo session. Not as foster parents. Not as hopefuls.
But as a real, legal, forever family.
And there’s something poetic about that, isn’t there?
Because while they’ll be returning to Ohio soon, they’ll carry a piece of Arizona with them. This desert, where their son was born.
This place, where their family was made.
This land, where love became real in a way they’ll never forget.
As I clicked the shutter and watched them hold Theo close in our beautiful Arizona landscape, I couldn’t help but think: what a powerful, beautiful reminder that love sometimes takes you across the country… just to bring you home.
Welcome to forever, Baby Theo.
And Will and Katie, thank you for letting me be part of your story.