Jeanine & Jack

Our Son

Ollie is our 4-year-old adopted son and the absolute light of our lives. He’s taught us more about joy, playfulness, and even proper Spanish pronunciation than we ever could have imagined. We adopted him as a newborn, and although his birth mother chose a closed adoption, we hope to meet her one day.

Ollie loves superheroes, princesses, dogs, cats, bugs, trucks, and trains. He enjoys dancing to a good beat, speaking in rhymes, and creating elaborate imaginary stories with his toys.

Our Pet

Annie is our 12-year-old Shiba Inu pup and an important member of the family—her main job is cleaning up the crumbs that fall on the floor. She’s a calm, gentle dog and Ollie’s best friend. He affectionately calls her his “orange pupper wupper.”

Our Home

We live in a 4-bedroom house in South Austin in a quiet, family-friendly neighborhood where kids are often outside playing and riding bikes. Our home is within walking distance of the town lake trail, the greenbelt, and a top-rated elementary school.

Our kitchen is a place where kids can pull up a stool, roll up their sleeves, and help make a smoothie or roll out pizza dough. The living room is full of toy trucks, superhero capes, and a napping dog. Ollie’s bedroom is a cozy space filled with colorful books we curl up with at bedtime. Upstairs, we have an art/playroom—a creative spot to make valentines for the class, play an instrument, put on a play, or decorate a cardboard box fort.

We love spending time in nature, and each summer we head to our beach cottage, where we go on family hikes, discover pretty rocks, and search for neat bugs.

Our Hobbies

Hiking, eating ice cream, playing at the park, puzzles & games, arts & craft activities, reading, visiting museums and the library, perusing farmers markets, and going on picnics together.

Our Extended Family

We’re very close with my sister, her husband, and their two kids, ages 5 and 8. We see them on weekends, spend most holidays together, and take a few vacations each year, making plenty of memories along the way. Jeanine’s mom is a frequent visitor too—she loves bringing craft projects for her and Ollie to do together, and he always lights up when she arrives. Jack’s parents come down from Florida every other month, delighting in spoiling Ollie with more Christmas gifts than he can count. Jack’s mom is a quiet, steady presence, while Jack’s dad keeps everyone laughing with his playful antics. Jack’s sister, who lives in Austin, shares Ollie’s love of puzzles and is always happy to jump into a superhero game.

Parenting Philosophy

Our philosophy is to support our child in whatever they need. We pay close attention to their interests—if they like to dance, we take a music class together; if they like to paint, we happily get messy. We believe in setting clear, firm, and loving boundaries so our child has a safe space to run, jump, be a kid, and fully express themselves.

When challenges come up, we listen and try to understand our child’s feelings. Do they need some one-on-one time with a parent they’ve been missing? Are they simply tired and in need of quiet time with a book? Is our schedule too busy, and would it help to cancel plans and spend a Sunday watching movies together instead?

It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day tasks of parenting, but we try to keep an open, curious mindset. This means we’re not the only ones teaching our child; the lessons they teach us—about patience, kindness, and living in the moment—are equally important.

How We Met

It was pretty much love at first sight, nearly 20 years ago. Jeanine flew into town to meet a mutual friend, and that’s when we met. Jack was drawn to Jeanine’s kind smile, and Jeanine loved that Jack was fun and always up for an adventure.

We’ve been together a long time and, as they say, through sickness and in health. We’ve navigated some of life’s hardest moments and shared some of the best. We’ve traveled the world, supported each other’s careers, and learned how to be parents together. We’re loyal to a fault, each other’s best match, and our relationship has only grown stronger with every challenge we’ve faced.

What Adoption Means to Us

Since Ollie is adopted, it means celebrating his heritage and helping him understand what makes him special and unique. We want him to grow up knowing how loved he is by his birth mother, as if she were another member of our family, even if we never have the opportunity to meet her. In our case, the adoption was closed, but we carry openness in our hearts and hope to build a loving and open relationship with the new baby’s birth mother. Among our friends are other children who are adopted, so it’s important for us to teach him that families can look different in many ways.