Couple looking to foster a child had their happiness multiplied by 3: 'Can we do this?'

A home filled with children is a blessing that many in the world crave. To those who can't have a child of their own, options like adoption and foster care become a holy grail. It has changed the lives of many families and one such foster family's story is cutting onions on the internet. Two foster dads from Cleveland, Tennessee, PJ McKay and Thomas McKay who go by The Property Lovers (@pjandthomas) on Instagram are nothing short of an inspiration. Their foster care journey shaped up into a beautiful family of five and it all happened due to an impulsive overnight decision.

The couple met 15 years ago, started dating in 2010 and got married in 2015. One thing they both had in common was their ardent wish to become parents. "We’re super close with our own families, so it was always something we pictured ourselves doing together. We were picking out kids’ names two weeks into dating," the 33-year-old Thomas told the Washington Post. The duo even renovated their house hoping to raise kids one day. "We weighed all of our options and looked into surrogacy and private adoption and we did lots of Zoom meetings with different surrogacy agencies," Thomas added. He and his 38-year-old husband PJ eventually agreed to become foster parents. 

In 2019, they took foster classes and equipped themselves to provide foster care. Soon, their efforts paid off but in an unexpected way. They received a text asking if they would be able to care for not one, but three kids- a 4-year-old, a 2.5-year-old and an 18-month-old. "We looked at each other and wondered, ‘Can we do this?’” Thomas said. They even contemplated other options but eventually, they listened to their heart and agreed to foster the 3 siblings. With the help of a local foster care charity, they instantly started getting their home child-friendly with toys, crib and car seats. On June 11, 2019, the McKays became a family of five. They learned to change diapers and practice bath time and story time routines. 

However, life may not always be a bed of roses and the foster parents were faced with a distressing situation after three weeks of welcoming the kids. The dads received shocking news from the state that the kids were about to be placed with one of their family members who they love dearly. "And so ends our foster care journey with these sweet kiddos. We were devastated, we cried a lot, and it hurt, badly. After it’s all said and done, this experience has taught us that we do want kids and we’re looking forward to the day we can bring them home, no matter what route we take to get there," they captioned their Instagram post. However, when they reached out to the family member offering to be babysitters, they got to spend a lot of time with the kids again. 

Fortunately, the siblings' relative felt that the kids were better off living with the McKays and they became a family of five again. On August 31, 2021, PJ and Thomas officially adopted the siblings Allan, Riah and Anna. This July the dads joyfully celebrated the fifth year of their foster journey which ended up in legal adoption. "It’s wild that it’s already been five years, but at the same time, it feels like so much longer. As they say, the days are long but the years are short. We kind of wish time would slow down," the dads captioned the celebratory post.