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2 Dads, 2 Dogs, 2 Kids

 

Eddie opened the door to me on the most September-ist of days—starts crisp and dewy, arcs to warm and shiny, and finishes brisk with a navy sky dotted with stars.  Conversation comes easy, anecdotes and jokes about toddlerhood and parenting and life with two young kids.  Ruby suspiciously eyes me, and Eli is all smiles. Sam throws on some morning tunes, and the house spins awake. 7:30 dance party? Yes, please.  Dancing gives way to snack, snack becomes breakfast, breakfast becomes teeth brushing, teeth brushing becomes a time in the shoe closet, and shoes become outside time–the natural order of toddler life.

 

Big beautiful brick house bathed in morning light. A double stroller and kids' Cozy Couple car sits on the path.

Katie Vaughn of Northerly wrote this delightful story about meeting the Strauss Fam this fall. Below is her story–telling their story. So good.

Better Together

It’s a chilly fall afternoon, but all is cozy inside the Strauss house. Eddie sits at the kitchen banquette while Sam begins making soup from scratch. Their children, Ruby and Eli, are upstairs napping, and their two small dogs are snoozing by the fire flickering in the living room.

The calm will break once the kids wake up, yet this day is a dream come true for Sam and Eddie, and one they could hardly have envisioned just two years ago.

A boy and girl toddler sit on chair together. They are camera aware.

Two dads and their two kids and a dog play in a bright, cheery living room together. There is a large beach ball in the space. Black and white. Young toddler girl uses her brother to stand up. Brother touches his head from a bump and smiles.

While the couple had settled into life in Madison — after years spent in Chicago, San Francisco, New York City and Seattle — in 2015, they weren’t sure if they’d be bringing kids into the picture. The arduous adoption process had already led to disappointment and heartache for Sam, a lawyer at Turke & Strauss, and Eddie, vice president of men’s, home and outfitters at Lands’ End.

But everything changed in January 2017, when a woman they’d connected with through an adoption agency gave birth to Ruby. Eddie and Sam traveled to Texas for the delivery, and their families from Texas and Indiana joined them back in Wisconsin to welcome the baby.

One dad pours coffee in the bright white kitchen and holds son, second dad holds daughter in the background while getting a snack. Two dads help prepare an apple snack for their two toddler kids. One dad lets son sit on his shoulders while they watch Dad #2 prepare eggs with toddler girl. Black and white. Dad holds daughter while she washes her hands in the kitchen sink. Black and white. Dad holds girl on his hip while using spatula in a pan with other hand.

They did not remain a family of three for long, though. While everyone was celebrating the arrival of Ruby, the couple got a call on a Friday about a baby about to be born in Indiana. If Sam or Eddie could make it to Indianapolis by Monday morning, they could adopt this little boy as well.

With little time to think, Sam and Eddie followed their hearts. Eddie and his mom stayed in Madison with Ruby and Sam drove down to Indiana, went to court and met baby Eli. Soon, the foursome reunited at home.

“It feels like it’s been a whirlwind ever since,” says Sam.

A small black dog and small brown dog stand near each other in the kitchen. Toddler girl laughs as dad runs the kitchen sink faucet. Black and white. Kids eating breakfast. Toddler boy reaches for a grape on his plate while Dad works at the stove behind him. Blue toddler plates Dad blows on eggs to cool them down, daughter looks on Family of two dads, two kids, and two dogs are in the kitchen, having breakfast together. A boy and girl toddler brush teeth in the bathroom. Two kids brush their teeth in a bright white bathroom.

That included the first bleary-eyed weeks of little sleep and adjusting to life with two babies — not twins, but nearly so since Ruby and Eli were born just twenty days apart.

“We used all our collective airline miles and flew friends in to help,” Eddie says. Those friends came from all over the country and allowed the new parents to get a few nights of needed rest. The Strausses also utilized the Mother’s Milk Alliance, a breastmilk-sharing service in southern Wisconsin

Dad helps daughter put shoes on her feet. His daughter and his son are both sitting on his lap.Dad and two young kids and two dogs sit on the bedroom floor putting on shoes. Daughter is interested in dad's coffee mug. Two toddlers look at each other between a glass door.

Since then, they’ve embraced the chaos of day-to-day life with two kiddos under the age of two. And they’ve built an extended family in Madison. Their nanny plays an integral role in their lives, and she invites them to all her family gatherings. “The babies always need to be there,” Eddie says with a smile. “They need to be in all the pictures.” And Sam’s business partner hosts them each week for Sunday dinners, during which her five daughters dote on Eli and Ruby.

Sam and Eddie have also grown in their appreciation of Madison, where family is a natural part of life. They love taking stroller walks, and often cover more than five miles at a time, perhaps exploring Monroe Street or taking the kids to the Memorial Union.

Black and white. Toddler girl tries to open the door to a toy car that her brother is riding in.Family of four walks down the street in the sunshine. Black and white. Color. Family of four and 2 dogs play on the front lawn. Two dogs cast shadows with two trees.Black and white. Two dads hold and laugh with their two kids. Two dad bend over to buckle in their two kids in a double stroller. two men walk their two kids in a stroller through a residential neighborhood. black and white. One dad puts his hand on his son's head. Young toddler boy rides a playground motorcycle. He's smiling and slightly sticking out his tongue. Two men point to an older woman, a grandma, while the stroller indicates the kids are looking at their grandparents.

And while their lives have changed dramatically in a short stretch of time, and each day brings its own adventures, Eddie and Sam are grateful for where they are and the family they have today.

“We worked our whole lives to get these kids,” Eddie says. “I couldn’t imagine either without the other.”

Story by Katie Vaughn for Northerly. Please check out the talented vision and work she is doing for Wisconsin families!

Sam said this about our family session together:

5 star review for Jen Lucas Photography

We loved working with Jen. Not only is she an amazing photographer who is able to capture the nuance of human interaction / human relationships, but she is totally a magician who was somehow able to keep our wild one-year-olds engaged for over an hour. In addition to loving the process, let’s face it, we love working with Jen because the images are so stunning. We could not recommend her more highly!

 

xo,

Jen

 

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Contact Jen today for your very own beautifully ordinary family photography session in/near Madison, WI.