✨ “You won’t be able to handle them,” my mother warned. Two little boys with Down syndrome. Three years old. Hearts already heavy from being moved too many times, needing patience, safety, and someone who would stay 📄💔.

💪 I wasn’t trying to be a hero. I wasn’t trying to prove anyone wrong. I simply knew I still had strength to give — and love to offer.

👢👶 The beginning was messy and hard. One small hand clutched my boots like a lifeline. The other cried every time I stepped away. So I stayed. I learned their rhythms, their fears, their laughter. I showed up every single day — even when it was exhausting, even when it was hard.

🫶 They didn’t call me “Dad” because I was perfect. They called me “Dad” because I never left.

🌟 Today, those little boys stand beside me as men — confident, kind, and strong in their own way.

❤️ Of all the uniforms I’ve worn and missions I’ve completed, this was the greatest one of all.
Not because it was easy — but because it was love.