Love happens unexpectedly – it can strike like lightning in the middle of the grocery store or grow after a few months of texting and sending funny dog videos to each other. Another great thing about loving someone is bonus people who come as a package – a hilarious grandma, handy uncle, loyal friends. In Tony Thomas’ case, he got six new kids when he met his future wife, Lexy. The bond they formed was so strong, he decided to adopt them so they all could share the same surname as well as the unconditional love.

Tony was looking for love and found a whole lot of it when he met Lexy and her six sons

Image credits: lexy.thomas9

When people fall in love, they see the world through rose-tinted glasses, believing that the relationship will last forever. Sadly, that is not the case – according to statistics, 50% of first marriages will end in divorce or separation. Lexy divorced the father of her six wonderful sons – Elijah, Isaiah, Ethan, Sheldon, Simeon, and Iridius. Despite being hurt in the past, she believed that true love was still waiting for her, so she decided to give it a try and signed up to an online dating website.

Unbeknownst to her, on the same site, Tony was looking for his soulmate. When he connected with Lexy, they hit it off instantly, chatting online for hours, strengthening their bond over the same values and same sense of humor. One day, they decided it was time to meet each other, to hear how their crush sounded in real life, relish in their laughter and see how the color of their eyes changed in the sun.

When Tony boarded a plane flying to Kentucky, he didn’t expect that he was about to meet his future wife. One can never know how an online relationship will transfer to the real world, but in their case, it was so much better than in the confines of text messages and Facetime calls.

“I had prayed for all the great characteristics in a man that I see in Tony,” Lexy shared

Image credits: lexy.thomas9

The couple met on a dating website and after meeting in real life, they knew they couldn’t live without each other

Image credits: lexy.thomas9

Image credits: lexy.thomas9

After the fateful meeting, the couple couldn’t bear the thought of living without each other. However, having children slowed things down a bit – no good parent is willing to risk the wellbeing of their offspring, so she cautiously introduced Tony to her boys.

“I introduced him to my children as Mr. Thomas and they called him that for the longest time up until we got married.”

Soon enough, Tony proved that he was worthy of their mom’s hand and the couple tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony. The guy who was known as Mr. Thomas became a fatherly figure who would do anything to make the kids feel loved and protected and they soon warmed up to him and couldn’t imagine their life without him.

Tony knew Lexy was a package deal and graciously embraced the role of the father

Image credits: lexy.thomas9

Image credits: lexy.thomas9

To solidify the bond, Tony adopted all of the boys, giving them his surname

Image credits: lexy.thomas9

In blended families, conflict can arise when parents separate the kids into “mine” and “yours” categories; however, it wasn’t the case with the Thomas family. Lexy’s six boys and Tony’s daughter, Alexis, from their respective previous marriages, were all their kids. So Tony decided to adopt them and give the boys his surname.

“The boys all have the surname Thomas, and Tony is on all the kids’ birth certificates as their father. One of the boys even changed his first, middle and last name when he was adopted,” Lexy said in an interview.

Since then, the family have added two new members to their crew – adorable one-year-old Autumn and nine-month-old Lexton. Their house might be full of chaos, but it is also filled with an insurmountable amount of love. Hopefully, the battle royal between siblings for eating the last cereal doesn’t happen too often.

Since then, the couple welcomed two children together, adding to the beautiful family

Image credits: lexy.thomas9

The blended family requires a lot of love – and a lot of supplies

Image credits: lexy.thomas9

Meeting someone who would love you is a miracle in itself, but having someone who would love your kids, well, that could be the proof that a higher power exists. Lexy herself believes that Tony was the answer to her prayers: “I had prayed for all the great characteristics in a man that I see in Tony. I didn’t pray for, like, a super weird husband, but that’s what I got. But then I got all these other things.”

Tony also got more than he bargained for, but he is grateful for six new sons – after all, he always wanted a boy.

“She had more kids than I had ever considered that I wanted. But I prayed for a boy, and she had six of them, and now we have two children of our own.”

There is never a quiet moment in their house – but also never a dull one, either

Image credits: lexy.thomas9

It’s not easy to come into a big family, but if you do it with an open heart, then you’re in for a treat – they will love you unconditionally

Image credits: lexy.thomas9

The family now resides in the sunny state of Florida and shares their adventures on social media to their impressive 220K followers. Their story is a combination of luck, timing and strong love that is a foundation to their blended family. While some people might view their partner’s kids as an obstacle, Tony viewed them as a blessing. And when he’s old and gray, a dozen grandchildren will carry on his surname and the important lesson of love.

It is about time we leave the negative stereotypes of stepparents in the fairytales. Tony’s story just shows that many of them come to families with children with open arms and open hearts, ready to step up when they’re needed. Hooray to all the great step mums and stepdads out there!

Do you have a story to share about your stepparent?

People in the comments were praising Tony for his selfless act

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