When Tom asked Janice to marry him, she smiled and said, "Yes, if I don't have to cook or have children." She is still lukewarm about cooking but says, "Bringing up our boys was one of the greatest joys of my life."

The story begins with the couple's return from a journey around the world, as told in Honeymoon Hobos. Tom took up his architecture career in Austin, later teaching in the School of Architecture at the University of Texas. Janice resumed her teaching career at St. Andrew's Episcopal School until the couple decided to raise a family.

Bringing up boys can be scary at times, but Tom taught them how to wrestle a bully to the ground and, by example, how to treat a woman. Janice says, "I loved being queen of the household."

Tom and Janice created a home that "shelters daydreaming" to quote from The Poetics of Space. There, Tom taught the boys to draw and make things with their hands. Janice opened up the world to them by reading books aloud and planning family trips, including a climb to the summit of Mt. Rainier. Together they strove to encourage creativity, an adventurous spirit, knowledge of our cultural heritage, and empathy for other cultures.