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Amy with Our Friends' Twins

When we think about being parents, we think about birthdays and Christmas and trips to the zoo. We are really looking forward to watching a child grow and develop into a special person of his or her own and being the parents that guide the child through those stages.

We have watched our nieces and nephews grow, and participating in their lives is really wonderful. The glimpse that has given us into the wonders of parenting is a huge part of what makes us so anxious to be parents ourselves.

Our Nieces and Nephews at Christmas

Dave was able to visit the hospital and be there shortly after the birth of each of his nieces and nephews. Amy has been able to join friends right after the birth of their children. Holding that newborn baby is something really special, but because we have continued to be part of their lives, we know what fun toddlers are and how exciting a first day of school will be.

While our nieces and nephews are still fairly young, our experiences with Amy's students gives us a lot of insight into what it will be like to watch a child go through high school and graduate.

We are not just excited to be parents of a baby - we are excited to be parents for the rest of our lives and the life of the child.

Dave with Shadow and Pumpkin (His Sister's Dachshund)

We are both from families where we grew up with pets. For us, pets are an important part of the family - special companions that bring fun and love to our home.

When we were married just over a year, Dave's aunt offered us a kitten. Dave had never had a cat, but Amy had several and really loved the idea. The first pet that we got as a married couple is our Scout. Dave quickly learned what fun a kitten could be, and Scout became a fixture on our laps whenever we sat down.

We also have three dogs - English Setters - that are the sweetest most gentle and loving companions. Shadow is our oldest dog, and Dave brought her to our marriage. She is a loyal and true friend, and though old, we continue to admire her special spunk. Scarlett and Grayce are our youngest dogs. We got them several months apart, but they are the best of friends. It is a lot of fun to watch them run and play in the backyard, and it is great to have them sit at our feet in the evenings.

We really look forward to seeing a child get to play with the pets the way that we both remember doing so as little kids. We each have special memories of our childhood pets, and we know what great memories our pets will provide for this child.

Early on in our relationship, we knew that we each had met someone really special.

Dave was really drawn to Amy's bright, bubbly personality. He told people from early on in our relationship that being around her brightens his day and his life. He loves her laugh, and appreciates hearing it all the time, "Amy works hard for us; she is a great teacher, and I love how much her students love running into her around town because I know it means that she brightens other people's lives too. She makes me happier than I knew I could be."

Amy loves how very thoughtful Dave is. She appreciates how he pays attention to even the little details of life, listening to her worries about a student or a friend, and he always follows up to see how things turned out. He is gentle and kind, and watching him play with the dogs reminds her what a tender heart he has. But the quality she admires most is his incredible loyalty, "I can trust Dave to always be available to me. He makes sure that we are OK, that his mother is fine, and takes care of his sisters and our nieces and nephews. He would do anything for all of us because he is so devoted to his family."

One thing that we both feel confidently is the ability of the other to be a fantastic parent, and it is something we cannot wait to share together.