American Adoptions -- America's Adoption Agency

With Our Cuddly Dog Ava

We know that the child we will adopt is going to have a different cultural heritage than our own. We plan to address this issue by embracing the child's culture and doing what we can to educate him/her about his/her ethnic background. We plan on keeping educational literature in our house and making sure the child attends a racially diverse church, daycare and school. Though we will do everything we can to educate him/her, we realize that there are certain things we won't understand, and we want to provide the child the opportunity to learn from someone of his/her own race. Fortunately, we have great, supportive friends who can be there for us and the child. We feel blessed to live in a world where we can become a transracial family. We know that there will be challenges, but we will face these trials knowing that they will be learning experiences.

At Disney World's Animal Kingdom

Jana Loves Leading Worship at Church

The things that take priority in our lives are not "things." Above all else, we value God, our families, and each other. We strive to place God first and foremost in our lives and have a personal and meaningful relationship with him. We are dedicated to our church, our volunteer positions on our church's worship team, and our call to be and make disciples of Christ. We believe the best way to show Christ to others is to be an example of Christ in our words and actions. We also place a great deal of importance on our family relationships. We both have close-knit families that we love and cherish. Our families practice unconditional love and are always there for us when we need them. We feel so blessed to have these wonderful men, women and children in our lives. In addition to God and family, our love for each other keeps us strong. We often joke that we are "compatibly different," but there is truth behind that. We complement each other so well that our relationship just works. With that being said, we make sure that we take the time and effort needed to make our relationship what it is. We are truly each other's best friend, and we couldn't really ask for more.

We believe education is extremely important. Matt's parents are both retired teachers that always emphasized the power of education, and my (Jana) father was a great example to me growing up because he excelled in his studies and eventually graduated from medical school. We believe that with the right education, there is no limit to what you can achieve. We also believe in the importance of reading. We both have degrees in English, and literature plays a key role in our lives. We truly believe that children are made readers on the laps of their parents. We want this child to have his/her best chance at a great education, and we will strive to make sure that happens.