We are extremely excited about adopting! Since we began dating, adoption has always been something we talked about as being one of the ways we wanted to build our family.

We love being parents and have always imagined a family with more than one child. Our daughter, Kayleigh, is a smart, funny and sassy little girl who always has something to say. She could not be more excited to be an older sister! One of Kayleigh's favorite games is to play with her baby dolls. Her dolls "Sally" and "Anakin" are always being carried around the house or being taught lessons at "school." Kayleigh is most looking forward to teaching her baby brother or sister how to play with their toys.

We intend to be open with a new child about their adoption from the day he or she is born. We believe sharing his/her adoption story from an early age will help answer any questions the child will have about where he or she comes from. We would also love to share any information you are comfortable sharing with us and would welcome a relationship with you as the child grows (if that is something you would like)!

We love the outdoors, sports and having fun! A typical weekend for us usually involves playing kickball or ultimate frisbee on Friday night before going out with friends and family. On Saturday, Kayleigh is up early and ready for soccer, gymnastics, swim or whatever activity she is currently in. We love to go to Kansas City Royals games or walking down the street to a KU Jayhawks soccer game depending on the season.

During the fall, Kayleigh loves to go to the park during the day, and then in the afternoon or evening we watch the Clemson Tigers or Kansas City Chiefs play football.

At least once a month we go over to Courtney's parents' house and do some fishing, horseback riding or Kayleigh's favorite: driving the gator around the farm.

During the week, we usually ride bikes, or play outside after work. Sometimes we go to the pond in our backyard and Kayleigh catches a fish or two on her Moana fishing pole!

Cultural or racial diversity in our future child would become one of the thousands of things that makes our child special to us. We embrace cultural differences and love to learn about them. Courtney has family members of Hispanic descent. We enjoy experiencing so many aspects of this culture when spending time with them. From the food, stories and activities, to learning some Spanish, it is always exciting to experience new traditions and customs. Our town is the most culturally diverse town in Kansas. Finding resources and people to help our child learn his or her cultural background will very accessible. If our child has a different cultural background we are excited to embrace it and learn more. We both recognize the importance of educating ourselves and our families about a new culture, if that is the case, and we would not hesitate to reach out for assistance from that cultural community. It is very important to us that our child not lose their heritage and instead grow to understand and appreciate it.

Our hometown is one of the most diverse towns in the state with something to do for everyone. It is a very inclusive town that supports all walks of life. The east side hosts a major university and the active downtown area while the west side is more residential.

We live in a relatively new neighborhood that has a great mix of a families with small children and friendly retirees. There is a community sports complex within walking distance with basketball courts, soccer fields and gymnastics. That is where Kayleigh participates in soccer and gymnastics classes. There are also lots of parks and a public indoor and outdoor swimming pool. Kayleigh loves taking swim lessons in the summertime. Our neighborhood is centered around a community pond in our backyard that we love to fish in and take walks around.

Our house is a two-story with a walkout basement. The upstairs has our kitchen, bedrooms and a living room. The basement is where we have the most fun! It has Kayleigh's play room along with a ping pong and foosball table. The basement is also where we host family and friends, watch movies and our favorite team's sports games.

Our extend families are the best of both worlds. Courtney's family is large, out-going and diverse. Jon's family is small and close-knit. Our parents live close by and are very involved grandparents. They are so excited to have another grandchild to love and support.

Courtney's mom and step-father live about 45 minutes away on a small farm with horses and a fishing pond. They love to host the family for holidays, fishing days and most of all their town's biggest small town event Tall Corn Fest! Courtney's sister, Megan, and her brother, Clayton, enjoy playing recreational sports with Jon and Courtney and taking the boat out to the lake for fishing and water sports.

Jon's mom and dad just moved to be nearby their grandchildren. Their favorite activity is playing with Kayleigh. When not playing with Kayleigh, Jon's mom, Glenda, knits and quilts. Jon's dad, Paul, plays darts, builds wooden canoes and works on his favorite car a 1972 MG. Jon's sister, Jessica, and brother, Levi, live a little further away going to school in Virginia but love to visit and facetime with their niece.

Thank you for taking this opportunity to learn more about us and our family. We hope to share with you a little bit more about who we are and what our hopes and dreams are for our family. We hope this information will provide you with comfort and peace of mind as you consider all of the options for your child.

We met while attending the U.S. Army's flight school at Fort Rucker, Alabama in 2015. When we were dating we spent time kayaking, going to the beach and sporting events and camping. After graduating flight school, we moved to Kansas and we were married in 2017. We both had short careers and adventures as helicopter pilots in the Army. Courtney started a new position and continued her career in the National Guard. Jon sought to spend more time with Courtney and our daughter, Kayleigh, so he slowed down and got a job as an environmental engineer. Kayleigh could not be more excited for a baby brother or sister. In our free time, Kayleigh plays with the neighborhood kids outside, we go fishing at our community pond, to gymnastics or soccer, or hang out with our family who all live close by.

In our lives we have both grown an appreciation for education, curiosity, and exploration. This can come from trips to new and exciting places or sitting down to explore a new world through books, TV, or movies. We are excited to share our love of learning, reading, exercise, sports, and the great outdoors. Jon is excited to read and teach our children all kinds of new things. Courtney can't wait to help them try out sports and activities and play with them. Kayleigh wants to help feed the baby and even promises to share her toys. Most of all we just want to create a safe environment and watch our children grow up happy and healthy.

If you do chose us, know that we are happy to send letters and pictures throughout the child's development, as well as stay in contact with email and phone calls / texts, if that is your desire. We'd also be happy to arrange for future visits for us and the child to get to see you throughout their life as they grow older. We also understand that life is always changing around us so if your relationship with us needs to change, whether that is more or less contact, we will do our best to accommodate those changes. If life becomes too hectic and you need space we will give you that space with no judgement.

We would be honored to welcome your baby into our home and lives, and surround them with all of the love and support they deserve. We will do our best to give them all that life has to offer. We thank you again for taking the time to read this and consider gifting us with the greatest gift you could ever give us, the honor of raising your child.

Sincerely,

Jon & Courtney