Our worlds were forever changed by adoption when our daughter, Harper, entered our lives. Harper is full of energy, laughter, smiles, attitude, and excitement. Since she was born, we've enjoyed dancing and singing together no matter where we are. She absolutely loves music and definitely has rhythm already. She also loves our English Bulldog, Dozer, who for sure fills the best friend role. His name is usually the first word she says when she wakes up each morning. Overall, she adores all animals, including dinosaurs, and gets super excited to give puppies cuddles or see new animals at the zoo. Another favorite is watching big trucks and heavy machinery!

We experienced an incredible connection when we first met her birth mother and sibling. And after her birth, we found the truth in the statement that adoption is a "beautiful, broken hallelujah." While we were being provided the amazing opportunity to raise, nurture, and love our daughter, we could see the grief and pain of her birth mother combined with joy, hope, and excitement. That blend of emotions can be difficult to process and we were grateful to have open, transparent talks with our daughter's birth family and forge a bond we know will be there forever.

We both have different passions that not only make us unique, but are part of why we fell in love with each other.

We are both passionate about helping those in need and giving back. Dylan volunteered for many years as a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters, has helped build a house in the Dominican Republic, and is on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee at work. He loves his career as a Respiratory Therapist, serving on the hospital's front line helping save lives.

Dustin has also mentored, mentoring a handful of boys and coaching their sports teams for many years. He founded a non-profit organization 10 years ago that funds clean water projects in impoverished, rural Africa and South America. He also serves on the board for our church and our town's parks and recreation foundation.

Of course, our number one passion is our daughter and making sure she is loved, nurtured, and provided opportunities to develop and grow mentally, emotionally, and physically. We are passionate about maintaining relationships with friends and family. We often host gatherings at our home, cooking for others and sharing stories and memories.

Besides our passions for our family and loving others, we absolutely enjoy traveling and exploring the world together. We've four-wheeled around the Greek islands, fished for squid in Vietnam, got lost in Mexico, and rode elephants in Thailand. We love trying new foods and immersing ourselves in a local culture.

We enjoy an active lifestyle that keeps us busy and on the lookout for small adventures along the way. We'll try to give you a glimpse into our family's daily life. We typically start each day with songs and giggles to set a positive tone before we head off to school, work, or activities.

Dylan's job at the hospital is very fast-paced and keeps him on his toes, especially the last few years of the pandemic. Dustin's job takes him from the office to the factory, to roofs, and all over the world. We both enjoy a change of pace and facing new challenges every day. While not at work, we spend most of our time with our daughter. We like playing games, dancing, singing, playing with our dog, go biking and hiking during warm months, and going to zoos. Individually, Dylan enjoys gardening, cooking, building Lego sets, and biking. Dustin enjoys playing piano, volunteering at church, exercising, and golfing. Harper goes to swimming lessons, gymnastics, and lots of play dates!

If you haven't noticed, we love to be on the go! Whether it's a day trip to the apple orchard, or visiting a far-away place, we love to see new places, seek new adventures, and try new foods. We are so excited to grow our family and take our children on both little and big adventures. Our plans include surprise dance parties, small town festivals, fun holidays, and random trips to see national treasures.

We live in a wonderful suburb in eastern Iowa in a home we built and moved into recently. It has a huge, open backyard that our daughter and dog love running around in and we have a pool we enjoy all summer. Our community is welcoming and safe. We spend a lot of time on the area bike paths, playgrounds, and parks. We enjoy weekends at farmer's markets and visiting with many friends who live within minutes of us. Our location is great for quick trips to visit big cities and other landmarks.

Our house has five bedrooms and four bathrooms. It has a very open floor plan with a large island in the kitchen we use to entertain and eat at together. Our bedroom is on the same floor as our daughter's room, which is right next to her future sibling's room. The basement has a large, open family room and kids play area. We love hosting friends and family for gatherings at our house. We spend our time inside playing with toys and our bulldog, Dozer, or outside with water, chalk, and bubbles.

,p>Our neighborhood has lots of children and we like to attend community events, such as charity walks, concerts, and festivals. We have excellent neighbors and are in walking distance to our daughter's day school. We absolutely love our community and the progress it continues to make.

Our families are an integral part of our lives and play a strong role in our daughter's life. Both of our families are excited for another adoption journey and are ready to support and encourage your child.

Dylan was born and raised in Alberta, Canada and grew up close with his three brothers and two sisters in a small town. They spent their childhood exploring, adventuring, and playing games. Dylan remains very close with his siblings and we go back to visit as often as we can, most recently spending a week there for Thanksgiving. Dylan has two nephews and one niece who we love spending time with. Dylan's mother always encouraged their family to be free thinkers and pursue their dreams. Dylan's parents divorced when he was young, but he has stayed connected to his dad who loves hunting and fishing. Dylan's parents are both excited to see our family grow.

Dustin was born and raised in Iowa with his parents and brother. Growing up, Dustin and his brother spent most of their time playing outside, building with Legos, and playing with Ninja Turtles. Dustin's parents live 2 hours away and are always quick to lend a hand and be there when we need them. They spent many of their weekends at our house hanging out with our daughter. We live in the same city as many of Dustin's aunts, uncles, and cousins who we spend a lot of time with and will even go on fun trips with.

Why us? We feel it is important to ask ourselves that very question from time to time. We do and will provide immense, unconditional love to our children. But just love isn't enough. Shelter, stability, and money isn't enough. These aren't the reasons why we will be great parents. We will be the best parents because we are determined to give our children opportunities to become their best selves. They will discover where they came from, who they are, and why all of that is an important part of their lives. They will learn how to win and how to lose. They will learn how to challenge themselves without fear, because they will have an incredible support system beneath them. They will experience adventure and find the joys in learning. They will explore the powerful depths of mind, body, and spirit. They will understand the indescribable gift of loving others more than ourselves. And through it all, they will know their birth parents and birth family were instrumental in their life.

We have been together for over seven years, meeting each other in Canada. We weren't looking for each other, but we do believe we were meant to find each other. Neither of us had fully accepted who we were and had hidden from our family and friends. Finding each other set us on a path to freedom and unlocked our full potential. After devoting our lives to one another in marriage over four years ago, we devoted our lives as fathers to our first child. Now, we are eager and excited to open our hearts and our home again and devote ourselves to another child. We live in a great community in which we are actively involved. We are blessed with steadfast support and encouragement from our family and friends, who we spend lots of time with. We believe in truly celebrating diversity in all forms and we are eager to lead our family through those celebrations.

While we have spent lots of time traveling the world, we do not view raising children as just another adventure. It's dedication, sacrifice, humility, frustration, grief, happiness, joy, opportunity, and a blessing. Our dream as fathers is to love and lead our children through all that life will bring, good and bad. We would be extremely honored and humbled to be chosen as your child's parents.

Adoption will come with many different feelings and emotions. We want you to know that we are prepared to support you through the ups and downs. As your child grows and develops, we'll be eagerly sharing letters and pictures with you throughout the journey. There is a special bond between a child and their birth parents, one that we would never try to break. We want our children to embrace that special bond. We want you to see and hear that your child is more than just okay. As your child thrives, you'll get to stand proud and joyful in those moments.

As you consider us to be your child's adoptive parents and family, we simply want you to know that we will do more than just love your child. We will provide them opportunities to become their very best and change the world around them into an even better place.

With love,

Dylan & Dustin