Open adoption is something that we are very excited to experience. We have many friends and family members who have been through both sides of the adoption process, and they never had the choice between open or closed. Kelsey's stepfather had a closed adoption and just recently met his birth mother for the first time. He had so many questions throughout is life that were unanswered, it was beautiful to see him meet his biological family and put his genetic pieces together.

Our hope is that we can forge a bond with the birth family and really get to know them. We want to honor the birth family by implementing traditions, recipes, stories, or anything that they would like that are important to them into the child's everyday life. We hope that the child will have the knowledge of where they came from and a respect for their birth family. We know that he/she will have questions someday about their adoption and our hope is that we would have the answers for them. We look forward to a continued friendship with the birth family as the child grows up.

Kelsey About Ryan: Ryan is the most genuine person I have ever met. He is sensitive, kind, thoughtful and very smart. He has the type of personality that everyone can get along with. Because of these qualities, I fell in love with him from the moment we met. He is also very careful and logical when making big decisions. He wants to be 100% sure that he is ready for anything before he jumps into the next journey. He is trustworthy and reliable. I know that when he says something, he means it. He makes me laugh every day with is subtle yet clever sense of humor, I couldn't ask for a better person to share my life with.

Ryan About Kelsey: The attribute I admire most about Kelsey is her selflessness. She always puts herself second when another person or animal needs help. This was most evident when my sister was going through hospice and my family needed support. Kelsey dropped everything including her job and apartment to move across the state to help take care of everyone and make sure we had our necessities met while going through a horrible time. She even continued to help my parents through their grief after I returned to school, choosing to work an early morning shift so that she could be back at home by the time they were waking up. It is this willingness to put other people first and care for those who need it that make Kelsey a truly unique and wonderful person.

We met each other in high school, when Ryan was 16 and Kelsey was 15. At the time we had a mutual friend that we would both spend time with during the breaks and after class. Eventually we both started to show interest in one another, Ryan remembers Kelsey would wear his shoes after lunch because they were very colorful, and she thought it was funny. It wasn't until a few weeks later in May that Ryan finally got up the courage to ask Kelsey if she would date him and she said yes. We took things very slowly, not even holding hands until our friend literally forced us to. Since then, we have not spent more than a few days apart. Even the long distance while Ryan was in college could not shake our relationship. We will celebrate 14 years of being together in May this year and look forward to many more.

We live in a small town located on a large lake in Washington. It is home to many people who have lived here their whole lives. We appreciate that we know most of the people in the grocery store and we trust our neighbors. During the summer time we see a lot of people visiting from all over the country to enjoy the lake life and the incredible beauty that is around us. During the winter, we usually experience snowfall around Christmas which adds so much more magic to the season.

We live in a private, gated neighborhood with a community pool and sport courts for pickle-ball and basketball. We are walking distance to the lakes swimming area and a brand new playground for all ages. We also are walking distance to our church, grocery store and the best restaurant in town. We enjoy feeling so close to everything but still having the privacy of our neighborhood.

We both come from very loving families who we spend a lot of time with.

Ryan's parents and grandparents live about five minutes away from our home and we spend time with them every week. We like to get together to watch NFL games and newly released movies from their home theatre. We also enjoy going for hikes on nearby trails and looking for waterfalls.

Ryan had a twin sister, Nichol, who sadly passed away in 2015. The loss of Nichol brought his family much closer together and we try to enjoy everyday moments together as much as possible.

Kelsey's parents both live in Washington as well, they are about three hours away. We enjoy spending long weekends with Kelsey's mom and step-dad playing dice games and having bonfires with longtime friends. Kelsey's dad and step mom live on an island in Puget Sound and we enjoy spending every summer up there boating and celebrating the Fourth of July.

We love that our immediate family is so close by and we can all get together for holidays or important milestones. Everyone is supportive of our plan to adopt and cannot wait to meet the newest member of the family!

First, we want to thank you for taking the time to learn more about us. We are humbled by your decision to consider adoption for your child. We know that you are facing many decisions right now and we admire your bravery as you navigate the options in front of you. Our entire family and friends are praying for you and your little one during this time and we hope that you feel the support that you deserve.

We have been happily married since 2017 and together since 2008. We were lucky enough to find each other at a young age and we have not let go of each other since. Our relationship is built on honesty, trust, communication and a little bit of humor. We both feel safe being completely real with one another without fear of judgement (unless Ryan is folding the towels wrong for the hundredth time, I may judge a little.) Our home is a peaceful place where we can either be listening to our favorite radio stations, cooking up a new recipe in the kitchen, or lounging by the fire with our dogs. We are excited to welcome a new addition into our already very happy home.

When we began the process of trying to have a child of our own, we had no idea the trials and emotions we would face. Kelsey unfortunately was unable to easily conceive due to a health complication and it was taxing on our relationship to navigate the roller coaster of emotions that came with failure each month. After our first miscarriage, the pain of loss was so great, we decided that we should not continue along this journey. We knew that we were at the point in our lives to start our family, and we also knew that having a biological child was not the right path for us. We talked about other options and when we decided to learn more about adoption it was like a light turned on in our hearts and we knew that adoption was what we wanted to pursue.

We are looking forward to going on this journey with you. Open adoption is a new concept to us. Kelsey has many family members and friends who were adopted, and the process was always closed. We have taken the time to learn about all of the ways that we can keep in touch with you as the child grows up, and we are particularly excited to send you photos, written updates and keepsakes each year. We are open to more frequent exchanges of photos if you would like and would be willing to consider meeting in person when the time is right. We want to know what you would prefer and will try to accommodate as much as we can.

Thank you again for considering us as potential parents to your child. We hope that getting to know us provided some piece of mind as you decide what is best for you and your baby. Whether you choose us, another family, or choose another option, we wish you and your baby nothing but the best that life has to offer.

Warmly,

Ryan & Kelsey