We have a variety of things that we enjoy doing in our free time. When it's just us, we love going to the movies on Discount Tuesdays, supporting one of our locally-owned restaurants, or just watching TV together at home. We also occasionally enjoy stand-up comedy or listening to live music, and we try to see one or two touring Broadway musicals every year. We can't wait to take a child to their first live performance!

One way Kathleen shares her love for others is by feeding them. She loves to cook and bake, and we love to entertain and have friends and family in our home. We also have a closet full of board games and puzzles that we're ready to pull out whenever company comes over. We're hoping a child will want to play Unstable Unicorns or Apples to Apples with us one day.

Both of us enjoy reading, but Kathleen reads about 100 books a year! She also collects pretty editions of classic novels, and her office shelves are full of colorful books and keepsakes. She's really looking forward to sharing her love of reading with a child. Joe comes from a family of talented painters, and he builds and paints models for the tabletop games he plays with friends every week. He also occasionally teaches painting classes, and if a child shows an interest, he'd love to teach them how to play games or paint.

Our rescue pups, Milo and Luna, are very much a part of our family. Milo is a 12-year-old Jack Russell terrier mix, and we've had him for over 10 years – since we moved in together. Luna is a 8-year-old boxer mix that we adopted from a nearby rescue, and she's named after a Harry Potter character. Our pups bring so much joy to our lives, and we love spending time with them cuddling on the couch or playing with their squeaky toys in the living room. They're both inside dogs, although they love to sunbathe in the backyard on nice days, and Milo sleeps with us every night. They're both very social, friendly, and good with children and other dogs. Our youngest nephew, Colin, spent a lot of time at our house when he was growing up, and Luna claimed him as her boy, following him around the house and letting him hug on her and crawl all over her. Where Milo is smart and funny, Luna is sweet and gentle (even though she's 70 pounds). We love to spoil our happy dogs, and we can't imagine a future where we won't have a dog in the house.

While Kathleen is white, she's Mexican through her mother's side. She's always been proud to claim her Hispanic roots, and we've enjoyed experiencing that part of her background with her extended family. We've recently taken over as the hosts of her family's annual tamale weekend – we spend the day gathered in the kitchen making masa and rolling tamales – and it's one of our favorite traditions.

Any child that we have the opportunity to raise, we'll encourage them to learn about their cultural history and customs, and we'll be excited to learn alongside them and seek outside resources for guidance when needed. We also think it's important for children to have heroes that look like them, and we're committed to seeking out and embracing those role models.

As they grow, we'll also encourage them to explore beliefs, customs, and cultures different from their own. We believe this is just as important and makes you a more well-rounded and respectful person. Not just acceptance but celebration of diversity is a huge part of who we are as a couple. We truly love learning about history and different cultures – it's one of the main reasons we love to read and travel!

Any child that joins our family will be unique with their own personality, and regardless of culture, race, capability, or sexual orientation, we'll always make sure they know how special they are and how much they are loved.

One of the number one reasons locals love our city is because it's a great place to raise a family. It's a small, but fast-growing, town in Texas, and it provides so many opportunities for family fun. It's home to great schools, one of the state's largest city parks, an amazing zoo, and a children's museum.

Our home has five bedrooms and three baths. One spare bedroom is already set up as a nursery and ready to go! Another is Kathleen's library where she works from home, and another is Joe's space where he plays games and paints. We love to cook dinner together in our kitchen that opens up into the living room, and we spend most evenings relaxing on the couch watching TV or reading. We also have an outdoor patio where people love to hang out, and the backyard is waiting for a future playset or trampoline.

Our neighborhood is new with homes still being built. It's culturally diverse, and our neighbors range from newlyweds to families with young children to retirees. The sidewalks are always full of families exercising and chatting, and we go walking ourselves most evenings. We're within walking distance of a community park, and there's also a splash pad nearby.

Both of our parents live close by in the homes we grew up in. We both graduated from the local high school, and the district is one of the best in the area with lots of academic, athletic, and fine arts opportunities.

We both come from close-knit families. Both of our parents live just a few minutes away and all three of Kathleen's siblings and several of her nieces and nephews live in our town, too. Joe's brother and sister-in-law live just an hour away.

Our large family gets together for all the holidays, birthdays, and lots of random times throughout the year, so from Christmas to cooking out on the Fourth of July, we see everyone pretty regularly. We love to watch football together, play board games, sit around the kitchen table and talk, and eat lots of good food. Hanging out with our families is always a lot of fun, and we're looking forward to adding to the crowd.

Both of us grew up taking lots of family trips, and we both still love to travel. We go on at least one trip every year, and we're excited to continue our adventures with a child. On our last big trip, we went to Ireland and Iceland with Kathleen's parents, and then we took our youngest nephew to Scotland a few years before that.

When we told our family about our adoption plans, they were so happy for us – and themselves! This will be the ninth grandchild for Kathleen's parents, Grandma and Popo, and Joe's parents are excited to become first-time grandparents. Everyone is excited to have a new family member to love and spoil, and we're so grateful that you're considering us.

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about us. We know you have a difficult decision ahead of you, and we sincerely appreciate your consideration. We hope our profile helps you get to know us and lets you envision a future for your child where they're happy and loved.

We met a little over ten years ago through mutual friends. We started dating shortly after, and right away we knew we were each other's person. We're truly best friends, and we love our life together. We're just as happy with a relaxed weeknight at home watching TV as we are when we're off on one of our adventures. Our house is always filled with laughter and silliness, whether we're playing with our pups, making up ridiculous songs, or telling each other terrible pun-filled jokes.

It's hard for us to believe, but we will have been married for nine years already this year. For the first few years of our marriage, we focused on growing our relationship and creating a strong foundation for a future family. We spent time traveling, growing in our careers, building our home, and becoming true partners. Shortly after we decided we were ready to start adding to our family, Kathleen was diagnosed with cervical cancer, making having biological children an unlikely option. Kathleen has since made a full recovery, and while this was unexpected and not part of our original plan, it ultimately made us stronger as a couple. Our wishes for growing our family remained unchanged, and for us, adoption was the obvious answer.

We think family is more than just biological happenstance. Family can also be found or chosen, and for us, it's about shared experiences, connection, and unconditional support. We can't think of any greater honor or privilege than to provide that for a child. We're excited for the future and the chance to share our joyful life with a child.

In our home, your child will be read to, sung to, and danced with. They'll have the opportunity to travel and see the world. They'll be hugged, kissed, and cuddled daily. They'll be granted every opportunity to pursue their dreams. We highly value education, and we want to encourage your child's curiosity as they learn about the world and who they want to be in it. We'll lead by example as we devote ourselves to helping them become a respectful, honest, and kind person.

They'll have love and support from not only us but also a large extended family full of affectionate grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and more. Most of our immediate family - both sets of parents and all of Kathleen's siblings - live in the same city as us, and the rest are here in Texas just a short drive away. Holidays and birthdays are important and fun events in our family, and our house is usually the designated hub of activity for these celebrations. Every ballet recital, baseball game, spelling bee, science fair, or whatever your child finds themselves eager to be a part of, they'll have a crowd of loved ones in the audience cheering them on.

As your child grows, we'll happily share updates about their experiences through letters, emails, and pictures so you'll always know your little one is cherished and happy. We're also open to the possibility of future visits. You'll always be important to us and to your child, and we'll speak of you with gratitude and respect. Thank you again for considering us and allowing us to share a little bit about our lives as you go through this challenging journey. We hope to one day meet you and learn more about you.

Warmest Wishes,

Joe & Kathleen