We actually started talking about adoption as an option to grow our family when we were first dating.

After we had our daughter Lydia, we received the devastating news that both of us carry a very rare genetic disorder that we passed on to Lydia. Our first year of parenting Lydia was tough as we navigated the medical world and had a couple scary moments and unfortunately felt the fear of potentially losing our child. Through all the adversity, our family grew closer and we experienced an incredible amount of support from our family and friends.

After lots of talking with family and friends who have been through the adoption process, it felt again like we were being led to grow our family through adoption! We have always wanted multiple children and being parents to Lydia has been the hardest and greatest thing we've ever done. We are so excited to be parents again and can't wait to add to our family not just with another child, but with their family as well.

Bethany loves her job and is kept pretty busy running her practice and spending time with family! However, in her down time she enjoys going on runs/walks by herself or with Cory and Lydia. She also loves to read, listen to podcasts or spend time with her close friends.

Cory enjoys working on home projects and has done a lot to make our home special and work for us. He also loves to play golf and watch any sporting event (but mostly football)! He has a little brother named Kyron with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program and they love to hang out and play video games, basketball or find a sporting event to attend.

As a family, we enjoy traveling, whether it's visiting family, friends or exploring a new place together. We also enjoy doing family outings around our city at the zoo, local animal farm, having a picnic at the park, or seasonal activities like sledding and swimming. While we are pretty active as a family, we always make sure to slow down and take Friday night as pizza and movie night. Our favorite tradition is making a heart shaped pizza and all having a movie night and "sleepover" on our sectional couch on Valentine's Day.

We are committed to creating a diverse culture in our family and being a part of a community that is culturally diverse as well. It's important to us that our children attend a school and church that welcomes people from all backgrounds and races. We have several friends and family members that have adopted children of different races and we maintain close relationships with them and have learned a lot about different ways to make a racially diverse family feel inclusive and safe. When we buy toys and books for our daughter, we make sure that they include people of various colors and backgrounds. We know that we always have room to learn and grow, and we are always willing to put in the work in order to create a safe, welcoming environment for any person who enters our home.

We live in a beautiful neighborhood with a few parks and an elementary school within walking distance! We are also close to a few grocery stores and restaurants, so occasionally on a Friday night we will take our dog and Lydia and walk over to a local restaurant for a meal together. We also live near a small downtown area that has a farmer's market and lots of other fun shops and family activities.

Our backyard has plenty of grass and space to run and play. We are planning to put a swing set in for next summer and have dreams of finishing out a deck. We have a fire pit and a projector, so Cory loves to set up a good movie night for us and our friends. We love to host our friends and their children as much as possible!

Cory always has a house project happening to make our home better! We live in a split level home and have four bedrooms, with a primary bedroom, Lydia's bedroom and our future child's room on one level, and a guest room/office up a few stairs. Our main level is where we spend most of our time cooking, eating and playing. We have a play room and a piano in our dining room, Bethany is an experienced piano player and loves to play on the piano with Lydia when she's interested! We have plenty of room in our home and our hearts for our future child!

We both are very close with our families and have lots of support and love from both sides! Bethany is the oldest of four children with parents who have been happily married for 32 years. Bethany's parents watch our daughter, Lydia one day a week and are the most frequent babysitters for their first grandchild! Some of Bethany's best childhood memories are going on vacations with her grandparents and cousins. It was such a gift to spend a week each year with them on the beach, laughing and playing dominoes! Bethany's family loves to play games and sit around the table, share food and talk.

Cory is the youngest of three boys and his parents have been happily married for 45 years. With an 8 and 10 year gap between him and his brothers, he had the joy of being around for his nieces and nephews younger years! He has six nieces and nephews ranging in age from 21 to 10. We love to host them in Kansas City and we go to Wichita frequently. We also frequent Wisconsin to visit all the cousins and especially Cory's cousins Jordy and Bobby who recently adopted a child into their home. She is the same age as Lydia, so we love to get the girls together a few times a year! Cory's greatest memories growing up are playing sports and watching football with his family. They love to come together over a bowl of cheese dip and a good game.

We can't imagine what you're going through right now, but we do know what it's like to want the best for your child. We can't promise a perfect life or even an easy one, but we can promise your child a life full of laughter, love, safety and stability. We are so humbled and thankful you have taken the time to consider us and read a little bit about us!

We met in 2015 at a Super Bowl party through mutual friends. We quickly fell in love and were married in November of 2016. We have enjoyed 6 years of marriage together and still love getting together with our friends over queso and a good game. We have loved being parents to our daughter Lydia for the past 3 years, but feel our family is incomplete. We are so excited to add to our family through adoption.

Our daughter Lydia is a kind, gentle and wise three year old who unfortunately has struggled with a rare genetic disorder that we both carry. The decision to not have more biological children did not come easily to us, but through lots of therapy and the support of friends and family, we decided it was best for our family. Lydia loves playing with baby dolls and feeding them bottles, and we can't wait to watch her care for and play with a little brother or sister. Her condition has been stable for a couple years, and most of the time you would never know she ever struggled. We are very thankful she is doing well and feel very ready to add to our family. We have a very full and loving family life and we can't express that enough. Know that this baby is already loved beyond measure and we will do our absolute best to raise this child with the same love, care and support.

We will strive to provide guidance, support, financial stability, memories, joy, laughter, experiences, excellent education, happiness, and unending love. We will encourage your child's unique and individual talents and interests in order to help him/her excel, grow, and find success in the beginning of life and on into adulthood.

We look forward to experiencing all the milestones of the child's life and sharing them with you via email, phone calls and sharing pictures. We will always be open and honest with a child in regards to adoption. We will make sure that your child knows how much you love them and how hard the decision was for you and you will always be reflected with the utmost respect and positivity to them.

Thank you so much for taking the time to view our profile and hopefully considering us as parents for your child. We are praying for peace, wisdom and healing for you as you make your decision and continue on this journey. We are excited for this new chapter in our lives and will be forever grateful for your sacrifice should you select us!

Love Always,

Cory & Bethany