Family takes priority in our life. Family can be defined in many ways; whether we are related by blood/marriage, close friends who we see as family, or in this case our future adopted child. Prioritizing family means that we value our relationships with them and we actively choose to make time to nurture those connections.

Family provides a sense of belonging, support, and love that is difficult and different than you can find almost elsewhere. Family knows you, supports you, and accepts you for who you are no matter what. Not only is that family relationship given to us but by prioritizing those relationships we can show and give back that care for our family's well-being and being an active part of their lives.

For us, part of prioritizing family is also about making time for regular family visits, meeting friends for celebrations (birthdays, promotions, etc) or even just having a game night to relax and catch up with those you love. Sometimes it also can mean making sacrifices, such as giving up personal time or rearranging work schedules, to be there for family members and friends when they need us.

For our future child, we believe that prioritizing family will give them a strong support system that exists not just in our home and an unending love.

We have two dogs, Wicket and Rocket.

Wicket is a female Labradoodle (age 6) who is a loving, energetic dog who you would think is still just a puppy in her heart. She loves to play and sniff on walks and watch all the animals outside our windows. Wicket is also so gentle and patient with people and children. Wicket has distinguishing facial features, with strong eyebrows, a mustache, and a beard. She also has beautiful golden eyes.

Rocket is a male Australian Shepherd mix (age 3) who is a kind, quiet dog. We rescued him right before the pandemic as a puppy, so the first two years of his life were very sheltered and indoors. He's very gentle and loves to sleep, play with balls and gets very excited for his daily walks. Rocket's distinguishing feature is his coat, he has a heavy brindle pattern and we think it makes him really unique and beautiful.

Our pets are so important to us, as if they are our children. They depend on us for love, food, training, and a safe/happy home. They have each taught us things about ourselves and grown aspects of our lives that we feel are important to being parents to a child, such as patience and consistency in habit and schedule for teaching them new things or experiences.

Adopting a child of a different race is a decision that requires careful consideration and planning. One of the most important factors to consider is how to approach cultural diversity. Understanding and respecting the child's cultural background is crucial for their sense of identity and belonging. Some thoughts we have are:

By prioritizing these ideas, we feel that we can do our best to create an inclusive and supportive environment for the child to thrive in.

We live in a small neighborhood surrounded by trees buffering any major traffic sounds from the main road near our home. It's a quiet neighborhood with 2 outdoor children's parks, a basketball court, tennis court and a shared common area space that is a giant open field in the middle of the neighborhood behind our home.

There are a lot of families that live in the neighborhood and on our block, after school in the afternoon there are always a group of kids running around in the field with their pets or biking in the neighborhood streets.

For our home, we have 3 bedrooms (2 floors and a finished basement). Our favorite room is located on our main floor, we just opened up a few walls to make the whole level an open concept. The living room is open to the kitchen with a large island connecting the two for a shared space. Tim is able to see into the living room while he cooks meals, Courtney enjoys sitting on the island while she works from home and it gives a large presence of natural light into the home.

Not far from our neighborhood there is a town center in walking distance filled with shops and restaurants and a movie theater. The town center is decorated for the holidays and is always lively to walk around with our dogs.

Both of our families live in Virginia with us, each within a 2 hour trip so we are lucky to have them really close by! We usually try to see each of our families around once every month or two and the distance makes holidays really fun and enjoyable because we can still spend time seeing everyone.

Family traditions during the holidays include baking cookies at Christmas time, egg hunting around Easter with our nieces, going down for nieces and siblings birthdays to spend the day together and celebrate. Traditions and time with our families mean a lot to us and will be a central point in our family with this child. We have a strong support system built with our families who are really excited to meet the baby and help grow and love them. Every conversation we have with our families is filled with exciting questions and asking about our progress in this process, we know that our families are going to love this baby to the moon.

Outside of just our immediate family, we have a close group of friends that have children as well and we spend time with them playing board games, going to festivals, and spending time during holidays and birthdays. They are also very excited to meet and support this child coming into our lives.

We are Tim and Courtney, and we are honored and grateful that you are taking the time to learn more about us. We have been together for eleven years, married for five years, and have built a wonderful life together. We have always wanted to be parents and we are excited about the opportunity to adopt a baby.

We want you to know that we admire your courage and strength as you consider adoption. We understand that this is a difficult decision, but we hope that you will find comfort in knowing that we will provide a safe, stable, and loving home for your child.

Here is a little bit about us:

Tim is a caring and compassionate person who is always there for his loved ones. He currently works as a software engineer in government contracting. His day to day job involves finding solutions to problems in code and software infrastructure. In his free time, he enjoys reading, spending time with family and friends, playing video games and cooking.

Courtney is a creative and nurturing person who loves to read and design. She works as a Brand Director for an eCommerce company who sell monitor technology and ergonomic desks. In Courtney's free time she enjoys adventure outside, playing with our dogs, reading, and baking. She is excited about the opportunity to share her love of baking and adventure with our future child.

We live in a cozy three-bedroom house in a family-friendly neighborhood. We have a fenced backyard that we plan on renovating soon to have a large porch with seating to enjoy. In our neighborhood, we also have multiple parks for children, spacious open fielded common areas for families to picnic and run around in and explore. The neighborhood is also home to other families with children, who are always outdoors playing together in the afternoons. Our home is also located near excellent schools, parks, and community centers.

We both come from close-knit families and have many friends who are like family to us. Our families are excited about the prospect of welcoming a new member and have already started making plans to spoil your child with love and attention.

We understand that you may want to maintain a relationship with your child after the adoption. We are open and want an open adoption, and we will respect your wishes and needs. We want you to be a part of your child's life and will ensure that they know about their adoption story and the selfless decision you made.

We promise to provide your child with a home filled with love, laughter, and endless opportunities. We will be there to support them as they grow and encourage them to pursue their dreams. We promise to raise your child with kindness, compassion, and a deep appreciation for the world around them.

Thank you for considering us as potential adoptive parents for your child. We wish you all the best as you make this difficult decision and we hope that you will find the perfect family for your baby.

Sincerely,

Tim & Courtney