Nine years ago when our son was born we didn't know anything about adoption, nor was it even a thought as a plan for growing our family. We were young and thought that having a child was a given and a simple part of life. Our plan was to have three children and spread them out, each three years apart. When our son was three we became pregnant for a second time, and we were ready to continue executing our plan. Unfortunately, we suffered a very devastating late-term miscarriage that derailed our lives. It took us some time as a family to recover from this event, and a lot of reflection about what this meant for us individually and as a family. In the blink of an eye, two naive kids gained a whole lot of life experience. Together we decided not to let this bump in the road stop us from pursuing our dream of expanding our family. The next two years would bring two additional miscarriages, coupled with countless doctor visits, consults, specialists, blood draws, and medications; all without any answers. It was during this time that two of our close friends chose adoption and the fostering process to grow their families. Our eyes were opened to this process and we began some light research about adoption. We found ourselves attached to these kids and became excited that this may be a possible path for us! During this process, we again became pregnant but unfortunately experienced another loss for the 4th time. It was at this moment that we understood and realized that we were meant to adopt. Giving birth to another child was not our plan and we were meant to bring children into our family in a different way. It was an immediate and exciting decision for us that truly brought a new level of happiness.

Our family leads a very active lifestyle. Although we may wish for time to sit and relax, we secretly love being on the go! Whether we are participating in youth sports, working on a project around the house, camping, or exploring while on vacation, we are sure to do it all together. The teamwork mentality is very strong within our family. From laundry and yard work, to home renovations, each one of us plays a vital role.

Summertime brings a more flexible schedule, as Katie has summers off to spend playing and swimming with our son. This also means frequent visits to Greg's work for family lunch dates at one of our favorite pizza places. Weekends bring morning coffee on the front porch, and each day ends with tucking in and singing to our son.

Every life experience we have is an opportunity to learn or change the way we do things, and to teach our children about the world. We are very fortunate to enjoy this lifestyle, and understand that working together and playing together as a family is the most important part of it all.

Since 2012 when we married and our families joined, we have developed and continue to add to our family traditions. We treasure the tradition of nightly dinner around the table, even when life gets busy. This is our time to sit down and appreciate one another regardless of daily distractions. Fridays are particularly special as we celebrate the beginning of each weekend with doughnuts!

Each month brings exciting traditions to life as the seasons change. To beat the winter blues, we plan an annual trip to Disney World - our happy place! We have been taking this trip each year since our son was 5 months old and it is always filled with adventure. Springtime is riddled with egg hunts galore, and family Easter is filled with traditional Polish and German dishes. We particularly enjoy the adult egg hunt and annual kick ball game! Our kickoff to summer is spent preparing for and attending a car show Greg has attended with his father for the last 14 years. A simple weekend away in a tent has now turned into a family affair complete with trailers and campers; a passion that Greg now shares with our son! Summer continues with large family camping trips to the beach, where we enjoy our annual seafood bake and our children enjoy invaluable time with their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Fall plays host to Thanksgiving in our home, where dinner is always followed by a viewing of the movie "Christmas Vacation." Winter brings the magic of the holidays to life as Greg and our son top the tree with a star, milk and cookies (and carrots, of course!) are left for Santa, and Greg reads "The Night Before Christmas" with the most animated voices!

As the sun rises over our small town in Pennsylvania, birds chirp and fog lifts from mountains in the background. As the day progresses, the sound of neighborhood children laughing and playing fills the air while retired couples take their daily stroll. Neighbors exchange a friendly "hello" and the low hum of lawn mowers and train whistles can be heard in the distance as our shade covered street comes alive.

Our four-bedroom home sits on a half of an acre of land which serves as everything from a sports complex and entertainment space, to a nature preserve and a quiet place to wind down. In the winter months, a hill in our back yard provides some of the best sledding events in the neighborhood, as it plays host to our neighbors and their children. After a day in the snow, we spend time warming up in front of our fireplace to watch a favorite movie with some popcorn, of course. The fall in our neighborhood brings opportunities for long walks, jogs, or even bike rides to go for ice cream while enjoying the ever changing leaf colors.

Outside of our secluded neighborhood, we have only a short drive to the local school, community pool, or to our permanent campground site at a nearby lake to roast marshmallows over a fire. Traditional holiday parades and cultural festivals fill the streets downtown with unique music and delicious food. Train rides are a local attraction that bring a smile to every passenger's face!

Our family, friends, and community are a large part of our lives making the location for our home perfect for raising our family. We are close to, and centrally located between, both of our families making sleepovers, trips to the zoo, holidays, or a fun afternoon together frequent events. Our week-long beach camping trip every summer is always a blast, includes both of our families, and provides endless playtime, exploration, and sandy waves for kids and adults alike!

When we are not with our families, we spend time with friends in our community. We are actively involved in coaching a variety of youth sports where we have developed relationships with friends that we now call family.

Regardless of whether we are celebrating a birthday, playing soccer, or going for a walk, we are sure to find endless fun and support around every corner. This support system and community is one of the main reasons we chose to extend our family through adoption. Our friends and family couldn't be more excited for us as we add to the growing group of kids within our quickly expanding circle. This child will receive love and support not only from us and our son but will always have someone to lean on right around the corner!

When we first met twelve years ago, we never imagined our life together the way it is today. The beauty of the unknown is that each and every day brings new excitement, challenges, and possibilities. Although our path to creating a family hasn't gone exactly the way we planned during our 10 years of marriage, we have learned to embrace the struggles and gained a greater appreciation for one another. Our marriage is an incredibly unique relationship, where we approach everything as a team, and work to advocate for one another's best interests. Because we are best friends, together really is our favorite place to be. Our son, Jackson is being raised to look for and contribute these same characteristics in his own relationships. He is kind, respectful, incredibly hard working, and has the biggest heart he is ready to open to a sibling.

We love the life we have built together and our home is a happy one. However, that's not to say we haven't experienced misfortune or our own difficulties. After our son was born, our infertility journey took us on a whirlwind of emotions. Our family is no stranger to loss and heartache, but the beginning of that journey was surely the darkest time in our lives. The look on our son's face each time we explained his brother or sister had gone to heaven, and the endless strength and resilience he pushed back with, is something we can never forget. More recently, when we made the decision to pursue adoption, his eyes filled with tears knowing that this time becoming a big brother was really going to happen. It was, by far, the easiest and happiest choice we have ever made.

Being a good role model for our children, is probably one of that hardest parts about being a parent. Always doing the right thing, even when it may not benefit you or your family, can be difficult. Everything we experience is a life lesson to learn and grow from, but also an opportunity for our children to see what it means to be a good human being. Together, we value the lessons on the path taken more than the destination itself. In growing our family through adoption, the same holds true. The things we have gained on this journey thus far, have helped prepare us for expanding our family. It isn't fair to compare ourselves to others, or our situations to their circumstances, and we appreciate your selflessness and consideration more than we could ever put into words.

Although portraying a certain image to birth families through text and images can be easy, we want you to know that we are comfortable in saying we are sharing our authentic selves with you. The love, respect, hard work, and honesty within our family is what sets us apart from anyone else. Any child that lives under our roof will receive more love than they could ever imagine, and learn the value and importance of respect and hard work. Long walks in our neighborhood, random nerf gun fights, campfire hot dogs, bedtime snuggles, after dinner dessert, and trips to the beach will become a familiar constant for our future children. We will finally be able to use the words "brother" or "sister" and know that together, our children will flourish in life; always having one another to team up against us with! Our future children will always know the love, courage, and selflessness encompassed in their journey to us, and know it is necessary for them to become the best versions of themselves in life.

We are anxiously waiting for the call that will tell us our family is growing, and to meet the amazing people who will help to make this possible, if you so wish. You are significant to our family, and we welcome the opportunity to share milestones with you through letters, pictures, email, or even visits when the time is right. The respect and appreciation we have for you, in considering us as a potential family for your child, is overwhelming and will always be present in our home. Know that we are keeping you in our thoughts and prayers as you navigate this part of your life.

Our Sincerest Thanks,

Greg & Katie