One of the greatest joys in our relationship is the time we spend together doing the things we love. We both feel most at ease when we're close to nature. We really enjoy kayaking and floating down the river near our home. Camping and hiking are regular parts of our adventures as well.

When we're not out exploring, we love to settle into more laid-back moments together. Movie nights at home are a regular ritual, often paired with snacks and cozy blankets. We enjoy playing both video games and board games, which give us the chance to laugh, compete, and connect in different ways. Cultural outings are also a shared interest. Museums spark great conversations between us, and concerts always leave us feeling energized and inspired.

Sports are another interest we share. We love catching Fireflies Minor League baseball games and cheering on the South Carolina football and women's basketball teams. Social time is important to us as well. Whether it's dinner with family or meeting up with friends for coffee, we genuinely enjoy the company of those close to us. We especially enjoy park visits and play dates with our nieces and nephews. We cannot wait to share our favorite activities with a child and learn all about their hobbies and interests as well.

Adoption has always been close to our hearts. Even before we met, we had both considered adoption as a way to build a family. Now, together, we know this is the right path for us. Our desire to be parents is strong. We have so much love to give and truly believe family is built through love, not biology. We want to open our hearts and home to a child and provide a safe, stable, and supportive environment. We feel incredibly grateful for the life we've built, and we're ready to share our time, energy, and resources.

Parenthood, to us, means being present, patient, and supportive. This includes celebrating the small moments, guiding through the hard ones, and always showing up with unconditional love. We're excited, and little nervous like any new parents, to begin this journey. We know adoption is a gift built on love and courage, and we don't take that lightly. We are ready to honor this journey and provide a child with a forever home full of love, laughter, and support.

We have many meaningful family traditions. Every Friday night we go on a dinner date. We love trying new restaurants and dessert spots. We are also huge fans of South Carolina women's basketball. We have season tickets and attend almost every home game. For Easter, we host an egg hunt by the creek, complete with a "prize egg," and we serve Lauren's famous Easter ham. On the Fourth of July, we float down the river before heading to a baseball game with fireworks. Thanksgiving includes watching the Macy's Parade and a big family dinner with fried turkey. Around Christmas, we attend the Nutcracker Ballet. We visit local Christmas light displays and rewatch our favorite holiday movies. Elf and Christmas Vacation are musts. We decorate our home inside and out while listening to a Christmas playlist we made when we first started dating. Baking cookies with our nieces and nephews at Lauren's sister's house is another favorite tradition. Christmas is also filled with Secret Santa, family dinners, and brunches on both sides. And Halloween, Kim's favorite, is a big event! We go all out with spooky decor inside and outside. We have a huge 12-foot skeleton that we love to set up every year. We also love to carve pumpkins together and rewatch Hocus Pocus and The Nightmare Before Christmas while handing out candy.

We feel incredibly lucky to be surrounded by a large, close-knit, loving, and supportive family. From day one, they have been just as excited as we are about adoption. Kim's parents and Lauren's mom live nearby and are eager to spoil a new grandchild. We have both remained very close with our siblings throughout the years. Lauren keeps in contact daily with her two younger sisters and brother through a "Sibs" group chat. We see Lauren's younger sisters frequently as they live close to us. Kim and her older sister talk and text often, and they visit each other regularly. We also have several nieces and nephews who we love spending time with. We never miss a sports game, dance recital, or birthday party. We take family vacations with both of our immediate families often. Over the years, we have been to Disney, the mountains, hiking and camping in multiple state and national parks, and to multiple beaches. Both of our families are huge South Carolina Gamecock fans. We love bringing both sides of the family together for large tailgates each football season. Holidays are a big deal in our family. We always get together for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Halloween, and even Fourth of July. There's always joy, connection, and lots of laughter when we gather. Family, to us, means showing up for each other, and we can't wait to surround a child with all the support, warmth, and joy that our family brings.

We live in a quiet, diverse, and child-friendly neighborhood that feels like a hidden gem. Our two-story home sits on a large corner lot that backs up to a peaceful wood, a creek, and plenty of visiting wildlife. We often see large groups of deer, herons fishing in our creek, foxes, and loads of fireflies in the summertime. Our home is within walking distance to a local park, riverwalk, botanical zoo and gardens, and an elementary and middle school. There are many young families in our neighborhood, and all the neighbors look out for one another. We see families out walking, riding golf carts, and kids out playing or riding bikes daily. Halloween is a big deal in our neighborhood. Lots of houses, including our own, decorate elaborately and kids are out in the mass all evening. It's so much fun and everyone always has loads of candy for the children.

Although our neighborhood feels far from the city, we are only ten minutes from downtown where we have a major university, several children's museums, a minor league baseball stadium, several libraries, many lovely parks near the river, and several venues that host family friendly theater, ballet, and concerts. Our city also hosts a state fair, along with many annual festivals including a boxcar derby where kids can build their own soapbox racers. We had children in mind when we bought our home and think it would be a wonderful place to raise a family.

Hello! We're Lauren and Kim. Thank you for taking the time to learn a little more about us. We met initially in high school playing together on both the softball and basketball teams. Years later, our paths crossed again. Even on our first date, we both knew something special was happening. We felt very comfortable and safe with each other immediately and our love has grown every day since. We have been together for a little over 6 years now and have been married for 3 years. Our journey has been filled with love, laughter, shared dreams and now, we're so excited to grow our family through adoption. 

We share a home with our four-legged family, three wonderful cats and one very loveable dog. Kim is a veterinarian and co-owner of her veterinary clinic, while Lauren is a nurse practitioner in the Emergency Department of a VA hospital. While our work is rewarding, our favorite moments are the ones we spend together. 

Apart from our deep love for each other and our pets, we know we have so much more love to give, and we feel truly honored by the opportunity to share that love through adoption. We've dreamed of becoming parents for a long time now and are excited to open our hearts and home to a child. Our greatest hope is to provide a life filled with safety, support, laughter, and unconditional love. 

We are both young at heart and love staying active, playful, and connected with the world around us. Whether it's playing board games or video games, trying new restaurants with friends, attending festivals and concerts, or checking out local art and museum exhibits, we cherish time spent together in fun and meaningful ways. We also love the outdoors, kayaking on the river near our home, hiking nearby trails, or enjoying the creek and wildlife in our own backyard. Sports are a big part of our lives as well, whether we're playing for fun or cheering on our favorite teams. We also love spending time with family and do so very frequently as many members live nearby. Playing with our nieces and nephews is our favorite part of each family gathering, and we can't wait to play and be silly with a new baby someday.

We're very fortunate to be surrounded by a large, supportive circle of friends and family who are all just as excited as we are to welcome a child. We know it takes a village and feel blessed that this child will have grandparents, many aunts, uncles, family friends, and multiple cousins to support them at recitals, games, school events and in any other interests they may develop over the years. We will assure a child has many culturally diverse experiences and exposure to persons of their race throughout their childhood. Our goal is a home grounded in kindness, honesty, open mindedness, and joy where they can grow with confidence, chase their dreams, and create lifelong memories filled with love, laughter, and belonging. 

We look forward to the possibility of getting to know you and working together to provide the best life possible for your child. We understand this is an extremely difficult decision and are willing to meet in person or chat on the phone prior to your decision if this would be helpful. If you choose us as adoptive parents, we promise to always consider you a part of our family. We will share photos, letters, and provide e-mail updates. We are also open to continued telephone contact and in-person visits if this is something you would like. 

We truly appreciate your consideration. We would be honored to be chosen as moms and want you to know that your baby would be infinitely loved, adored, encouraged, and supported. 

Sincerely with love, 

Lauren and Kim 

Lauren & Kim