We have a lot of hobbies. We love to travel—whether it’s a quick trip to the local beaches, a cruise to the Caribbean or Alaska, or exploring a place we’ve never been. We also enjoy cheering on our families at their dance, marching band, and hockey competitions. We both love to play sports, exercise, kayak, and eat great food.

Mark plays in his office softball league every spring and summer, and he has season tickets to our local Major League baseball team. He can’t wait to share the excitement of live sports with a child. He also loves movies and looks forward to having a little movie buddy to watch them with. His family has a yearly tradition of going to a football game at the college he, and a few nieces and nephews, went to. Mark grew up playing tennis and can’t wait to teach a child how to play.

Laurie has always been active. She plays on local and travel broomball teams, goes for runs around the neighborhood, and enjoys the occasional tennis match. Growing up, she played soccer and basketball and was even a college track athlete in hurdles. She looks forward to helping a child develop coordination and discover which sports—or activities—interest them most. When it’s time to relax, Laurie loves reading on the beach and walking along the shoreline looking for shells.

Both of us have fond memories of family vacations to Disney World. Our wedding was held on the top of the Paddlefish restaurant in Disney Springs. His family attended a character breakfast back when it was the Empress Lily. Inside the park, Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room was one of his favorites. Laurie’s family went when she and each of her sisters turned 5 years old. She was intrigued by the stories shared at the different countries in EPCOT and grew fond of the Disney character Figment and his ride, the Journey into Imagination. Laurie’s sisters continued the tradition with their own children, and we hope to share this journey with a child as well.

As adults visiting the parks, we enjoy the disconnect from the outside world, the simple joy of waving to Mickey and Minnie, tasting foods we’ve never tried before around the world in EPCOT, and exploring the joy that Disney World brings to everyone. We enjoy sharing our insights and helping our friends plan their adventures to the parks with their children.

We believe that being open and honest with a child about their adoption is one of the most important parts of building trust and helping them feel secure and loved. From the beginning, we would talk to them about adoption in simple, age‑appropriate ways, making it a natural part of their story, rather than a one‑time conversation. As they grow, we will continue to share more details in ways that match their age, maturity, and their questions. We want a child to always know that their story began with love—both from us and from their birth family. We would speak with kindness and respect about their birth parents, helping them understand that the decision to place them for adoption came from a place of care and hope for their future. We would welcome the child’s feelings, whether they are curious, confused, proud, or even sad at times, and we would make sure they always feel safe talking to us about anything. Our goal is for them to grow up confident in who they are, knowing that their adoption is something to be proud of and that it adds to their story, not takes away from it. Most of all, we want them to feel surrounded by love, supported in their identity, and secure in the knowledge that their family—both their birth family and ours— played a part in bringing them into a life where they are loved.

We have strong relationships with our family and close friends. They have been so supportive of us as we look to expand our family. We spend time with both of our extended families regularly throughout the year, not just on holidays and family vacations, despite our families ranging from an hour to three hours away. We’ve gone to college football games, concerts, youth and high school sports events, marching band competitions, and dance recitals to cheer on the children in our extended families and the children of our close friends.

Travel is a big part of our lives, and we have shared many adventures with both families on group trips. On summer evenings, we stay up late playing dominos and scrabble with Mark’s family during the annual beach vacation. Laurie’s family traditions include big extended family trips every other year to connect and explore new places together, such as the Alaskan wilderness on a land and sea cruise, and a week of horseback riding at a dude ranch in Wyoming.

Our siblings and friends look forward to buying the loudest toys possible for a child, in return for our awesome performances as aunt and uncle to our seventeen nieces and nephews over the years. We can think of nothing better!

We recently moved into our new home, which was built with a child in mind. Located in a small town in Maryland, our villa-style home has three bedrooms upstairs and one bedroom on the main level, and well as three and a half bathrooms. It has three large living areas, including an upstairs loft, a great room on the main level, and a recreation room in the basement, each with their own playful environment. There are 27 windows full of sunshine, and a few of them offer views of the water in the distance. We look forward to a child making their room their own as they grow. Paint and decor are easy to change, and we expect several iterations before high school graduation as a child explores and expresses their individuality.

Our community is a mix of younger and older families, from children playing outside on the nature trails, to couples enjoying the many amenities and clubs of our community. The community has a clubhouse with indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a fitness center, a library, and a ballroom where the community holds events for neighborhood youth, adults, and families. The first time we visited the community, the residents were setting up their easter egg hunt in the clubhouse across multiple rooms and the main atrium. It was massive and heartwarming. Our home is short walk along the trails to the brand-new children's playground with swings and slides and a large open field for play in the fresh air.

We can only imagine the strength, love, and courage it takes to consider an adoption plan, and we deeply respect the thought and care you are putting into this difficult decision. We thank you for taking the time to learn about us. As you read this letter, we hope you will learn a bit about us and feel the love in our home, knowing you and your child will be safe and supported. A child will always know their story, the bravery of their mother experiencing pregnancy and childbirth, and how much you loved them.

We first met in a first year of legal writing class in law school. We lost touch after graduating but ultimately reconnected several years later. Mark’s best friend (Tom) signed him up to play in a local social sport broomball league. (It’s like ice hockey, but with a ball instead of a puck, and we run instead of skating on the ice.) Laurie was a regular in the league and even played travel tournaments with Tom. It was a surprise reunion that developed into dating at the end of the season. Laurie enjoyed Mark’s ability to lighten the mood and bring a smile to everyone, and how it contrasted with the intensity of his professional life as a lawyer. Mark enjoyed Laurie’s passion, energy, and laugh. We found we balanced each other out in the best of ways. We moved in together to finish the lease on Laurie’s tiny 650 square foot city apartment just a few weeks before the pandemic shut the world down. We got to know all of our little quirks pretty fast and joked that living through that time would either make us or break us. Understanding each other’s needs, communicating, and being able to laugh at ourselves are the foundations of our relationship. We’ve been through our share of ups and downs since our 2021 Disney wedding, but we always come out stronger together.

We’re excited to grow our family and share our love with a child. We hoped to become parents quickly, but we faced significant fertility challenges. Those experiences changed our perspective and taught us patience, openness, and grace. Over time, we realized that what matters most to us is raising a child - sharing life’s adventures, supporting them as they grow, and loving them unconditionally. Genetics don’t define a family; warmth, respect, and connection do. Adoption has become the right path for us, and we’re genuinely excited for this next chapter.

With seventeen nieces and nephews between us, being the “favorite aunt and uncle” is a title we wear proudly. Laurie’s niece, Andie, was only four when she met Mark, and she instantly bonded with him over dad jokes. Ever since, the two of them have traded trivia questions and candy?wrapper jokes like it’s their own little tradition. Laurie also loves spending time with Mark’s nieces and nephews. On one family beach trip, she joined his niece for an ice?skating outing. The ice was slushy, the skills weren’t great, and everyone ended up laughing more than skating- but it became one of those perfectly imperfect moments we still talk about. That night, switching to a friendly (but competitive!) dominoes game felt like a much safer choice. These relationships with the kids in our families mean the world to us, and we can’t wait to bring the same love, laughter, and connection to a child of our own. Education is important to us, and we’re committed to supporting a child’s growth both in the classroom and out in the world. We look forward to exploring history, culture, and nature together through visits to different cities, National parks, and museums. More than anything, we want to help a child discover their talents, follow their interests, and grow with confidence.

We can only imagine the emotional toll you feel as you evaluate the decision you are currently making. Please know, we will share with you a child’s development and adventures through photos, letters, and emails. We will be open and honest about the adoption, and are open to a conversation about visits, if desired. Thank you for considering us as potential parents for your child.

Mark & Laurie