We had always been interested in adoption, and after trying to have children, it became a path that felt right for us. We know a few people that have either been adopted or have adopted and talked to them at great length. We learned a lot and were provided with answers to our questions. With each person we spoke with, we noticed they were all so grateful for everything. The adoptive parents were always full of love for their child. The adoptees were also so grateful for their adoptive parents and birth parents.

Since we both come from large families, we are very excited to grow our family further. Right now, it is just Stephen and Jackie. We truly feel that a child is the only thing missing to make our home complete. We look forward to bringing a child into our home and giving them a beautiful life as we had while growing up. Our extended family is just as excited as us and are eagerly waiting to welcome a child into our family too.

Both of us really enjoy traveling. Each time we get the chance, we aim to go to a place we've never been to before. We have a scratch-off map where we track where we've been. Every place we go, we make such great memories and learn a lot about culture, and realize that the bubble we live in is so different than the rest of the world. Each country has its own culture, food, laws, etc. and it's really cool to get to experience that. We only wish we started traveling earlier because you just learn so much. It's so eye-opening and this world has so much to offer!

We don’t believe life is meant to be spent only working and never leaving where we are. Traveling has shown us just how fortunate we are to live in the United States. Seeing how people live in other places really helps put things into perspective and makes you appreciate what you have. It’s a humbling and eye-opening experience. We can’t wait to have a child to travel the world with and share these kinds of life lessons along the way.

Jackie has an Italian background which her father has taught her a lot about including some great family recipes. He's a great cook and has been teaching Stephen his recipes, so Stephen has also become a great cook! We've had a few trips to Italy and recently took one together with our whole family. It was great to be there and experience it all together.

Stephen grew up in the country town in the south. The family's main tradition was church on Sunday at a small church that was mainly his mother's extended family. His favorite childhood tradition was lunch at his grandmothers after church every Sunday. The entire family would come, and all of the children would play sports in the large yard and the adults would all sit and talk for hours. Stephen also has learned a lot about his German background, so he occasionally cooks authentic German meals and attends Oktoberfest every year in his authentic lederhosen.

We are both very close to our families and plan a few visits each year with those that live further away. Stephen's parents and sister's family live in Virginia, and we see them a few times a year. He has another sister living just 20 minutes north of us so we see them often as well for their kid's sporting events and family dinners. Jackie’s parents live right next door during the winter when they come down from New York, and her brother and two young nephews live on the other side. We all share a large backyard with a pool and often sit by the pool together. We take turns hosting Sunday dinners which has recently turned into a cooking competition somehow. Jackie also has another brother that lives in Oklahoma with 9 kids! Living in Florida, we often get to have friends and families from up north to come and visit us each year.

Our extended families are large. Jackie has 50 cousins and we are close to them all, including a lot of 2nd cousins. Stephen has several cousins as well that we get to see when we visit Virginia during holidays, and some come and stay with us for vacation.

Our families know we've been trying to grow our family for years and are excited for us to adopt a child. Our parents love their grandchildren so much. Our nephews are extremely excited to have more cousins to play with, swim in the pool, and teach them everything they know!

We love living in South Florida. Because it's warm year-round, we have access to doing so many fun things outside! We have kayaks and paddle boards and we joined a boat rental club to get out on the water on the weekends. It's a short drive to the beach so we enjoy that on the weekends. We're also working on our scuba certification.

Our house is a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom house which we are planning to add to soon for more space. Stephen's favorite room is the guest room where he works out of and plays his guitar. Jackie's office/sunroom is her favorite because it has glass sliding doors so there's a lot of natural light coming in and you can open them for fresh air.

We want to thank you for taking the time to get to know us better. We can only imagine the many emotions and thoughts you must be having while considering what’s best for the child’s future. It means so much to us that you would take a moment to read our letter and consider us as potential adoptive parents.

We’ve been married for almost 9 years and have been each other’s best friends since the start. We genuinely enjoy being together. Traveling is one of our favorite things to do because we get to experience new places and cultures, try out new foods, and create memories together. We would love to include our future child on these adventures!

Our relationship has always been built on teamwork, communication, friendship, and supporting each other. We’ve grown together through life ups and downs, and it’s made our bond stronger every year. We also feel incredibly fortunate to have several close friends that have become mutual close friends between both of us. Our home is filled with fun, family/friend gatherings, celebrations, and our 13-year-old pup Lilly. We believe that having a strong support system is very important to have while raising a child and we’re grateful to be surrounded by family and having many friends who will love and support our future child unconditionally.

The child will grow up in a home where they are deeply loved, encouraged, and supported to be exactly who they are. We want to provide a life full of opportunities, kindness, and fun! We look forward to sharing traditions, exploring new experiences, encouraging curiosity, creating memories, and creating a warm, nurturing environment where the child will thrive.

We also want you to know that you are a very important part of the child’s life as well. We fully understand that adoption is built on love from all sides, and we are open to maintaining a connection with whatever feels comfortable for you. We would love to send letters and pictures through the years so you can see how your child is growing and all the milestones they reach. We would love to show you what the child's favorite things are and the personality that is developing. We want to reassure you that the child is safe and happy.

In addition, we are open to more contact if that is something you would like. This could include exchanging emails, phone calls, or even an open adoption with future visits. We know that every adoption relationship is different, and we’re willing to work together to find the communication level that works for everyone involved.

Above all, we promise to raise the child with love, honesty, and respect. We will always speak about you with kindness and gratitude and make sure your child understands how deeply they were loved from the very beginning.

Thank you again for considering us. We have so much love in our hearts and excitement for the opportunity to share that love with a child.

Stephen & Jacklyn