As of right now, we are a family of three. We adopted our daughter in 2022, and it's been the most amazing experience either of us have ever had. From the moment we saw and held her at the hospital, we fell in love. Seeing her grow and develop her own little personality has been nothing short of magical. Her eyes light up when she experiences all of the "firsts" that we all get to experience in our lifetimes; we wouldn't trade those moments in for anything.

She's smart, outgoing, affectionate and funny, constantly keeping us on our toes. And we wouldn't have it any other way.

Having the opportunity to see her play with her cousins and family friends, it came as no surprise when she started asking about a baby brother or baby sister. And the truth is she would be the most amazing big sister. She is a protector at heart. The love she expresses to all of the people she encounters--whether it's someone she knows or a complete stranger--we have no doubt that the love would carry on to the next member of our family.

Family is our top priority. Through some of our life experiences, we've both grown to understand that family is the most important thing in the world. Money, work and physical possessions come and go but the time you spend with your family and the memories you create will always be there. We both make every effort to spend time with our families and let them know how much they mean to us. And it's belief we try to instill in our daughter.

In addition to family, kindness and empathy are extremely important. It sounds cliche but we wholeheartedly believe you should treat people how you want to be treated. Not everyone is afforded the same opportunities in life, and we need to help elevate one another. Sometimes even small gestures, such as smiling at a stranger or holding the door open for someone can go a long way.

Our world can always use more humanity, and we must never be too busy to treat others with respect.

It sounds cliche but being a parent has been one of the most meaningful and rewarding experiences we've encountered. To see the pure joy in our daughter's eyes when she does something as simple as put on her shoes, tries something delicious for the first time, or successfully uses the potty--nothing can ever replace that.

As adults sometimes we get caught up in the stressors of life but kids remind us how quickly life passes us by. All we want to do is spend every second with our children, creating experiences and memories that will last a lifetime.

That's not to say parenting is easy. There are twists and turns at every corner; that's part of what makes it so meaningful. We're guiding our kids through a bunch of "firsts," and that can be frightening and difficult. But we believe it's also what will make our bond with them so special. We don't shy away from the tough moments, we embrace them.

Being a parent has made our lives fuller. It's a decision we would make over-and-over again.

Family is everything to us, and we're fortunate enough to be close to both sides of our families--literally and figuratively (we live within 30 minutes from most of our family members, and only five minutes from Jordan's older brother and Staci's older sister. Most weeks we spend time with either side of the family, and on special occasions our families will spend time together.

Whether it's exploring new restaurants, museums, pumpkin patches, amusement parks, the zoo, Christmas festivals, pop-up stores or county fairs, we enjoy each other's company. On more low-key occasions, we attend our nieces' softball and soccer games, or host BBQs with family and friends.

Celebrating the holidays is also something we always look forward to, especially with six nieces and nephews. Beyond the lunches or dinners, it's common for our families to play card games (especially Uno), board games and the occasional minute-to-win-it games. We even set up an obstacle course for the kids during larger family gatherings, such as our annual Halloween party.

Although our combined immediate families are fairly large, Staci has a large extended family (two uncles, one aunt, five cousins) and Jordan has an uncle and three cousins we visit throughout the year.

California- We moved to our home in Southern California in 2018. It's a newer community that has a fun mix of rural and newly urban aesthetic, but more importantly, it's very culturally diverse--one of the many reasons we love the area. Our house is two stories with four bedrooms, a loft and a great room. We spend most of our time in the great room, usually reading, watching TV and/or playing games with our daughter. In addition to our great room, our loft serves as a mini library and play area for our daughter, as well as our nieces and nephews. Moving to our backyard, we have plenty of room for children to run and play; we like to spend time out there having water balloon fights and grilling in the summertime.

A little more than a block away, our community has a clubhouse, featuring a pool, basketball and tennis courts, a dog park, children's library, and even a movie theater you can rent out. There are also multiple parks and walking trails surrounding our home, which we visit frequently. Our community regularly hosts family-friendly events (our community is made up of many young families), such as movies and concerts and the park, food truck festivals and children's activities, like Easter egg hunts and trunk-or-treating. Beyond the community, we try to take advantage of the Southern California weather, taking trips to the beach, Disneyland, as well as nearby Los Angeles and San Diego.

First, and foremost, we want to thank you for taking the time to get to know us. We can't begin to fathom how difficult a decision this is for you, but we want to assure you, we will embrace and love any child that comes into our family. We promise to give them a safe, stable and nurturing home and environment. We hope that learning a bit about us gives you peace of mind as you consider adoption.

Our story began about 17 years ago, when we were both working at the American Red Cross. We quickly became friends and eventually started dating at the age of 21, and have been married now for over 10 years. Our friendship was natural and easy, despite our differences. Staci is introverted and enjoys reading and arts and crafts, while Jordan is more extroverted and prefers being outside, playing sports and being active. We are two separate personalities, but we embrace that. Simply put, we have always balanced each other out. 

Now, that's not to say our lives have been perfect, no ones' are. We've grown and experienced life together; sometimes that included learning on the fly. From graduating college, planning a wedding, starting careers, consoling ourselves through family loss, buying our first home, adopting our daughter, and navigating parenthood and life in general, there have been plenty of teachable moments. But we've recognized that constant communication and a willingness to understand each other's point-of-view has enabled us to handle the good and bad times.

As we continue to grow together and move forward in our lives, we're exited about continuing to grow our family. We've discussed adopting another child for a while and feel like the time is right. We both have so many amazing childhood memories, and look forward to helping our children create memories over their own. Most importantly, our family has so much love to give.

In addition to leaning on one another, we're fortunate that both of our families have been so supportive of our decisions and life together. While we have 4 nieces and 2 nephews, our entire family is ecstatic about welcoming another child. Our parents, siblings, and extended families will be there to spend time with the child and offer the same amount of love we were both lucky to experience growing up. 

But it's not just our family that will get the opportunity to see the child grow, we will share with you photos, letters/emails of your child's growth, experiences and milestones, if you so desire. Our plan is to be open and honest about our children's adoption stories. That includes reassuring them how much you love them and how hard the decision was for you. You will always be a part of the child's identity, and we'll never let them forget that. But we also want you to know that you will always be a part of who our family is and becomes. 

Again, thank you for giving us the time to tell you more about us and considering us as potential parents for your child. We're excited for the chance to expand our family and we will give every ounce of love and devotion to the child. We know the decision you have is difficult and we are thinking of you as you continue your journey. 

Jordan & Staci