We come from a family background that reflects a mix of European heritage that is common for many American families. Our ancestors came to the United States several generations ago, and while we may not practice specific traditions from one country alone, our family culture has grown from those roots and from the community we live in today.

Family time is very important to us. We celebrate holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas with extended family, sharing meals, cooking together, and spending time talking, laughing, and playing games. These gatherings are something we look forward to every year and are a big part of how we stay connected.

Day-to-day, our home life is centered on kindness, love, curiosity, and supporting each other. We enjoy simple things like cooking meals at home, spending time outdoors, and being involved in our local community. We value education, respect for others, and helping people when we can.

At the same time, we believe culture is something that continues to grow and expand. If we are fortunate enough to adopt, we would be committed to honoring and learning about our child's background and making sure they grow up understanding and appreciating where they come from. Our goal is to create a home where a child feels loved, supported, and proud of every part of who they are.

We believe a child’s heritage and cultural background are an important and beautiful part of who they are, and we want to be very intentional about honoring that. Our goal is to proactively integrate our child’s heritage into everyday life so it feels natural, celebrated, and valued—not something that is only talked about occasionally. That could include learning together about traditions, books, food, holidays, and communities that reflect their background.

We also want our home to be a place where conversations about race, culture, and identity are completely normal and open. As our child grows, we know they will have their own experiences and perspectives, and we want to listen closely to them and support them as they navigate those moments.

At the same time, we want to help equip them with the confidence and tools to handle insensitive questions or prejudice they may encounter related to their race or their adoption. Our role is to support and guide them, while also making sure we never force an identity onto them. Instead, we want to celebrate who they are and give them space to grow into that identity in their own way.

To us, being a parent means guiding a child through life and helping them grow into a kind, resilient, and patient person. We hope to equip them with the skills to navigate challenges while always knowing they have a loving, safe space at home.

We’re most excited about the simple, everyday joys—cooking together, going on walks, sharing quiet moments, and building little family traditions. We also can’t wait to share our hobbies with them and watch their curiosity and interests grow.

Above all, we’re looking forward to seeing our child develop into their own unique personality, discovering the things that make them who they are. Parenthood feels like an incredible adventure, and we’re thrilled to experience the love, laughter, and wonder that comes with it.

Our family consists of our parents; we each have a sister, and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins of all ages that all live close by. We talk on the phone and video call family a couple of times a week, and see each other in person a couple times a month. Our family likes to stay in touch and have fun together, from holidays to random get togethers.

One of our family members has a cabin by the lake and the whole family goes there every summer. When we are together, we do a variety of things from barbequing, enjoying each other's company, to playing games. Any time we play board games, everyone is joking and belly laughing by the end of it and can no longer play. Another fun tradition we have is that at Christmas we get together to bake and decorate cookies. Our family is excited to share these traditions and build strong relationships with a child. When we approached our families about our plan to adopt, they were overwhelmingly supportive of the idea and all ready and willing to pitch in to give a child the best life possible. 

We live in a three-bedroom, two bath, ranch style house on acreage in a rural area outside of town where we enjoy being outside, gardening, playing with our dogs, and taking care of our chickens. We see the land we have as a great space for a child to explore, ride bikes, and just be a kid while letting their curiosity grow. With many mature trees on our property, it would be fun to play in the leaves in the fall and gather around a bonfire together.

While we are inside, our favorite room to be in is the Living Room. It is a large open area connected to the dining room and kitchen, perfect for playing with lots of natural light. It also allows easy conversations with anyone in the kitchen or dining room. Our house is surrounded by farms, but our city downtown, a short 8 minute drive away, hosts many family and kid friendly events throughout the year.

Some of these events include Easter egg hunts, festivals with yard games, chalk art, petting zoos, craft fairs, and live entertainment. The local library hosts story times and programs for children of all ages. Our city has eight parks, but our favorite is the largest one that has multiple playgrounds, two lakes that are great for fishing, picnic areas, a swimming pool, miles of hiking trails for exploring, and more.

It is with respect and gratitude that we write this letter to you. We know the decision to choose adoption for your child is very courageous and one that is made with love for your child. We would love the opportunity to provide love to and for your child. We have a wonderful and loving family along with supportive friends that are equally excited about this opportunity. Becoming a parent is an amazing gift and great reward we are excited to experience.

We have been happily married for 15 years and live in the rural Midwest. Though we live in a rural area, we are only a few minutes away from parks, lakes, playgrounds, pools, and libraries. We love to garden and try experimenting with new plants and vegetables every season. We also enjoy taking walks around our property, working on projects, and playing with our three very spoiled dogs. Our home is filled with love and laughter. On weekends, we enjoy spending time together simply cooking and spending time with our family. We have a good-sized extended family with children from ages three to eleven. We are confident that these kids will embrace a new member of the family.

Hobbies that we enjoy and would love to share with a child would be the passion for reading, gardening, making decorations, and cooking. We also enjoy tinkering with vehicles and fixing broken things around the property, 3D printing, and welding. Some of those projects are welding an obelisk for the garden and welding hearts for Valentine’s Day. We would also love to share our passion for traveling and learning about new cultures and even new cuisines.

We both have professional careers. Education is important to us, and we will make sure a child will have everything they need to thrive and be successful in life. They will learn the importance of hard work, respect, love, and especially how to have fun. They will be taught to enjoy the simple things in life. We want to help them experience life rather than watching it on a screen. They will spend time outdoors learning about nature, traveling, and experiencing new things- the wonderful things that life has to offer. The world will be theirs to explore.

We recognize the choice you are making is one of the hardest anyone can make. It takes incredible strength, bravery, and love to make such a decision. If you choose us, you can be assured that the gift you have given will never be taken for granted. We will do our best to ensure that the child is happy, they will know that they are loved, well cared for, and will live a fulfilled life. We will never hide the truth about their adoption and will stress that the decision you made was out of love and not because they were not wanted. We are open to maintaining contact with you and providing letters, emails, and photos, if you are receptive to this. We also hope you know that our decision to start this process is because we could not have our own children and have always wanted a family since we first started dating. We appreciate your consideration more than you will ever know. Thank you for taking the time to get to know us!

With gratitude and respect,

Nick & Alicia