Growing up, we both had close relationships with adoption. Rachel has six adopted aunts and uncles, eight adopted cousins, and a best friend with two adopted siblings. Derek has two adopted cousins and his best friend growing up was adopted. So adoption has always been a part of our family and in the conversations surrounding how we wanted to grow our family.

We witnessed both open and closed adoptions, and how those affected the children. We think an open adoption is the healthiest way for a child to know where they come from and who they are. Having family and friends who were the center of that process has helped us figure out how we want to move forward with adoption. It shows us how different types of adoption (and parenting) have affected the adopted child and their birth parents, both positively and negatively.  

Our experiences with adopted people have allowed us to have similar ideals regarding adoption. We are grateful for the people in our lives who have unknowingly helped us in this specific way. Now going through the adoption process as a potential parent and looking back, we can see how deeply we have both been affected by it and how we can make a difference. 

We are a family that is typically easy-going, with a strong work ethic. We play hard, but we also work hard. We have a few acres on the outskirts of Bentonville, Arkansas. With our 18 chickens and land, there is always a project to be done. We like to do work that instills a sense of pride in a job well done, but we can also appreciate a nice relaxing day playing games, watching movies and reading books. 

When the weather is nice, we like to take our 2 dogs on some of the many hikes that are available in the area. We love to take pictures of the dogs and the nearby wildlife. We have plenty of family and friends nearby so we are only a quick text or call away from an impromptu pool party. We are highly adaptable to whatever life throws at us: Bad weather stops the hikes? Stay in, do a puzzle and watch a movie. The water heater went out? Well, let’s get that replaced the same night, we don’t need to wait for a plumber! Nephew’s baseball team just made it through the tournament and the championship game is in an hour? We will be there!  

We love having fun, and making other situations fun. Whether its helping friends build a shed, or having a game night, we love a good time; joking around, singing and making memories. 

Derek about Rachel:

Rachel is one of the most special people I’ve ever met. She is so compassionate and loving and kind. When we first met, she warned me that people will just start talking to her at the most random times and in the most random places. I didn’t think much of it, until we were in the checkout aisle at the grocery store and, unprovoked, the cashier started laying out their life story to Rachel. Not directed at me, at all, but Rachel. She has this spirit and air about her that people are drawn to and they feel and know that they can be heard and respected. Rachel does this with such grace and love, it never gets old for me to witness these interactions. She is so kind and loving to complete strangers that it fills with me love and joy. 

Rachel about Derek:

Derek is one of the smartest people I know. He has such an incredible memory. I remember our fifth date we were talking and I mentioned my niece. He said, "oh yeah, Vivian?" I was so shocked that he remembered her name, I'd mentioned it once on our first date. He truly listens and offers this respect to those around him, no matter what. His strong memory makes him the best teammate, in projects around the house, playing games, and definitely during trivia. He also is great at quoting movies and shows, his favorite: "Do you believe in Miracles? Yes!"

We both grew up in loving, energetic, and faith-filled homes. Rachel is one of six children and Derek is one of four. All of our siblings are now in committed relationships, which has grown our family to 16 siblings total, along with 10 nephews and 4 nieces! Family gatherings are always full of laughter, kids running around, and plenty of memories in the making.

We live in Arkansas near Rachel’s parents, with several siblings nearby in Arkansas, Missouri, and Kansas. We also have family spread farther across the country (and even in Greece!) and we’re so grateful for travel and technology that help us stay close despite the distance.

When we’re together, you’ll usually find us cheering on our nieces and nephews at soccer, football, baseball, lacrosse, swim meets, band concerts, plays, and Special Olympics events. We also love playing games, swimming, and making trips to Kansas City for Chiefs games when we can. Faith is an important part of both of our families, and many of our conversations center around love, service, gratitude, and supporting one another.

We live in Bentonville, Arkansas: a diverse, outdoorsy community with small-town charm and big-city amenities. The area is known for its bike trails, beautiful landscapes, and endless activities. We love spending Saturdays at the farmers market or walking around downtown. Throughout the year, the community hosts events like Bike Fest, TriFest for MS, marathons, and bike races—many of which our family members compete in. We also enjoy hiking local trails and taking photos of the nature that surrounds us. 

Our community centers offer countless activities for families, and we especially love spending time at the nearby lakes and rivers kayaking or watching our nieces and nephews fish. What we love most about Bentonville is the strong sense of community and belonging that people here work hard to create.

Our home is a cozy 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom house on two acres just outside of town. We love having space for our pets, our chickens, and plenty of room to run and play. It’s peaceful and surrounded by nature, while still being close to everything Bentonville has to offer. It feels both adventurous and homey, and we truly love calling it ours.

Dear Parents,

We grew up in totally different places - California and Missouri. But, during both of our childhoods, we felt the pull to becoming parents, whether that was "playing house" or choosing names for our future children. We grew up in family centered homes where we always felt safe and loved and that is the kind of home we have worked to create. 

We met in 2015 at a BYU women’s soccer game. Rachel had just moved to the area and joined her cousins, while Derek showed up alone and scanned the crowd for a familiar face. Luckily, he spotted one - Rachel’s cousin, who introduced us. We clicked right away and started dating seriously soon after. Four months later, we finally shared our love for each other, and not long after that, Derek proposed. By December 2016, we were married. Nearly ten years later, we’re ready to start the next chapter of our story.

When we were dating, we always knew that we'd have fun together and we'd always be there for each other. Now, our relationship does look like that, but we never quite knew how awesome it could be. We can have fun together doing just about anything. We have remodeled our house together, built things together like our chicken coop and our deck, we've adopted and raised several pets together, and even during the not-so-fun projects, we're laughing, joking and making memories. 

We have a wide range of interests. Here are a few of our favorites:

• Rock climbing - this was one of our first dates and we continue to love it today.
• Watching and playing sports - we’re huge Kansas City Chiefs fans! We’ve gone to several games to support our family member on the sidelines.
• Traveling - we love to experience other cultures and learn about the history of new places.
• Camping - we love the outdoors! We have kayaks and enjoy hiking, swimming, and being in nature.
• We also enjoy reading, watching movies, and spending cozy nights in together with our pets. 

We have both been surrounded by adoption our whole lives - through extended family members, childhood best friends, and close connections. Even during Rachel’s Bachelor’s in Family Studies, she studied research on healthy child development and the unique blessings adoption can bring.

Because of our experiences with adoption, we have a strong belief in and respect for open adoptions. We are committed to sending letters, pictures, access to private social media accounts where we can share photos, videos, and updates on your child's life. We are open to the idea of in-person visits depending on times and locations. We are also happy to offer phone or video calls throughout the year for special occasions.

Our life experiences have helped us understand just how meaningful and difficult this decision is, and we’re so grateful you’ve taken the time to learn more about our family. Becoming parents is the greatest hope of our lives, and we believe adoption will be an incredible blessing, not only for us, but for the child we’re lucky enough to welcome into our home.

We’ve spent a lot of time and energy preparing ourselves emotionally and mentally so that we can be the best parents possible: to love your child unconditionally, teach them strong values, protect them, and give them every opportunity to thrive. Our Christian faith is at the heart of our family, and we believe in Christ’s power to teach grace, humility, and forgiveness. These are the principles we live by and hope to pass on to our children.

With love and gratitude,

Derek & Rachel