Adoption has been a part of our family from the beginning. Jen and her brother, Jon, were both adopted as infants. Jen's family was always open about adoption and it was something that was celebrated. Jen has known her adoption story for as long as she can remember. One of Jen's fondest memories as a child is reading the book "The Chosen Baby" which tells the story of a family's journey through adoption. This book holds a special place for Jen and remains one of her favorites today. Jen views her adoption as a gift and something that makes her unique. She hopes her own personal experiences will help our child to understand adoption and how loved they truly are.

Adoption is not only a part of Jen's immediate family, but also her extended family. She has many cousins who are adopted. Our entire family is extremely open and views adoption as a blessing and something which is celebrated.

We view life as an adventure! Sometimes our adventures are while on vacation and sometimes they happen in very ordinary situations that provide an opportunity for excitement! We love to laugh and try new things so "adventures" come with the territory. We enjoy taking trips to see new places, trying new restaurants, and meeting new people. Traveling always provides the chance to explore and even when things don't go according to plan, we love the sense of adventure that comes with being outside of the normal day-to-day life. We have taken lessons in everything from sushi making to fly fishing! We've gone swimming with dolphins in Honduras and ate coconut chicken at a roadside shack in the jungles of Belize. Other adventures include seeing a Broadway show in New York City and taking a train to the top of Mt. Washington in New Hampshire.

Even in normal, everyday life there are opportunities to meet new people or explore something new and we often embrace the chance to go off the beaten path to share a new experience. Variety is the spice of life and we truly enjoy our adventures, both big and small. And we can't wait to share our adventures with a child to show them how wonderful the world can be.

Our dream for our child is that they grow up knowing that they are loved by both their birth parents and their adoptive parents. We want our child to experience life feeling secure in where they came from and who they are as a person. We dream of providing every opportunity for our child to succeed academically, socially, and spiritually. They will know that home is a safe place where they can always depend on us, no matter what. We dream of all of the milestones that await our child: first words, first steps, attending their first day of school, graduations, vacations, holidays, and personal achievements. We dream that they grow up knowing that they are supported and that one day they start a family of their own filled with laughter and love. It is our dream to raise a child that goes on to become a happy and healthy person that helps make the world a better place.

We live in a quiet gated community within a vibrant growing city. Our neighborhood has many green spaces for kids to play. We have a mixture of young families and retired people as neighbors. There are several local parks, playgrounds, and a swimming pool within walking distance of our home. The park closest to our home has movies-in-the-park during the summer with many activities for children – bounce houses, face painting, food trucks, and more! Holidays are very special where we live. The adjacent neighborhood hosts the largest trick-or-treating in the area, closing the streets so kids can go from house to house safely. They also host a large 4th of July celebration including a band, parade, and picnic! Living in the city, there is always something to do whether it's a concert, play, sporting event, or museums. We can't wait to attend these events with our future child!

We love our home and its location. We have plenty of room for our growing family. Our child will have their own bedroom and tons of space to play. The busiest room in our home is our family room where we spend most of our time together. We also make it a point to sit down as a family for meals. Sharing the day's events over a good meal allows us time to connect as a family. We have created a warm and loving home and always want it to be a safe sanctuary filled with love.

Family is something that is very important to us! Our families are excited to welcome the first grandchild and shower this child with love. When we relocated to our new home, our extended families came to celebrate our first Thanksgiving in a new city. We hosted nine relatives for the week and had an incredible holiday. We all made lasting memories that made our new house feel like a home! It was such a good time, that we are now on the regular rotation for hosting holidays! With family living nearby, we are able to get together often for visits. We also are centrally located for our extended family and frequently host them when traveling through the area. In addition, we live very close to several lifelong friends who are "extended" family. We share holidays and special events and they will be a part of our child's life too.

When we are together with our families there is a lot of laughter and love. Our cheeks hurt the next day from all the smiling and laughing! We enjoy playing games, doing puzzles, watching movies and sports together. We are all very supportive of each other and make sure to be there for special occasions. Our families are extremely excited about our adoption and are looking forward to a bundle of joy they can spoil with lots of love!

Thank you. Thank you for making this courageous decision and thank you for taking the time to learn more about us. We hope you can tell that our life is filled with laughter and love. We are so very excited to grow our family and share that laughter and love with a child.

We met 19 years ago and dated throughout college. We have now been married for 14 years and remain very much in love. Our marriage is built on respect, love, and communication. We have always known we wanted to grow our family and adoption has always been a part of our plan. When we learned that we could not have biological children, we knew adoption was the path God created for us. Jen is adopted, as are many of her cousins, making adoption a very natural way to grow our family.

Jen is a physician specializing in Maternal-Fetal Medicine and cares for women with complicated pregnancies. Jen has always known that she wanted to be a doctor. As a physician, Jen interacts with people from a variety of different backgrounds regularly. The most fulfilling part of Jen's job is helping mothers through some of the most challenging times in their pregnancy and working with them to achieve positive outcomes.

Chad is a high school football coach. His job allows him the opportunity to work with kids and serve as a mentor to them. A large part of his job is listening to his players and being a sounding board for whatever is going on in their lives. He loves watching his players mature and grow as individuals both on and off the field.

We are excited for the future and can't wait to explore the world through the eyes of a child. We wanted to wait to adopt so that we could provide every opportunity for a child. We are now at a point in our lives that we can devote ourselves to growing our family. Our careers are established, we are involved in our church and community, and we are eager to be parents! We look forward to experiencing the joys of parenthood and celebrating every milestone along the way. We are fortunate to have come from two amazing families and have great role models for parents. Our families are thrilled that we are starting this journey and cannot wait to surround a child with love.

We promise that we will provide a loving and nurturing home. Our child will always know their adoption story and you will always be honored for the decision that you have made. We will share pictures and letters/emails, if you desire. Family photos are extremely important to us. We make sure to capture both the special and the everyday moments.

Adoption is a big decision and a lifelong process. We believe God has a plan for us and our family. We trust that when the right opportunity comes along, everyone involved will know it in their hearts. Until that time comes, we will continue this amazing journey together.

Thank you for your strength and the courage to consider adoption. We couldn't grow our family without your selfless gift. We know this is a difficult decision and will keep you in our thoughts and prayers throughout this journey. No matter what you decide, trust that you are making a difference in many lives.

Chad & Jen