One of the great joys of a married couple is the prospect of building a family and raising children together. After we married, we tried IVF and donor eggs to conceive, but it was not meant to be. During the entire process, adoption was always on our mind, because Mark adopted his daughter during his first marriage. One day, we looked at each other and realized that adoption is what we want because it is the perfect way to complete our family. Mark has experienced the beauty, joy, and happiness that adoption brings to a family, and we cannot wait to experience that together. We are so excited to provide this child with a home full of love, support, understanding, fun, and laughter, and watch him or her grow and develop. Mark's three children, Sheri's stepchildren, even though they have all moved onto college and life after high school, are really excited about adding a child to the family and welcoming him or her into the family.

Mark and Sheri balance, and bring out the best, in each other. One of Sheri's greatest strengths is understanding and being able to empathize with people. She is a wonderful listener and helps people take a step back from situations to help them make sense of things. She is a rock for her friends and family, who often turn to her for advice, and she is always happy to help. Sheri is also very funny and silly and loves to make people laugh. She enjoys breaking out into dance in the kitchen or singing jingles from commercials. She is extremely kind-hearted and has a soft spot for rescue animals - if she could rescue every dog that needs a home, she would!

One of Mark's greatest strengths is his optimism. He always sees and focuses on the best in people and situations. He is fiercely loyal to his friends and family and always thinking about ways he can help other people. He also has a fantastic sense of humor and a positive outlook on everything. People love to be around him. And, like Sheri, he enjoys breaking out into random dance in the kitchen! He is a wonderful father, family man, and friend, someone people always know they can rely on.

Mark grew up in Alaska and some of his family still lives there. Mark's aunt and uncle homesteaded in the 1960's and as a result, his family owns a property outside Anchorage that is 80 acres, has two lakes, an airstrip, and a wonderful cabin. The view of the snow-capped mountains in the distance is amazing! We visit as often as we can. It is incredibly peaceful and feels like a different world. There are moose we often see grazing the property and beautiful red foxes.

We love to travel in general and between the two of us, we have visited 29 countries. We enjoy learning about, and experiencing, different cultures as it gives a different perspective on everything. We look forward to sharing our passion for travel with a baby.

We also love getting back to nature, whether going to the beach for a weekend or renting a cabin in the mountains. There is something so tranquil about listening to whatever nature is around you, reading a book, unplugging from technology, and just spending time together. We also enjoy staying active through hiking, riding our bikes, kayaking, and paddleboarding, and love trying new activities, like white-water rafting and we even took curling lessons!

We live in Virginia less than 10 miles from Washington, D.C. Our house is two stories with a family room, living room, dining room, kitchen, four bedrooms, four bathrooms, finished basement, deck, and a beautiful expansive backyard. We spend most of our time in the family room or on the deck. There are no houses behind us so while we are close to D.C., the city feels like a world away, because our neighborhood is so quiet. We love playing fetch with our dog in the backyard or sitting outside, reading. We have deer, foxes, and several types of birds that we see in our yard.

Our neighborhood is full of families. There are lots of children who are always out riding their bikes or playing together. The neighborhood has a get-together every Friday evening and block parties every few months. When we moved in, several neighbors baked cookies for us and everyone we see walking has introduced themselves. It is such a warm and friendly area to live.

Our neighborhood is also less than a 5-minute walk to local parks with running and walking trails. We love to go hiking there or taking our pup for a longer walk.

Family is very important to Mark and Sheri. Sheri grew up within an hour of her extended family and saw them all the time. Sheri frequently stayed with her grandparents, aunts, or uncle, over weekends to spend time with them. Her extended family lives outside Philadelphia and growing up, they took family trips into center city to play tourist, visit historical sites, museums, or the zoo. Sheri's family still lives in Pennsylvania which is within three hours of Mark and Sheri, and they continue to see each other all the time. They still enjoy visiting museums; Mark and Sheri's Dad play golf together; Sheri, her mom, and sister enjoy cooking and baking together; in addition to everyone relaxing/ enjoying each other's company. Sheri's aunts and uncle will all be honorary grandparents, in addition to her parents!

Mark has 6 siblings and 15 nieces and nephews who live all over the country and they cannot wait for a new baby. He or she is going to come into our family with 15 automatic best friends! We do not see them as often, due to distance, but we visit as often as we can, and vice versa. We also catch up on FaceTime! Mark grew up fishing with his family, camping, enjoying water sports, and enjoying everything the outdoors has to offer. His siblings still enjoy all those activities with his nieces and nephews and we join whenever we visit!

We are humbled and honored that you are considering us. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We cannot imagine how difficult this decision is and assure you that we will give your child the most loving, supportive, and nurturing home.

We have filled our lives with support and love since we met and cannot wait to welcome a baby into that. During our first date, we met for dinner and closed the restaurant, because we had so much to talk about and so much fun. We quickly started spending all our free time together and introducing each other to our friends and interests. Mark introduced Sheri to rugby, and we have spent many Saturday afternoons watching rugby matches with friends. Sheri expressed her love for astronomy and one evening, Mark arranged a date where we looked at the stars through an advanced telescope at a local University. We quickly realized we wanted to spend the rest of lives together. We spend a lot of time with family and friends who are like family: Mark's friends have become Sheri's friends and vice versa.

When we met, Mark was an active-duty Officer in the U.S. Army. (He has since retired). Six months after we met, the Army sent Mark away for a year. Mark gave Sheri a box before he left, which contained 365 notes for her to read, one for each day he was gone. Mark was inspired by the letters Sheri's paternal grandfather wrote to Sheri's paternal grandmother during WWII. Sheri's family still has those letters and Sheri also kept all of Mark's letters. Mark surprised Sheri with a visit home in February 2016 and proposed using a note he switched. Sheri quickly said yes! Mark returned from his assignment in August 2016 and we got married in November 2016.

We always take the time to check in with each other and do small gestures to make sure the other knows how much we care. Sheri bakes Mark's favorite cake for his birthday, Mark randomly surprises Sheri with flowers, Sheri surprises Mark with dinner reservations at his favorite restaurants, and one year, Mark planned a surprise birthday party for Sheri with all her family and friends. We will do the same for this child, always letting this child know how much we love him or her and surprising him or her with small gestures.

Adoption is the perfect way to bring our family full circle. It is our meant-to-be path and the perfect way to make our family complete, given that Mark adopted his daughter during his first marriage. Mark's three children have all moved on to college and life and Sheri and Mark have never had the opportunity and blessing to grow as a family with a child of their own. We cannot wait to bring this child into our life, enjoy all the moments from the very beginning, share all the memories together, nurture him or her, and watch this child grow. Our hearts are bursting, just thinking about raising this child and providing him or her with all the love and support in the world.

If it weren't for you, we would not have the privilege of raising this child. We are very happy to share photos and letters. We are also happy to send email updates and are open to visit(s), if you desire. Overall, we are happy to accommodate whatever you wish.

We will be open about adoption with this child and make sure this child knows how much you love him or her and how difficult this decision was for you. We will ensure you are regarded very highly in the child's eyes and will forever honor you.

Thank you again from the bottom of our hearts. Your selflessness and bravery has given us the greatest gift we could ever receive.

Mark & Sheri