We met in graduate school in California where we both studied Fine Art. The school allows students to take their dogs to class and we both flipped out because we had the same type of dog (French Bulldogs) as they weren't popular back then, so to see another frenchie was a rare sighting! We had an instant connection and started off being the best of friends. We also both liked to play basketball which was also rare in art school. We formed a basketball team with a few other friends and we would play once a week. We spent a great deal of time together during school and we wanted to share everything with each other. We collaborated on numerous projects and always supported one another. The two of us would spend hours talking on the phone even after we had just spent the entire day working on a project. This connection formed instantly, continues to this day and will forever because we love being in each other's life.

Earnest About Wendy: Wendy is the most unique person I have ever met. She has a mix of creativity and business sense that is very rare. She has an emotional intelligence that I luckily get to witness every day. She is very aware of other people's feelings which makes her a great friend, daughter and sister. Children are drawn to Wendy because of her fun personality and her amazing laugh. I know she would make an incredible mom.

Wendy About Earnest: Earnest is extremely gentle and kind and has a great sense of humor. He can also build and fix anything! He worked as a woodworking teacher at a progressive elementary school for over 10 years. It was so fun to visit the school and see how the children just adored him. They all loved wearing the safety glasses because they said they looked like Earnest. He is also such a gentleman. He opens doors for other people and the other day at the grocery store he walked an older woman to her car sharing his umbrella. I know he will make a great dad and teach his many skills equally to either a boy or a girl.

Adoption is a part of our life because our dear friend placed her baby for adoption in 2011 and Wendy's aunt placed her baby (Wendy's cousin) for adoption in the 1970's.

We feel very fortunate to understand both of these birth moms' perspectives and through their individual experiences we were able to see the evolution of adoption and also understand how open adoption has changed over time. We understand the benefits of being in an open adoption where the child knows where they came from and who loved them enough to make such a difficult decision.

Our friend and Wendy's aunt shared so much with us about how it felt to go through the process of adoption which gave us so much respect for their strength and selflessness.

We are looking forward to joining another person's journey and we are so happy to be able to offer support through this incredible and challenging time.

We live in New Hampshire in a great little town of 6,500 people. Our town is full of children and festivities, award winning schools and a great friendly community.

One of the most magical annual festivities is the winter parade. One hundred lanterns and floats are created by the kids in town and then they walk in an evening parade it is truly beautiful to see all of the hand crafted glowing lanterns. The community art making is a huge part of what makes it so special.

We live in a beautiful, light-filled 3,200 square ft. vintage farmhouse with original post and beam construction and wide pine floors. Our house has 5 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms and lots of house plants! Our property sits on 6.5 acres and abuts 172 acres of conservation land. The property used to be a working farm so we have big red barn that we renovated into our art studio. Our favorite thing about our house is the gardens. They surround the house with different plantings that flower seasonally. We have a lot of stone walls that are the backdrop to the gardens and we see a lot of critters, butterflies, toads and moths—a truly magical place for a child to explore!

We are so lucky to be surrounded by crystal clear spring-fed lakes that we swim at daily in the summer. There are also great parks and an Olympic-size community pool and an extensive town library.

Our family is collectively very excited about our desire to adopt a child. All of Wendy's family live on the east coast near us and Earnest's family lives in Ohio. We see Wendy's sister and mom multiple times per year. Wendy's sister, Holly, and brother-in-law, Zach, live close by in New York City so it is really fun to visit them and go to various museums and new restaurants that we research before visiting. They live by a large park so we take her dog Laney on a long walk there she is half lab and loves to swim so she jumps in the pond with all of the other dogs at the park.

Wendy's mom, Patty, likes to visit us in New England in the fall when all of the leaves are turning red, orange and yellow. We usually go to an apple orchard or go pumpkin picking (places she took us as kids). Wendy's dad Earl, and stepmom Bonnie, live in South Carolina. We enjoy visiting them for the holidays.

Earnest's mom, Kathy, and dad, Earnest II, live in the same neighborhood where Earnest grew up. Earnest's sister, Nicky, also lives close to their parents with her three children Clara, Johnny and Luke.

We are Wendy and Earnest and we're so thankful for you taking the time to read our letter! We hope this helps you learn more about who we are and gives you a good idea of what your child's life would be like growing up as part of our family. As you choose the right adoptive parents and home for your child, we want to express our gratitude for considering us. We think about you all the time and your selfless decision to consider adoption.

We are soul mates that have been married for 10 years and together for 14 years. We complement and support each other in all aspects of our personal, creative and professional life. We are at the place in our lives where we both have been able to pursue our own interests and goals and we have made a life that reflects that. We are so grateful for a life that enables us to be creative every day. We think a lot about leading by example and if a child sees happy and fulfilled parents they can in turn see themselves in that way. We have worked very hard to create a beautiful life for a child where they can be free to express themselves, explore their potential, and live their best life.

We plan on being very active and hands-on parents and we would love the opportunity to love your child as his or her primary care givers. Because we run our own business we will be able to raise your child ourselves outside of daycare. We will play with your child in our yard, visit the cows up the street and visit museums and events in NYC. We will do homework and make artwork together and laugh and be silly and teach your child kindness and empathy. We both value education and will make sure your child receives the best education-one that is tailored to his or her needs. We plan to show your child as much of the world as possible exposing them to different cultures, countries and ideas. We promise to be aware and sensitive to your child's emotions and we will make sure they feel loved, understood and listened to. If they show or express interest in an activity or in learning a new skill we will fully support them in their explorations and educational endeavors.

We feel communication between the birth family and the adoptive family is the most important aspect of the adoption process. Your child will know that the immense love for them comes from their birth family as well as their adoptive family. We promise to send letters, pictures and artwork to keep you updated throughout their childhood. We would also be happy to provide an in-person visit within 1-5 years of birth along with the letters, artwork and email updates. Also if you feel that you do not have enough information to help you decide and if you would like to learn more about us, we would be more than happy to chat by phone or exchange emails.

We admire and respect the decision you are making for the future of your baby. We will always be honest with your child about their adoption so they feel comfortable and confident in who they are. Most importantly they will know about their courageous mom and the loving and selfless decision she made for them.

While we hope we are the adoptive family for you and your child we know that you will make the best decision (the way best decisions are made) from your heart.

Sending you love and support,

Earnest & Wendy