Our parents each, in their own ways, taught us that raising a family is one of the best, most important things you can do in your life. Helping a child through the world is about learning to see life from a new perspective and helping make the world a better place than we found it. We are so excited to watch the simple things become extraordinary through the eyes of a child. Something we take for granted, like watching snow fall, is suddenly the most exciting thing that’s ever happened. Sleepless nights and dirty diapers will be worth it to see the world with childlike wonder again. Our collective lives have taught us that life is short; we want our children to grow up knowing that they should help others, take no opportunity for granted, and to see every dip in the road as a chance to grow. No parent wants challenges for their child, but we want to make sure they see every awkward moment, every missed goal, and ever mistake as a chance to learn and grow. We both had great parents who were just normal people doing their best for the children they loved, and we are so well off for it. That for us is what this is all about.

We love to play games and to be outside, and we try to stay active. Abby plays in a soccer league and Rachael does Zumba. We are fortunate to live near plenty of lakes, rivers, and mountains where we can explore either on foot or in our kayaks. There’s even a bike path that runs through our neighborhood and connects to other trail systems in our city and the region, and we take advantage of it often. We can’t wait to explore it with a child and experience it in a whole new light.

When we aren’t adventuring, we are often in our backyard, where we have a vegetable garden every year. What we can’t grow there we get at the farmer’s market downtown. It’s one of our favorite activities and we go every Saturday; they serve brunch, have live music and activities for kids. Abby’s mom volunteers in the kitchen and Rachael is on the committee so going to the market (or anywhere downtown) always turns into a visit with friends. Bringing a child with us will only make our weekends that much more fun.

When the weather keeps us indoors, we are likely curled up on the couch with a movie or competing in board games with friends and family. In fact, it doesn’t really count as a family gathering if games aren’t played, and we look forward to having an excuse to start playing our childhood favorites again.

Rachael About Abby: My favorite thing about Abby is that she is a great friend to the people in her life; she’s steadfast, has endless patience, and is a great listener. She always leans toward compassion, creating a safe space for herself and others to grow into better versions of themselves. These qualities also make her a great teacher. She has taught me how to kayak, backpack, play kickball, and care for our two rambunctious cats. She has also taught me how love myself and others, even through hard times. She keeps me motivated and focused on what truly matters in life. I am very excited to witness her become a mother, to pass on these amazing qualities and create more great friends for this world.

Abby About Rachael: Rachael is passionate about the people and things she cares about and has a childlike enthusiasm that keeps my world light. If she spots a bird on one of our hikes (and she always does), she’ll point, squeal, and try to identify the species. She loves dinosaurs, musicals, and bits of pop culture I will never understand. I can’t wait to watch her share that excitement and love of learning with a child.

She’s also not afraid to speak her mind, a trait I admire and one that helps balance us as a team. While she easily becomes friends with everyone and every dog, she reserves her inner circle for those she loves most and fiercely advocates for the ones she holds dear. There’s no other person with whom I’d want to be a parent.

We live in a four-bedroom home with a large kitchen that opens up into the living room, set in a wonderful, older neighborhood with big trees and a small creek. We love to cook and play games in the house, but our backyard is probably our favorite spot. We have a large vegetable garden and a fire pit where you can find us spending most of our free time from spring to fall. There’s a playground and picnic area within walking distance and a bike trail that connects to trail systems that expand throughout the city and the region. We often take walks and compete to see who can spot the most hawks, turtles, or rabbits.

We absolutely love our community and the area in which we live. Northwest Arkansas is a region full of growth and there is always something fun to do, no matter what your interests are. We have a world class art museum, children’s science museum, and a great music venue, but we are also situated close to plenty of lakes, rivers, and hiking trails to explore. The downtown area has family friendly events throughout the year, and every Saturday you can find us at the farmer’s market - either volunteering in the kitchen or enjoying a meal with friends. It’s a wonderful place to live and an even better place to raise a family.

Family is incredibly important to both of us and we are fortunate to have the love and support of so many people in our lives. Both of our parents are overjoyed about the prospect of becoming first-time grandparents. Abby’s mom, older brother, and his girlfriend all live nearby and we get together often for family dinners. We spend time going on walks with Abby’s mom and her dogs, or attending local events downtown together. Abby’s mom was a pediatric nurse in an intensive care nursery and can’t wait to have a baby in her life again. Abby’s brother is fun and outgoing and was destined to be the cool uncle. Sleepovers at grandma’s and visits with cousins are fond memories that any child in our home will have. Rachael’s parents and sister live in different states, but daily phone calls bridge the distance and her parents drive down in their RV any chance they get. They are eager to take a child on road trips to national parks and to shower them with love in that special way that only grandparents who live in a different state can. Rachael’s sister is energetic and caring and will be a wonderful aunt. Plus, she works at Disney World, so she knows how to bring magic into a kid’s life. All of the important people, and cats, in our life are so excited and supportive of our adoption plan and can’t wait to be a part of the child’s life.

We know you have a lot of options and a very big choice ahead of you so we sincerely thank you for taking the time to get to know us a little bit. We have lives that are full of love and adventure, but we are excited to expand our family and our hearts.

We have been through plenty of mountains and valleys in the 7 years of our relationship-from 18 months of long distance and the death of Abby’s father to exciting things like buying a house and getting married-and overcoming those obstacles, making tough or complicated decisions together, has only made us stronger. These experiences have cemented our bond as a couple and solidified our decision to be parents, not only individually, but together. Raising a child is a huge decision and an important responsibility. You can trust that, no matter what happens, this child will be guided through life by two people who work as a team and are not afraid of the hard parts of life. We firmly believe that everything we’ve been through, good and bad, has led us to this moment and we promise to use all we’ve learned to help any child in our care grow into a happy, healthy, and loving person.

Besides, we know that the best way to handle the challenges of life is to have fun. We promise to expose your child to a variety of activities so that they can find that thing that inspires them-we’ll enroll them in sports, encourage them to join clubs, and sign them up for camps. They’ll have crayons and paints, as well as Legos and stuffed animals. They will undoubtedly learn the name of every bird and plant that we see, and probably the winning strategy in each level of Mario Kart as well. We’ll give them a healthy push to engage in any or all of these things as they grow, and when they find what they are passionate about we will support them fully in exploring that love. We promise to do this in a way that is structured yet fun, reasonable yet exciting. And we promise to leave the spoiling to their grandparents, who are so excited to be a part of a child’s life. This kid will certainly be surrounded by aunts, uncles, friends, cousins, and generally the type of family that radiates love and acceptance (even if they are a little weird).

As this child grows up, we promise to keep you as informed along the way as you desire. We’ll send pictures, write letters, and allow space for your relationship with this child to grow in a way that is natural and true, and in whatever role you choose for that to be. We want you to feel confident that your child is being loved and cared for, and we want them to know where they come from, which includes knowing you. In our eyes, the decision that you are making is a brave one, and we promise to always honor and respect you for that choice in our home. We will ensure that we consistently present this to your child in a positive light.

Your child is, and will be, loved, cherished, and raised to learn as much as they can about this amazing world and how to be a part of it. Thank you again for considering us.

Rachael & Abby