We are a close family who really appreciates the little, everyday things we do together. We love passing down all the things our parents taught us, and we work hard to instill the same values in our children — We work on homework and help with chores. We play games and watch movies. We walk the dog or go for jogs. We read. We learn to love learning even outside of school. We learn to save our money in the bank. We learn to fix things rather than just throw them away. We fix our own cars and change our own tires. We fix computers and learn to program as well. We cook and we love to try new recipes. We learn to put healthy things in our bodies so they grow big and strong. We visit with our neighbors. We learn to treat adults with respect when they treat us with respect. We learn to look people in the eyes when we speak to them and shake their hands when introduced to them. We learn that Mom and Dad are always here to listen and help. We learn to appreciate the world and care for it. We learn to pray and love God. We learn to treat others the way we would love to be treated.

Debra enjoys hobbies such as crafts, baking, and exercising. We are fortunate to have enough space for a craft room with plenty of scissors, paper, material, and glue to build whatever our children's imagination might come up with. Debra loves to bake cookies, muffins, and breads to enjoy during the week. Our children often help Debra measure, mix, and add things like marshmallows as they learn to count and enjoy the product of their hard work. The family enjoys cool nights around the fire pit with hot chocolate and talking about our day. We spend weekends around the house playing board games, video games, crafts and building things with the kid's legos or other toys.

Jeff looks forward to seeing the Packers play and yelling at the TV when someone makes a poor play. He often works on the house or the cars while our son helps him with tools. Phone calls and Facetime to the grandparents and other family members is often a part of our weekends and week nights.

Our son likes to play Catan or Monopoly, video games, playing catch, building things with craft supplies, and playing with our dog Jack.

Our daughter spends her weekends from sun up to sun down in a different costume along with Elsa shoes, a crown, sparkly lotion, and hair accessories.

Debra is a doctor and a small business owner. She put herself through school while working and spent several years working for others before opening her own office. The private practice offers her the ability to bring our children to work with her. They get to see a strong, inspiring woman in a role where others respect and listen to her. Patients come to her for skills, knowledge and advice, but most of all for her help. Nothing thrills her more than when a patient leaves healthy and strong enough to continue their personal goals in life. Having her own practice also allows her to have enormous flexibility. She's the boss and that's the only person who has to approve leaving an hour early for activities at school or sports or with family.

Jeff is an engineer with an advanced degree who runs research and development for a midsize company. He has multiple patents to his name and has traveled to 49 states and three continents earlier in his career. He manages a staff now and trains other managers to help support their teams for future success. Jeff's employer offers great flexibility including the ability to work from home when kids are sick.

We live in Texas near the coast. We currently moved to a new house we had built. It has five bedrooms and five bathrooms. We spend a good portion of our time in the kitchen that opens into the living room. Down the hall is the kid's playroom that can be seen from the kitchen. We moved to be closer to Debra's office. This allows Debra to pick the kids up from school and take them to her office every day, where they stay and play and interact with patients.

There are several children in the section where we live and more are moving in as new homes are being built. There are two newborn babies that live across the street that will be great playmates for a new little one!

In the subdivision, there is one large pool with palm trees and a sunning area for the littles to splash and play. There is a park next to the pool that we frequent when walking around the pond as our kids scooter ahead. The house backs up to the pond where we see families walking their dogs, riding bikes, and walking kids in strollers. There is a green space a few houses down where several kids meet to play catch and other games of tag, etc.

Both sides of our families live in other states. We are able to travel a few times a year to see them. Our kids love to travel to the other states where it snows during the holidays. Our families often travel to Texas to see our children. Face time allows a good portion of our family to see the children grow, as well as social medial, pictures and videos.

Adoption has been on our minds for a few years now, as we want to expand our family and provide our children with more siblings to play with. Debra grew up with three siblings and several cousins that were a part of all major holidays. Jeff grew up with one brother.

Having friends and family that provide a close community to guide our children in the best direction is a foundation of our relationships with them. Learning from others in a positive way help shape our children's lives as well as our own. Seeing diversity in our friends and extended families help increase our culture. Learning new traditions or recipes or activities that make our lives more enjoyable.

We've thought for several months of how to express to you how much we will love a child that we have never met, never felt kick, and have never seen. We can say that, without a doubt, when we see them we will know that they will be a part of our family instantly.

We have been together for 12 years and married for 11. We met, got engaged in five months and married six months after that. Being in our late 20s at the time, we knew what we were looking for by then - someone to be supportive in life, share our strong faith, and raise kids together. We have found that in each other and we cherish the strong bond we share.

We love being parents and would do anything for our children. We look forward to growing our family and cannot wait for it all - The feel of their tiny hands as they grab ours for the first time, the smell of their hair after a warm bath. The excitement on their face when reading to them each night, a book we have read at least 100 times before, but may still be their favorite. Tucking them into bed and patting their back, one more time, even though it's been the 10th time that night. Taking them back to bed in the middle of the night after they had a nightmare and needed reassurance that it was just a dream. To listen to all their stories, big or small, important to me, or things that are important to them. We want to teach them to be strong when they get their feelings hurt, but try and stand by and learn life's harder lessons while we are just a step away. Waiting to hold them through their struggles of life, big or small.

We are excited to learn what this child will be interested in - whether it is arts, crafts and sports like Debra, or hockey and chocolate chip cookies like Jeff. We can't wait to enjoy summer swims with our children, learning to swim and splashing in the pool. Cool nights on the patio while we eat and watch the fire pit burn, as our dog Jack barks at the people that walk by. Hot chocolate on cold nights and breakfast for dinner, cause that is how we roll some nights. Waking up late on Saturdays and watching cartoons in our jammies. Homemade cinnamon rolls and frosting for breakfast and playing outside with chalk, kinetic sand, light sabers, bikes, soccer, baseball, basketball and the water table.

We are open to sending letters or emails and pictures to you. Our older children, as will this child, make a plethora of hand prints and drawings that can be mailed as well. Seeing pictures and things a child has created can give confidence in knowing that a child is cared for and loved.

We appreciate you, we love you, we can't wait to meet you. Thank you.

Jeff & Debra