We both work full time during regular weekday working hours. Nikky typically works 5 days per week now, but has already been approved to reduce to 3 days per week once we have started a family. We have a healthy work-life balance that allows us to have a regular schedule of time together as well as with our friends and family. We are early risers and enjoy exercising our dogs in the morning. After our typical work days, we like to have dinner together. Most weeknights we are both home, and throughout the year we participate in recreational sports leagues and other leisure activities. Matt plays softball and golf and Nikky plays volleyball. In our free time, we enjoy working on home and yard projects, spending time with family and friends, hiking or biking outdoors, boating and fishing, watching television, or enjoying music and playing games. We enjoy going to concerts and out to dinner occasionally, but also really enjoy our home and yard and all the activities we do there.

Our families both hold their own unique traditions, and we're excited to combine and develop our own family traditions.

Nikky most enjoys the fall season when her dad and step-mom host a pumpkin carving party, complete with chili and Packers football. Her mom's side spends a day of enjoyment at a corn maze and apple farm.

For over 20 years, Nikky's family has rented a lake house in northern Wisconsin every August and we spend the week with family exploring the woods, swimming, fishing, having bonfires and playing games. Our niece and nephews keep a steady diet of s'mores for the entire week!

Although Matt's siblings are spread across the country, we get together around Christmas time every year. We love seeing our nephews enjoy all the traditions that we held as kids. Grammy and Papa's sledding hill never disappoints!

Since meeting, our favorite tradition together has become "Island Friday's." We spend a lot of Friday nights at our kitchen island singing along to country music (sometimes with a few dance moves from Matt), playing games and unwinding from the week. It's simple and quiet, but we enjoy the time together and are excited to add a little one to the party.

Layla was a stray yellow lab that Matt adopted through the humane society when she was about a year old. She is the kindest and most gentle dog anyone could hope for. Layla and Matt were immediately close. So much so that when Matt met Nikky five years later, it was Layla that was most jealous to have to share some of his affection. Nikky adopted our two cats, Boots and Spooky, as kittens. It took some time, but we all became comfortable together. In late 2018 we added another yellow lab, Lucy, to our family. We love that they each have their own unique personalities. It was ultimately Matt and Layla's connection that opened our minds and hearts to the idea of adoption. They came together in an unconventional way, but to see and feel the love that so quickly developed and has remained for over ten years, we know adoption is for our family.

We moved into our home in July of 2019. We are excited to start growing our family to fill its four bedrooms.

Our home sits on just over five acres with a large lawn, woods and a beautiful view of sunset every night. Matt enjoys sitting on the deck and swimming in the pool, Nikky loves reading in the sun room by the wood stove. There is a recreational trail less than a half mile from our driveway that we often use to bike the short distance into town where there are parks, a splashpad, an ice cream shop and a few restaurants. Our school district has a low student to teacher ratio and rates well in academics, activities/clubs and health and safety.

We have many friends nearby that we see often who have children that our future child will have many playdates with. Our neighboring communities have annual fall and winter festivals that bring people together to celebrate the different seasons in Wisconsin. We are less than 30 minutes from Madison, which is a diverse community with museums, a zoo, farmers markets, college athletic events, and outdoor activities including lakes and parks.

Nikky's parents, siblings and families all live within an hour or so of our home. We are fortunate to get to see them all on a regular basis. She is blessed to have grown up in a large blended family, with four parents, five siblings, and now five nieces and nephews.

Matt's parents live a few hours north of us and we see them every month or so. Matt has three siblings and four nephews. His siblings live in Minnesota, California and Mississippi, and we have taken that as an opportunity to travel and see them on a fairly regular basis.

We spend time on virtual calls with our families as well, which helps keep us all well connected. All of them are overjoyed for us to add a new member to the family. We are most excited to see our child play and interact with his or her cousins. We both have large extended families and have fond memories of holiday gatherings and all the fun games we used to play.

We have been together for over five years and married just over a year and a half. Ever since we met, we have been planning our future, and have both seen children as being a big part of that future. Through the years it has warmed Nikky's heart to watch Matt interact with the children in our lives. When there is a crying baby, he will be one of the first to jump in and offer to rock the baby to help provide comfort. Nikky's nephew is one of Uncle Matt's biggest fans and always loves their time together. Matt always includes him whether they're going fishing, kicking a soccer ball around the yard, or gathering kindling for a bonfire at the cabin. Matt has watched Nikky's motherly affection throughout our relationship and dreamed of seeing her with a child of our own. From watching her make Christmas cookies with her niece, reading to our nephews and her everyday love for the children in our lives, he knows what a phenomenal mother she will be.

We have been trying to start our family since we were married, but unfortunately struggled with infertility. After much careful thought, prayers, and deep conversations, we decided to stop fertility treatments. Before we were married, and before we learned of our infertility, we had discussed adoption and hoped it would help us complete our family and our lives together. Something we read in an article along the way really resonated with us: "Do you want to be pregnant or be a parent?" We both quickly realized we wanted the experience of parenting children however God provided us that opportunity, and we are so excited to be on this journey. With that backdrop, we knew that adoption was the right choice for our family.

Our family and friends are thrilled to help us welcome a child into our family and begin creating traditions of our own. They are extremely supportive of us and our decision to adopt. Nikky put it best when she told her entire family of our plans to forego further fertility treatments and pursue adoption. Through the blended family she was raised in, it has taught us that biology does not make you family, love does. We are excited to extend our unconditional love to our growing family.

Our lives have been blessed with many gifts, and we love our family of pets. But more than anything, we have been dreaming of adding children to our family. Nikky has worked as a caregiver both in her current career as an occupational therapist and previously as an early childhood educator for ten years. She is excited to get to use the fun activities, nursery rhymes and children's books again with children of her own. Matt is equally as excited to become a father. We cannot wait to watch our child throw a tennis ball for our younger lab, Lucy, or reel in their first fish. We can already see the art projects covering the fridge and decorated Christmas cookies filling a dessert plate.

We admire your strength and humility as you consider an adoption plan for your child. We promise to provide a safe, supportive, stable, loving home and will provide continuous encouragement to your child to help them grow into a well-rounded adult who feels supported in all aspects of their unique self. We are more than happy to stay in touch through letters, photos, and emails to share your child's growth, if you so desire. We are also open to considering more contact if that is what you are looking for- please let us know and we will work together to establish that plan. We are praying for you as you work towards making a decision and we wish you the best.

Sincerely,

Matt & Nikky