For us, being a parent is one of the greatest responsibilities we will ever undertake.

Starting when they are a baby, we are responsible for caring for the child. As they grow, it is our responsibility to teach them as well. Teach them how to talk, read, and write. We also need to teach them right and wrong. We give them their moral base for their life, and teach them about God.

As all parents have said, every day is a fear of whether they are being raised right or not. But the joy that the child brings will help guide us through.

We are looking forward to making many memories together, such as watching the child play at home, taking family vacations together, supporting them through school activities, and many other opportunities.

As parents, we will help the child become a wonderful, hard-working, generous, adult who will treat everyone they meet with respect and kindness.

Our leisure time varies with our energy levels. When we are looking to relax, we read books, do a puzzle, or cuddle on the couch and watch a movie.

When we are feeling more adventurous, we like to go out and enjoy some of the many activities available near us. That could be a trip to the Detroit Zoo, the Henry Ford Museum, or our favorite town to visit, Frankenmuth. Frankenmuth has some great shops, horse carriage rides, and world famous chicken dinners. The unique attraction with this town is Bronner's Christmas Wonderland. A huge building that sells Christmas items all year long! To make time for all this, we like to stay at the Bavarian Inn for a few days. The hotel alone has three pools, a gaming area, and even an indoor putt-putt golf course!

Whatever our mood, there are many family friendly activities within an hour driving distance from our house. We can't wait to share these experiences with our children and watch them make memories that will last forever.

Both of us grew up in close, loving families. They taught us how to be kind and respectful to everyone else that we meet. We were also both raised in church as well. This helped give us a great moral compass for our lives. We learned from Jesus' example to love one another, and to treat others as we would like to be treated.

As for hard work ethic, Anna learned this from growing up on a dairy farm. Farming is hard work! It taught her responsibility and the drive to finish what needs to be done. This helped her pursue her goals to get a Master's Degree in Automotive Engineering. She has impressed her employer so much, that she rose to the position of Senior Project Engineer in her testing group.

Brian's lessons in hard work ethic came from his time serving in the active duty Navy for 8 years. It helped him develop discipline, teamwork, and the drive to succeed. He used that to help him get his Bachelor's Degree in college. Now, as a contractor, he has become one of his boss' most highly dependable workers.

Both of us come from very close families. Most of Anna's family lives on farms within 30 minutes of us. All of Brian's family is within an hour from us. We like to visit each often. Brian's family gatherings are usually large, and full of fun and laughter.

We go to family reunions both here in Michigan, and down in Virginia where Brian's Granddad lives. We love to share all the funny stories that have happened to us over the years. It is also common that instruments are brought out, and we will all start singing hymns together.

Anna's family has a great tradition on Christmas Eve. We gather at Anna's parent's house and have an indoor picnic! We cook hotdogs in a fireplace and eat traditional picnic side dishes.

Both of our families are very excited about our decision to adopt, and they can't wait to meet our new addition to the family.

We live in a rural part of town with a large backyard that's perfect for kids to run and play on.

There are many homes on our street with young children. The schools in our neighborhood are very good. We have an elementary school just a half mile down the road from us.

It is very easy to find something to do around us. We live within minutes of county and state parks that have play areas for kids of all ages. We are also within an hour of the Detroit and Toledo zoos, and we are looking forward to building memories there with our child.

Our town has an annual hot air balloon festival that fills the sky with color. Some of them fly right over our house!

In nearby communities there are many festivals to attend. Our favorite is filled with games and rides for the kids. It even has a baby farm animal petting zoo! After a day of fun-filled adventure at this festival, we like to gather together and share a funnel cake together as a family.

We are humbled and thankful that you have taken the time to consider us, and thank you for allowing us to share with you a little about ourselves. The road that you are walking is one with many choices and many staggering decisions to be made. If you should choose us, we promise to give your child a safe, stable, nurturing and compassionate home.

We met each other on an online dating site. Brian had just returned home a few years earlier from serving in the active duty Navy. At that time, he was still finishing up his college degree at Eastern Michigan. Anna had finished her schooling and was working at her current job for Nissan as an automotive engineer. By the first time we met in person, we knew we had something special. We were married on August 20th, 2011. While life has been a constant roller coaster for the past 9 years, we have learned that communication and the willingness to work together is what has kept our marriage strong.

Even before marriage, we knew we wanted children. Like many people, we planned on raising our family the traditional way. However, we have always agreed that we would consider adoption as well. As life went on, careers started, memories were made, and challenges were overcome, we realized that adoption was the right course of action for us to grow our family. This decision became most evident after we took Brian's Goddaughter and her older sister to Disney World. For a week, we got the chance to be Mom and Dad to these two wonderful girls. We knew once we returned home that we were ready to start raising our own family and making memories with them.

For a child, we value the importance of education, teaching by example, respect, maintaining a strong character and work ethic, and raising a child with Christian beliefs and morals. Not only are we committed to encourage a child in their interests and endeavors, but we are also devoted to ensure that the child will develop their strengths and enable them to reach their full potential as a productive, responsible, caring, and hard working person in everything they do in life.

We welcome your continued investment in your child's life, whatever you choose for that to be. We are happy to send email updates, with pictures and stories, as well as letters with keepsakes that mark milestones in your child's life. We are also open to making arrangements for visits when the time is right, if you choose that you want them. We are eager to know you and happy to work together to maintain a healthy relationship. We make this commitment to you that we will always speak highly of you and honor you with our words and actions. We will always be open and honest with a child in regards to adoption. We will make sure that your child knows how much you love them and how hard the decision was for you.

Thank you again for considering us as potential parents for your child. We have been looking forward to expanding our family for some time now and will provide all the love, devotion, and support that any child could ask for. We know that you have a very difficult decision ahead of you. You will be in our prayers as you are guided through this journey.

Sincerely,

Brian & Anna