After many years unsuccessfully trying to have a baby, we turned to adoption for our first child. Our beautiful boy Benjamin was born to birth parents who chose us to be his mother and father. We met them in the hospital after Benjamin was born and have sent photos of him along with updates over the years. We understand how difficult a decision it was for them to choose adoption for their baby and are ever so grateful that they trusted us with him.

When Benjamin came into our lives, we were filled with so much love and joy. We have loved watching him crawl for the first time, take his first steps, say his first words, and all the other firsts in his life. He's shared in our hobbies and love for adventure, going on trips around the country and visiting family over the holidays. He delights us with his love for music and dancing, big hugs and kisses, and the way he makes everyone smile. We have cherished raising a wonderful boy, instilling good values and teaching him to be a kind and caring person.

We are an adopted family, a story that we wish to build upon with a new baby.

We have always shared a love for the Chicago Bears, Bulls, and Cubs. Since Benjamin joined our family, Tracy loves teaching him about baseball and celebrating homeruns--the Cubs logo was one of the first symbols Benjamin could recognize--while Benjamin loves to tackle Pete after the Bears score a touchdown! We have been getting Benjamin ready to see an MLB game in person by taking him to see the local minor league team.

We love playing all kinds of sports in the backyard, kicking a soccer ball, throwing frisbees, hitting baseballs, and chasing whoever is carrying the football. On a warm summer evening, we'll run through the sprinkler and throw water balloons. In the winter we like to play in the snow and go sledding on the hill down the street. When it's too cold outside, we play basketball and mini golf in our living room, as well as board games and video games--Pete and Benjamin really love Mario.

Tracy loves planning vacations for our family. Most recently we traveled to California where we saw and played in the ocean. Benjamin really enjoyed playing at the beach, dipping his feet in the cold Pacific water, and chasing seagulls. We then visited Disneyland where Benjamin met all of his favorite Disney characters and had fun on all the different rides--we rode Monsters Inc. at least 14 times and he sang "It's a Small World" for months after we got home!

While both of us grew up in northern Illinois, we've lived all over the country since Pete joined the U.S. Air Force. Our more recent assignment brought us to Nebraska, but we've had the opportunity to live in many states and visit many wonderful places such as the Grand Canyon in Arizona and Yosemite in California. We've also followed our favorite baseball and basketball teams, the Chicago Cubs and Chicago Bulls, as they played other teams in various cities across the country.

Being a part of the military has been wonderful for our family. We've been able to meet and make friends with people from many different backgrounds and cultures. The Air Force truly is a family that takes care of each other since most are far from home and their extended families. The Air Force also provides great healthcare, education, and children's programs. Every year there are seasonal events, to include an Easter egg hunt, a Fourth of July fireworks celebration, a Halloween trunk or treat, and a Christmas party. Benjamin has thoroughly enjoyed going to these events, especially when they have bounce houses!

We live in Nebraska in a beautiful two-story, four-bedroom home with a fenced in backyard. Our neighborhood is a perfect place for a child to make lots of friends, with a playground down the street and lots of neighbors with young children.

Every year we enjoy going to apple orchards, pumpkin patches, dressing up for Halloween, and attending local Christmas events. Our community has great schools with lots of extracurricular activities for children, many parks with splash pads and playgrounds, a large zoo, a children's museum, many sporting events, and even a beach!

Our home offers plenty of space for our family to grow, and we already have a room set aside for another child. On most days, you'll find Tracy cooking or baking away in the kitchen. She is a fantastic chef - really, her cookies are to die for! You may also find us playing sports in the backyard with our son, running through the sprinkler and throwing water balloons, jumping on the trampoline, and playing in the snow during the winter.

We both consider ourselves lucky to come from such wonderful parents and to have such great siblings. Even though we don't live in the same state as our families, we keep in contact with them as much as possible and visit several times a year. Our childhood friends and their families are also very important to us, so we make sure to visit with them each time we're home.

Between Tracy's sister and Pete's two brothers, we have a total of nine nieces and nephews who we absolutely adore. All of them are very excited to meet their newest cousin. And we can't forget the grandparents - they are beyond excited to meet the newest grandchild in the family!

The holiday season is a very special time for us each year! We love decorating a live tree and baking cookies while listening to Christmas music. Pete also enjoys decorating the outside of the house (with a little help from Tracy too). On Christmas day, we enjoy opening gifts together, going to church, and sharing a holiday meal. We often make a trip back to Illinois to spend either Thanksgiving or Christmas with our families. This past Christmas, Tracy's mom came to visit and we visited Santa with our son, checked out the many Christmas decorations around town, and even saw live reindeer! We've made so many great memories during the holidays; we can't wait to make many more with another child.

Thank you for taking the time to learn a little more about us. We are so excited to begin this journey and cannot wait to welcome another precious child into our home.

Our story begins in 2001 when we were both attending the same college, preparing to embark on the same career: weather forecasting. Though we were separated by a year in school and didn't have classes together, it was a weather conference that brought us together. One night after the conference had ended for the day, we met while relaxing with friends in the hotel hot tub and immediately hit it off with our love for weather and the Chicago Cubs. A week later we went on our first date, beginning of the rest of our lives together. We were married in a wonderful church ceremony in 2006 in Tracy's hometown, surrounded by family and friends.

A couple years after getting married we were ready to become parents. However, after many years of trying, to include multiple rounds of IVF, we discovered that we were unable to have children of our own. Our desire for having a baby remained as strong as ever, so we decided to adopt and we were blessed with our son Benjamin in 2017. He has brought so much joy to our lives and is loved by all of our family and friends. We are ready to add to our family and Benjamin is very excited to become a big brother!

We currently live in Nebraska where Pete serves in the military. Tracy has been a stay at home mom since Benjamin was born. She loves taking him to mommy and me classes, going to parks and splash pads in the summer, and going on playdates with other military families. As a family, we love to explore the surrounding area, going on nature hikes, going to the children's museum, and the zoo. We also like to do other activities such as bowling, amusement parks, and going to the movies. While we will probably be moved somewhere new in the future, we always enjoy discovering new things to do as a family.

Thank you for taking the time to look at our profile, and thank you for bringing this beautiful baby into this world. We dream of adding another child to our family and promise to give your baby everything we have to offer, love, acceptance, nurturing, a healthy lifestyle, a great education, and a large extended family. We'll always remind your child of the great sacrifice you made for them and will always tell them the story of how they came to be a part of our family. We'll make sure you see your child grow by regularly sending pictures, emails, stories, and letters along the way. We're also open for making arrangements for future visits when the time is right.

We're very eager as we write these words because we cannot wait until the day when we can hold this precious child in our arms. We hope to meet you someday, but if we don't, we wish you all the love and luck as you sort out what is right for you and your baby.

Sincerely,

Pete & Tracy