We spend a lot of our free time together and have so many activities we look forward to sharing with a child! We really enjoy gardening. We get a lot of satisfaction from growing and preserving our own food so we can have healthy and tasty meals all year long! We also enjoy baking together. We like football and although we don't agree on which team to cheer for, we have a lot of fun watching games as a family. We almost always have a DIY project that we are working on to make our house even homier.

Rachel loves to relax with a cup of coffee or tea and a good book. Her first job was in the children's section of our local library, and she can't wait to bring a child to her old hangout. She also enjoys music. She plays piano and ukulele and is really excited to see what instrument our future child may choose. She also enjoys walking our dog Jordie, doing yoga, crafting, and volunteering at our local foster closet.

Matt is very active and likes a wide variety of sports. He has been studying jujitsu for about 11 years and now helps teach the younger members of the class. He runs an annual half marathon, as well as several smaller races throughout the year. He's excited to play catch and take a child on bike rides! He enjoys watching TV or movies, especially comedy, as he unwinds for the night.

The question "What does it mean to be parents?" is such a big one. The definition is the process of raising a child to independent adulthood, but we feel that parenting is so much more than that! To us, being a parent means a fierce love and protection of a child. It means making sure our home is a nurturing environment that helps a child blossom. It means putting the interests of a tiny human over our own. Becoming parents is a privilege we can't wait to experience.

We are really looking forward to the little moments, such as giggles or the face the child makes when trying avocado for the first time. We can't wait to sing silly songs to our child and read "just one more" book before bed. We feel the best thing about being parents will be the joy and laughter that having a child adds to our lives.

We live in a four-bedroom, two-bathroom house in a quiet neighborhood in western Wisconsin. We have spent a lot of time on house projects so that it truly feels like our home. One of our favorite spaces is the deck we built; we love grilling out and being able to see all four beautiful seasons that Wisconsin has to offer.

Our neighbors vary from young families to retirees, but we are all quite close! We share a Facebook group to keep others informed of extra garden veggies, events such as the annual block party, and general news. Our neighborhood loves to celebrate Halloween – one house plays music and has a light show while everyone sits on their driveways for trick-or-treaters. The neighborhood also gets very excited for Christmas lights and is a favorite display for the whole community!

Our city consistently ranks in the top 10 most livable small cities in the US, and we'd have to agree. We love the blend of small town and big city. We have an awesome library, great schools, several theatres & festivals, and unique restaurants. There are also a lot of bike trails and fun parks in our city, and a handful of them are within walking distance from our home!

We are blessed to have a very loving and supportive extended family. We are close with our parents, and our siblings are our best friends!

Rachel's parents live within a few miles of us, and her siblings are close enough for day trips, so we get together for birthdays, holidays, and several times in between! We have so many family traditions that we are excited to include a child in such as Thanksgiving at our home, an annual 5k at a big Christmas light display, cookie baking, Christmas at Rachel's parents, and New Year's game nights at her sisters! Rachel's family also does an annual cabin vacation in July. Her nieces and nephews are already asking if our future child can come to their house to play.

Matt's family is more spread out – they are scattered throughout Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Arizona! We stay connected through regular phone and video calls, and we try to visit different family members throughout the year. When we are together, we enjoy trips to the park with nieces and nephews, gathering for family meals at holidays, sharing music, and playing board games.

In 2020, we started a Fantasy Football League with both sides of our families. It's a fun way for us to interact when we can't all be together. Our families are so excited for us to add a child to the team and are very supportive of our adoption journey!

We'd like to start by saying thank you for taking the time to review our profile. We are truly humbled to even be considered as parents for your precious child. We can't begin to imagine the emotions you are experiencing or how difficult this decision must be, but we want you to know we are on your side! We want what is best for this child and what is best for you. We hope that by us being open and honest about our story, you find it a little easier to know if we are the right fit.

We both grew up in Wisconsin. We met in high school when two of our friends starting dating. We had feelings for each other instantly, but Matt was nervous about starting college with a girlfriend still in high school - he was worried about the impact that may have on his relationship with Rachel's parents. We remained friends for eight years before we started dating in 2011. We got married in 2015 and vowed to remain best friends for the rest of our lives.

We currently live in the same city that we grew up in. We love that we have four beautifully distinct seasons here and really enjoy the traditions we have made for each. In fall, we love to bake apple and pumpkin pies, go on hikes to see the trees changing color, and we also host Thanksgiving. Winters are chilly here. We spend a lot of time indoors with holiday movies or a puzzle. In spring, we are always excited to see the tulips we planted pop up and to start our seedlings for the garden! Summer is our favorite - we spend a lot of time in our yard gardening or relaxing on the deck, soaking up the sunshine.

We are auntie and uncle to eleven amazing kiddos. We have so much fun spending time with them and watching them grow, which has really made us realize how much we want to become parents! We discussed several ways to grow our family and ultimately decided on adoption as our first choice. We have so much love to give, and we can't wait to add a child to our family. Rachel is excited for story time at the library, visiting the apple orchard, and holiday traditions. Matt is looking forward to playing catch, riding bikes, and going on fun trips as a family.

We know that being parents will not always be easy; challenges will come up that we cannot even imagine at this point. It's impossible to be perfect parents, but we promise to try our best. We will always provide a safe and nurturing home for this child. We also know that part of being successful in raising an adopted child will be openness and honesty about their story, and we look forward to including you in the narrative! We are happy to send regular updates including pictures of both day-to-day moments and milestones. We are also open to in-person visits when the time is right. We are excited to build a relationship with you!

Thank you for the taking the time to learn about us. We are honored that you are considering us as you make the decision of who will parent your child.

All our love,

Matt & Rachel