Dear Birth Parent,

Hi there, we don’t know the words to say to start this so we’ll start with thank you. Thank you for not only considering adoption, but for also considering us. Whatever reason brought you to this decision, we are forever grateful. And this gift of life we will share is one for which we cannot repay. The simple fact that you are reading this is a demonstration of your strength. The will and courage it took to be where you are is the likes of which most of us only strive to have. We can’t pretend as if we know what you’re going through. But we want you to know that whatever adoption plan you choose we will honor, for without you this would never be possible.

We are Conner and Mysteree. We have some amazing friends. Our family can be a little wacky at times, but we love them anyway. You’ll usually find us volunteering at our local church or with one of the homeless organizations in town. If we’re not at church or hanging out with our homeless friends, then we’re probably scrambling to be on time to watch a hockey game or catching that sweet half-price deal at the Dave & Buster’s arcade. We love to travel, and visiting random U.S. cities is starting to become a trend for us. We carpool to work. We’ll sometimes go weeks without turning on the television. We give each other fashion advice, but we’re both likely out of style. We have a cat, his name is Colin, and we’re super thankful he’s well-behaved. And we can hardly wait to bring your child along with us for all of our wonderful adventures.

We cannot promise you we’ll be the perfect family – that isn’t who we are. But there are some things we can promise. We promise to always read that bedtime story one more time. We promise to stay up late an extra 5 minutes. We promise to make dinner time important. We promise to, every now and again, eat dessert first. We promise to be open and honest about our feelings – even if it’s hard. We promise to not take ourselves too seriously. Life is too short for that. We promise to enjoy each phase of your child’s life. They are only there for a moment and we know that if we blink we might just miss it. We promise to raise your child to be a generous giver. Generosity is the backbone of our time and our finances. We know the transforming power of giving and we want your child to know that power, too. We promise to never put our work before your child. They mean more than our careers ever will. We promise to surround them with fun, loving adults of whom they can look up to.

We promise that however involved you want to be you will always be known as an angel in our home. Whether you want to receive pictures and letters or visit and attend birthday parties, we are open to whatever you are comfortable with. We want you to be as involved in your child’s life as you want to be. Know that whatever that may be, your child will know who you are and that they have been loved from the moment they were born and there was never a moment they weren’t wanted.

Thank you for being strong. Thank you for being courageous. And thank you for the gift of life. We wish you well and hope we can come to know each other through the mutual love of your child.

Conner & Mysteree

Dear Birthmother,

We want to thank you for considering our family on your journey to adoption. We cannot fathom the difficult decisions that you are going through, but we want you to know that we are here to talk and answer any questions you may have. It takes a great amount of love to be able to consider pursuing adoption, and we are committed to sharing that love with you moving forward. As you contemplate your options and your decisions that lie ahead, please feel comfortable in getting to know our family and reach out when you feel like you are ready to.

We are certainly open to the idea of an open adoption. We believe that this can be a great relationship for all parties involved and are willing to share a child’s special moments with you if that is what you desire. There can certainly be a positive relationship between yourself and our family, and we would like nothing more than to make that a possibility. We look forward to sharing pictures, letters and special events with you in the future.

Family is a very important concept in our life. We have one of the greatest support systems that anyone could ask for, and we are truly blessed for that. Both of our families are eager and excited to help us on our journey and look forward to the day that we start our family of our own. We have very strong beliefs in the value of education and preparing for success in life. We are very fortunate to have the schooling opportunities and the occupations we currently hold. We believe that family can be constructed with anyone. An open mind and kindness can go a long way to building lasting relationships that can be cherished forever.

ABOUT US
We met during our first year of college and connected almost immediately. Makail moved south to experience college herself away from home, and Calvin did the same. Makail worked on a ranch as a CNA taking care of an elderly resident, and it was a great place for her to live at the time. Calvin enjoyed going there with her regularly, as the ranch was more of a resort! After dating for roughly a year, and still pursuing schooling, Calvin asked Makail to marry him. Calvin was in the military at the time and got orders to deploy overseas. This was a great test of our love and commitment to one another, and undoubtedly the hardest trial we have ever experienced. Upon return from overseas, we got married only a few months later and have never looked back. After Calvin’s graduation we moved north so Makail would have the opportunity to pursue her dreams in Nursing. She is the most compassionate person in her work and has been working in the medical field for nearly ten years. Once she completed her schooling, we decided we wanted to build a home together, and completed that recently in 2018. We now have two dogs to keep us company. Kodah is 5 years old and a husky/malamute mix, and Ruthie is a 2-year-old goldendoodle. They have the sweetest temperament toward children of all ages.

WHAT WE DO
We love to spend time outdoors and go on vacations as often as time permits. Our favorite way to vacation is definitely taking a cruise. We have done a few over the past few years and look forward to sharing this experience with our forever family in the future. We also live a reasonable distance from the west coast and Disneyland, which is Makail’s favorite place to visit. We look forward to the opportunity to take children there in the future, as it is a magical place to see! We have gone on vacations with our friends that have children, and love to spoil them as much as we can. A child in our home will have an extensive family and friend-based network to love them and support them through life. We are avid hikers, and love to go to the lake on the weekends when the weather is nice. We live where it gets hot, so swimming is a must for the majority of the year!

ABOUT CALVIN
Calvin grew up in Michigan and moved west after graduating high school. He has one younger brother and one younger sister. His entire family now lives in the same town so the support system for us is great. Calvin served in the Army National Guard for six years and spent a fraction of that time overseas. That experience has led him to appreciate the opportunities and freedoms that we all get to experience in the United States. Calvin graduated college with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and later went on the get his master’s degree in business administration. He recently started his own business and is now contracted as a regional sales representative for a ventilation company. This allows him to work from home the majority of the time.

ABOUT MAKAIL
Makail grew up in the west and left home after high school to pursue further education. Makail has one younger sister, who just started college herself and lives at Makail’s parents’ home. Makail worked while Calvin completed his education, and she recently received her Registered Nursing degree. She will complete her bachelor’s in nursing by late spring of 2019. Makail has always loved working in the healthcare field. She has been a CNA for several years and has been working in the nursing capacity for nearly two years. Currently she works part time doing home health and hospice visits, and she also works at our local hospital on the orthopedic and spine floor. She loves to help others and will continue to do so always.

WISHING YOU THE BEST
We are thankful for your consideration and for taking the time to get to know our family. We are blessed to be surrounded by vast amounts of support from family and friends that only want the best for us, and we know adoption is our path to growing our family. We have had a great time taking vacations and living our lives together for the past seven years, but we are at that point in life where we long to expand our family. We know in our hearts that we are meant to adopt. We have a lot to offer to children and have created a very opportunistic atmosphere for leading a successful life. We are always thinking and praying for you and wish you peace as you make these difficult decisions. We are always available to talk and admire you for both your strength and courage for considering adoption.

Greetings!

Thank you so much for taking the time to view our online profile. It is our hope that it can
provide a snapshot of our family and help you get to know us a little better. It is difficult to fully capture our family on “paper”. We are a very dynamic bunch who love exploring the great outdoors and learning new things together. We are ALL so excited at the possibility of
welcoming another child into our family.

We can only imagine the emotions that are encompassing you on this journey. As Mother
Teresa once said, “It’s not about how much you do, but how much love you put into what you
do that counts.” We believe this is so applicable to the love a birth mother shows her child by making difficult choices to ultimately provide the best future for their child. We thank you again for the decision you are making and send our love and support to you!

About our Family:
We reside in the beautiful Northwest which we refer to as Nature’s Playground! It was
important for us to pick a job location where the pace of life was slower than average.We want
to enjoy time together, not spend hours a day commuting in traffic. We want to unplug and go
ski or snowboard in the mountains without cell signal. We want to focus on what really matters
in this life and we have found our state to be a perfect fit!

Micheal is an Orthopedic surgeon and also a team physician for many of our local and college
athletic teams. He comes in very handy when we are sick or injured- ha! Adrienne has the job
she always wanted-a stay at home mother! She has a psychology degree but has stayed
home since having children. Our children attend an excellent small Christian school that
challenges them academically while simultaneously nurturing their hearts. It continues to grow
their faith and obedience to God exponentially.

Our children are so excited to add another member to “the team”. They have had everything
ready and set up for months! The younger one often asks “when the new baby is going to
finally get here”?!

We are a larger sized family and believe there are so many benefits to that! There is always
someone to experience fun with. You never feel alone. Our kids love being in the same
school. Whether it’s school, sports teams, church camp, etc., just knowing that they have a
sibling there gives them such peace and security. Our home is filled with creativity, lots and
lots of projects and plenty of imagination. Adrienne’s mother, who was a mother of five, always said “When you have another baby, the love isn’t divided…it grows.” And she was so right! Nothing brings Michael and I more joy that our children and we are so hopeful that we can grow our family one more time!

Our Promise:
Our family promises to be open and honest with our adoptive child about their background.
The child will know of your unbelievable strength and that journey that you selflessly embarked on to provide them with the best life. You are the hero in this and will always be remembered.

We promise to love, cherish and honor your child for the rest of our lives. Being a parent is a life time commitment and we will always be there to support and guide him/her. We will provide a safe and loving home, free from alcohol and drug use. We strive to make our home a place of refuge-a predictable familiar and warm place that provides respite from an often times tough and cruel world outside. Our home is a place where we are loved and show love to one another.

We promise to provide the best education for your specific child. Every child’s needs are
unique and as parents we work hard in figuring out what settings will help our children best
flourish. School is a big priority to our family as it is so important in providing opportunities for the future. We have made the commitment to pay for our children’s college education so that they can focus on their schoolwork-a blessing that was given to us as college youth via scholarships and parental assistance.

Dear Birth Family-
Thank you for taking the time to consider our family as you make your adoption plan. Having adopted Sam, we have seen first-hand the amount of love, courage, and strength it takes to entrust your child in another family’s hands, and can only imagine how difficult the decision is for you. We are forever grateful for the gift that adoption gives us, and will always think of you as part of our family. Our children will know they are adopted and we wish to give with them as much information about you as you are willing to share. We continue to provide updates to Sam’s birth family and love sharing his milestones and accomplishments with them. We are willing to work together with a birth family on the level of openness that is comfortable for all of us. Raising a child is our greatest adventure together, and we love helping a child grow and develop. We want to see it happen again with a second child. We value family, honesty, and humor and pour that into how we parent. Sam is incredibly excited to become a big brother, and is already talking about all the important things he can teach a sibling (how to build train tracks, which candy is the best, and which of his cars go the fastest). Here is a little bit about us.

Our Journey
We spent most of the first 5 years of our 10 year marriage trying to be parents through numerous unsuccessful infertility treatments. Through that process, we learned the value of open, honest communication and emotionally supporting one another. It was through these conversations that we realized being parents was the most important thing. That journey, although difficult, was a blessing as it led us to adoption, which led us to our Sam. As he grows, we find ourselves wanting a second child, and believe now is the right time to add to our family. We love being his parents, and work to instill confidence, kindness, and respect in him every day.

Will
Will is adopted and an only child. He is close with his parents and they are active in Sam’s life. He is the stay at home parent in our family. He is a fine artist and had a studio in our home until Sam came along. With a similar background, he believes he can help our children navigate the process of understanding adoption. Some of his favorite things are:
• Super hero movies
• Cooking
• Random movie trivia
• Bad Dad jokes
• Halloween

Lori
Lori is the youngest of five children born to deaf parents. Both of her parents have passed away, which has made the sibling bond even stronger. We gather at Thanksgiving or other special events, and spend a lot of time playing silly games and laughing together. Lori works as a manager at a large corporation, but enjoys a flexible schedule that allows her to volunteer at Sam’s school frequently. Lori’s favorite things:
• Building Legos and train tracks
• Movie theater popcorn
• Baking Christmas cookies
• Beach vacations

Sam
Sam is a very articulate and imaginative pre-schooler who keeps us laughing. He is as stubborn as both his parents, and loves to be moving. He loves the local zoo, the Children’s Museum, the Botanical Gardens, and just going to a park or play place. He is s flirt and loves teenage girls, and they usually love him right back. His favorite things are:
• Trains
• Garbage trucks
• Pizza and ranch dressing
• Dogs

What we want to give our children:
• Endless love and security
• Honesty and kindness
• The freedom to define their own identity
• A path to higher education

What we will teach our children:
• They can be anything they want to be
• To be kind
• How to solve problems
• To find humor and a life lesson in all situations
• The importance of family and friends
• And when life knocks you down, get back up and find another path

Our Family
We enjoy spending time together as a family. Sam loves the local zoo, Botanical Gardens, and Children’s Museum. We also frequent multiple parks in our area, which gives Sam lots of time to run, play and meet other kids. We have a small community of parents with whom we set up regular play dates. Family time can also be just vegging on the couch watching a movie together or playing some of Sam’s favorite board games (he beats us at Candy Land frequently), hide and seek, or trains. We also enjoy traveling together, either to see the grandparents on the West Coast or to our favorite beaches in Florida. We also do road trips to cities that have interesting train museums, or other great kid attractions. We definitely want our kids to see different parts of the United States and the world to give them an appreciation and understanding of different cultures and locations.

We value time with our extended families, and one of our proudest moments was introducing Sam to his grandparents. Will’s parents are so excited about a second grandchild, they are already making plans to be able to spend more time with us. Lori’s sisters love on Sam like a grandchild. One sister lives in the same town as us, and Sam is a frequent visitor to her house. She even put a nursery together when Sam was born so he could spend the night once a week. Lori’s brother is already a grandfather, and Sam loves spending time with his cousins when we are all together. The whole family is excitedly awaiting the arrival of another baby to our home.

Thank you for considering being a part of this big crazy bunch as a cherished birth family. We love big and laugh often and somehow that keeps our family together.

With great love and respect,
Will & Lori

Dear Birth Parent,

We are honored and grateful you have chosen to review our letter. We have been married for seven years. Christian is from Switzerland and I (Michelle) am from the United States of America. Our household is trilingual and we speak English, German & Spanish. We embrace our cultures and intertwine them into our lives. We have dreamed of raising a child speaking these languages and embracing multiple ethnicities.

Michelle
I am 5 feet 4 inches tall, with dark brown curly hair and brown eyes. I am Mexican American. My family has been rooted in the United States since the 1500s. I am bilingual and I speak English and Spanish. I understand some German, French, Italian, and Portuguese but I would not say that I am fluent. I do get by when traveling. I have always been interested in traveling, cultures, and how people interact. I have combined my interests with my profession. I have a Master’s Degree in Professional Counseling and I have obtained dual licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I feel people are an important resource and that is why I chose a profession to help people be their best. Aside from work, I enjoy making our home a haven both aesthetically and comfortably. I also enjoy dancing, reading, traveling, movies, water activities, and socializing. I am outgoing, assertive, and generally in a happy mood. I am always up for visitors.

Christian
Christian is six feet five inches tall, blond with green eyes. He is from the German-speaking part of Switzerland. He works for an international manufacturing company. Christian is a Manager-Engineer and is leading the testing department. He has been with this company for 16 years. Christian is a fun-loving person that is energetic and motivated. He never gets bored and is always happy. I do not think Christian has ever had a rainy day. He likes having projects to do, especially with his brothers or friends. Every time we visit someone they are so excited to see him because he can fix something for them. He is happy to oblige.
Christian enjoys socializing, watching Football and Car Racing, basically, anything that is mechanical and has a motor, and he is passionate about tools. Christian also likes to go Snowboarding when the time allows.

Our Values
We both value family, friends, our faith, our culture, and our community. We feel life balance is important. We value fun time and we work hard. As for our personal characteristics, we are honest, clear and follow thru with our commitments. Christian and I are both Roman Catholic and we hope to bring up a child in the same faith. Christian also volunteers with many activities for our church and enjoys socializing with fellow members. We also feel our community and our environment is important. We feel healthy attitudes along with clean air, water, and the food is important. Christian and I value our family traditions, and we combine our cultures to make it our own. We are excited to bring a child into this environment. We hope your child will love diversity as well.

Goals as a Family
We want to grow our family. Unfortunately, for us fertility treatments did not work out, so after a couple of tries, we decided to pursue adoption. We both have loving experiences with adopted individuals within in our families. We understand that your choice of placing your child for adoption was probably not your ideal choice. As a mutually beneficial experience through our agency, we hope to communicate throughout the child’s lifetime. We have a house in a quiet neighborhood. Our home is near schools with parks and trails. We also decorate for every holiday and participate in our neighborhood events. We would love to have a child to add to our experiences and help the child grow. We would love to share our experiences with your child to help them grow in education, music, art, cultures, physical activities and languages. These are experiences we enjoyed as children.

Vacations
Our favorite place to vacation is at the beach. We both feel that the water and sun are very nurturing. We also like to vacation in the winter. Christian has been skiing since he was three years old, he snowboards as well. We also like to socialize and host parties. We adapt well to different environments and enjoy socializing and learning new things. Since we both live far away from our families, visiting family is like a traveling vacation for us. Thank goodness for technology, we are in constant communication with our families and we seem to always have visitors.

Thank You
Thanks again for reviewing our letter and considering us to help raise your child. A child can only do well with more people to love them.

Dear Birth Parents,

As a mother, I (Cheryl) understand how much your child means to you. You love your baby and want nothing but the best for him/her; and as much as it hurts, your love is the reason you are considering placing your child with a nurturing family. I hope that we are that family for your baby. Since before we were married, David and I had always considered adopting. After much time, thought, and prayer, we knew that adoption was the way we would build our family.

In May of 2017, we received news that we were chosen by Eli’s birth parents to raise their son. While we still had to wait several months before he was born, we were ecstatic. Late one night, we got a text message from A Act of Love Adoptions: “It’s time! The doctor has scheduled an induction. You need to come now.” Within less than 24 hours, we boarded an international flight to Salt Lake City to meet our son. I remember walking into the hospital nursery, looking at our new baby. It was surreal. He was so tiny and helpless; a beautiful baby boy! We decided to give him the first name Eli, which means “My God,” and the middle name Jaden, meaning “God has heard; thankful.” God had heard our many prayers for a child and had given us a beautiful son; we are forever grateful to Him and Eli’s birth family.

Eli has completely changed our lives. David and I went from a family of two to a family of three overnight. While there have been many sleepless nights, our home has been filled with so much laughter and joy. It seems like everyday Eli is doing something new; from the first day that he crawled, to his first steps, and even his first words, it is hard to believe that he is growing up so fast.

David and I teach at an international school in Qatar, a modern country in Asia. The school we work for provides a US education to American children and other international families that live and work abroad. While the majority of the students at our school are from the US, there are over 80 nationalities represented. Students are from all over the world, including the Americas, Africa, Europe, Australia, and Asia.

The school provides staff members with housing. We live in a large gated community that is for the 300+ staff members and their families. Most families, several of whom have been built through adoption, come from the US and Canada, but there are also some from Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. The community has a clubhouse that has amenities like a large infinity pool, a child’s playroom, an outside playground, tennis and basketball courts, and a game room. Children freely play around the neighborhood. All the parents and children love having this safe, relaxing neighborhood to spend time together.

While our hearts and home are filled with so much love and joy, our family of three is not yet complete; we are waiting for another baby. If you choose us to raise your child, he or she will belong to a caring family. We will provide for all of his/her needs. Your child will receive the very best education, graduate from high school and have the opportunity to go to college. But most importantly, I promise you that we will love your child more than anything in the world and will raise him/her in a loving, Christian home.

Love,

Cheryl, David & Eli

Quick Facts

• We have been married for over 10 years.
• We adopted Eli from A Act of Love Adoptions.
• David teaches middle school math.
• Cheryl teachers 1st grade.
• David grew up on a farm in California.
• Cheryl grew up in Thailand, Laos, and Malaysia.
• David enjoys camping, fishing and playing the guitar.
• Cheryl enjoys crafts, playing volleyball, and catching up on the latest episodes of her shows.
• Eli loves dancing to music, toy cars, dogs and cats, and playing outside with friends.
• We travel around the world during our winter, spring, and summer breaks.
• We go home each summer to visit family and friends.
• On the weekends, we spend time as a family swimming at the beach or pool, playing at parks, barbecuing, and going out
to eat with friends.

Hi-

Thank you for taking the time to learn about us. We are grateful that you are considering an adoption plan. We can’t begin to understand what you are going through as you navigate the difficult decisions ahead but we admire you for your strength and courage. We are honored to have you consider us as potential parents.
We feel very fortunate to be able to provide a safe, happy and loving home, financial security, educational opportunities and lots of love and laughter. We are so blessed to have a wonderful life and are excited to build our future with a precious child. We can promise you that this child will be loved unconditionally by us and our family and friends. We promise to provide your child every opportunity to grow into the unique, special person they were meant to be.

About us:
We met at a mutual friend’s birthday party twenty years ago and have been friends ever since. We began dating in 2012 and were married in 2017. Our friends and family couldn’t believe it when we said we were FINALLY getting married.
School and jobs took us out of town for a few years but eventually we came back to live in our hometown close to family and childhood friends. We enjoy living close to major cities and love to take advantage of the arts, music and cultural events around us.

Our home:
We live on a tree lined street in a great neighborhood adjacent to a park with playgrounds and ball fields. Children of all ages can be seen playing in the common areas. The schools in our district are top rated in the state year after year.
We did most of the home improvements to the house ourselves. We love to learn something new and the house projects have proven both challenging and rewarding. At the end of a typical workday, we are at home making dinner together and talking about our day. After dinner, we like to take a walk around the neighborhood before settling in for the night.

About Bob (by Barb):
Bobby is a loving, devoted and caring husband and I am very lucky to have him in my life. He is also a wonderful son and son in law, brother, uncle and friend. He has a heart of gold and will be an awesome dad. He’s patient, kind, hard working and a very dedicated person. He is a home based employee which will give him the flexibility to be at home with a child.
He loves to attend sporting events and enjoys watching the professionals almost as much as he enjoys watching our nieces and nephews play. He is an excellent golfer and has been playing since he was a young boy. For many years he competed locally and regionally. We enjoy playing together and with friends.
Bob enjoys playing his guitars (acoustic and electric) and keyboard. He loves to practice and master a new song. He is also an avid reader and loves learning something new.

About Barb (by Bob):
Barb is fun, loving and loyal. It’s funny how after so many years we are still learning about each other. We are so similar in some ways and so vastly different in others. I love sharing my view of the world with her and I love understanding her perspective.
Barb always goes out of her way to help her family and friends and she enjoys spending her free time hanging out with them. She also likes to re purpose furniture and practice yoga. Barb loves to swim and was a lifeguard for many years. She is a morning person who has no problem getting up to go to the gym before work. Her office is a few miles from our home but technology has made it easy for her to work remotely.
Barb is a true people person and loves to stay connected with her friends and family. She speaks to her parents and sister multiple times a day and checks in with her brother frequently. She has such a special relationship with all of our nieces and nephews and I know she will be a wonderful mom.

Our family:
Our family is so important to us. We are both the oldest sibling in our families and have a very close relationship with our parents, our siblings and their spouses and kids. We are truly a loving, supportive team.
Bobby’s sister is married to her college sweetheart and they have three kids. His parents are divorced and his father has been married to his step mom for twenty years. He is very close with his step mom, step sister and her husband. Bobby’s mom is also very friendly with his step mother which is great. All three grandparents take turns watch the kids before or after school and drive them to after school activities and practices. Part of every weekend is spent on the soccer field.
Barb has a sister and a brother. When her sister’s son was born early, her sister and brother in law had to rearrange their childcare. Barb was able to stay at home with her nephew until he was able to go to school. She also lived with her sister and her family while her brother in law was travelling out of town for work. It was such quality time with everyone especially her nephew and niece.
Barb’s brother and sister in law have three kids who love spending time with their cousins and extended family. They are the most adventurous of our crew and are the planners of the group. They love sports, music and animals so outings often include one of the three.

Our favorites:
food: pizza
vacation spot: the beach
music: The Grateful Dead (Bob) country (Barb)
hobby: DIY home improvements
sport to play: golf sport to watch: football
color: blue
ice cream: vanilla (Bob) chocolate (Barb)
weekend activity: spending time with our family and friends

Thank you for considering us. We hope you always know what a blessing you will bring into this world.

Wishing you all the best,

Barb and Bob

Dear Expecting Parent,
We have been thinking about you for a long time and have been praying you are feeling loved and are being supported and well cared for by those around you. We are sending our love to you, wherever you may be. We will never truly understand all the decisions, thoughts and emotions you must be processing right now. You are extremely brave, and courageous in ways we can’t fully comprehend. We marvel at the depth of character required to express the kind of unconditional love you are displaying for your child by considering an adoption plan . We admire you and are humbled to think you might take the next steps of this journey with us.
We ‘re committed to our role in an open adoption. We believe that maintaining connections with one’s original family is foundational for the health and wholeness of any person. We hope to share updates and stories, pictures and life events in such a way that this precious child knows she or he has lots of people united in showering him or her in love. We will at all times honor and acknowledge the irreplaceable role you will always have in his or her life.
Our families taught us to attempt, above all else, to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God. We hope to share this simple yet challenging life-long aspiration with our children and can’t wait to discover along with them who they are as they grow and become themselves. We’ve learned that family is not defined primarily by biology but is formed through a commitment to care for one another in all the joys and challenges of existence. We are eager to embrace an open adoption relationship with you and to raise a resilient child who is surrounded by a dedicated community and is nurtured with the love of all kinds of family.
About Us
We met in Jon’s hometown in Western NY, 17 years ago. Cate had recently moved there to attend college and Jon had just earned his degree. Our first date was a home-cooked meal and an 8 hour conversation. We were nearly inseparable from then on. Cate knew Jon was a keeper when he agreed to help take her two kitties to the vet a week after we started dating! We got married in 2003 and agreed to make our lives together an adventure.
We spent our early married years enjoying good food, live music, theater, and fascinating people–and sharing all the fun of New York with friends from all over the world whom we welcomed to our Brooklyn apartment. Jon found a job with a tech start up and we moved to East Africa in 2016 . When we moved here from NYC, we were craving open spaces, trees, and a slower pace of life. We got all of the above. Now we have a comfortable home with a massive yard and plenty of room inside, too, for a child to stretch out and grow.
We consider ourselves profoundly lucky to live on a continent and in a region so rich in culture, history and natural beauty. It is also a privilege to be alive in an era of direct flights and Whatsapp so we can easily stay connected to our friends and family in the US and return there regularly for visits.

The things we enjoy doing together the very most are laughing, talking and traveling.
Whether it is for a spontaneous dance party in the living room or a multimedia dialogue on the strengths and weaknesses of US foreign policy, we enjoy each other’s company.We believe in rigorous curiosity and sincere inquiry – we try to remember to always take those principles on the road with us when we visit and live in new places and meet new people.We have been known to compose comical songs for one another on a dreary day and we find it is more fun to experience life together.
We are fortunate to be auntie and uncle to our 6 nieces and nephews and to the children of many dear friends. We can’t wait to welcome our child to the great big, international family we are blessed to call our own.
We have always agreed that we want to grow our family through adoption.
We both love children and are eager to share this enormous, fascinating, complicated world with them.

About Jon
Jon grew up in Western New York. Both of his parents are retired educators and they love their 3 J’s: Joel, Julia & Jon. With most of his family still living in NY we visit various parts of the state often. He graduated from a Christian liberal-arts college with a degree in Political Science & Writing where he also studied abroad in London. The same year he married Cate he moved to NYC and began a 10+ year career in advertising. In 2015 he took a huge cross-cultural leap by accepting a position to lead a fast-growing tech company in East Africa. He is dedicated to the mission of providing meaningful work to undeserved communities around the world.
About Cate
Cate grew up all over the place! In her heart, “home” is Nigeria, where she moved when she was 11 and stayed throughout high school.
Growing up overseas exposed Cate to many unique people, cultures and religions and gave her a deep heart for relating to people . Her upbringing was defined by service and the love of a diverse community. It has always been Cate’s dream to raise her kids in a similar manner – Cate and Jon agree their community in East Africa is perfect for giving kids the cultural exposure and nurture of a loving community.
Cate has a close, funny, brilliant family. Her parents are two of our best friends and we cherish their influence on our lives. Cate is tight with her 3 siblings, Michael, Erin & Meaghan. She cherishes all her friends and can’t wait for those we love to help us love on our kid!
Cate is passionate about how young people learn and spent 7 years tutoring and home schooling 4 young boys in NYC. She has also been freelance writing and producing documentary films in Africa since 2009.

With Love & Gratitude –

Thank you for taking the time to get to know us a bit. Our goal is to show you how many wonderful people in our lives are ready to embrace a child – one that our whole community has been preparing for along with us as we have waited to meet you. We were recently camping with a bunch of our friends when one of them turned and said, “You guys, look at all the aunts and uncles, cousins and friends WAITING to be your village and help you love and raise a child!”
We have enjoyed the years we’ve had just the two of us to see the world and grow together into the people we are, as individuals and as a couple. Now, we have switched gears and are focused on becoming parents. We are more than ready to be Mom and Dad.
Our community is oriented to and for children; there is room to play, fresh air to enjoy, family safaris, travel and camping to experience and, when the time comes, fantastic international schools with new friends from all over the world for our child to meet.
It has always been our dream to expand our family through adoption and we are excited that growing our family this way means having a relationship with the people who first loved our child and chose to give him or her life. We, along with our family and friends, are praying for you now and sending you our love as you navigate the decisions before you. You have our gratitude and our unending admiration and respect.
We look forward to meeting you and joining you in loving your baby.