From very early in our relationship the idea of adoption was discussed. We have always had a heart for adoption and expected it to be a part of our family's future. Our plan was to grow our family biologically first and then expand our family through adoption.

We were blessed with our daughter Addison, now 5 years old. She lives life to the fullest and has the kindest, compassionate spirit. She has the best laugh, loves creative activities and exploring outdoors. Addison desperately wants to be a big sister and sweetly requests that in her prayers.

After our daughter was born, we struggled with secondary infertility for a few years; praying often for answers and wisdom for our future. While it was very difficult at times, the struggle caused us to grow as individuals and as a couple. Near the end of 2022 we learned the difficult news that having another biological child was probably not a reality. As hard as that was to hear, it provided us clarity and was an answer we were needing. After taking some time to process and grieve, we whole-heartedly turned the page to our next chapter.

Knowing we want more children and have the love to provide another child a wholesome and fulfilling life, we began the adoption process. We know adoption is difficult in many ways, but we also know that it produces beauty and hope. Our family is so excited to meet and begin life with the child God has created to join our family.

We enjoy quiet days at home, hiking and exploring outdoors and everything in between. Shelby and Addison (our daughter) are both artistic and draw, paint, and create together. We both love to cook, but not doing dishes (awkward ...). Shane loves music and plays the guitar and piano; he even surprised Shelby by writing a song for our wedding.

Our family loves traveling and takes multiple trips each year. We usually take one bigger trip in the summer, but really find some of our best adventures are just weekend road trips fairly close to home. We loyally cheer for our local sports teams and will attend a few baseball games each season. We like our nature time and enjoy hiking, fishing, and exploring in the woods. Addison loves skipping rocks in streams and helping in the garden. We enjoy game nights with friends and family.

Shelby's ideal morning is quietly reading her Bible while drinking hot tea. She loves reading and her stack of books is always bigger than her time to read. She enjoys checking out local coffee shops with friends and thrives on meaningful conversation with others. Shelby enjoys anything that involves kids and she volunteers each month providing childcare with an organization that helps single moms.

Shane likes grilling and smoking meat for guests. We enjoy hosting small back-yard BBQs that usually end with laughter, conversation and s'mores around the firepit. Shane also reads history and Sci-Fi books, turkey hunts, and enjoys quality time with friends.

In the seven years we have been together we have developed some small little traditions that are big in our hearts. The simplest and perhaps our favorite is "Family Movie Night" which involves stove popped popcorn, milkshakes, and plenty of blankets. We all look forward to this each week, especially Addison.

May is a big month for us as we celebrate most of Shane's family's Birthdays together. Father's Day involves a weekend activity with Shelby's dad and 3 sisters. Usually this entails BBQ, plenty of cousin play and going to a baseball game.

We love fall! Each year we visit the apple orchard and a pumpkin patch; both are fun family Saturday outings. The orchard provides fresh apples for Shelby's cast iron apple crisp. The pumpkin patch provides pumpkins to paint and carve for fall decorations. We also make one or two batches of spiced apple cider which is very popular with friends and family.

Small Fun Traditions: We make cinnamon rolls for every birthday breakfast, waiting with a present and balloon. Each December, we have a baking day with Grandma then deliver the treats to our neighbors and community friends. We make a big batch of homemade chex mix for New Years. At the first big snow, we make a snowman and snow ice cream (with extra sprinkles!)

We recently moved into Shane's childhood home on 10 acres. It has lots of trees to climb, a small creek to play in, and plenty of space for gardening, exploring, and enjoying the outdoors. Our 2 story, 3 bedroom home has lots of open space for running and playing and yet maintains a "homey" feeling. The kitchen table is the heart of our home where we enjoy home cooked meals, meaningful conversations, and playing games with family and friends. We love hanging out in the living room, reading by the cozy fireplace in the winter months. In the warmer weather we enjoy meals on our back deck, watching kids play in the yard, and listening to the birds. Upstairs you'll find Addison's bedroom, a second bedroom ready and waiting for our next child, and a fun loft/homeschool space.

Our home is right between a smaller town that has a "small town" feel and a wonderful suburb of Kansas City. It has all the shopping places, so many tasty restaurants, and our favorite playground parks and nature trails. We enjoy attending the local "Downtown Days" each year, visiting the Farmer's Markets, and supporting our local baseball and football team (both on TV and in person).

We both come from backgrounds with strong family relationships that we value greatly.

Shane's family is small, very close, and likes to laugh…a lot. Regardless of the activity we are doing, it usually ends with us all laughing pretty hard. Shane's parents live 10 minutes away in a quiet neighborhood that is a fantastic setting for "Grandma and Grandpa's" house. They love being grandparents and our next child will gladly be welcomed into the fun of eating popcorn, sleepovers, and playing games. Shane's brother lives three hours away and visits fairly often for holidays and family events. We enjoy playing games, watching sports, and eating good food together. We usually take an annual vacation to the mountains or the beach.

Most of Shelby's family lives two hours away and we love visiting the farm! One sister lives locally which we see often. Shelby has a close relationship with her three sisters and they FaceTime often to keep in touch. Family trips usually involve a zoo, children's museum, or exploring nature. Addison adores playing with her cousins and our next child will be well loved and spoiled by all the Aunties and cousins. Shelby's dad has a heart of gold and comes to visit often- which sometimes includes a house project, eating out, and playing games. The entire family gets together for birthdays and holidays. Shelby's mom goes 'all out' for a family Christmas and decorates cookies with the grandkids each year.

Hello, we are truly thankful and humbled for your interest in our profile, and to have the opportunity to share with you a bit about our lives.

Right now, we can't even imagine the weight and difficulty of the decisions you are faced with. We genuinely wish we could just reach over and give you the biggest hug- to let you know you are loved, and you are cared for. Should you choose us to be the parents of your child, we want you to have confidence that your son or daughter will be given so much love, share in our laughter, and be taught of God's profound love for them. Please know that we will not be perfect, but we promise your child will always be safe, loved unconditionally, and will be taught to value honesty, hard work, and laughter.

Our life adventure began nine years ago when Shelby moved in with some of Shane's best friends. It wasn't long before Shane started visiting a lot more often; we were married three year later. After the wedding in 2017 we spent the first couple years traveling, working, and genuinely enjoying life. Those first few years gave us an opportunity to build a foundation in our relationship that we still carry with us. In 2019, our beautiful daughter, Addison, was born. Becoming parents has been such a wonderful blessing filled with so much joy and love. It also has caused us to grow, both as individuals and as a couple. We tried to expand our family again biologically for a couple of years when we were finally told that was unlikely to happen. After some time of processing the emotions and with lots of prayer, we were able to turn the page and are so excited to expand our family through adoption. Adoption has always been something we have discussed and thought we would pursue it after two biological children. God seemed to have different plans and we will do it His way! We have so much love and affection to give our next child and we know Addison will be the absolute best big sister.

Shane works at a bank and always makes sure our family is taken care of. He absolutely loves being a dad who fully engages in playing, teaching, and caring for our daughter in all the best ways. He can't wait to teach a new child how to fish, introduce them to good music, and play sports and games in the back yard!

Shelby enjoys being a stay-at-home mom but also occasionally works as an Occupational Therapy Assistant with children. Her background gives her useful expertise in working with child development, teaching emotional regulation skills, and fine motor skills. She LOOOVES babies and kids and often babysits for others, teaches children's classes at church, and volunteers in childcare with an organization that helps single mothers. She genuinely loves people and connecting with others.

Again, thank you for your considering us as Adoptive parents. If you do choose us to parent and guide your son/daughter we would love to stay connected to you. We would share the child's growth and experiences with you through letters, pictures, and likely the child's artwork. We would also be open to calls and annual visits, hoping to bring you in as part of our extended family. However, we also value and respect your desires, boundaries, and preferences. We always want to be open with your child about their strong and brave birth parent(s) and promise to always put you in a positive light. Never doubt how strong and brave you really are- even on days it doesn't feel like it! We have been praying for you and will continue to do so as you walk the difficult journey. May the Lord guide you, strengthen you, and provide you peace with your decisions.

Sincerely,

Shane & Shelby