Adoption has already been integral to both of our families. Rex's father, Greg, and his brother were adopted at a young age when their mother remarried a man named David. Greta's eldest sister, Seraph, was adopted as an infant in a closed adoption. Both of their very different experiences lead to the same conclusion; love makes a family.

Greg's birth father left the family when he was very young. While Greg was never able to build a relationship with his birth father, his biological aunts and uncles played a very active role in his childhood. Greg has always emphasized how blessed he is to have his adoptive father, David, and his biological family in his life.

Seraph, in her thirties, recently sought out her birth family and found that they were ready to embrace her. Seraph, her husband, and children have gone to visit and taken family vacations with different members of her biological family. Seraph initially worried that her adopted parents and siblings might feel that seeking out her biological family meant that she felt they were not enough for her. She was relieved and grateful that her adoptive family was extremely supportive and that her adoptive mom wanted her to do whatever would help Seraph feel, "happy and whole."

These experiences of people that we both love dearly have shaped the way we feel about adoption. We see the blessings, the challenges, and learned the positive impact that could be found in an open adoption. Adoption lets children be loved by as many people as possible.

We are a team. Difficult things are easier to manage and joyous moments are more sweet because we experience them together. We believe that the greatest strength in our marriage is our communication. We have made open, honest, and compassionate conversation a top priority in our marriage and have seen our relationship thrive because of it.

Rex's strength lies in his ability to get work done. He is not overwhelmed by any task, no matter how large or tedious it might be. He is always able to buckle down and get it done. Then when his task is complete he takes great joy in slowing down to read, watch a movie, or enjoy some ice cream with his family. His talent for balancing productivity and relaxation is a blessing to our family.

Greta's compassion knows no bounds. She has a gift for bringing joy to others and comforting those in need. She sits with her friends and family through their hard times. She allows people to feel those difficult feelings, goes through their trials with them, and then cheers them on as they are ready to move forward.

We are both people who love to learn. We strive for growth and believe in setting goals; individually, as a couple, and for our family. We have become better people, not just because of the goals we've accomplished, but because of the times we've fallen short and learned how to move forward together.

We believe in knowing who you are. A big part of that is understanding your heritage. We want all of our children to feel a connection to their culture, their ancestors, and their history.

It is equally important to learn about other cultures and people. We live in a diverse area with extremely kind neighbors. Our local church congregation has members of various ethnicities. We love to spend time downtown where there are many family owned restaurants that offer food from different regions within the United States and countries around the world. Our local libraries offer historical exhibits and musical performances from a wide range of cultures.

In our own home we have children's books that tell stories about people of color. We seek out media, books, movies, and TV shows that offer stories and perspectives that are different from our own. We strive to make our house a place where any child would feel at home.

We look forward to connecting to the heritage of our future child and helping them develop strong bonds to it. We want to be the biggest proponents of them feeling proud of who they are.

As an Army family, we move every couple of years. We currently live in Georgia.

Our house is the perfect fit for us right now. It has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a smaller kitchen, and a big front room and family room. We spend most of our time in those two rooms. The front room is a great space for Weston to crawl around and our family room has a cozy couch where we snuggle up to read or watch movies.

We enjoy letting Wes crawl outside or splash in puddles on rainy days. We take lots of walks around the little loop of our neighborhood.

We love our neighborhood. Most of the residents have been here for many years. There are multiple families with kids of different ages. We drop off treats to our neighbors each Christmas and our neighbors have given small gifts to our son from time to time.

Our church is just a mile up the road, which has been great as we are active members in our local congregation. We teach a primary class of eight year olds and we love it. Our church is very family oriented. We have been gifted gently used baby items and we have, in turn babysat to help fellow parents.

We are not sure exactly how long we will be here. However, no matter where we go, we know there will be a local congregation, with our same values, that will be a supportive community for us.

We both come from very strong and connected families. We are all spread across the country, but play active roles in each others' lives. Each family tries to get together at least once a year and smaller groups of siblings or parents visit throughout the year.

When Greta's family gets together there are lots of games, treats, and many conversations that consist primarily of movie quotes. Greta was raised in a military family so she and her siblings are used to moving a lot and became very close. Instead of having a place that feels like home, it is having the entire family together that feels like home. Greta's family makes an effort to do a big trip together every other year. In 2021 we all went on a Disney cruise and for Christmas 2023 we are all going to Disneyland.

When Rex's family gets together they love to go out and play hard all day and then wind down with a movie at night. They are all born and raised Californians and are happiest near the water, preferably the ocean. Rex's dad was a basketball coach for most of his career and all of the kids grew up in sports. They still love to play and compete when they get together.

There are cousins on both sides that love our son and cannot wait to welcome a new cousin to the family. There are grandparents, aunts, and uncles who are so ready to love this child.

Thank you for taking the time to learn about our little family as you continue on this journey. We can only imagine what you must be feeling as you make this incredibly difficult decision. Please know that we pray for you every day. We truly believe that adoption is the right way to grow our family. And that includes you. We want to be another source of support for you as you navigate all of the choices and feelings that come with the adoption process.

We want this child to live each day knowing just how loved they are. We want them to know where that love started; with you. This child will grow up knowing that they were adopted and how beautiful that is. They will know that it was an impossible and self-less choice that you made for them. They will know that love is what made their family; the love that you have for them and the love that we will have for them. They will know that they are blessing in the lives of all who love them.

We know that adoption gives a child the chance to be loved by as many people as possible and we want to work with you to find a balance of openness that is the right fit for all of us. We would love to send you letters, pictures, and videos of this child. We want to share in the joy of this child with you. We also want to respect what you need to feel peace. If that means fewer interactions, fewer pictures, or none at all, we want to be a source of calm for you, not a source of stress. We also know that this may be a fluid arrangement as we progress in our lives. We want to create a relationship of trust so that we can each meet one another where we are right now and wherever we may be in the future.

We look to the future with joy in our hearts. We have been packing up clothes and toys that our son has outgrown and imagine the sibling he could share them with. We picture them meeting one another and learning of the special love and bond that can only be found between siblings. We see the Saturdays spent at the soccer field, going back and forth between both of their games. We see piano lessons, dance recitals, and science fair projects. We see matching Halloween costumes and Christmas stockings over the fireplace. We see bedtime stories and taking turns with who gets to pick the Friday night movie. We picture our future and we see love.

We cannot adequately thank you for even considering us as potential parents. We want you to know that we will be devoted to this child. They already have so many people that are ready to love them. They have a Grammy, Bap, Poppi, and Nonna who cannot wait to spoil them. They have aunts and uncles planning visits and cousins who cannot wait to play with them. They have a very patient cat who is ready to be chased and loved by them.

Thank you. Thank you for learning about us as you make this decision. We will continue to pray for you as you progress in this journey.

Sincerely,

Rex & Greta