We love to go to Florida and go to Walt Disney World parks. This is something Abby has done with her family since childhood, and now Josh loves it, too. We enjoy visiting family and close friends in Florida, but also going to the Disney parks for family-friendly fun and entertainment. There is nothing like the magic of the parks for a young child, and we dream of taking our child here to watch their sense of joy and wonder at the parks. The music and fireworks shows are amazing every night. Also, the children's movies coming to life on rides and musical performances help keep everyone's creativity flowing and inspiration! Florida has some wonderful Spanish/Cuban food, which we also make a priority on our trips south. Generally, our trips have a mix of enjoying food, fun, and staying active on vacations... or perhaps just a day at the pool.

We both are committed to our marriage and creating a strong family environment.

For Josh, he is a tall, strong man who physically presents as a protector of the family. In his education and work, he is extremely hard-working and devoted. He is talented at accounting and budgeting - both at work and in the home life. He is sensitive and caring, and always has a kind, listening ear. He is goofy and fun, and cannot wait to be a dad. He is a godfather to his nephew and such a caring uncle to all his nieces and nephews. He is especially attentive to his special needs nephew, who requires specific types of interactions. We have traveled on group family trips with Josh's family to Charleston and Kiawah Island, South Carolina, where Josh loves to play in the pool with the kids and on the beach.

For Abby, she is highly emotionally and socially intelligent, in addition to being academic and book-smart. She is hard-working both at her job, with clients, and around the home. She is somehow able to manage so many things with grace. She is a beautiful with a great sense of style. Abby has a great sense of humor and is witty when telling jokes and having fun. She is a lot of fun to be around. She is a connector when it comes to her family, always keeping everyone informed and planning fun activities to get together and spend time.

Abby is a Cuban-American (Cuban on her mother's side) with European mixture on her other side. Her extended family came from Spain to Cuba. Abby's maternal grandparents lived in Cuba and returned to the USA during the Cuban revolution. Abby celebrates her Cuban/Spanish heritage most-often through cooking and family gatherings with Cuban relatives. We often cook marinated meats with mojo (citrus/garlic) sauce, paella and sangria or Spanish wines. It's important to honor long-time traditions, but also create our own family traditions along the way.

Josh has French-German heritage on his side -and we enjoy attending the German heritage society events locally, including the German Christmas Kristkindlmart for warm mulled wine and crafts around the holiday season.

Whatever the background of our adopted child, we plan to honor and incorporate our child's cultural heritage however we are able. This will be another important piece to our growing family heritage. We enjoy foods and celebrations from many different cultures, and we love to continue to educate ourselves and learn as a family through travel, festivals, cooking, museums, and history.

We have a beautiful brick home built in 1980's in a neighborhood called "Thousand Oaks" as it has hundreds, maybe thousands of mature trees. This shaded neighborhood is quiet and private. We have almost an acre of property where we have gardens with lilacs and allium flowers, to name a few. Our home is a four bedroom home, with three and a half bathrooms. We have a large living room in the first floor that connects in an open floor plan to the kitchen, so you can enjoy cooking and watching the family relax in the living room without missing a beat. There is a TV in that room so you do not miss any big games or Thanksgiving-Day-parade while you cook! We also have a room where we have french doors you can close to enjoy a quiet puzzle, read a book, or complete a drawing or painting. We have art supplies for dabbling in painting or drawing. This will be a nice quiet room for homework in the future as well for our child when it comes time for schoolwork or playing music. You will often find our two King Charles Cavalier Spaniel dogs sleeping on the rugs or on the couches snuggling up for a movie with us. They are so sweet and loving and cannot wait to snuggle up with a young child. Our neighbors on both sides have young children and play-sets in their yards, so any child would have a built in friend nearby!

We both love to spend time with family - as Abby's parents live just 10 minutes away, along with her sister, Ana, a short drive away. Family is important and remains at the center of our lives. Josh's family lives further away in Louisville area, there is no shortage of family events.On a local level, every fall we go apple-picking at the local orchard about 20 minutes away. You can do a U-Pick and try all the different apples fresh-picked from the trees. There are fresh-baked treats - local apple ciders, cider donuts, to name a few. We go every fall also to pick pumpkins to decorate or carve for Halloween. There is a petting zoo of small farm animals, including goats you can feed. We cannot wait to share this tradition with our child. There is no doubt when you go to the apple orchard with our child, the entire family may join in on the fun and treats! This would be such a joy every fall.

We would love for you to consider choosing us for adoptive parents of your child! We (Josh & Abby) have been together for 8+ years, and married for 5 years. We are both born and raised in the Midwest (Josh in southern Indiana/Kentucky area, Abby from Illinois). We both attended post-graduate studies in Chicago, IL, which is the city where we met and fell in love. We currently live in Peoria, IL, which is a mid-sized city in Illinois.

In our lives, we maintain strong professional careers, and have a commitment to family life - which currently includes our two cavalier dogs (Midas & Zeus)/extended families. We both share the same values and were both raised Catholic and were married in the church. We moved into a beautiful brick home recently, where we have lots of space for a child and for hosting family get togethers - such as Thanksgiving/Christmas. With Abby's parents living in town, we frequently get together for family meals and events. Our family cannot wait for a future child to welcome!

We have always wanted to become parents. Unfortunately, during our marriage, we have had fertility/medical hurdles and sadness in trying to expand our family naturally. With that said, we are thankful and excited to adopt a child and welcome that child into our loving home as our very own. We have a child's room ready, even with some clothes, books and stuffed animals - as we had hoped we would be blessed with the gift of a child for years. You could be the one(s) who give us the miracle of a child to care for and raise as our own. For that, we are truly thankful. You are doing something selfless for your child, but also for us - and you could make us the parents we have been waiting and preparing for years to be.

It is our goal to raise our child with a focus on a strong education, and give them every opportunity to pursue their dreams and creativity. There is no question that any child in our home will be supported, protected, respected, and loved. We want to give this child every advantage we can, but also keep them grounded in an appreciation for where they come from, and the importance of right vs. wrong. We have so many exciting and fun activities ahead for our future child! We really cannot wait for the time when that can become a reality for us.

The adoption process and decision-making is probably overwhelming or draining to you, on top of being pregnant. Just know that in choosing us, you will not have to worry that your baby will be in a loving and caring home. Your baby will never find themselves in a situation where they feel unsupported or unloved. We promise as parents to give your baby the most wonderful life and the best opportunities that we can provide. Once adopted, our child will know their adoption story, and we plan to be open and honest about the process. We value honesty and truth, which includes our child knowing as much as we can share about their birth parents. If you choose us, you will be giving us the greatest gift you can imagine, and we will not forget that, nor will our child.

Josh & Abby