From our first meeting, one of the things that bonded the two of us together was our desire to have children one day. Obviously as two men, we could not do this alone; but also as two men with friends in similar situations, we are the only two that see children in our future. We have returned to adoption because of the absolute profound joy that Colin has brought to our lives and our desire to expand our family again. Genetics or not, we have now experienced the formation of a loving bond that cannot be broken with that child and will provide them with a safe and nurturing home. We will share the story of how they came into our lives and ensure that they know the gift that they are to our family and their history. We know that the addition of another child to our lives will bring even more joy to our lives and even to that of our son, Colin. We can't wait for these next steps and for our children to meet!

Our first favorite vacation spot is anywhere new that we have not been before. We love to explore new cities, countries, and environments. We like to become immersed in the atmosphere, and do as the locals do. We utilize phone apps like 'YELP!'; and 'Open Table'; to find the best local activities, sights to see, and food to eat.

We also have found a new love in exploring locations that maybe we have been to before, but Colin is experiencing for the first time. To see his eyes and ears soak up all of the new sights and sounds brings a new magic and way to travel both near and far. We are counting down the days until we can take him to 'Disney' for the first time.

For a consistent location, our favorite vacation spot is the beach. Aside from all the joy that comes with being with family, sitting in a chair by the water, not connected to the cell phone, internet, and reality - it is a well-enjoyed end of summer reset that allows us to return back home recharged.

Even though we did not grow up having dogs, we have both been dog lovers since we were children. Pets teach you responsibility and bring joy into your lives. As adults, we now have Reed, who is a 10-year-old Chocolate Lab and he is the biggest ball of love. He is so kind and loving, especially with Colin. He enjoys going for car rides with us, whether it is to a new park that we are exploring or down the street for an ice cream cone! His favorite activity aside from napping is swimming! Reed loves it when the weather warms up and he can go to Gram and Pap's house to take a quick dip in the pool. Pets are so important to us because they show us that unconditional love that we as humans desire and need. They also teach us to be kind, and patient, and how to care for someone who cannot always tell you directly (or even verbally) what it is that they need.

We live just outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in a ranch-style house with a completely finished lower level. There are 3 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, living room, dining room, family room, and a combined backroom/home-gym/office. We also have lots of outdoor space in both the front and back yards. The kitchen and back deck are what sold us on this house. We love to entertain friends and family and these locations are perfect for gathering.

The community is perfect for walking the dog with multiple parks, and playgrounds within a short walking distance. There is also a large community day held at the local pool/park that is down the street from our house and multiple youth organizations with opportunities for all sorts of activities.

There is a transition actively occurring in our neighborhood where older families are moving out, and younger families are moving in that either already have young children or who are pregnant. We also have several friends of ours that live within a 5-mile radius that each have 2-3 children under the age of 5.

We are both very close with our families. Brady's parents live within 10 minutes of our home, and Peter's parents live a little over 4 hours away on the Eastern side of Pennsylvania.

Every year, we take a week-long beach vacation that includes the three of us, our dog Reed, both sets of parents, and Peter's sisters, brother-in-law, and our niece and nephew. It is a full house but an amazing week that we spend hanging out together, sitting beachside or poolside all day, make a nice big themed dinner, and then play games and watch movies together in the evening. Everyone has grown such a friendship over the years and enjoys the time together. In fact, it has been going so well we started booking the following year's vacation before we depart at the end of the week. We are very lucky to have this opportunity, as most of our friends don't even believe we all get along so well.

Our extended families are beyond excited in our desire to expand our family again, and can't wait to celebrate holidays, and future beach vacations with our children. They have pledged their full support, visit often, and constantly ask us if we need anything and how they can help.

How do we even begin? First and foremost, thank you for reading through our profile and getting to learn a little about us. We may not yet know each other, but we are so grateful that you would even take the time to consider us to be adoptive parents for your child. We know that this is an extremely difficult decision, but want you to know that not only will we give this child a loving home with many great opportunities, but we will celebrate their origin and remind them every day how much they are loved and how you have helped us to add to our family.

We are Brady and Peter. Brady is a nurse practitioner and Peter is the principal of an elementary school. We met back in 2015 and while not a typical first dinner date conversation, we bonded over the fact that we both knew that one day we wanted to be dads. Of course, we put those plans on the back-burner and began to get to know one another on a deeper level. Our love for travel and adventure took us on many long weekend adventures across the United States. Annapolis, Boston, Houston, Las Vegas, and even a stop in NYC for New Years' Eve kept our relationship growing and with each trip we learned a little more about each other. We look forward to sharing our love of travel and food with our children and can't wait to show them the places we have been and make new memories as a family. After proposing at the Backstreet Boys concert (unfortunately, not on stage), getting married, buying a house, surviving a pandemic, and adopting Colin, we know it is time to begin our adoption journey, again.

Although we certainly did not grow up in perfect families, we both were fortunate to have loving families that helped us to grow into the adults that we are now. They encouraged us to pursue our dreams, supported us in each adventure and helped pick up the pieces when we hit some roadblocks and potholes along the way.

We are excited for our son Colin and our 10-year old chocolate lab, Reed, to bond with our new addition. Our sons mean the world to us, and cannot wait for them to have a sibling. With Brady's parents less than 5 miles away, Sunday dinners have already become more entertaining with the addition of Colin to our family. Gram and Pap are just over the moon and wear the badge of Grandparent with honor and pride. Visits home to Peter's family are more opportunities for the cousins to strengthen their bond with one another. Having a child has brought an unexplainable love into our lives and to those of our extended families as well. We cannot wait for them to grow and have family beach trips become filled with mini-golf games, extreme sandcastle competitions and group dinners.

We look forward to sharing our passions with our children and helping them to learn what they are passionate about. With both of us having been former swimmers and families having pools, we can't wait to teach our children how to swim and enjoy the pool, river, and the ocean. Being only a short drive to the city, we look forward to taking them to hometown sporting events, museums, the Zoo, and even river activities that make our city so unique.

We know that you did not come by this decision easily and want you to know that we will respect your desired involvement in the lives of this child. They will know their story, the love that you had for them and the unique way that strangers came together to build our family. They will learn about our heritage and their own and we will certainly keep you updated on their lives with letters, pictures, or the newest social media trend. We want to celebrate the gift that you have given us and help them to know their history, to whatever extent that you feel comfortable.

Finally, we want to assure you of these three things. This child will be loved and cared for. They will be educated and encouraged to pursue their dreams and what makes them happy. And, that they will be the greatest gift that we could imagine. We appreciate you taking the time to consider us and wish the best for you and your child.

Brady & Peter