We like to live a balanced lifestyle with a mix of activities and relaxation. We are both very active through running, walking, and strength training. We like to get outside as much as we can and enjoy taking our dog to parks to meet other furry friends. While we enjoy being active, we also deeply value time at home to rest and spend time as a family. We love a good movie night alongside a delicious, home cooked meal. LeighEllen loves trying new recipes and baking, while Brooks loves to cook out on the grill!

Friendships and socializing are very important to us as well. We love the chance to hang out with friends, explore our city, and host people over for dinner and game nights. Brooks' family lives very close, so we spend a lot of time with them at each other's homes or going to sporting events and concerts in town. When we can, we enjoy taking trips to visit friends and family or experience new cities. We like exploring cities together and trying new things.

We would like to give you back story to what our first years of marriage looked like. LeighEllen was diagnosed with ovarian cancer just 5 weeks after our wedding. We immediately had to face tough decisions, surgery, and chemotherapy. We are grateful that her treatment was successful and, today, over 3 years later, we continue celebrating that LeighEllen is cancer free! It was a difficult time for our family, but it brought us even closer together.

Since early on in our relationship, we both expressed a desire to one day grow our family. We may not have known what the future would hold for us, but we are excited and thankful for the gift of adoption. After LeighEllen's diagnosis, we gave ourselves time to heal through counseling and prayer so that our hearts would be ready and open to welcome a child into our home.

We hope for the day that we can raise a child that will feel loved, supported, and given opportunities to succeed in life. We can't wait to make memories, teach skills, and build relationships with this child.

We plan to be open and honest from day one about this child's heritage. This is their story, and we do not want to keep that from them. Instead, we want to celebrate and embrace their background and history. We believe that family extends past race, skin color, cultural differences, and so much more. We value the relationship with this child, no matter what. We will raise them in a home where they feel proud of who they are and where they came from.

We plan to read books, ask questions, and take trips together to explore their heritage. We want to learn with this child about their history and hear about what they value so that we can celebrate their culture together. We live in a diverse area, with families from many different backgrounds in our neighborhood and surrounding area. We are thankful to live in a space that is welcoming of all backgrounds.

We bought a house nearly 3 years ago in Middle Tennessee. We have loved making this place feel like home. It is a 3-bedroom house with a fireplace, lots of windows, and a bonus room that we have turned into the ultimate movie room. We love our beautiful hydrangeas, screened-in porch, and large backyard. We enjoy hosting friends and family for game nights and grilling out.

Our neighborhood is full of sweet families that are always playing outside or riding bikes. Our neighborhood is connected to a long walking trail where we frequently go on walks with our dog. Your child would love playing on the neighborhood playground! We see families playing there often.

Our neighborhood community hosts events throughout the year. Every fall, we have a costume parade, games, chili cook-off, and more! It is special to be in a community that enjoys spending time together.

LeighEllen comes from a large family. She has 9 nieces and nephews that she loves to spend time with and play games together. Her family lives primarily across the southeast. Her family goes on a vacation every summer, visits throughout the year, and spends Thanksgiving together. Her dad was a pediatrician for nearly 40 years and recently retired. This frees her parents up to spend even more time visiting their grandchildren!

Brooks' parents live in the city over from us, so we get to spend time with them often. His dad loves to build and work on house projects. His mom loves interior design and is a great cook. His sister lives a state over, but they keep up through visits and phone calls. We love getting to visit Brooks' extended family. We spend Christmas with Brooks' family and eat delicious food, play board games, and watch Christmas movies.

Both sides of our families have been incredibly supportive and are excited about our desire to adopt. They are ready to open their arms to this child and have so much love to give!

We want to start by telling you a little bit more about how our relationship began. We met through mutual friends at Auburn University back in 2017. Over a year after that first introduction, we ran into each other after we had both moved to Tennessee. From there, we went on our first date to eat pizza and look at Christmas lights. We go back every Christmas to see the lights at the same place we went on our first date over 5 years ago. We got married in Auburn, Alabama on July 18, 2020.

Next, we want to say that we admire your courage and strength. If you decide to trust us with your child, we want you to know a few things that we hope will bring you comfort and peace.

As parents, we will provide a safe and caring home for your child. We will raise them in a home that promotes acceptance, support, and love. We will teach them to be proud of who they are and where they came from. We will always allow questions and conversations about their story, as it is something to be proud of. We are prepared to dedicate ourselves to supporting your child by celebrating every milestone and walking beside them through life's challenges.

We do not take the decision to adopt lightly. We have taken the time to prepare, educate ourselves, and understand how to support a child through adoption. We are committed to continuously learning about adoption to ensure we are equipped to provide the best possible environment for your child. We are friends with several families who have adopted and are able to learn from their experiences. We have asked questions, gained new resources, and will have their support as our family grows. We are thankful that your child will be able to grow up in a community with other families who have been blessed by adoption.

Your child will be surrounded by friends and family who will love and support them throughout their entire life. Our family and friends have been incredibly supportive of our decision to adopt. They are ready and excited to welcome a child into their lives with open arms. We are confident that our family and friends will love your child and will be their biggest fans through every phase of life.

Finally, it is our hope that our relationship with you does not end after your child is born, should you desire it. We hope that as we get to know each other more, we can decide what is best for you and your child. We would love to send letters with fun stories, memories, and milestones so that you feel part of your child's life. We would love to send photos so that you can watch them grow! We would love to visit you throughout your child's life. We want them to know about you and their biological family! Thank you for taking the time to learn more about us. We have the utmost respect for you as you make decisions for your child.

Sincerely,

Brooks & LeighEllen