Being a parent means taking on the responsibility of caring for and nurturing a child. It requires sacrifices, but those make joys more rewarding. Hearing the baby giggles, seeing the toddler's face light up when we walk in the room, or watching the child start to exhibit the values we were taught as children by our parents, those are the moments that make all the sleepless nights, all the worrying, and all the extra chores worth the sacrifice.

We can't wait to share in all the firsts, be the pillow for family movie night, read bedtime stories, and introduce our favorite activities, like ultimate frisbee and board games. We know that it will not be easy, and sometimes it will be challenging, but we look forward to growing with this child, teaching as well as learning together, and sharing the experiences of life.

In our leisure time, we prioritize outdoor activity and exercise. If we aren't out on the nearby walking trail, we can be found in our personalized home gym. Throughout the year, we enjoy playing in a local ultimate frisbee league, which was a great way to make new friends when we moved to the area. Those new friends piqued our interests in playing board games, and we started attending a board game convention with them in the fall. We also love to host family and friends at our house for board games while cooking delicious BBQ on our pellet smoker.

We also love watching sports together. Jesse follows the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans. Colleen grew up watching hockey with her dad and has been a Dallas Stars fan ever since. We both follow Notre Dame sports and love watching college football. Colleen and Jesse also patron the theater arts. Colleen was actively involved in high school theater and that love of musicals never left her. We have been season ticket holders for the touring Broadway musical shows for the past 3 years with no plans of canceling. On less busy days, Jesse can be found researching new board games to play, tinkering with the home server or 3D printer, or playing games on the computer. Colleen is usually watching sports or a crime show on TV. We look forward to sharing all of these different past times with a child.

Most of our family traditions revolve around visiting family for holidays. Colleen's grandparents rent a beach house on the Gulf Coast and invite the whole family for the 4th of July. We enjoy a week of beach games, puzzles and late night card games. For dinner, each family takes a turn making a meal for the whole crowd of aunts and uncles and cousins. On the same trip, we visit Jesse's family in Bay St. Louis for Crab Fest, bike rides, and more family card games. Both trips can get a little hectic with so many people in one house, but we love getting to spend time with family. Growing up, parades were an annual tradition for Jesse's family, whether it was Mardi Gras, St. Patrick's Day, or the Irish-Italian parade. Even when we don't make it down to Louisiana for the parades, we like to celebrate Mardi Gras in Texas with some King Cake. We alternate celebrating Thanksgiving with each family, and with Colleen's family we have started participating in local Turkey Trots to get the appetite going.

We live in a beautiful house in a growing suburban neighborhood with an active HOA. Our favorite rooms are our home gym and the upstairs loft area that we use as a game room. The HOA offers a community center with a pool, playground, and community garden. There is also a large separate shaded area with fire pits and access to a small lake via a floating dock. The HOA hosts events throughout the year like Easter egg hunts, pictures with Santa, and a huge fireworks display for the 4th of July with food trucks, inflatable slides, and other fun activities. There is also a paved trail that goes around the lake that is great for family bike rides and long walks.

There are 2 elementary schools and one middle school within walking distance as well as a public library and brand new community park. We like to also visit another nearby park to make use of the jogging path, partake in many unique cuisines at the food truck park, and maybe catch a summer concert. They are constantly adding new food trucks, so you can always get something different.

We both come from close-knit extended families. Jesse has 4 siblings and 21 first cousins, and some of his favorite memories are when everyone would get together. Usually there would be a cabbageball game or pool party to make sure everyone gets hungry, but you had to remember to always save room for dessert, especially grandma's rice crispy treats. After it gets dark, we would break into groups and play family rules "continental gin" regularly having three generations in the same game.

We have 8 nieces and nephews, so far, and live within 30 minutes of each of Colleen's 2 sisters and parents. During the summer, Colleen's parents act as hosts for pool parties and monthly get-togethers that tend to include a rowdy game of hearts or house rules dominos where "board talk" is both frowned upon and welcomed. Colleen's dad loves to cook burgers and brats on the grill and everyone looks forward to Colleen's mom's brownies.

While Jesse's family is further away, they are close enough that we can see them every couple of months for birthdays or holidays. We are known as the board game people to our families and are usually tasked with bringing the entertainment to all family functions. It has been a lot of fun to start sharing our love of games with our nieces and nephews.

We know that you are going through a complex experience right now. Considering adoption is not an easy journey. We are sure there are many emotions that you are navigating. We hope that we can help a little bit by letting you get to know us a little better.

We both met in college through mutual friends while studying for our engineering degrees and started dating right before graduating college. We dated long distance for 2 years before eventually ending up in the same city. After 5 years, we tied the knot and have been married 7 years since. Starting a family had always been on our mind, but Colleen wanted to finish getting her Master's degree before we added a child to our lives. Parenting is an adventure and challenge worth taking, but reducing other stressors ahead of time, was the goal.

While we first hoped that we could have a child naturally, surgeries and many doctor appointments later determined that perhaps that wasn't the path we were meant to walk. Colleen has always had adoption in the back of her mind as she has a close cousin that was adopted. Upon reflection, many late night talks, tears, and prayers, we realized that our main goal was to become parents. There are many other ways to become parents and we found adoption as a beautiful and worthy pursuit.

Please know that we admire your strength and courage to consider adoption. Know that if you choose this path, your child will be joyously welcomed and supported. While we both work full-time as engineers and will need to rely on daycare, we are both fortunate to have every Friday off. We plan to spend our availability with trips to the many parks, splash pads, and playgrounds in our area. We will sign them up as appropriate for all the different extracurricular activities: sports, arts, camps, scouting, and any other opportunity that may present itself. Our childhoods provided many opportunities for us and we want to share those experiences with your child.

Education is another important aspect in our lives. We also understand that different people grow and develop at different paces. We feel privileged that we can share our stability, patience, and joy of learning with your child as they explore their many favorite things and help their curiosity shine. There will be many stories to read, games to play, and museums to explore to help nurture an enthusiasm for knowledge and to try new things.

Lastly, we just want you to know that you will be welcomed and embraced in our lives. We will not diminish or dismiss the courageous act of love that you give your child by considering adoption. Your child will know who you are to them from an early age. We will happily share letters, emails, pictures, and videos with you showcasing the different milestones and favorite activities in your child's life so you know how much they are loved and cherished. We are also open to visits/video calls when the time is right.

We appreciate the time you've taken to get to know us. We know that this is an incredibly brave and difficult thing to consider. We hope we may have put your mind at ease a bit knowing, if you pursue this path, that your child will be loved unconditionally.

With love and admiration,

Jesse & Colleen