We love being parents, and when we knew it was time to grow our family, we did a lot of research and soul searching and came to the strong conclusion that adoption was the right choice for us. A significant factor in our decision making process was that after Clark was born, Briana experienced some health changes that meant a second pregnancy would put both her and the baby at risk. However, we did not mourn that we would not have another biological child. It has never been important to us that our children carry our genes. This may sound odd to some, but it is our truth. From the beginning of our relationship, we frequently considered adoption as a possibility for building our family. We feel incredibly happy that we are able to choose adoption for our second child, and we are united and at peace with our decision.

In our daily free time together, our family loves to play board games, put together puzzles, and take bike rides on the nature trails close to our house.

Briana enjoys getting outside in her garden during the warmer months, and bakes in the kitchen all year long.

Alex hosts a podcast with a friend from college, builds lego kits, prints custom creations on his 3D printer, and reads comic books whenever he gets the chance.

Clark likes to make crafts, have dance parties, and construct all sorts of towers and other creations with his building sets.

On weekends, you can find us cheering from the sidelines of our son's soccer match, going to church, and meeting up with Alex's family for dinner.

We also love to take vacations, and now that Alex can work remotely we've been able to travel more than ever before! In the past couple years we've been to Costa Rica, Boston, California, Hawaii, and Walt Disney World. We have a lot of good times together, and look forward to all the precious memories we'll make with our newest family member.

We are committed to ensuring that a child welcomed into our family would be raised with ample opportunities to experience their culture and spend time developing relationships with those who represent their racial and ethnic backgrounds. There is no question that it will take a large amount of intentionality on our part, as our family and community is not as diverse as some others. We don't see that responsibility as a burden, but as an exciting opportunity to learn and experience new things. Having spent a decade living and working in the San Francisco Bay Area, we were able to appreciate all the joys of living in a diverse neighborhood. From the delicious foods and various cultural events and parades to the amazing friendships we formed, we were sad to leave much of that behind when we moved to be closer to family in the Midwest. As parents, our duty to our children is paramount over all others. So we will stop at nothing, including packing up and moving, to ensure they are able to feel safe, secure and represented in their community.

If you take a walk around our six-bedroom home, it's obvious that we like to play together! On every level of the house there are spaces set up with toys, games, books, puzzles, crafts, and more.

Head outside and you'll find a neighborhood that is designed for families. There's a community pool, lake, and well maintained sidewalks that kids love to explore on their scooters and bikes. We're not far from highly rated schools, and we're directly across the street from a massive park with three playgrounds, a community center, ball fields and even an amphitheater for concerts and events.

The suburb we live in hosts a lot of fun community events. Recently we went to a kite flying festival with food trucks and bouncy houses, and we also attended "Downtown Days" where we rode carnival rides, shopped from local vendors, and ate funnel cakes and shaved ice.

We are also conveniently located about 25 minutes away from Kansas City and all the amenities it has to offer including a zoo, children's museums, theaters, and an international airport.

We live close to Alex's parents and much of his extended family. It's been amazing to attend large family gatherings a few times a year for the 4th of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The 4th of July is always spent boating on the lake, swimming in the pool, watching fireworks and usually eating too much BBQ. Thanksgiving and Christmas also mean lots of food, chatting, and all the kids running around and playing together. Being close to family means we also attend graduation parties, baby showers, swim meets, and many more special events. We also see Alex's parents weekly for a meal and some family time. They love to read Clark books and have special toys, games and puzzles set up in their playroom for him to enjoy.

Bri's parents and her brother's family live about a five-hour drive away from us, but they live right across the street from each other! That makes it easy to visit them all at the same time. When we get together with Bri's family we like to play lots of games and eat Nana's home cooked food (seasonally from her extensive garden).

We are overjoyed that both our parents adore being grandparents, and want to spend as much time with their grandchildren as possible. They have been incredibly supportive of our decision to adopt, and look forward to welcoming a new bundle of joy to our family!

We want to express our gratitude to you for spending the time to get to know us. We have family who have been through an adoption decision before, and we know it is incredibly difficult. We are thinking of you as you navigate this complex journey. Your courage and selflessness for your child shows great strength.

One of the first things we want you to know about us is how committed we are to each other and to our family. We recently celebrated our 12 year wedding anniversary, and spent time reflecting over the life we have enjoyed together. We could not be more proud of the partnership we have built or more grateful for the love that we share. Alex's work allows us to live anywhere, so we've chosen to live near extended family in the Midwest. We highly value our relationship with them, and enjoy the time we spend together. They have been incredibly supportive in our decision to adopt, and we can tell they're excited to shower a child with love and affection.

We're confident that we will provide a safe and caring environment for your child. Alex is a Software Engineer who is lucky to be able to work from home. In the past Briana has worked in quality assurance, but right now is at home focusing on being an excellent Mom. This gives us extraordinary circumstances where we're both able to be present to nurture and love a newborn baby, as well as support each other.

Our four-year-old son, Clark, is very much looking forward to having a little sister or brother. He often asks questions about who the baby will be or how he can help care for them. We've started to read him books about all different kinds of families, and adoption stories. We've done our best to teach him love and gentleness, and are proud to say we know he'll make a great big brother. Family is incredibly important to us, and we promise to raise your child to appreciate, respect, and support those around them.

Our home has an abundance of love and joy that we look forward to sharing with an adopted child. In our family, your child will experience doggie kisses, belly laughs, homemade meals, random games of balloon toss, getting buried in the sand at the beach, having books read with funny character voices, and playing outside in the rain, snow or sunshine. They will have grandparents who give bear hugs and tell corny jokes, who take them to parks, zoos and children's museums, who still get in bathing suits to splash in the pool with them, and who actively seek to spend more time with them. They will have parents who love them unconditionally, and who aren't afraid to stand up for them and advocate for their needs. We promise to support your child in whatever path they choose, while also fostering independence and instilling the values of hard work, integrity and persistence.

We plan to be open and honest with your child about their adoption. We want them to know their history, that you love them very much, and that your decision was hard. We promise to always speak highly of you, and honor you with our words and actions. You will always be important to your child, and you will always be important to us. We are happy to share with you about your child's growth and experience through photos, letters, and emails. We're also open to arranging visits when the time is right. We know the amount of information we are able to share in this profile is limited, so we gladly invite you to get to know us better before you make your decision. We are happy to work with you and American Adoptions to answer any questions you have.

Thank you again for your kind consideration of us as potential parents for your child.

Sincerely,

Alex & Briana