Our shared life experiences have given us many unique perspectives that we hope to pass on to future children. But we are still children at heart! We enjoy watching cartoons, Disney movies, building with Legos, and having nerf gun battles inside the house!

While we are sure we aren't the only couples that do this, one thing that is very unique is our unbound imagination and curiosity. Julia gets to apply this as a nanny, creating fun games and circumstances for the children she watches over. For example, she created an entire obstacle course including different rescue situations for the Paw Patrol toys, so the three- and five-year-old could play and rescue other toys. Julia also loves to play dress up with the kids she nannies and has recreated scenes from the Polar Express.

Josh applies his creativity in the kitchen and through all the things he does around the house, to include making home-made board games and through art. Josh is able to cook new meals without recipes and is really good at substituting ingredients for food allergies. He also created an entire board game "expansion" to Julia's favorite board game which included our dogs and friends.

We are avid travelers and like to explore everything this planet has to offer. We are blessed to have careers that allow us time to travel. Between the two of us, we've been to over 29 different countries and 50 cities major across the globe! We've been to castles in Germany, explored an underground Cathedral in Colombia, swam with stingrays in Antigua, walked with lions in Africa, ziplined in Costa Rica, and went bamboo river rafting in Jamaica. We hope to make it to Australia and Japan in the future.

Most recently we went on a trip to Hawaii and explored the Island of Oahu. We took a tour on a doors-off helicopter ride and saw the beautiful shorelines and mountains! We also participated in some local Luau's and experienced a lot of the local food. We even swam with some sea turtles and took a ride on a submarine to a shipwreck!

It'd be great to be able to share our adventures and experiences with a child. There is so much to see, and we'd love for a child to be part of it. We also love to visit museums and do local events that would be perfect for a child to see and explore. Some of our fondest memories as a kid was spent on road trips with our parents. This is a tradition we hope to continue with children of our own. We can't wait to share our experiences and adventures with our children.

When we met, it didn't take long for us to know we were meant for each other. We complement each other very well and are a great team when it comes good things and bad.

Josh loves Julia's honesty, determination, and perseverance in difficult situations. Josh appreciates Julia's honesty and what is on her mind. Josh also admires her compassion towards other living things...especially our dogs! For example, Julia takes the time to meal prep our dog's food, create "treat hunts" around the house, and gives our dogs so much love. Julia's perspective on joy and life is unmatched in Josh's eyes and it is an absolute delight to see her play with her niece and nephew.

Julia loves Josh's patience, calmness, and his problem solving. Josh is very patient and can make well informed decisions for our family's short- and long-term goals. Julia also loves how he gives unconditional love to our friends and family. Julia also admires Josh's generosity and willingness to help others in tough situations. For example, Josh helped his good friend through a difficult divorce, through humor, food, and just being there.

In thick and thin, we respect each other's boundaries and thresholds and work together towards solving issues. A strength we both have and respect each other for is our communication. We don't let things bottle up and we make sure we resolve small issues before they become big ones.

We live in Virginia and really enjoy our neighborhood. It is a type of neighborhood where we know those around us through planned social events, holiday decorating contests, and when we walk our dogs. Everyone is very child and pet friendly here. Our neighborhood has a lot of different families with children that play basketball in the street, ride their bikes, or even have a space that they've played football and other sports. Our community also has a picnic area and a pond, but there are also two large parks nearby that have full playgrounds and play areas. We also live in a town that is extremely family friendly with a lot of community and family friendly events every week.

Our home has plenty of open space, to include 4 bedrooms and a loft. On the first floor, there are wide open spaces that we play with our dogs that would be perfect for a child's playroom. We spend a lot of time on the first floor playing games, watching movies, and cooking delicious meals. Our home is in a very safe neighborhood and there have been no reported crimes since we moved in over four years ago. We also have a fenced in backyard that is long enough to throw a ball for our dogs and would be great to add a swing set and more!

Our extended families come from very different backgrounds, but both are no less supportive of our decision to adopt a child. Both sides want to be fully involved in the process and have provided great support already in our decision making to take this very important step. Some members of Julia's family have adopted children.

Josh comes from a smaller family and is an only child. Julia has a very large extended family and is the second youngest of 3 other siblings. We also have a niece and nephew, with another on the way! Even though Julia's family has extended beyond 150 members on her mom's side, they still organize two to three annual gatherings where everyone will meet up and enjoy each other's company. Bigger events take place over a couple weeks, but includes family meals, friendly competitions (Swimming and other sports), and parties. The family often gets together for weddings, holidays, and other celebrations as well. Between our two families, we have relatives all over the country. Even though our combined families are large, everyone is pretty close and supports each other.

Just recently, Julia's brother got married and it was a great event to learn more about our new sister-in law. When together, our families will participate in local events, do escape rooms or similar activities, and try new things that are part of the area. We consider it "family fun." Our families also like to travel and will sometimes meet in different locations over the country.

We are humbled by the time you have taken to consider us as adoptive parents for your child. We can't imagine how stressful and difficult this decision must be. Your courage to consider any path is a testament of how much you care deeply about your child. We admire your bravery and love for your child.

At the end of the day, we also want what is best for any child. We have learned from this journey that adopting is full of challenges and we are ready to meet them head on. We will do whatever is within our power to unconditionally love your child and provide them a safe and happy home.

Josh is currently serving in the Air Force and has been across the globe in service of his country. He is close to retirement and looks forward to stability in future careers. Josh's greatest contribution to his service is how he has helped people, through volunteering and mentorship. Josh uses his leadership skills to bring out the best in people, believing that they can do great things through their unique talents. His service has proved to be challenging and fruitful, but his career pales in comparison to the excitement of adoption.

Julia currently nannies for a family and has 16 years of childcare experience. Julia connects with children through her legendary imagination. She makes everything fun and watching her play with our niece and nephew is pure joy. Julia has always felt she has had a deeper connection with children as she "shares a brain" with kids. In her time volunteering for Big Brothers Big Sisters, she was able to help kids turn their lives around, saved a baby from choking, and has had lasting impacts on many littles. Julia loves to work with kids because she is a kid at heart and loves to inspire their creativity.

We met in Arizona in 2015, soon after Josh was reassigned as part of his military service. It was obvious after we met, that we would fall in love and grow old together. There were three things we always talked about: dogs, travel and children. We were world travelers before we met, but it has been much more fun to travel the world together. We couldn't wait to add children to this mix as one of our dreams is to have family road trips; just like our families did back in our childhoods. Along with travel, we often spoke about children and our future with two legged little ones running around the house. Unfortunately, we discovered that it would be extremely difficult to have biological children of our own. It was a tough situation that took us some time to recover and accept.

But with tragedy comes opportunity. We decided to help children wherever we could, through overseas sponsorship and adoption. We are now very excited to expand our family and look forward to sharing the love and kindness we treasure in our home. As your child grows, we will provide them the support and love they need to grow up into a successful human being. We have a large extended family who will absolutely welcome your child with open arms. Julia's family has adopted children, so your child would not be alone in their adoptive journey. They will have many cousins, aunts, uncles and friends to share their experiences. We will also be with them every step of the way.

We are open to as much or as little communication as you'd desire, but we would love to work with you to maintain a healthy relationship. This can include visits, e-mails, or phone calls. We are especially comfortable with sending letters and pictures to you; to track the journey the child has made through their life. You will always be a significant part of your child's life, regardless of your decision. Because without you, none of this would be possible.

Again, we want to thank you for what you have done for your child and admire your strength to make the difficult decisions ahead of you. No matter the road you walk, know that your child will always love and respect you.

Sincerely,

Josh & Julia