One of our fears going into adoption the first time was what contact with our child’s birth family might look like throughout their life, and how exactly we were going to incorporate their adoption story into their everyday life. Once we met our son, Leland, and his birth mom and extended family, our fears began to melt away. His birth family supplied us with pictures of themselves allowing us to create a family album for Leland, and we have been intentional in helping him learn all of their names and faces. We exchange texts with his birth-grandma every few months, sometimes more often upon request, sharing photos and videos of Leland as he grows up. His birth family also chooses to send small gifts a couple times a year for him, and we always use this as an opportunity to remind him of how much he is loved and cherished by them.

While we know the relationship between our future child and their birth family won’t be identical to Leland’s, we will strive to reinforce the special bond that exists between them. We will ensure our children know their birth moms' names and understand the vital role they play in their existence and their life story. We will also do our best to encourage an ongoing relationship between them, so that they may continue to make the relationship their own as they grow up.

We are fortunate to have great friends and family to spend our leisure time enjoying their company. Locally, we have many friends who enjoy getting together for casual dinners and card or board games. Although board games may be the theme of the night, it is really just an excuse to enjoy time with friends. Our children will never lack playmates at these gatherings.

Nathan’s parents have a place on a lake which allows for great outdoor time with his family, including our adorable nephews. These weekends regularly include a variety of activities ranging from boating, fishing and swimming in the lake to water balloon fights, backyard games, and roasting marshmallows. Similarly, we enjoy getting away on our own to go camping or hiking at one of the many parks in the area. These trips allow us to get away from it all and enjoy nature together as a family.

We also like to see ourselves as amateur chefs in the kitchen. We both love eating good food and cooking together. This includes finding recipes with new ingredients to try out and share with our friends and family, as well as more casual weekly Saturday home-cooked breakfasts. We are excited to share our passion for cooking with our children by inviting them to explore cooking with us. Leland not only enthusiastically “cooks” in his play kitchen, but he also tries to help out in the real kitchen as much as possible.

Sarah About Nathan: Nathan is a jolly, old soul. He is my best friend and always makes me smile with the silliest “dad jokes” and creative puns. As I’ve watched Nathan grow over the last four years as a father, I’ve found myself in awe not only of his “fun” side - as he tickles and wrestles with Leland until they are both out of breath - but also of his patience and gentle nature towards myself and Leland – ready with an endless supply of hugs and snuggles when we seem to need them the most.

Nathan About Sarah: Sarah is, in a word, passionate. This applies to almost every aspect of her life. She is passionate about our family, our marriage, our home, our friends, her job, and everyone she meets. This means that she is driven to be the best wife, mom, friend, daughter, and any other role she plays. She dives headfirst into any problem that needs to be solved or task that needs to be done to achieve the best results not just for her, but for everyone around her. Her passion also inspires those around her, not only by her actions but in the way she passionately encourages others. It is great to have such a strong cheerleader in my life, and I can say without a doubt in my mind that our children will have the most passionate supporter "in their corner" in Sarah.

A few years ago, we relocated to Missouri to be closer to family. Sarah's parents are a short 30-minute drive away and love being "Nana" and "PopPop"! They are always ready and willing to come over to help out around the house, try out a new game, or just share a good laugh (and a good meal) together.

They watch our son, Leland, every week and regularly take him for a night (or two) on the weekend, so we can have a date night. Although Sarah's brother lives a few states away, he is a great uncle and visits many times each year!

Nathan's parents, sister, and brother-in-law live in a small town just a couple hours away. We enjoy regularly visiting them - whether it be to splash around in his sister's pool with our two little nephews or just to relax at Nathan’s parents' lake house. Leland loves going on “Papa’s boat” and kayaking with “Gigi” and he gets to be “one of the boys” with his cousins.

Both sides of the family also love travelling and exploring new places with us. Whether it is hiking mountains in Alaska or catching some sun on the beaches of Florida, every adventure is cherished with our family.

When we were searching for our home, we did so with a mindset that this would be the home we would raise our family in. We wanted enough space, not only for our children to play and grow in, but to host gatherings of family and friends in the area. We regularly host friends and their families for game nights, holiday parties, and sporting events.

In addition to these more intentional gatherings, there is rarely a day that goes by in our neighborhood where there aren't families socializing on driveways and in each other's yards. Kids racing big wheelers, sledding down hills, and splashing around in the kiddie pool are a common sight up and down our street. Our home is within walking distance of the local elementary school and close to numerous parks, hiking trails, and other fun outdoor activities. In addition to these local community features, we are a short drive away from the city of St. Louis. The city has many family friendly activities to enjoy including a zoo, science center, art museum, and, Nathan's favorite, baseball.

Thank you for taking the time to review our profile and for considering us for your child. This is just a short snapshot into our lives, but we hope that it gives you comfort to know that we will provide a great environment for your child to grow up in. We acknowledge the road you are on is tough, and we want you to know that we appreciate what you are doing and that we are praying for you (and your child).

We are each excited about the prospect of growing our family. We met at a summer camp 18 years ago at the college we both attended. We were good friends throughout college (and the duration of Nathan's grad school), but we didn't begin dating until we found ourselves in the same city in late 2013. We were married just a year and half later, and the first ten years of marriage has included lots of laughs and adventures. Since early in our dating relationship, we each expressed a desire to grow our family through adoption. This desire has consistently been confirmed and validated by friends and family, as well as those in our church community. After navigating our first adoption, we are even more confident that this is the means by which God has called us to grow our family. We are excited for the opportunity to add another child into the mix and to provide your child with all the love, affection, and care that we can.

Sarah is an engineer and has previously worked in education and in church ministry. She is a natural with children and considers being a mom her most important "job." Nathan is an attorney working primarily in patent litigation. He has a passion for justice, learning, and facing new challenges, and he loves his biggest responsibility in life - "dad." Although we both currently work full-time, we are ready and able to adjust work schedules and commitments to do whatever is best for our growing family. We moved to Missouri to be closer to both of our extended families. Our parents are overjoyed to add another grandbaby to the family, and our siblings cannot wait to meet their future niece or nephew. Our nephews always provide great playmates for their cousins at all the family holidays and get-togethers. Any child who comes into in our family will never lack attention or love.

Please know that we already care about you and your child. You are always going to be a significant part in your child's story, and we fully intend to embrace that fact. Just like we will encourage your child to embrace their heritage through learning more about their background and their biological family history, we will encourage them to embrace their birth story including their birth family. We look forward to sharing our excitement of watching them grow up with you by exchanging emails, letters, and pictures over the years. We are also open to the idea of in-person visits with you or video-chats when schedules allow. The bottom line for us is that we are excited to love and care for your child, and we will always want what is best for you and your child. We know that this journey is not easy, and we cannot begin to express how grateful we are to you for choosing this path. Thank you for letting us be a part of it.

Sincerely,

Nathan & Sarah