Emily loves Doug’s steady heart. He is calm, loyal, kind, and has a way of making people feel safe and cared for. He brings humor into our home and can make even an ordinary day feel fun. Emily admires the way he shows up for the people he loves, whether that means helping family, encouraging a friend, or being the calm voice in a stressful moment. She knows he will be the kind of dad who gets down on the floor to play, cheers loudly from the sidelines, teaches with patience, and makes a child feel completely loved.

Doug loves Emily’s nurturing spirit and the way she pours her whole heart into the people and animals she loves. She is thoughtful, driven, organized, and deeply family-oriented. She is the person who plans the gathering, remembers the details, makes people feel included, and creates a home that feels warm and welcoming. Doug admires her strength, her faith, and her ability to keep loving fully, even through hard seasons.

Together, we balance each other well. We laugh often, support each other deeply, and share the same dream of raising a child in a home filled with love, stability, and joy.

Animals are woven into our everyday life and make our home feel even more full of love. Kip, our Shih Tzu/Poodle mix, is our sweet, cuddly little shadow who is happiest being near his people. Kingsley, our Belgian Malinois, is smart, loyal, full of personality, and always ready for a walk, a game, or a new adventure. Together, they are our built-in welcoming committee, our walking buddies, and the reason there is usually a little extra laughter in our house. Both dogs love children, and we can picture them happily being part of a child’s everyday world, from neighborhood walks and backyard playtime to cozy snuggles nearby.

Emily’s horse, Tabitha, is also a very special part of our life. She is a Friesian and truly a gentle giant. Tabitha loves kids and has a kind, steady spirit that makes her so special to be around. Time at the barn has taught Emily patience, trust, confidence, responsibility, and the joy of building a bond over time. We would love for a child to grow up surrounded by animals and the lessons they naturally teach: gentleness, kindness, responsibility, patience, and unconditional love. Whether it is helping fill a water bowl, tossing a ball, giving gentle pats, visiting the barn, or learning that animals are family too, our pets are part of the joyful, love-filled life we cannot wait to share.

To us, becoming parents is the dream that has lived quietly in our hearts for a long time. It is not just about the big milestones, although we cannot wait for those too. It is about the ordinary moments we have imagined again and again: hearing a little voice call for us in the morning, making pancakes on a Saturday, holding a tired child after a long day, reading one more bedtime story, and becoming the safe place they know they can always come back to.

We look forward to the beautiful, messy, everyday parts of parenting: wiping tears, answering questions, packing lunches, cheering loudly from the stands, having small conversations in the car, helping with homework, and watching this child discover who they are. We cannot wait to show them the world, but also to see the world through their eyes. Our home is already full of family, friends, pups, laughter, and memories, but we know there is a space in it that has been waiting for a child. More than anything, we want this child to grow up knowing they are deeply loved, fully supported, and surrounded by people who will cheer for them in every season of life.

Our extended families are a huge part of our lives, and one of the things we are most excited to share with a child. Emily has two siblings, and family gatherings usually include a full table, cousins running around, lots of laughter, and someone suggesting a game after dinner. Her sister lives just 20 minutes away with her husband and two daughters, and her brother lives in the South with his wife, son, and daughter. Emily’s parents are only a few minutes away, and their home is one of our favorite places in the summer. Many weekends are spent there swimming in the pool, grilling, catching up, and enjoying the kind of simple family time that makes the best memories.

Doug is an only child, and his parents live about 30 minutes away. Both sides of our family are close enough to be part of everyday life, birthdays, holidays, and the little moments in between. Emily’s family also loves to travel together. A few years ago, we explored Italy as a family, and we are already planning a future trip to Portugal and Spain. Whether we are traveling, celebrating holidays, going out to dinner, or spending an ordinary Sunday together, our families show up with love. They are deeply excited about our adoption plan and cannot wait to surround this child with grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, traditions, laughter, and unconditional love.

We live in the Midwest in a four-bedroom home that is ready for the life we hope to grow as a family.

Our favorite spaces are the kitchen, living room, and backyard, where we spend time cooking, relaxing, entertaining, and enjoying time with our pups. We love having family and friends over, whether it is for dinner, a summer evening outside, a bonfire in the fall, or a casual game night. We can easily picture one of our bedrooms becoming a cozy nursery and our home filling with toys, bedtime stories, and everyday memories.

Our neighborhood is one of the things we love most about where we live. It has a true family feel, with both an elementary school and high school nearby, and it is common to see children walking to school and families spending time outside. There is a park just a short walk from our house, and another wonderful park within a mile. Both have amazing playgrounds that our nieces, nephews, and neighborhood children already love.

Thank you for spending a little time getting to know us and our story. We know you may be reading many letters and looking for the family that feels right, so we hope these words give you a real sense of who we are: loving, steady, family-centered, a little goofy, and very excited for the possibility of becoming parents. Most of all, we want you to know that we have deep respect for you, your strength, and the love behind this decision. We have been together since 2019, and from the very beginning, our relationship has felt easy in the best way. We are true partners and best friends: the kind of couple who can plan a big trip, tackle a home project, laugh through a chaotic day, or be perfectly happy spending the evening at home with our dogs. Emily brings energy, creativity, and a love for planning the next gathering, trip, or project. Doug brings steadiness, humor, and a calm, welcoming presence that makes people feel at ease. Together, we balance each other well. We have built a life full of love, family, laughter, and adventure, and we are so excited to share that life with a child. Our path to parenthood has not been easy, but our desire to become parents has only grown stronger. Adoption to us is a beautiful and meaningful way to grow our family, and we are genuinely excited about the possibility of becoming parents in this way. We have dreamed about the big milestones, but also the small, ordinary moments: bedtime stories, school drop-offs, birthday candles, family dinners, tiny shoes by the door, and hearing little footsteps in our home and everything in between.

We are excited to welcome a child into our fun, loving, slightly busy family and share both the big adventures and the everyday ones. We love to travel, and we joke that one of our first parenting milestones will be helping our child get a passport so they can join the family adventures. We cannot wait to show them the world, whether that means a beach trip, exploring a new city, or one day visiting places like Italy, Africa, Portugal, or Spain together. Just as much, we look forward to the simple joys close to home: summer days at the pool, walks with the dogs, backyard hangs, horse shows, golf events, Saturday morning pancakes, farmers markets, and spontaneous ice cream stops. Family is a huge part of our lives. Emily’s parents live close by, and her siblings and their families are part of our regular rhythm. Her family gathers often for dinners, swimming, holidays, games, and trips. Doug’s parents also live nearby and are excited to be involved and supportive. A child in our family would be surrounded by grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, traditions, laughter, and people who really show up.

We hope to raise a child in a home where they always feel safe, loved, and encouraged to be exactly who they are. We want to support their interests, celebrate their personality, help them through challenges, and teach them kindness, confidence, respect, and compassion. Whether they love sports, music, animals, books, building things, dancing in the kitchen, or something we have not even imagined yet, we will be their biggest cheerleaders. We also want adoption to be spoken about with honesty, tenderness, and respect. Your child will know their story in an age-appropriate and loving way. We will always speak of you with gratitude and honor the important place you have in their life. We want them to grow up knowing that their story began with love.

If you choose us, we will send letters and pictures to you so you can see how your child is growing, learning, and being loved. We are also open to additional contact, such as emails, phone calls, or future visits, if that is something you desire and if it is in the best interest of the child.

Thank you for considering us. We would be honored to love your child, support who they become, and give them a life filled with family, joy, adventure, stability, laughter, and unconditional love.

With love and gratitude,

Doug & Emily