Our son Augie, now 4 years old, is adopted. He knows his birthmother whom we visit and talk to regularly. We have open conversations about adoption and want our birth family to be part of our family story. Adoption may be difficult for children to understand at a young age, but we have found books about adoption written for children and support from other adopted families whom we know helps. Augie goes to school with a little boy in his class who is also adopted, and they have fun talking about adoption together.

We are a very active family. We spend time outside just about every day, often going to playgrounds, zoo, museums, mini golf and other times just hanging out in our back yard fishing or playing yard games. On summer weekends, we love to go to the lake and if we are in town we like to attend sporting events, festivals, or fairs. When we want to spend the day inside, Jessica usually bakes with Augie. We love family board games. Our new favorite is mouse trap and Augie loves to set and trigger the cage. In the evenings, we love to snuggle up and watch movies with popcorn. Our favorite thing to do for vacations is travel to new places. We love to explore new places, new food and new cultures. We are pretty well traveled and even Augie who just turned 4 has already been all across the US (Alaska to NY) to Mexico, Canada, Italy, Ireland, Netherlands, Germany, and England. We just got back from Europe again and can't wait for our next adventure.

Jessica About Joe: Joe is kind and thoughtful. He takes his role as a father very seriously and spends quality time daily with Augie. One of their favorite father-son activities is building Legos. I love listening to them discuss the Lego machine parts that they built together. Joe is a great partner, always eager to patiently listen and help. I know he always has my back. He has a great sense of humor and because of him our house is always full of fun and laughter. He is quite the grill master as well. Our house has become my favorite restaurant. My sisters even request that he makes their birthday dinners instead of going out.

Joe About Jessica: Jessica likes to garden and spend time outside as much as possible. We visit the many parks nearby where Augie can play on the jungle gyms or walk on the trails with our dog. Our son loves family movie night and asks for it most evenings; on special occasions we all make homemade popcorn and all enjoy a cozy evening eating it during a movie. Lately, Augie has been requesting Star Wars. During the summers, we try to visit the zoo, local gardens, and museums whenever we are not at the lake. When we are at our family's lake house, we like to go on boat rides, ski, tube, hike, swim and have family cookouts.

We live in a lively neighborhood with neighbors out walking dogs and kids riding bikes. Our house is in the back of a cozy cul-de-sac. Our backyard overlooks some woods and a small quiet lake where we can watch birds and all sorts of other animals just beyond our fence. One morning we awoke to see a bald eagle perched just outside our bedroom window! On nice evenings some neighbors go out to the community lake and fish and play. We like to spend as much time outside as possible.

There are multiple parks nearby as well with beautiful biking trails, hiking trails, and playgrounds. When we just want to stay in, we like to relax in our basement and watch movies on the projector screen that feels like our own personal movie theater.

We are very close to our extended families. Most of whom live within 30 minutes of us and so we visit with them often. Our families are super supportive and excited for us and our growing family. Joe is one of five siblings. We have two nieces and two nephews and another niece or nephew on the way. We babysit and attend their sport games as much as possible so the cousins can grow up as friends. Joe's family loves game nights and movies. Jessica has two younger sisters and they are very close. Her family likes to spend most of the summer boating, swimming, and having barbecues at their family lake house. Jessica's parents offer to babysit regularly and Augie loves being spoiled at their house.

Thank you for taking the time to get to know us. We are blessed beyond belief because of your bravery to consider adoption. This would not be possible without your selflessness, courage, and compassion. We know you want what is best for your baby and we promise to give them a loving and compassionate home. We feel blessed that you are reading our profile. What you are going through cannot be easy and we thank you for your continued courage. We don't know you yet but we are sending love your way!

A little more about us! We are currently a family of four: Jessica, Joe, Augie and Rigby ?" Rigby being our small golden doodle. We (Jessica and Joe) are young professionals who have known each other most of our lives. After college and grad school, we married and moved home to the mid-west to settle down. We got our first house and tried to start our family, but Jessica had a childhood bone cancer that complicated things. She received a year of intense chemotherapy which saved her life from the cancer but also killed all of her eggs and ovaries. We explored all of our options for becoming parents and found adoption our best fit. Jessica's father was adopted and so we sought advice from him as well as some friends who have adopted. Our spirits were lifted as we heard such great stories and beautiful testimonies about adoption. So we planned, talked, saw adoption specialists and again ?" waited.

Then Augie came into our lives! Augie is currently 4 years old and a vivacious and curious little boy who loves his dog and toys fiercely. It has been amazing to see how quickly and immeasurably love thrusts itself into our lives through the grace of a child. We love Augie so much and hope to one day welcome a little sister or brother into our home as well. We both have siblings and we know the beauty, fights, and ultimately the unconditional love that is cultivated through a family with siblings.

From the beginning, adoption is and will always be celebrated in our family. The children will be taught about where they came from and how lucky they are to come from so much love. Your child will not just have one family but multiple families that love them. We start early broaching their adoption story with children's books geared toward adoption and cultivate an environment where they are comfortable asking questions. And we want an adoption that is open to your wants and needs as well. We know that every birth mother is different and some want different levels of openness and we are very happy to accommodate those needs.

Thank you again for considering adoption. We hope that we have conveyed a bit of who we are, our excitement, and our passion about adopting. Considering adoption is truly an amazingly generous and courageous thing. You give the most precious gift possible ?" life. Whether you choose us or not, we pray blessings for you and your child's continued health.

Joe & Jessica