We have always known we wanted to grow our family through adoption. Adoption is a thread that runs through many areas of both our lives. Katie has 4 adopted first cousins, several of our closest friends are adopted, and we have many friends who have adopted children, including some who just recently welcomed a sweet baby boy into their homes.

There is something magical to us about creating a family through choice and love, regardless of different backgrounds, beliefs, and identities. Adoption is a way to celebrate our core belief that though our differences make us unique, what's in our hearts is the same. Our future child will always know he or she is adopted, and their birth mother will always hold a special place in our lives and heart. Adoption is a way for a child to have even more people to love on them: birth mother, adoptive parents, and their communities, all coming together in support and love for a child's bright future.

We met doing theatre, and we still love it! We recently started our own little production company and produce a couple of shows every year. Introducing our son to the theatre has been super fun; when we have a show running, he looks forward to "helping" us set the stage each night before the show, and all the actors love doting on him and making him feel like an important, special helper!

When we're not in the theatre, we are outside enjoying fresh air and our fun, funky city. We enjoy gardening in our vegetable garden, picking berries from the bushes in our yard, climbing trees, and taking bike rides to our neighborhood playgrounds and beaches. (We have a two-seater bike trailer, and our son can't wait to have a little brother or sister to ride along with him!) We're so lucky that our neighborhood hosts free concerts in the bandshell by the lake. No matter the type of music, we always enjoy the fresh air, dancing, and gorgeous views of the lake and sailboats as we picnic and listen to the music.

We love being on-the-go, attending sporting events or community festivals... but we also enjoy our daily family dinners at home or curling up to watch Nailed It! (our family's favorite TV show), an Iowa Hawkeye basketball or football game, or watch the silly antics of our cat Mousey.

We are open to welcoming a child of any race and wrapping our arms around them as they become part of our family. We are lucky to live in a neighborhood that is rich in different cultures, and we live in a community that loves embracing people of all races, gender identities, and cultures. More than 50% of the students at our local elementary school are children of color, and our community is active in its desire to let every single person know that they belong here!

We feel confident in our ability to help a child learn about and embrace their own unique identity as we grow and learn right along with them. We love exploring our neighborhood through different cultural festivals, restaurants, community performances and more. We want a child to know their birth culture and understand their genetic roots while also feeling safe and confident in the fact that they are fully part of our family. Our differences are the flavor of life, and we love learning about them while resting in the certainty that we are all of the same heart.

We live in a large city in Minnesota that has the best of both worlds. We love that we can take a short walk or bike ride to pretty lake trails and playgrounds and yet are just a few short minutes on the bus to downtown restaurants, sporting events, and museums.

Our neighborhood is full of young families and children! We are within walking distance of our local elementary school, which is one of the most diverse schools in the state; it's a true reflection of our vibrant and unique neighborhood!

We live in a quaint, cozy house built in the 1930s and have updated it with our love of color by painting walls and doors in blues, purples, greens and yellows. We spend most of our time on the main floor in the cozy kitchen or comfy living room with the piano, but we also have a big play space in the basement and an upstairs space as well. Our favorite "room," though, is probably the amazing treehouse in the backyard! In the summer, we spend most of our time in our giant backyard garden- a perfect spot for a child to dig in the dirt and pick yummy wild raspberries or homegrown vegetables.

Winter in Minnesota is its own kind of wonderland: our neighbors create lanterns and sculptures made of ice, and on the snowiest days, we love pulling our son and neighborhood kids through the empty streets on our 6-foot toboggan to the parks for sledding!

We come from very different extended families, but we have all been making it work since 2013! Kevin comes from a quiet, intellectual family that loves to play board games late into the night. Katie comes from a warm, boisterous family where more than one person is usually trying to be the life of the party.

One very special thing about Kevin's family: Kevin has a TWIN in nearby Indiana. We love visiting his family to cook, laze in the sun, and play games. Katie takes care of the baking, and Torie loves cooking delicious Cuban and Italian food in honor of her Cuban and Italian heritage.

One very special thing about Katie's family: Christmastime is legendary at Grandma's house! (We love going to Grandma and Grandpa's house often, since they are just a short drive south to Iowa.) Every gathering at Grandma's house feature lots of people, more homemade desserts than anyone can eat, and lots of laughter. Katie's side of the family is full of practical jokesters. (More than one family wedding has been mysteriously crashed by someone wearing a kangaroo suit...)

The thing that unites our two extended families is their full support and love for us... and how excited they are to welcome this child! Especially all four grandparents, who can't wait to shower a child with love (and- let's be real- with toys, too, because these are grandparents who are SHAMELESS in their desire for an extra grin or giggle from little ones).

We wish we knew the perfect thing to say to ease your mind and heart right now. Thank you for taking the time to read about us as you consider creating an adoption plan. Whatever path you choose, know that we are rooting for you from afar. (Picture us as earnest cheerleaders with pompoms and high kicks, possibly not very good at the cheers but performing them in a genuine, well-meaning way.)

We have been together for 10 years and have been married for 6. Our relationship has traveled across the country, and we settled in Minnesota five years ago so that we could put down roots and choose a family-oriented place to begin to raise a family. We have one amazing son, Nile. We cannot wait to continue to grow our family through adoption, and Nile can't wait to be a big brother. (He also would like a T-rex to come live with us, if you have any leads on that.)

We have set up our lives to devote as much time as possible to our son and future growing family. Katie recently left her job as the Curriculum Director for a children's art studio and now does a little freelance teaching a few hours a week (and does lots of at-home art projects with our son and neighborhood children, just for fun!). Kevin has arranged his full-time work schedule to work several days each week from home, so that he has lots of time to spend with our family... and will be around to watch all of the sweet little "firsts" of a new child as she or he grows.

We're not perfect people. Sometimes we disagree. Sometimes we make a mess. But at the end of the day, we always compromise and clean up, and the love and commitment we have for each other and our family inspires us to start fresh each day, always trying to be better.

We are a family that is always on the go. We love adventures and being outside- rain, sun, sleet or snow. Some of our neighbors might think we're odd, because our big orange cat trots alongside us as we take walks around the neighborhood. We've never met a baked good we didn't like, and we love filling our house with color and music.

But there is a hole in our family, and we are dreaming of and waiting for the day when another little child joins our family to make us complete. If you are looking for a loving family who will put their children above all else, laughs until their sides hurt at dinner, and loves taking outdoor family "adventures" to explore the natural world, we might be the right family for your child. Sometimes we have messy hair or mismatched clothes, and sometimes we cancel the homecooked meal to order a pizza. But even when our clothes don't match and we've called Pizza Hut to rescue us at dinnertime, there is always lots of love.

We have always known that adoption is the right path for us, and if you think it is the right path for you, we promise to devote our lives to the happiness, safety, and wellbeing of your child. You, as the child's first mother, will always hold a special place in our hearts and family. We promise to exchange photos and letters and keep you updated as your child continues to grow and thrive in our home. We're also open to additional contact, including in-person visits; should you desire that, we would love to make it happen! As the person who gave this child life and gave us the chance to raise them, you will always be our Superwoman.

Thank you for taking the time to learn about our family as you consider adoption for your child. No matter what you choose and where your path takes you, we truly wish you the best. Please know that if you choose us to parent your child, we will devote the rest of our lives to their safety, well-being, and happiness, and we will not ever give up on loving them as part of our family.

Love & Light,

Kevin & Katie