Our promise to you is to provide a home with unconditional love and care for our little kiddo. Our home will provide stability and foster an environment for our child to have every bit of success they can. In our household education will be a top priority. We do not intend on being the parents that just give our child an iPad or phone to pacify them. Education starts at a young age and we will use real life experiences and travel to teach our child life skills. Once they are in school, we will sit-down with them to make sure they complete and understand their homework. We will allow them to pursue opportunities they show interest in, even if its different from our own interests.

We love to experience different cultures through our travels and will be sure that our little one gets to experience their cultural identity through travel, books, movies, and of course positive role models. We fully plan to share important milestones and updates as our little one grows. We will work with you to develop a mutually agreeable plan for communications including photos, text messages, phone calls, and in-person visits if that is something you desire or feel comfortable with.

At the end of the day, we promise our child will know that they are loved and fully supported in whatever endeavors they pursue.

We love to travel and spend quality time together. For our travels we have a tradition of getting a post card from each trip and documenting on the back the details of the trip so that when we're in our 80's we can look back and reminisce about our travels. We fully intend to have our little one join us on travels and likely have a passport before they're 2 years old.

We are very fortunate to live in Chicago where we have a vibrant theater scene. We try to see as many shows as possible from the major Broadway productions to our local, smaller theaters in the North Shore. We keep a binder of Playbills from each show so that we can keep track of the shows we see each year.

Every season we have our favorites traditions, in the spring we go to Erik's high school FFA to get flowers for our back deck, summer includes travels to northern Michigan for a week long getaway. Fall we love going to an apple orchard for apple cider donuts and to do the corn maze. Fall we also go to Packers and Michigan football games with friends and family. Winter we love decorating and celebrating Christmas. In January and February we take a vacation to get out of the cold but also enjoy going sledding with our nieces and nephews.

Our favorite vacation spot has been our family home in Sarasota, Florida. We find ourselves visiting a couple times during the winter months to escape the cold and enjoy the beach. The home is located in a private golf community with a pool in the backyard and only a short drive to downtown Sarasota and St. Armands circle where we enjoy shopping and dining. We enjoy finding new restaurants but always end up at some of our favorites and our number one rule on vacation is we must finish the night with ice cream! We have enjoyed swimming at the beach, parasailing, kayaking through the mangroves in search of manatees and renting scooters to ride along the beach. Sarasota is also home to an elephant sanctuary (Erik's favorite animal) where we have visited and been able to learn all about the elephants and even get to bathe them! The best part of our time in Sarasota is when we can enjoy the beautiful sunsets on the rooftop of the Westin Hotel as we get to slow down a little bit and enjoy each other's company.

We currently reside in Chicago, Illinois, in a cute neighborhood with many family friendly amenities to offer. We have over ten parks within a one mile radius of our home equipped with new playground equipment, splash pads, basketball courts and more. Our street holds an annual block party where kids and families gather and enjoy music, yard games and food to help build a strong community. Every summer we have a weekly farmers market in the community garden a block from our home with live music and local foods and produce. We walk through this community garden daily for dog walks four times a day and always see kids out playing with sidewalk chalk, jumping rope and enjoying all the community has to offer.

Our home is also only a couple blocks from Lake Michigan where we enjoy the many amenities the lake has to offer in the summertime such as going to the beach, swimming, beach volleyball, live music and dancing at the local restaurant and exercising on the 26 mile lakefront biking/running trail.

Our home is a newly renovated multi-story townhome with three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms. In the summer months we enjoy sitting on our back deck and enjoying our garden filled with fresh veggies and herbs as well as a variety of beautiful flowers and often times you can find us grilling delicious food as well. In the winter months we enjoy cozying up next to the fire and watching a movie.

We both have close-knit families and find ourselves traveling to Michigan and Wisconsin frequently to be around family for special events, functions, to help with yard work/home projects, or just enjoying each other's company. We always have a blast with our families, whether it's winter and we are inside playing board/card games or summer and we are out in either of our families' pools swimming with the kiddos! We always make a point to visit each side of the family at major holidays to maximize our time with each of our families. Christmas is our favorite holiday across both families as we to have a total of five family Christmases every year to make sure we get the quality time with each side of the family. Our child will have a Mimi as their great grandmother, along with a Grammy and G-Pa and a Meemaw and Papa for grandparents! Both families are extremely supportive of our adoption journey and cannot wait to add another kiddo to the family!

First and foremost, we want to express our deepest gratitude and admiration for the incredible gift you are considering in entrusting us with the privilege of becoming parents to your precious child. The love and courage you have shown in making this decision is truly commendable.

We are in our early to mid 30's and have been married since January of 2022. Our love and commitment to each other has always been strong from the very beginning. We met in September of 2019 and our love has only grown stronger with time. We moved in together right before the pandemic started and managed to navigate the unchartered situation together with ease. Our number one concern during that time was the health and safety of each other and our families. We have made a commitment to each other that family is always the number one priority. That will be echoed even more when we welcome your little one into our home.

We understand how vital it is for a child to know about their roots and maintain a connection with their birth parents. It is our firm belief that an open and honest relationship with you is of utmost importance. We would be more than willing to send you regular letters and pictures, updating you on your child's growth and achievements. We want to ensure that your child knows the love that surrounds them and appreciates the selfless decision you made to give them the best life possible.

Moreover, we are completely open to exploring further contact, such as exchanging emails, phone calls, or even arranging future visits, if you feel comfortable with it. We understand that different families have unique needs and preferences, and we are committed to finding the right balance that brings happiness and comfort to everyone involved.

Our home is filled with warmth, laughter, and love. We have a supportive network of family and friends who are eagerly awaiting the arrival of our future child. Our hearts are open and ready to embrace this new chapter in our lives with joy and dedication.

We want you to know that we will honor and cherish your child's heritage, and we will always be honest and transparent with them about their adoption story. We are committed to providing a safe, nurturing environment where your child will be encouraged to grow, learn, and pursue their dreams.

If you choose us as adoptive parents, we promise to love and care for your child unconditionally. We will be their advocates, their mentors, and their biggest cheerleaders in all aspects of life.

Thank you again for considering us as potential parents for your child. We are humbled by your trust in us, and we promise to honor that trust every day. We would be thrilled to meet you and get to know you better if you are comfortable with it.

We are eagerly looking forward to the opportunity to speak with you and share more about ourselves.

With warmest regards and heartfelt appreciation,

Bracken & Erik