Janyce enjoys reading and, in turn, learning. There is never enough books, documentaries, or podcasts for her to consume. The topics vary, but her favorite is thriller or true crime. There is nothing better than finding a great story and cuddling with all our dogs. Especially with a nice cup of cafecito. Janyce's top passion is her Puerto Rican heritage. It is a huge part of her life and personality. She cooks from the Puerto Rican culture regularly, along with playing the music. One of her dogs is even named after a Puerto Rican staple, Coquito! She is incredibly proud to be boriquen, and growing my knowledge of its historical significance.

Alex loves creating and building things in my workshop. He has a passion for woodworking, and he spends a lot of his time building furniture for our home or carving toys for our future children. He enjoys home projects and adding character and something unique to each room in our home. He love fixing things and understanding how things work. He also loves reading a variety of genres. Getting lost in a book is one of his favorite hobbies. His favorite spot to read is in a hammock in our backyard. It is peaceful because our backyard has trees and greenery all around. He loves being in nature and that includes gardening. We have a huge vegetable garden in our backyard, and He tends to 30+ indoor plants that bring brightness to our home.

Family traditions are a big part of who we are. Each Christmas, we host Alex’s family and fill our home with holiday meals, homemade desserts, and traditional Puerto Rican dishes to honor Janyce’s culture. We always end the night with everyone’s favorite movie, Christmas Vacation. For Thanksgiving, we spend time with Janyce’s extended family, cousins, aunts, and uncles, catching up and sharing stories. One of our most cherished traditions is the annual family reunion we’ve hosted for the past four years. Both sides of our family gather at our home for a full day of good food, music, and memories that grow each year.

Our everyday lifestyle is filled with simple joys and hobbies that keep us active, connected, and grounded. Each month, we run a local 5K together, cheering each other on and celebrating small victories. When the weather is nice, we love spending quiet time reading in our hammock, enjoying the peace of our backyard. During the summer, we take day trips to beaches, lakes, and hiking trails, and we especially love paddle boarding; often with our smallest dog happily joining the adventure. At home, we tend to our large vegetable garden, a hobby that brings us a lot of pride and relaxation. These activities bring us joy now, and we look forward to sharing them with a future child.

Parenting, to us, means creating a home where children feel unconditionally loved, deeply supported, and free to grow into the truest versions of themselves. We hope to pass on values such as kindness, humility, honesty, resilience, curiosity, and a genuine respect for others; qualities we believe help children thrive in both heart and character. We want our child(ren) to feel empowered to pursue their passions, confident in knowing we will guide, encourage, and cheer them on every step of the way. Together, we bring complementary strengths—open communication, patience, emotional awareness, and a joyful, playful spirit that fills our home with laughter. We look forward to offering structure, stability, new experiences, and a nurturing environment where exploration is celebrated and mistakes are seen as part of learning. Most of all, our child will always know they are loved, accepted, and supported every day of their life, and we truly cannot wait to start our family.

We feel incredibly fortunate to live in an area that offers the best of both city and country life. Our home is in a suburb in northern Virginia just outside Washington, D.C., which means there are always sporting events, musical performances, museums, and new restaurants. At the same time, we’re just a short drive from peaceful rural areas.

Our neighborhood itself is safe, welcoming, and full of natural beauty. Our neighborhood also has what we call a Good Neighbor Program, where we offer tools and services to our neighbors such as, a snowblower, or mechanic support. There’s a stream with picnic spots, walking paths, and several playgrounds nearby; perfect spaces for outdoor play and family time. We truly feel blessed to call this community home and are excited to raise our future child in such a supportive and vibrant environment. Our neighbors are very close and supportive. We have a neighborhood email chain where people often reach out to one another. We have an annual neighborhood BBQ and an annual Halloween bonfire.

We love our home that has a relaxing backyard. We have 3 bedrooms upstairs, with a nursery. On our main level we have a family room where we watch movies, a living room where we play games, a kitchen where we cook meals together, and a dining room where we share meals together. Outside we enjoy firepits, gardening, and reading in our hammocks. Alex is excited to build a playground for our child.

Family is incredibly important to both of us, and we are lucky to have close, loving relationships on all sides. We see Janyce’s sister’s family about once a month, whether we’re cheering at our nephew’s sports games or hosting cozy family sleepovers. We also enjoy taking trips to visit Janyce's Titis every few months. Alex’s family lives in New York, and we always spend major holidays and summer week with them. His parents have a local house to us, in which they will move into once the baby is welcomed into our family.

Every summer, we host a big family reunion where both sides come together to relax, laugh, and enjoy each other’s company. Whenever the family gets together, we enjoy playing dominoes or bocce ball and having traditional foods from the variety of Hispanic cultures that are represented, along with the Italian culture. Both sides of the families are close with each other, which we are so grateful for!

Some of our favorite moments are the ones we spend with our 1 year-old niece and 12 year‑old nephew. We take turns visiting and hosting our nephew, filling our time with hiking, playing with the dogs, shooting hoops in the driveway, and taking trips to the library. We look forward to keeping the tradition of inviting our niece and nephew to stay for a week each summer and including our future child in all the fun, which everyone in our family is eager to occur.

Thank you for taking the time to learn about us. We know this is a deeply personal decision, and we are grateful for the opportunity to share a little about our lives and our hopes for the future. While we cannot fully understand the weight of this choice, we have great respect for the love, courage, and thoughtfulness that has brought you here.

We have been happily married for seven years and have built our lives together on love, trust, friendship, and laughter. We genuinely enjoy spending time together, whether we are talking about our day, trying something new, spending time with family, or simply enjoying a quiet evening at home. Throughout our marriage, one dream has remained constant: becoming parents. We are excited to welcome a child into a home where they will be loved, encouraged, and supported every day. As educators, we have dedicated our careers to helping children learn, grow, and believe in themselves. We are passionate about empowering young people and helping them recognize their strengths. Every day, we see children overcome challenges, gain confidence, and discover new abilities. These experiences have shaped the values we hope to bring to parenting patience, compassion, encouragement, and unconditional love. We want our child to feel safe being themselves, confident in who they are, and supported in pursuing their interests and dreams. We believe every child deserves to be heard, valued, and celebrated for the unique person they are.

Outside of work, we enjoy spending time together outdoors. We love hiking, taking walks, and exploring new places. These moments help us slow down and appreciate simple things in life. We often talk about how much we look forward to sharing those experiences with a child. We can picture family walks through the neighborhood, visits to local parks, weekend hikes, and conversations about everything from school and friendships to dreams for the future. We hope to raise a child who is curious about the world, enjoys learning new things, and finds joy in both everyday moments and new adventures.

Family is at the center of our lives. We are fortunate to have a large extended family that is loving, supportive, and excited about our adoption journey. Gathering with grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and close family friends is an important part of our lives. Holidays, birthdays, and family dinners are filled with laughter, stories, and connections. Your child would grow up surrounded by people who will celebrate their achievements, support them through challenges, and remind them often how loved they are. We believe family is about showing up for both life's biggest milestones and its everyday moments. Your child will grow up in a home where learning is encouraged, milestones are celebrated, and mistakes are treated as opportunities to grow. We look forward to bedtime stories, family vacations, school events, game nights, and all the everyday moments that make childhood special. We also look forward to helping them discover their own passions, whether those are sports, music, art, academics, or something entirely their own. Most importantly, they will always know they are deeply loved.

We also want you to know that we will honor your place in your child's story. We believe adoption begins with love, and we will never take your trust for granted. Your child will know about your courage, your love, and the important role you hold in their life. We will speak about you with honesty, gratitude, and respect, and help them understand that their story began with people who loved them deeply. We are committed to sending letters and pictures so that you can watch your child grow and share important milestones. We are also open to exchanging emails and phone calls. We understand that every adoption journey is unique, and we are committed to maintaining communication in a way that is comfortable and respectful for everyone involved.

Thank you for considering our family. We hope our words have given you a glimpse into the love, stability, and support we hope to offer a child. Whatever path you choose, we wish you peace and strength in the days ahead.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Alex & Janyce