Amelia loves to volunteer with animals and has been volunteering with MEOW Cat Rescue for the past 10 years. She also enjoys seeing plays, musicals, and attending museums and poetry readings with friends. Chris likes to relax with Xbox games and quirky TV shows. Chris also loves music, and enjoys going to shows and playing guitar.

Together we enjoy golfing, hiking, splashing around in our pool, visiting the zoo or aquarium, as well as playing games and puzzles. We also travel a few times each year to visit family and friends and (hopefully!) a vacation or two. If we go to a beach, Chris really loves to snorkel while Amelia prefers to bob happily on a floaty in the water.

Amelia About Chris: Chris is an amazingly steady and caring partner. He isn't easily ruffled, and it's a lovely balance to my more creative and sensitive nature. Chris is a true engineer: diligent, thoughtful, and considerate—and he continually surprises me with the way his mind works. I also admire Chris' humbleness. Chris is confident who he is, but I love the way he never feels the need to prove himself to others. He can be shy in big groups, so not everyone gets to see how silly and goofy he can be at home. And I feel so lucky I get to see this sweet part of his personality. He absolutely adores our animals, and one of my favorite things is hearing him have conversations with them throughout the day.

Chris About Amelia: Amelia is a wonderfully creative and thoughtful person. Her strong empathy not only drives her to help others, but also to connect with them through the work that she does—she inspires people every day with her amazing writing and editing skills. Amelia is always exploring new ways to be creative and learning new skills—I'm always impressed with how brave she is to try new things and take on new responsibilities at work and in our daily life. She has a strong love of animals both as pets and in nature, and spends a lot of her free time volunteering for animal rescue shelters. This turned out to be a wonderful quality for our family as it resulted in us fostering many kittens, two of which we have as pets today.

We love our home! Our home is nestled in the beautiful foothills of South Mountain in a small suburb of the greater Phoenix area. The central point of our house is the "TV room" where the whole family can get together at once (including the pets). This connects to our music and game rooms, in case some family members want to do a puzzle or enjoy the view from our living room. One of our favorite things is our backyard, which backs up to a beautiful mountain. It is very peaceful, and we love to relax by the pool and watch all the wildlife go by.

In our neighborhood, we feel like we're out of the hustle and bustle of the city yet still have a few shopping centers near us with all the essentials. The area features many hiking and biking trails. We're also near some of the best schools in the state; our neighbors are always taking walks with their dogs, and children of all ages ride their bikes and play nearby. Everyone waves as they go by. There's also a very large park less than a mile away that has a playground, sports fields, and courts. And when we do want to do activities like the zoo, museum, or sports event, we have easy access to downtown.

We have wonderful, loving parents and siblings in both Nashville and Phoenix. We recently moved back to Arizona, where Amelia grew up, to be closer to family. Our local family members include Amelia's mother and father, sister and brother-in-law, as well as her brother and sister-in-law (who also recently moved back to the area!). Chris's mother, father, and sister live in Tennessee along with an abundance of aunts, uncles, and cousins—not to mention everyone's cats and dogs!

We enjoy seeing Amelia's family at least once a week to share a meal, play board games, watch movies, or cheer on local sports teams. We also visit Chris' family for holidays as well as other vacation trips—and Chris' mom and sister also come out to visit us regularly. We enjoy going to the zoo, seeing shows, and simply enjoying each other's company. And everyone in both states is beyond excited to welcome a new family member.

We know that it isn't possible to fully understand the position you are in in this moment. Whatever you may choose, please know how much we admire and respect the decision you are making. Our sincerest hope is that this profile offers a chance for you to get to know us a little better. And whether you feel that your child would be best placed with us, or elsewhere, we hope that the promise you wish for your baby will be fulfilled: to find a loving, openhearted, happy home.

As parents, we will be playful, generous, gentle, and kind. We strongly value compassion and integrity, and want to offer any children we have ample opportunity to discover who they are. Whether they are shy and quiet or robust and adventurous - whether they find their passion in sports, dance, music, reading, or something new! We want to give them every chance to explore and learn and grow. To know that whoever they are is who we want them to be.

We are grateful to have good jobs we both enjoy that will offer many opportunities, from lessons and tutors to trips and camp, as well as other endeavors that will expand their world view. We intentionally chose a neighborhood with good-quality schools nearby, including a few that represent the most diversity in the state. We would seek to offer the children in our family an education that exposes them to a wide variety of people, as well as other languages, cultures, and lifestyles. We want to offer safe, learning-based experiences, as well as teach them compassion for others and wonder and curiosity for all that the world can hold.

We love to simply be home and enjoy each other, whether we're watching a movie, playing a board game, or making dinner together. We are quiet and calm people and find our contentment in taking care of our home, playing with our pets, and relaxing on our big comfy couch. We are also so grateful to have family nearby-and we cannot tell you the excitement our parents and siblings have when they think about the addition of a little one in our lives. Rest assured, they will be doted upon. We see our family in Arizona often, for dinner and movies, or to help each other with house projects. As for our family in Tennessee, we usually see them for holidays and at least one other time during the year. Chris's sister lives with Chris's mom, and we love being able to spend time with both of them during our visits, doing puzzles and eating delicious southern barbecue!

We would love to have as much or as little contact with you after potential adoption as you would like. We are very easy to reach by text and email, and would be happy to share photos and updates monthly if that feels right to you, along with mailing hard copy photos and letters (Amelia loves going to the post office!). We would also be happy to have one in-person visit each year, potentially more depending on distance and your preferences.

Our plan would be to start talking about adoption from the very beginning. Storybooks and simple conversations when they are little, then deeper conversations, more robust reading, as well as support groups or counseling as they grow to whatever extent they would like. We want this child to know that they are adopted and they are loved - and they deserve to know just how much and how many people care for them. We hope to create an open dialogue throughout their childhood, both inviting questions from them as well as asking them about their thoughts, worries, or anything they may be feeling. We have already purchased a handful of books about adoption to help guide us through these conversations.

Thank you for taking the time to read our letter. We hope it offered some insight into who we are, and helped you know if we may be the type of home you are thinking of.

Warmly,

Chris & Amelia