Matthew and Kristi

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From Us to You

We promise that your child will grow up knowing who you are and how much you care and love him or her.  As they grow up we will talk to them regularly about the sacrifice you made for them. They will know your strength, courage, and selflessness. Your child will grow up in a house full of love, laughter, happiness and stability. They will be surrounded by a large family full of grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and a sibling who is also adopted.

We are open and willing to send letters and pictures on a regular basis. We would love for you to be in your child’s life as much as you’re comfortable with. We want you and your child to have the best relationship possible as they grow and understand where they come from.

Your child will be raised with love, care, and compassion and will be confident in who they are and where they come from. We will provide them with guidance when they struggle and open arms when in need. We will have an open relationship with him or her and will have those open lines of communication so that they feel comfortable asking us questions about you, their culture, or their story.

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Why We Are Choosing to Adopt

We always knew we wanted to be parents. We have struggled with infertility for years and wanted to share our love and home with children. We had an adoption match about 5 years ago and the birth mom changed her mind the day before we were to see him. Last year we adopted two embryos and the transfers were unsuccessful. We still have so much love to give and want to adopt again. Corbin is so excited to be a big brother. We decided to grow our family through adoption and over 7 years ago we were blessed with our son Corbin, through the gift of adoption. We also feel our family isn’t complete and it is so great growing up with siblings. We did not come to this decision lightly; we came to it with prayerful consideration. We want our children to always know they were adopted and help them however we can with the life we share. We are excited to grow our family again through adoption!

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What I Love Most about Being a Mom

What I love most about being a mom is being their safe place. He can tell me anything and we work through the hard stuff. I know the hard stuff will get harder as he grows but we are working through things as they come up. I love the snuggles and seeing the world through his eyes. We went to Lego Land recently and had the best time. It was the first time riding a roller coaster together, and we had a magical day. My life is full of laughter and love as a mom.

I asked Corbin what my best qualities were as a mom (kids at his age don’t lie!). He said snuggling, taking care of him and I love him. I am so happy he feels those things! Being a mom is the hardest, most rewarding part of my life.

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What I Love Most about Being a Dad

Being a dad is an incredibly meaningful and fulfilling experience that fills my heart with love and joy. What I love most about being a dad is the opportunity to be a role model for my child, someone they can look up to and trust completely. I want to create a safe space where they can open up to me about anything and everything, knowing that I will always be there to listen and support them.

It’s an honor to be able to teach my child how to treat others with kindness, compassion, and respect. I also have the chance to show them how to work with others to accomplish great things, instilling in them the value of teamwork and collaboration. When they come to me with a car question, a problem with homework, or any general life questions, I want to be their go-to person, the one they can count on to provide guidance and support.

As a dad, I have the privilege of witnessing the light in my child’s eyes when something finally clicks after they struggled to understand it. Those moments of pride and accomplishment are some of the most heartfelt and rewarding experiences that come with being a dad. My love for my child shines through every aspect of my life, and I cherish every single moment I spend with them.

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About Kristi, by Matt

Kristi has chosen her perfect career as a Registered Nurse. She is the most caring and compassionate person I know. Her selflessness and the ability to empathize with others make her that perfect mom as she has the patience, love, and care that is needed for children.  She continually puts others before herself and that includes her family. Kristi loves being a mom. She is always on the ground playing with Corbin or our friends’ kids. For Corbin’s sports she is the dugout mom always helping me in assistant coaching of his T-ball, soccer, or flag football.  She takes him to the park and goes down the slide with him. She continually enjoys reading books and walking with Corbin around our property. Watching Kristi with Corbin is the highlight of my day; she’s so loving, caring, and nurturing. Watching him light up when he sees her is a wondrous moment. I have no doubt Kristi will be a great mother to your child.

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About Matt, by Kristi

Matt is the most patient person I know. He LOVES to learn and is so smart and kind. He makes me laugh all the time. He can read me and knows how I am feeling without me saying a word. He is the glue that keeps his family together as he focuses on the relationships in his life and makes sure they are given the time and care they need. Matt is a Clinic Director for a Family Practice Clinic. His directors enjoy working with him as he is witty and helpful. He has a flexible work schedule that allows him to truly put our family first. He enjoys being busy. He loves being a dad and plays with Corbin, our 7-year-old son, every day after work. Watching Matt and Corbin play makes me love them both so much more. They have their own games that only they know the rules to and it’s so fun to watch them wrestle and play. Matt is a very involved dad.

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Lifestyle

We spend as much time as we can together as a family. Corbin likes to help make dinner; helping to dump in ingredients and stir things. We live on quite a few acres of land, and we enjoy taking walks in the evening throughout our property as a family, the dog runs through the trees looking for rabbits and the cats follow behind (they think they are dogs). We have 5 chickens, 3 barn cats and a dog. We like to play soccer and T-ball outside, and we put a basketball hoop in our building so we can stay active during the cold winter months.  In the summer you can also find us relaxing and playing in Kristi’s parents’ pool, where Corbin learned to swim and snorkel. We enjoy going to Colorado to see our family and friends.

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Home & Neighborhood

We moved from the city life back to the small town we grew up in about 11 years ago. We bought a 130-year-old house on 12 acres of land. We gutted it and completely renovated our house making it into a home that we can be in forever. We put a great wrap-around porch on that we can view the sunrise and sunsets while Corbin plays on the playground or in the grass. We like to play soccer and T-ball outside. We put a basketball hoop in our building so we can stay active during the cold winter months. The community is an all-around nice place to raise children as it is safe, and everyone is friendly. The area is full of children and young parents. While driving around you can see children outside playing and riding bikes through the streets. The people are friendly and help each other. In our building there is a man-cave that Corbin and Matt enjoy playing video games and watching movies. When they come back in the house they are always laughing and telling stories of the fun they had together.

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Our Relationship with Corbin's Birth Mother

We had an open relationship with Corbin’s birth mom before his birth and after until she stopped communicating. We think of her every day and pray for her, and we hope and pray one day that she will reach out to us again. The parents we adopted the embryos from were so amazing. We had very open communication with them via e-mail. The embryos’ biological mother was so supportive, and we would have met and had an open relationship if the transfers were successful.

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Racial Understanding

Corbin’s birth mom is of Spanish descent, and our hearts are more than open to raising another child of racial or ethnic diversity. Our books include kids of different races and ethnicities. We are also planning on going to Spain when Corbin graduates so we can all experience the Spanish culture together.

In our home and family, we celebrate diversity and will embrace your child’s racial and cultural heritage. Kristi’s nieces are Hispanic and African American, and their mom will be an important part of your child’s life. We provide our son and will continue to provide your child with a safe environment and education that is diverse and inclusive.

We will be your child’s biggest advocates. We will provide your child with the resources they need to learn about and experience their culture and history.

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Our Families & Friends

In the summer you will usually find us in Kristi’s parents’ pool. And in the fall, you will find us at Matt’s parents’ house watching football and eating his stepmom’s delicious food!  We really enjoy visiting our family and friends. Kristi has 3 brothers, and they live on the east side of Nebraska. One brother has a wife and 3 kids, one lives with his girlfriend and her two kids, and one is single. Matt has a brother that lives in Wyoming with his family and his sister lives in Colorado with her family. Matt’s brother’s wife is adopted and is very willing to talk with your child as they grow and have someone to connect with that was also adopted. We have a great support system, and they are all excited for us to adopt again.

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Family Traditions

Kristi enjoys traditions for the holidays as she has great memories of family gathered around the table playing games and laughing. We are looking forward to making our own family traditions with our kids. We try to take a family vacation with one side or the other at least once a year. We also try to take mini vacations throughout the year to the mountains or to the lake. We all really enjoy traveling. Both Thanksgiving and Christmas are spent with family with lots of great food and laughter.

A tradition that has grown over the years is Kristi’s brothers come back for the holidays, and we bring out the Nintendo 64 and have Mario Kart tournaments and battles like we did when we were in grade school. We will watch old movies with Grandpa such as Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, It’s a Wonderful Life, and A Christmas Story.

We have taken Corbin skiing the last couple years and he loves it! Matt has been skiing since he was 6 and loves to be able to take Corbin to the mountains and enjoy them as he did.

We also have a large group of friends from church that we met while in Colorado. Initially, this group was 6 couples and 5 children. In the 13 years since we have met, we have grown to 21 children! Since we have moved, we try to get together at least once a year at Lake McConaughy. We rent out a large home for a week and enjoy each other’s company catching up, fishing, boating, building sandcastles, and in the evenings, we have prayer and fellowship and s’mores.

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What We Will Teach

We hope to teach our children to become independent, strong, and well-rounded individuals. They will learn to be able to think outside of the box to solve problems and not be afraid to get their hands dirty if the need arises. If along the way they get some cuts and bruises they will eventually understand that it’s okay and we are there for them, but want them to have the tools to be successful adults.

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Our Promise to You

We would really love the opportunity to raise another child, it will make our family complete. We have so much love to give and share with another child.