Matthew and Kristi

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From Us to You

Dear Expectant Mother,

First, we just want to say that we think you are an extremely brave woman with a selfless heart. We want to thank you from the very depths of our heart that you are making this tough decision for your child. We can’t begin to understand the anguish and heartache of your situation and this decision. We can only say how grateful we are and can promise that if you choose us as parents of your child, we will love, care for, and raise your child to become a strong, healthy, independent and productive adult in the future.

We struggled with infertility for many years but always knew we wanted to become parents. We decided we would grow our family through adoption and three years ago we were blessed with our son, Corbin through the gift of adoption. Corbin has been an incredible blessing to us, and we are excited to grow our family again through adoption.

Our hope for our children is that they feel blessed, kind, happy, smart, and know they can do anything. We will support your child physically, spiritually, emotionally and financially. We will build traditions and memories through different experiences and travel. Our home will be full of laughter, joy, and all out noise as we play hide and seek, race, and fly around imagining ourselves as airplanes.

We moved from the city life back to the small town we grew up in about 8 years ago. Our acreage is covered with different trees and grasses that we walk through with Corbin and our puppy, Sky.  Both of our parents live very close to us, which means lots of quality time and once a week sleepovers with grandparents. Our community is safe, and everyone is friendly. There are many young families with children that live here and you will often see them outside playing or riding bikes.

Our children will know where they came from and who their birth parents are. We will continually bring up adoption as your child grows so they can understand what it means and know that you loved them so, so much. We will tell your child how much we love you, and that you gave us the greatest gift of all. We will think of you every day and pray for your health and happiness. Thank you for considering our family!

With love,
Matt & Kristi

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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 decided to grow our family through adoption and over 3 years ago we were blessed with our son Corbin, though the gift of adoption. We also know we have more love to give 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 how ever we can with the life we share. We are excited to grow our family again through adoption!

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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 with Corbin. We pull Corbin on his wagon and he tries his best to pull us as well. We have 6 chickens that Corbin likes to go chase and feed. Corbin will help us pull weeds in the flower garden or blow bubbles while we play with him on the covered deck.  We recently put a large play area in with slides and swings, so we swing nightly and he must have Dada swing next to him while Momma tickles him as he swings back and forth.  In the summer you can also find us relaxing and playing in Kristi’s parents’ pool, where we are teaching Corbin how to swim and dive under the water to get things.  We go to Colorado regularly to see more family and friends.

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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. 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 Data Analyst at the hospital where we work. His coworkers 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 also has a drone business and flies for farmers and, recently, a construction company. He enjoys being busy. He loves being a dad and plays with Corbin, our 3-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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Home & Neighborhood

We moved from the city life back to the small town we grew up in about 8 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. Just this past year we built a large playground area and enjoy spending evenings together pushing Corbin on the swing or watching him go down the slides. Our acreage is covered with different trees and grasses that we walk through with Corbin. We live a mile from Matt’s parents who are on the other side of the corn/bean field and we spend at least one evening together each week. Kristi’s parents live only a short 10 minutes away and we go to each other’s homes and every so often Corbin will stay the night with them. 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 side streets. It’s a very relaxed and kind community that helps each other out when needed.

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Our Relationship with Corbin's Birth Mother

We had open communication before and for several months following Corbin’s birth. After that time, she chose to move toward a closed relationship.  We think of her every day and pray for her. We hope one day she will reach out to us again.

We talk about Corbin’s birth mom with him all the time. He asks questions frequently and we tell him age-appropriate information. He is asking about when he was born. He knows that he has a birth mom, and I didn’t grow him in my belly. We pray for his birth mom in our nightly family prayers, and I think of her every day and the sacrifice she made so I could be a mom and Corbin could grow up with two parents in a stable loving home. We don’t know anything about his birthfather.

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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.  We understand we have a responsibility to promote diversity and celebrate your child’s culture in our household.  Kristi’s brother, Nick, is in a long-term relationship with a woman that has two children from a previous relationship. They are bi-racial (Hispanic and Black). She is willing to support us and help us with any questions we encounter raising bi-racial children.  We will also ensure your child’s day-to-day environment and education is diverse, inclusive, and safe.  We also recognize the world needs a lot of change.  We are committed to learning and helping drive change while doing our best to protect your child from those who do not believe in equality and justice for all. We will be your child’s biggest advocates. We will make sure they have all the resources they need to feel like they know their culture and history. Our extended family is excited for us to adopt again and will welcome the child with loving arms regardless of race or ethnicity.

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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 step-mom’s delicious food! 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 have a great support system; they are all so caring and excited for us to adopt again.  Matt also has several cousins, uncles, an aunt, and his grandma who all live close by.

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Family Traditions

We do try to make a family vacation with one side or the other at least once a year. We also try and take mini-vacations through the year to the mountains or to the lake. 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 love playing card games and sitting around the table talking and telling stories. This year Corbin will be just big enough to get in some snow skis and he and Dad plan on hitting the bunny slopes for the first time! Matt has been skiing since he was 6 and wants to be able to take Corbin to the mountains and enjoy them as he has.

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 nine years since we have met, we have grown to 6 couples and 19 children! Since we have moved, we try to get together at least once a year and travel to a lake in a central location. 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.

Husker football is big in Matt’s family so nearly every Saturday of the college season we gather at Pappo’s and eat large meals while enjoying the game with friends and family. It has been great because a lot of cousins come around during this time and watching Corbin play and laugh with them always brings us a smile.

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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 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.