Matthew and Alexandra

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From Us to You

We are Matthew and Alexandra! We don’t know what you are feeling or what you’re going through, but we do know that you are courageous and have a loving heart to consider adoption for your child. We believe God has led our paths to cross and our hope and prayer are for you to get to know us through these words and pictures. We are thankful and honored that you have decided to read our letter and look at our profile. Know that we are praying for you and your child.

Though we have been unable to have our own children, God has placed on our hearts the desire to have children and to open our home to a child through adoption. Although no one in our families has been adopted, both of Matthew’s parents were raised in foster care. Though they were never adopted we understand from their perspective what it will mean to bring a child into our home and the importance of love and communication with everyone involved. They are extremely excited and happy that we have chosen to adopt and they, along with everyone else in our families, look forward to meeting your child and sharing their lives with him or her.

We got married in 2015 and chose our home and farm with children in mind. There is a creek to play in, animals to run around with, and acres of land to explore and let imaginations run wild. It’s a magical place to watch the changing of the seasons, where you get to see the leaves change colors, watch the snow fall, see the spring flowers bloom, and get a light show from the summer fireflies. We can’t wait to share our home with your child; to hear their giggles, make messes, and watch him or her grow up experiencing a carefree and happy life. Their nursery is ready and painted a beautiful light green. There’s a crib with soft bedding and a mobile hanging above it. There is an elephant piggy bank, fun paintings to hang on the wall, clothes, and a basket filled with stuffed animals and books collected over the years.

Our families love celebrating traditions! Matthew’s favorite holiday is the 4th of July get together at his parent’s house to enjoy playing in the pool, homemade food, and sparklers. Alexandra’s favorite holiday is Easter when we go to church and sing her favorite easter song (“Christ the Lord is Risen Today”). There’s an Easter egg hunt for the kids and later we have brunch at home with the family. We love Christmas at Granny’s, where everyone brings their favorite food, and we do a white elephant gift exchange. We also celebrate Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, have a big September birthday party to celebrate the many birthdays for that month, Thanksgiving in Pennsylvania or Tennessee, and Tennessee football games to name a few. However, we are most looking forward to creating our own traditions to pass on to your child. We look forward to baking Christmas cookies, hayrides, reading bedtime stories, going to church, family dinner at the table, building forts, walks through the woods, relaxing on the porch, and filling our house with singing and laughter.

Your child will be surrounded by wonderful people who will pour their hearts and lives into them. They will have great-grandparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins to play with and learn from. They will learn what it means to love, laugh, make mistakes, have fun, be respectful, and help others. We promise your child will know all the love we are capable of giving. He or she will be surrounded by family and friends who are so excited to meet your child, spoil them, and give them endless hugs and kisses. You are an amazing and courageous woman. We are so thankful that you would consider making our dreams come true. You are thought of, prayed for, and loved.

Love,
Matthew & Alexandra

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Why We are Choosing to Adopt

Though we are unable to have biological children, God has placed on our hearts the desire to have and raise children. He has opened our hearts and minds to adoption because He has adopted us as His children. We promise your baby will know all the love we are capable of giving. He or she will be surrounded by family and friends who are so excited to meet your baby, to spoil them, and give them endless hugs and kisses.

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About Alexandra, by Matthew

Alexandra is able to do anything she sets her mind to. She is loving, honest, and kind. Alexandra encourages others to live out life and be their best. She is hospitable towards all she comes into contact with even in difficult circumstances. Animal lover extraordinaire especially horses and dogs…and chickens, goats, frogs, cats, turtles, and cows. She is nurturing and selflessly invests herself into all things to help anyone in need. She is also dedicated to her faith, family, and friends. Alexandra is a woman with a ravishing smile that can melt the most stubborn of hearts and calm the most intense situations. She is an amazing wife that I adore and cherish more with each passing day.

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About Matthew, by Alexandra

Matthew has a great love of adventure and a sense of humor. His ability to make me laugh and enjoy life and the world around us is was what drew me to him. He is a provider and would give me the world if he could. He has poured himself into me and has given me the confidence to pursue any dream I have while giving me wise counsel. Matthew is creative, fun, encouraging, and supportive and will foster in his children a sense of wonder for the world around them and help them discover who they are meant to be. Matthew is also decisive, strong-willed, and confident which shows in his love of Jesus. He is a wonderful husband who wants to lead our family in the ways of the Lord, stirring up our affections for Him in all that we do.

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How We Met

We met online at Christian Mingle in 2012 and dated for a little over two years. While dating we visited as many states as we could, but we still have a few more to see! In the fall of 2014, we got engaged (Matthew used a recipe box with Alexandra’s future name on it) and got married three months later with just our immediate family members and best friends at our church. We both had dreams of owning land with lots of room to raise our children. We have been blessed with a wonderful home that sits on many acres that our dogs and cats are enjoying using. We look forward to growing our family and sharing this place we call home with any children we are blessed with.    

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Our Lifestyle

We are adventure-seeking travelers! Our favorite thing to do is explore new places and learn about different cultures and history. Some of our favorite trips include Alaska, Hawaii, the Grand Canyon, a cross-country train ride (twice!), Scotland, and a west coast road trip up the Pacific Coast Highway. We have visited most of the states and have trips planned to see the rest. Our absolute favorite vacation spot is the Big Island of Hawaii. You can spend the day at the beach swimming with the turtles, visit a volcano, experience a traditional luau, walk through the rainforest, go see the massive telescopes on a mountain high above the clouds, or horseback ride through the countryside. What we enjoy the most is an early Hawaiian morning where we can listen to the sounds of nature, feel the cool breeze, drink hot coffee or tea, and watch the sunrise.  

During a typical weekend at home, we like to sit on our porch in the morning with a cup of tea and enjoy the quiet before we start the day. Then we typically spend the day outside with our animals, go on a walk, or do yard work. We enjoy being part of our community, whether that’s participating in events or going to the farmer’s market on Saturday morning. We enjoy going to our favorite restaurants and walking downtown and listening to live music.  

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Our Pets

We have five dogs who we love spending time with and who are great stress relievers. Bear, Fleece, Kona, and Winter are our guardian livestock dogs who protect our property and love competing for attention. Oliver is our indoor dog who is the happiest dog we have ever known and has the biggest “vocabulary” we have ever heard from a dog. They all love children and are always gentle with them. We have a family with a young boy who watches them when we are out of town and the big dogs like to lay down for belly rubs while the little dog runs circles around him waiting to play tag. We also have five outdoor cats (Elsie, Scarlett, George, Earl, and Huck) who love to roam the land, climb trees, and sit on your lap.

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Home & Neighborhood

We live in a beautiful two-story home with a wraparound porch, which provides a perfect place to view our property from sunrise to sunset. We have three bedrooms and a vaulted ceiling living room open to the kitchen and has tons of natural light. The house sits on 170 acres consisting of large green rolling hills where you can see wild deer and turkey roaming. There are hiking trails through the woods and a pebbled bottom creek fed by a natural spring that flows from a stunning waterfall; one of the trails even leads to grandma and grandad’s place! Our community is nestled about 30 minutes from city limits providing a comfortable retreat away from the city, while allowing us to enjoy all the convenience that the city provides. We also have wonderful neighbors who look out for one another and are quick to offer help.  

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Adoption in Our Lives

Though we have been unable to have our own children, God has placed on our hearts the desire to have children and to open our home to a child through adoption. Although no one in our families has been adopted, both of Matthew’s parents were raised in foster care. Though they were never adopted we understand from their perspective what it will mean to bring a child into our home and the importance of love and communication with everyone involved. They are extremely excited and happy that we have chosen to adopt and they, along with everyone else in our families, look forward to meeting your child and sharing their lives with him or her.

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Our Families

Matthew’s family has had some exciting changes in the past couple of years. His youngest sister, who lives in North Carolina with her husband, had her first baby, a boy! They are adjusting to parenthood and their dog, Emma, is getting used to having to share the attention. Matthew’s parents (or GiGi and PopPop as the grandkids call them) recently went on a trip to Ireland with some friends where they got to enjoy a bus tour and hiking through the countryside. His oldest sister is married and a stay-at-home mom of three kids ages 8, 6, and 3. She is always creating fun activities for the kids to do such as baking Christmas cookies or planting a garden. His middle sister is a police officer and her and her husband just had their first baby, another boy! They also live one mile from her oldest sister and her family.

We celebrated another wedding in August for Alexandra’s cousin. It had been over 5 years since that part of the family had been together and there were a lot of hugs and laughter. Alexandra’s mom stays busy with painting, photography, and doing various activities at the local community center with her friends; they are often hosting charity events in and around Nashville. Her dad recently retired and you can often find him hanging out by his pool with his dog or down at his property (across the street from us) tinkering with his RV. Alexandra’s brother is an elementary music teacher and her sister-in-law is a college professor. They have several dogs and a cabin near New Orleans where they vacation and visit family.

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Family Traditions

We love celebrating family traditions such as Christmas at Granny’s, where everyone brings a favorite food item and we do a white elephant gift exchange (somehow the rules change every year!) or wearing orange to the University of Tennessee football games and singing “Rocky Top”. Matthew’s favorite holiday is the 4th of July get-together at the grandparent’s house to enjoy the pool, homemade food (mom’s potato salad or pasta salad depending on who you ask), and sparklers. One year we went to a baseball game in  Colorado and enjoyed watching fireworks from the stands. Alexandra’s favorite holiday is Easter when we go to church and sing some of our favorite songs (“Christ the Lords is Risen Today” and “He Arose”). There’s an Easter egg hunt for the kids and a brunch consisting of baked ham, hot cross buns, and deviled eggs.  

We are most looking forward to adding our own family traditions to pass on to your baby. We look forward to baking Christmas cookies, going on hay rides, reading bedtime stories, going to church, having family dinners at the table, building forts, walking through the woods, relaxing on the porch, and filling our house with singing and laughter. 

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Our Promises to You

Dear Birthparent,
I dream of being a dad and having children to raise in our loving home. I’m excited to be adopting and have the privilege to share my life with a child, to provide them with the opportunity to grow and learn in an environment that allows them to use their imagination and develop lifelong skills. I look forward to taking them camping, building forts in the woods, reading stories, and teaching them about farming. I want to pass on skills learned from my father such as electrical and plumbing work and the value of hard work. I will encourage them to reach for their dreams, appreciate the little things, know Jesus, and love wholeheartedly. I will teach them their adoption story so they know where they came from and your love for them. I promise I will always be present for your child and will love them unconditionally.
Love, Matthew 

Dear Birthparent, 
Thank you for considering me to be a mother to your baby. I cannot adequately express in enough words what this means to me. What I can do is promise you that your baby will never lack for a mother’s love or care. I will pour my heart and life into raising your baby so they have every chance to see their dreams come true. They will know laughter and be encouraged to use their imaginations. They will know respect and what it means to help others. I look forward to bedtime stories, prayers, and dinner at the table as a family. I want to share my love of music, cooking, reading, and animals with your baby. I want to share who Jesus is and experience the world through their eyes. They will grow up knowing who they are and your love for them through their adoption story. I promise not a day will go by that I will not love your baby and cherish every moment I have with them.
Love, Alexandra