Jonathan and Kristine

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From Us to You

We are grateful that you are considering us as adoptive parents of your child, and we are amazed by your strength and courage to consider it. While we can’t pretend to understand how important this decision is for you, we do know that your decision comes from a place of deep courage and love. We are inspired and honored at the idea of raising a child through adoption. We see adoption as a sacred agreement between the expectant mother and ourselves.

Jonathan has a 12-year-old son, William, from his previous marriage. William is eager to have a younger sibling. Kris has always wanted to be a mother but was unable to conceive. We are so excited to add to our family. We live in a quiet, family-friendly neighborhood. The sidewalks and streets are busy with people walking their dogs and families out on bikes. We live just blocks from a large park with a pond, jungle gym, soccer field, tennis courts, and a walking path. We also live near a river where Kris and our dog, Ari, like to run and swim.

We are a musical family. Jonathan has a degree in music and is a guitar fanatic. He has a small studio in the house and dreams of building a music man-cave in the back yard. Kris also appreciates music and they both love to go out to hear live music. William is learning to play the drums. As a family, we like to cook together, go for walks, scooter rides, and spend time with family and friends.

We are from opposite coasts and still have family on both coasts. Jonathan’s parents live in the San Francisco bay area, just a couple hours from us. We travel there to see them whenever we can and they come to our home to spend time with us when they are able. We have many cousins and extended family living in the Bay Area and enjoy having large family gatherings for holidays and birthdays. Jonathan’s brother lives locally with his family. They have a son who is close with our son William and a daughter who is a freshman in high school.

One of our favorite family outings is meeting for lunch in San Francisco and going to see the San Francisco Symphony. Kris’s family lives on the East Coast and we fly there at least once per year to spend time with them, usually during the holidays. They live close to the Atlantic Ocean where we love to ride bikes and walk the dogs on the beach. Her twin nephews just left for college. Christopher is studying automotive engineering and Kyle is studying business. They are both incredible athletes.

We have many friends who have adopted children and they are so excited and supportive. Our families are also very excited and can’t wait to share their wisdom and love.

If you choose us, you have our whole-hearted commitment to raise your child with unconditional love and support. We will raise your child to hold their head high, to be strong in mind and kind in heart. We will teach them to love themselves and others and to live a life of integrity, honor and courage. We will provide the resources and support they need to cultivate their talents and reach for their dreams.

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About Kris

Kris is very special to me. She is playful, loving and smart. We have wonderful conversations about life, music, children, dogs, our future, social justice issues, health care and politics, to name a few. She keeps me on my toes and helps me to be the best father and husband I can be. Every morning when we wake up she greets our dog, Ari, with incredible love and affection. She is wonderful with William and he lights up every time he is around her. She has an infinite amount of love and wisdom to give and she is going to be a wonderful mother to your child.

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About Jonathan

Jonathan is intelligent, calm, creative, and kind. He is one of the hardest working people I have ever met. He is also incredibly patient, loyal, and genuine. In the entire time I have known Jonathan, I have never heard him speak badly about anyone. He always has a way of seeing the positive in every situation and in every person. He is also an amazing father and husband. He is so thoughtful and is always thinking about what he can do for his family.

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Our Families

We are from opposite coasts and still have family on both coasts. Jonathan’s parents live in the San Francisco bay area, just a couple hours from us. We travel there to see them whenever we can and they come to our home to spend time with us when they are able. We have many cousins and extended family living in the Bay Area and enjoy having large family gatherings for holidays and birthdays. Jonathan’s brother lives locally with his family. They have a son who is close with our son William and a daughter who is a freshman in high school.

One of our favorite family outings is meeting for lunch in San Francisco and going to see the San Francisco Symphony. Kris’s family lives on the East Coast and we fly there at least once per year to spend time with them, usually during the holidays. They live close to the Atlantic Ocean where we love to ride bikes and walk the dogs on the beach. Her twin nephews just left for college. Christopher is studying automotive engineering and Kyle is studying business. They are both incredible athletes.

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About Us

We met five years ago in a cozy coffee shop. We had an instant connection and it quickly became apparent that we had similar interests and goals in life. We both work in health care and have a passion for helping others. Jonathan studied music in college and Kris has always had a deep love for music. Jonathan has a small music studio in the house with many different instruments and recording equipment. He dreams of having a larger studio to create music. William also has a drum set in the studio. As a couple, we love to fill our house with creativity. We like to try new recipes and find projects to work on together. We love to be outside traveling, hiking, camping and walking the dog. We both long to raise a child together and to provide a home full of loving friends and family.

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Our Home

Our home has a beautiful front yard and large windows looking out over the patio and garden. It has three large bedrooms and a couple of the bedrooms have built-in window seating for daydreaming or reading. The house has so much character, which we love! We are within a quick walk to the river where we enjoy walking our dog, biking, and running. We chose this house because it has enough room for a growing family, is on a quiet cul-de-sac surrounded by families, and is in an excellent school district with top-rated schools.

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Racial and Cultural Diversity

We live in one of the most culturally and socioeconomically diverse cities in the country and there is a reason we both chose to live here. We have both spent time in less diverse areas of the country and feel more comfortable in areas with more cultural diversity. We both have friends and spend time with people from multiple different races and socioeconomic backgrounds. There is so much that can be learned and enjoyed by spending time with people from different backgrounds and we both live our lives with openness to everyone.

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Education

We both believe in the power of education. We both pursued advanced degrees that have allowed us to have wonderful careers and meet many people throughout our lives that we would have never met had we not pursued these paths. We will make sure that your child has the best education possible and will encourage him or her to pursue a college degree and graduate education after high school. We intend to start saving money from the first day your child enters our home so that he or she has the resources to pursue higher education.

We will teach our children to be caring, loving, open and mindful. We will teach them to listen and be compassionate, to be open to viewpoints other than their own and to treat everyone with respect. We will teach them to be critical thinkers and we will teach them about the power of education. We will teach them the importance of family. We will teach them about the world through travel, reading, spending time outdoors and the arts.

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Our Traditions

We were brought up in different religious traditions, Judaism and Christianity. Despite this, we have a shared sense of spirituality. We have shared in traditions from both cultures, spending time on the East Coast with Kris’s family celebrating Christmas and celebrating Jewish holidays in California with Jonathan’s family and friends. What is important to us is that your child feels a sense of belonging and community and we believe that we can provide this. We have family dinner every Friday night where we light candles and discuss our week, each other, and our goals. All three of us read to each other on a regular basis and we take time to spend time together in nature, whether on a bike ride near the river, a scooter ride or walk around the neighborhood or on a road trip to one of the nearby areas to hike or camp. We also enjoy the arts and regularly spend time going to museums and concerts of different types of music, from classical to rock music.

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Our Careers and Passions

We both felt a calling to work in healthcare. We chose our careers because we both feel passionate about serving those in need. We believe that caring for others is an honor and a privilege. Kris has a deep love for nature and animals. She dreams of having land one day where she can garden and possibly have a couple of goats. Since Jonathan was 5 years old he was passionate about music. He started with learning piano in kindergarten and guitar when he was 11 years old. He has never stopped developing his musical talents. William is passionate about learning, his friends, and video games. He loves recording YouTube videos of himself and Jonathan playing video games while they describe all the action. He dreams of being a video game designer when he grows up. Our dog, Ari, is passionate about squirrels, helicopters, bones, swimming, running and treats. His dream is to get belly rubs, walks, and treats every day.

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Our Relationship with You

We feel it is important for your child to know and, if possible, have a relationship with you. We understand that this relationship may change over time. We are open to many variations and possibilities for how this might look.

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Why We are Choosing to Adopt

We cannot think of a more important and special thing than to raise a child in a loving home. We have been discussing having a child together since early in our relationship. We have attempted to conceive by IVF and naturally but have come to the realization that we both want to adopt. We both long to raise a child together in a loving home, to provide him or her with love, education, family and security. We also want William to have a sibling and to experience the joys and responsibilities that come with being a big brother.