William and Katie

Hello from beautiful Colorado! We are William and Katie, high school sweethearts who are ready to begin the next step in our lives as parents. We can’t wait to meet you and welcome you and your child into our family. We look forward to the chapters to come that will include all of us and are sure to be some of the best yet!

We feel honored that you would consider us to parent your child and will take that commitment very seriously. Your baby will have loving parents who put them first and give them every opportunity to excel in life. We look forward to watching them grow and supporting their interests by getting involved in whatever they love. Your child will live in a safe and comfortable home with two sweet dogs who can’t wait to run around with them in the backyard and snuggle together on the couch. We also have the support of friends and family who will be there to help us as we settle into our new role as parents and we are almost as excited as we are to welcome your baby into our family.

We will include your child in every part of our lives. We’ll take them on fun family vacations to experience the world and make lasting memories we can share. Your child will have a strong connection to extended family as well through photos, phone calls, and trips. We want your child to get to know grandparents and extended family near and far and develop relationships with their cousins, aunts, and uncles. We will also go on a yearly vacation at the beach or a cabin in the mountains where family from all over can gather with us to have fun and catch up. At home, we’ll teach your child about our hobbies and spend time together sharing things we love. They’ll be included in the traditions we have started as a couple and help us come up with more fun things to do regularly as a family. If your child is of a different race or background, we will celebrate that diversity and do our best to teach them about their ancestry. Our ultimate goal as adoptive parents will be to provide your child with the best life we can and provide you with comfort knowing they are safe, healthy, and loved.

Having children together has been a desire in our hearts from the very beginning of our relationship, more than 10 years ago. We’ve always dreamed of becoming parents and experiencing the joys of teaching, nurturing, and spending time with our kids to create a close-knit family. After spending several years building a strong relationship, buying our first home, and establishing ourselves in our careers, we decided we were ready to have children. We had trouble getting pregnant on our own, but had previous experience and relationships with adoption that convinced us that this was the best way to start our family.

When we thought about our future and building a family together, adoption was always part of the conversation. We had learned about adoption early on in our relationship through church, hearing the amazing stories of foreign missionaries adopting children from other countries. The positive impact adoption had on their lives as well as the lives of everyone involved was something that stuck with us into adulthood. Personal connections to adoption also helped influence our decision. William has an adopted brother and cousins, and we have friends who have adopted children as well. We’ve seen first-hand the special bonds and powerful experiences created through adoption and wanted that for our future family. Although unexpected, our struggle with infertility also reinforced our belief that adoption was the path meant for us all along. It demonstrated our strength as a couple and showed us the depth of our love for a child and one another, preparing us for this journey. We are so excited to be adopting our first child and cannot imagine a more beautiful or meaningful way to begin our family.

My wife, Katie, is my favorite person. When I need help, am worried, or just want someone to talk things through, she always listens to everything I have to say and helps with solving my

problems. She is a kind, nurturing person who wants the best for the people she loves. She is smart and good at handling things, so when she helps me, I grow and learn new things and she ultimately makes me a better person. I know she will be able to do these same things as a mother to a child.

Katie gets excited every spring as the plants in the garden start to grow back, and she decides what vegetables she is going to plant for summer. Nearly every night, she loves cooking dinner for us and often explores new recipes making delicious, healthy meals. She also loves to plan, making sure we have the best things to do on trips and vacations because she works hard to ensure we have the most fun.

But more than anything about who she is, or the things she likes, Katie is just my best friend. Katie and I have so much fun together; we have so many silly jokes and games that we play with each other. Our relationship is filled with laughter, from Katie making me laugh when she says “byeee” in a silly voice and pretends to roller skate into the sunset (I know, it’s weird), or from me making Katie laugh with any food-related pun (they are always a sure hit with her).

Just being around Katie makes me happy; we do almost everything together. In the midst of our relationship would be a beautiful place for a child to grow and learn the value of love and caring, and I know Katie would be a wonderful person to teach those things.

William and I first met as teenagers through our church youth group. We saw each other often, but didn’t become close until his family moved in down the street from mine one summer when we were in high school. William offered to give me a ride home from church one night, and we’ve been inseparable ever since. We dated all through high school and college then married in the summer of 2010.

William is my sweetheart and best friend. He is a kind and caring partner. On winter days he always cleans the snow off my car so I don’t have to spend time in the cold and can drive to work safely. He loves to have a good time with friends, whether hosting dinner at our home or camping in the mountains. He loves a challenge and is good at figuring things out. When we play games, he’s great at learning rules and explaining them to the group. I know he’ll enjoy sharing his love of games with a child and teaching them to play with us. William is smart, responsible, and an amazing provider. He’s our household landscaper, mechanic, and carpenter. He enjoys DIY projects and is capable of handling most things. William is my favorite person in the whole world. He is my best friend, someone I admire, and the only person I can imagine taking on this adventure. I can’t wait to have him as my partner as we parent a child.

Katie works part-time, just a few days a week, as a pharmacist for a local community health center. She works directly with patients to help them get the medication they need and make sure they understand how to take it. It’s a very rewarding job for her and also one that gives her the opportunity to have plenty of time at home. When we have a child, Katie plans to take time off from work to stay home and care for them. Your child’s care is her first priority and she wants to make sure she’s there to bond with them. As your child grows, we plan to share the childcare responsibilities so that Katie can return to work part-time.

William is a systems engineer contractor. He works on technical government projects that utilize his interest in math and spatial design. He works full time, but is home every evening, all day many Fridays, and every weekend to spend time with family.

Outside of work, our lives are pretty laid back and fun. In the evenings Katie cooks dinner then we’ll go on a walk with our dogs in the neighborhood and talk about our day. The activities we enjoy are already very family-friendly. We usually spend some time watching TV or a movie before bed. Lately, we’ve been watching a lot of “Survivor”, and enjoy imagining William being on the show because he’s outgoing and great at puzzles. On weekends, we go on hikes together, run errands around town, catch up on chores, and spend time having fun with friends. We also go to community events like plays, concerts, art walks downtown, and farmers’ markets. We can’t wait for your child to join our fun and loving home!

We have two dogs, named Zebu and Nisi. Zebu (zee-boo) is a large black and gray Catahoula/Labrador mix. We added her to our family eleven years ago when we got her from Katie’s boss. Zebu has been with us to many different parts of the country and loves swimming in rivers and hiking through mountains. Her temperament is calm and reserved, though she gets playful whenever anyone comes to the house. She is obedient and loves the approval of her owners more than anything…except peanut butter.

Nisi (nee-see) is a medium-sized brown and black speckled Catahoula/Terrier mix. We adopted her from a shelter about two years ago. She is a very fast and agile puppy, full of energy and curiosity. She loves going on runs with William and hates taking baths. Her curiosity sometimes gets her into trouble (she keeps eating the houseplants!) but she is making good progress toward being a well-behaved dog. She loves cuddling and always wants attention from visitors.

Our dogs are important to us, and they keep us active as they need walks, hikes, and runs every single day. They are often our adventure companions and accompany us on camping trips and dog-friendly family vacations. We also make them work hard with training and teaching them tricks. Zebu and Nisi are both sweet and loving and would be thrilled to have a baby in the house to sniff and clean crumbs up after dinner time.

In our free time, we enjoy doing things outdoors whether that’s hiking and camping in the mountains or gardening in our own backyard. We both also love having friends over to our home for dinner parties, board games, and movie nights. We can’t wait to include your child in our favorite activities and look forward to creating new hobbies for our family with the things that they love.

Colorado is home to numerous beautiful trails with mountain lakes and wildflowers. On weekends we love getting out to explore nature and will often bring our dogs along for exercise. On nice days, we’ll even take a picnic lunch to share as we rest along the trail and take in the breathtaking views. There are a variety of family-friendly places to visit in our area that would be suitable for a stroller and we also plan to get a hiking baby carrier to make it easy to bring a child along with us. We think it will be so much fun to include your child on our hikes and camping trips so we can teach them about nature and go on fun family adventures together.

We enjoy gardening together during the summer and have many varieties of plants and flowers in our yard that we enjoy learning about and caring for. William also built several vegetable garden beds where Katie grows a variety of fruits and veggies during the summer. Last year we had so many tomatoes that we were able to freeze soups and sauces to enjoy all winter long. Teaching your child about gardening and how to care for plants would be very rewarding for the both of us, and we think they’d enjoy spending time outside digging in the dirt and watching their plants grow.

We both love board games and the fun that having a group of friends and family over for snacks and gaming can be. We started playing games together in college and have developed quite a collection over the years. It will be so much fun for us to teach your child to play games and watch how they figure out the rules and become creative, problem-solving little people. We’ve bought and played board games with our niece and nephew before and know that there are some very exciting children’s games out there, even for grown-ups. Family game night (which might be almost every night) would be a night of bonding and laughter and growth in our house.

We moved to Colorado six years ago and have made it our home. We love the abundant sunshine year-round as well as the beautiful, snowy winters and majestic mountain views right outside our door. Our home is a safe, calm environment that’s ready to welcome a child. We have a beautiful nursery with space to play and a comfy chair where we can read books and cuddle. We have two dogs who are gentle and sweet and would love to have a child to play with. Our backyard is fenced in and has a deck where we like to grill in the summers and eat outside. There is a patio with a picnic table that William built where we will gather with friends for parties and plenty of space to run and play on a large grassy area. We have several flower beds with flowers like roses, irises, and coneflowers that attract beautiful hummingbirds and butterflies. We also have raised garden beds where we grow vegetables together in the summer. We’re looking forward to teaching your child about gardening and giving them a space to plant seeds and watch them grow.

Our neighborhood is quiet and safe. We are good friends with our neighbors and look out for each other. Our neighborhood is on the older side of our city and is a short walk to the historical downtown area and the current downtown. There are miles and miles of walking paths and trails nearby that run through parks and playgrounds that we can get to easily on foot or with a very short drive. We use these places daily to walk the dogs and get exercise and could see them being a great place to take your child on stroller walks and to run around and play when they’re older.

We are committed to teaching your child about their unique background and incorporating their heritage into our family. One of our favorite ways to learn about other cultures as a couple is through traveling. We’ve taken many trips together over the years and enjoy immersing ourselves in the customs, food, and culture of the places we visit. We will continue these trips when your child is growing to show them all the beautiful cultures that make up our world. These lessons will continue at home, where we will show by example how to respect and appreciate walks of life that are different from our own. One way we plan to demonstrate this is through Katie’s job. Katie is a pharmacist and works in a diverse community. Many of the patients that come in are Spanish speaking, so Katie has been working on learning the language to better understand the needs of those who come to see her.

We are currently preparing and planning other ways to celebrate your child’s culture as well. We already have diverse children’s books picked out for the nursery and plan to do things like watch documentaries together, travel, and cook traditional foods with your child to teach them about their heritage. Katie loves learning how to cook new dishes and would definitely enjoy helping a child explore their culture through food. She recently learned how to make traditional Indian samosas! We know that adopting a child of different racial or cultural background could present challenges, but we will approach everything with respect and importance. Together we will help your child learn who they are and show them how much they mean to us.

The majority of both sides of our families still live in Mississippi where we grew up. Whenever we go back to visit, everyone gathers together to spend time with us and catch up. Both our moms usually each have a special meal planned to give us the opportunity to sit down with our siblings and their families and talk over dinner. We often stay at William’s brother’s home where they have a guest room set up for us, and we spend time swimming in the pool, playing board games, and hanging out with our niece and nephew. We go back to Mississippi at least once a year and are planning to make the trip more often once we have a child.

Our families usually come to visit us a few times during the year as well. William’s little brother has even recently moved to Colorado to be near us and became our neighbor, now living just across the street. We are also very lucky to have many close friends here at home that feel like family. Some of our friends are our neighbors so we see them very often. All of us get together regularly for parties at our homes, hikes, doggie play dates, and to attend community events. In past years, when we were unable to travel home, we even got together with our neighbors to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Our family and friends have been incredibly supportive since they learned of our wish to adopt. Both our moms, especially, are very excited about the thought of adding another grandchild to the family. Our friends with kids can’t wait for us to bring a little one along on play dates to the park and trips to the zoo. We look forward to introducing our family and friends to your child and have no doubts that they will love and embrace them with open arms.

Some of our traditions include family vacations every summer, annual backyard parties for 4th of July, and traveling to visit family for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Every year we have a party at our home for the 4th of July with friends. One year we even lined up the party with the season premiere of a popular TV show, “Stranger Things”, and had a lot of fun incorporating a theme into our party and watching the show together. At the end of the evening, we walk across the street to a big hill where we lay out a blanket and can watch the fireworks being shot all over town. Many of our neighbors and their families will gather on the hill as well and it’s a great time as a community to have fun together and celebrate the holiday.

For holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, we go back to Mississippi to visit family. Our families will gather at each of our moms’ houses to share a big meal together. Back at our home, decorating for the holidays is something we look forward to each year. The day after Thanksgiving, we begin decorating for Christmas and bring out the lights, stockings, tree, and various other doodads to transform the house. We decorated our own stockings the first Christmas we were married and added ones for Zebu and Nisi with their own special touches. It will be so much fun to add another stocking for the little one that joins our family! Christmas morning Katie cooks homemade cinnamon rolls to eat as we open presents. The rest of the day is spent hiking, enjoying time with family, and cooking all kinds of foods together for a big Christmas dinner.

Outside of holidays, we have little yearly traditions we’ve started together. We enjoy having movie marathons that include films we love to watch as a family. In the fall we always watch “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, and we also watch several of the “Star Wars” movies near Christmas time. We look forward to seeing which movies our child will enjoy most and adding them to our annual watch list as well. At least once a year, we also go on a family vacation to have fun and relax. Family vacations are another tradition we will enjoy sharing with our child as we explore new places together and old favorites we can’t wait to share.

We love to travel and have taken some fun, beautiful, and memorable vacations over the years. Together we have been to Greece, Mexico, New Zealand, and all over the United States, from Alaska to Florida to California to New York to Hawaii.

Many years ago in Greece, we visited the Parthenon, toured numerous places and sites from the Bible, and swam in the Aegean Sea.

In Mexico, we stayed near the beach on the Yucatan peninsula, visited underground lakes called cenotes, and explored ruins, riding on bikes in between climbing atop majestic Mayan pyramids.

During our time in New Zealand, we rafted through an underground river with glow worms lighting up the ceiling, visited black sand beaches and majestic waterfalls, toured the set of Hobbiton from the Lord of the Rings, and hiked to the top of a dormant volcano.

We’ve seen glaciers in Alaska, gone to theme parks in Florida, visited beaches in California, watched Broadway plays in New York, and danced at a luau in Hawaii.

Traveling is a big part of our family, and, once they’re old enough to go, we can’t wait to share adventures with a child of our own, opening their eyes to the beautiful and awe-inspiring things that the world has to offer.

As adoptive parents, our desire is to have a relationship where you feel connected to your child and are an important part of their life as they grow. We are here as your biggest supporters, holding a place for you in our lives whether you feel ready now or if it takes time. We will teach your child how special and loved they are by all of us and celebrate your relationship with them. Our family is, and will always be, a family of love and joy, and laughter. A child in our family would know real, unconditional love and we would do everything possible to bring a child happiness and a bright future. Your child would know who they are and why they are worth so much love. We will work hard every day to become better parents and earn the trust you’ve placed in us. This is only the beginning! You will forever be a part of our family and your child’s life, and together, we will help them become the very best person they can possibly be.