Kyler and Anne-Hampton

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From Us to You

Hi from North Carolina! First, we just want to thank you for reading our words and considering us while you explore the option of adoption. We realize that we could never understand exactly what you are going through and it is most important to us that you know you are not alone in this process. We can only imagine the weight of these difficult questions and decisions you are faced with. We may not know you yet, but we already know of your courage and the immense love you have for your child as you consider adoption. Please know that if we have the opportunity to get to know you, we would love to be a sincere source of support to you throughout this process.

As you get to know us, we hope you feel confident that we will love your child with all that we have. We will dedicate our lives to providing your child with the best childhood and upbringing we can, filled with fun, family, activity, and a lot of love. As parents, we can ensure that your child will be supported and accepted just as they are, as we strive to approach parenting with endless grace and understanding.

We have loved each other for over a decade and we are ready and excited to start our family and share our love with a child. Life has brought us many joys, adventures, and heartaches. Each of these experiences, good and bad, has brought us closer and made us stronger as a couple. As we look ahead, we find ourselves beaming with excitement to begin the journey of parenthood together. Adoption is something that we have both felt passionate about from before we met each other, and this passion has grown through our marriage. From our own family members and many friends, we have seen firsthand how adoption can be an incredibly beautiful and humbling way to grow a family.

Your child will be a part of every aspect of our lives; from travels to visit our families, to getting to know and love our sweet dog and horse, and joining the adorable group of children that make up our fun neighborhood and church. We feel very grateful that Anne-Hampton’s career offers so much freedom to make her own schedule and prioritize caring for your child.

We want your child to continue to know you and their background in any capacity you feel most comfortable. Maybe on the surface it may seem that we all do not have that much in common, but we can guarantee that we will share something that is deeply genuine and powerful, and that will be love for your child. We understand that this is a life altering decision you are faced with and we want you to know that we do not take that for granted. We are here for you every step of the way. We would be truly honored to have the opportunity to love and raise your child.

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Why We're Choosing to Adopt

Adoption has been a part of the vision for our family since we have been together. Kyler’s father and maternal grandmother were both adopted. Knowing their stories and meeting Kyler’s father’s birth mother as a child, provided an early and wonderful example of the way in which adoption can grow a family and provide support to a birth mother. As we’ve built our community as a married couple over the years, we have continued to see examples of close friends grow their families through adoption. Through Anne-Hampton’s graduate education in social work, she has also seen the benefits adoption can provide birth mothers and waiting families. Both these early and recent experiences have solidified our hope to work with an expecting mother who may be seeking adoption. We feel very excited to start a family together and confident in our decision to seek out adoption as a way to do this.

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About Anne-Hampton, by Kyler

Anne-Hampton is such an incredible source of kindness, support, and love to those around her, and I feel so lucky and undeserving to be able to experience this on a daily basis. From the time we met, she has constantly done more to show her dedication to her friends and family than I have seen in a person. Whether supporting your interests or helping you through a difficult season, she will be there without hesitation and will likely come with a thoughtful gift that you didn’t even know you needed. She uses these natural strengths in her work as a therapist to allow people to better themselves, while at home also helping me become the best version of myself through her patience and support. Besides this incredible grace, she also does this with a sneaky sense of humor and the best laugh. It has been amazing to see her grow over the years of our relationship, and I’m so excited to see her continue that growth as a mother. I have no doubt this new journey will continue to bring out the best in Anne-Hampton.

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About Kyler, by Anne-Hampton

When I first met Kyler, I immediately noticed his kind and thoughtful demeanor. While on the surface he may come across as quiet or reserved, I have learned what a powerful strength this is. Kyler is the most genuine and patient person I know. He is gentle and sensitive with others’ feelings, while maintaining this confidence and strong sense of self. Everyone who knows Kyler can attest to his selflessness and generosity, and I feel so fortunate to be married to a man who always puts others before himself. I am so excited to watch Kyler become a father and feel very assured that he will be the most amazing father to your child. Kyler has a love for learning, for being playful, and for showing up for his people every day however they need him and I can’t wait to see these qualities translate into fatherhood for him.

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Our Pets

We are both huge animal lovers and each grew up with several dogs and cats in our homes. Currently, we have one dog, a Bernese mountain dog – Poodle mix (Bernedoodle) named Beezie. Beezie is 4 years old and is the sweetest ball of fluff we’ve ever known. We feel like we hit the jackpot with our girl! Beezie is kind, gentle, and joyful. She enjoys walks around the neighborhood and stopping to play with other dogs, especially George (a neighborhood dog with only 3 legs) who she may have something of a crush on. She is an expert cuddler and makes each day brighter for us. Anne-Hampton grew up riding horses and currently cares for a horse named Hilton. Hilton is a gentle giant who always aims to please. Hilton is the ultimate partner to have in this sport and brings so much joy to our lives. We know that animals will always be a part of our family.

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Our Home

We moved into our 1950’s, ranch-style home about 4 years ago and have loved bringing an old home back to life. Our home has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large living room, and a cozy sunroom which we have loved creatively restoring. We have a good sized front yard and a big back yard with a deck where we enjoy spending time with our dog and envision our family spending long summer evenings. We live in a quiet, family-friendly neighborhood at the very end of our street. Our neighborhood has been so welcoming to us since the day we moved in. We truly treasure our neighbors, the young children who fill the streets with fun and games, and the comfort and security we have felt while living in our home. We are grateful that our neighborhood is walking distance to several parks, restaurants, and shops, and also located in a well-respected school zone.

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Our Families

Family is so important to both of us, and in marrying each other we have learned the beauty within families that look so very different from each other. Anne-Hampton comes from a relatively small family. She has two siblings, an older sister who lives in New York with her husband and daughter, and a younger brother who lives here in town. Anne-Hampton’s parents recently moved to the beach which has made visiting “home” that much more fun! Kyler is part of a larger family and is the oldest of five siblings (two sisters and three brothers). His sisters both have children and seeing all our nieces and nephews during family visits is always a joy. Half of Kyler’s family are in Georgia where he grew up and the other half are in Washington State where he was born. We consider ourselves very lucky to have the close knit families we have and enjoy traveling all over the country to visit everyone in their different cities. As we do not have a lot of family in this area, we are so blessed to have close friends who feel like family. Our community of friends is built of people from church, school, work, soccer, and the barn. They keep us laughing, are always up for an adventure, and make us feel so supported.

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Our Faith

Anne-Hampton grew up attending an Episcopal church with her family in her hometown in Virginia. Throughout high school and college, she attended churches of other Christian denominations as she learned and explored more of her faith and became more independent. Kyler did not grow up in a religious household and did not consider himself a Christian for the majority of his childhood and early adulthood. Throughout the beginning of our relationship, Kyler was always respectful of Anne-Hampton’s beliefs, even though they were not shared at that time. After moving to North Carolina, Anne-Hampton began attending a Presbyterian church based on recommendations from friends in the area. As we were both new to the area, Kyler did not want Anne-Hampton to attend church alone and began attending with her. Gradually, through many conversations with the community of the church, reading, and reflection, Kyler eventually came to consider himself a Christian as well.

Our faith as individuals and as a couple has become an important part of our lives and we are grateful for how it has strengthened the foundation of our marriage. We have continued to attend the same Presbyterian church and the community has provided support through both difficult times and times of celebration. We have participated in small groups organized by our church for the past 8 years and these have served as a consistent and strong source of community for us. Anne-Hampton is now involved with the church youth system serving the middle and high schoolers in a weekly bible study. As parents we will use the values we have learned through our faith to guide our parenting, aiming to provide a home for your child that is filled with grace and unconditional love, while also allowing the freedom to question and explore within their own beliefs.

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Racial and Cultural Diversity

When Anne-Hampton was in graduate school receiving her Masters of Social Work, her class had many long discussions about racial inequality and disenfranchised populations. These discussions and enriched learning prompted us to explore our own racial identity, inherent biases, and privileges and ask each other hard questions about what else we could be doing to ensure we were not contributing to the disenfranchisement or discrimination of any person based on their race, ethnicity, gender, or sexuality. We recognize how important is is that your child feels comfortable and welcome in their community.

We feel fortunate to live in an area with diversity throughout its residents. Our area is home to two historically black colleges and has seen leaders in social advancement, several of which are honored in a beautiful mural located just around the corner from our home. The region is also home to a large organization which aids in the relocation and integration of refugees and immigrants into our community. We are lucky enough to have seen the benefits of this organization at work in our own neighborhood and church community. We love living in a city that also celebrates history and the arts. Through festivals and performances, the diverse education opportunities, and even displayed in the infrastructure, we are grateful to call a city with such a culturally rich and diverse community, “home.”

We will work hard to encourage your child to explore and understand their own racial identity and history and will ensure that their race and culture is celebrated. We feel it is important that a community is made up of people that look both similar and different from you, and we will aim to keep diversity as one of our top values as we begin our family.

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Our Lifestyle

We strive to live as balanced a lifestyle as possible. While Kyler’s work as a resident physician does not always allow for flexibility, one of the reasons Anne-Hampton chose the specific type of position she has is because of the great flexibility! Our typical day-to-day usually consists of work, exercise, and time at the barn for Anne-Hampton, a daily walk for our dog, and dinner and time together each evening. We enjoy weekly gatherings with our church small group, hopefully a weekly evening soccer game for Kyler, and time spent with friends on the weekends. We are excited to see how our daily routines evolve as our family grows.

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Our Vacations

We both love to travel and explore whenever we have the opportunity. Whether exploring different parts of the country or traveling internationally, experiencing new places and interacting with people of different backgrounds is important to us. Both of us spent time in different countries during our studies and have continued to seek out ways to experience the value of understanding different cultures. One of our favorite things to do while traveling is taking long walks around a new city; taking in the architecture, culture, and people around us. In addition to finding new places to visit, we travel to the beach on the North or South Carolina coast whenever we can. In contrast to our typical travel style, when we visit the beach, we work hard to do as little as possible and spend our days reading and relaxing. We already love to travel and hope that passing along this sense of adventure to your child will add an even more rewarding aspect to these experiences. We always have a running bucket list of places we would like to visit next, and can’t wait to experience traveling all together as a family one day.

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Family Traditions

Our favorite traditions are centered on family gatherings. The one we look forward to the most is spending time with Anne-Hampton’s immediate and extended family at the beach in South Carolina during the Fourth of July. This trip and the traditions that are a part of the week we spend together have been going strong for over 50 years. We love enjoying long days on the beach together, the annual 4th of July parade, and reminiscing with friends and family we may not get to see as often. Christmas is another holiday we spend with family and consider an important tradition. Picking out and decorating the tree, a family meal on Christmas Eve, and enjoying breakfast and exchanging gifts on Christmas morning are moments we look forward to all year. We also enjoy recognizing smaller, more frequent traditions, like waking up early on weekends to watch our favorite English soccer team play, or finding the best breakfast plate in any new city we travel to. Honestly though, I think we are most excited to begin new traditions as our family grows!

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Our Careers

Following receiving her Masters of Social Work, Anne-Hampton began working as a mental health therapist in a private practice setting. She provides therapy and care for mental health for both adolescents and adults. Using several different types of therapy and a variety of skills, she helps individuals process through life challenges and past traumas in hopes of working towards healing.

Kyler decided to pursue a career in medicine and is a resident physician, currently completing the final years of his residency training in diagnostic radiology. This consists of interpreting all types of medical imaging such as X-rays, CT scans, MRI, and ultrasound. He enjoys the challenge of using images to diagnose or solve underlying problems that a person may be experiencing.

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Our Hobbies

We enjoy a wide range of activities, though each of us has a sport we are particularly passionate about.

I, Anne-Hampton, began riding horses when I was 5 years old and it has been one of my greatest passions ever since. While I have never officially owned my own horse, I have worked hard to find creative ways to stay active in this sport and feed this passion that gives me so much joy. Working with horses has taught me so much about diligence, humility, and the incredible bond that can be formed with an animal. When not riding horses, I enjoy exercising, watching movies, reading, and time with friends.

I, Kyler, grew up playing soccer throughout my childhood and into my college years. Following my graduation from college, I was able to experience a brief stint playing for a semi-professional team before returning to school to pursue a career in medicine. I continue to enjoy playing in various leagues and tournaments when I have the opportunity. Besides soccer, I enjoy playing golf, particularly with my brothers and brothers-in-law, woodworking, and learning new skills for projects around our home.

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How We Met

We met during our sophomore year in college back in 2010 while attending a pre-Thanksgiving break “Friendsgiving” celebration through mutual friends. While we were both somewhat shy and quiet at that first meeting, we quickly connected and went on our first date later that fall. During the spring, Anne-Hampton studied abroad in New Zealand and Australia which made our early relationship somewhat atypical. However, despite the distance and time difference, we continued to grow closer thanks to international calling cards in the pre-smart phone era. Those long phone conversations during months apart helped us get to know each other on a deeper level and served to create a bond that we feel has grown stronger and stronger in the years since.

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The Kind of Parents We will Be

Although we do not have any children of our own yet, we feel confident that we will be very loving, caring, and understanding parents. Parenthood will likely humble us in many ways and we understand that we have a whole lot to learn, but we know that we will be devoted to the wellbeing of your child every day. We feel that we balance each other very well as a couple; Kyler brings an unwavering patience and Anne-Hampton brings endless empathy into our relationships and we believe the same will be true in our parenting. Communication is something we highly value in our marriage and we want to continue to hold this as a priority in our parenting of your child and in our relationship with you. Most importantly, we want to approach each day of raising your child with the utmost grace and love.

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Education

We both value education and the benefits it can offer. As recipients of graduate degrees, we are grateful for the opportunities associated with education that may have not otherwise been possible. Kyler was the first in his family to go to college and has seen first-hand how new doors were opened for him and his younger siblings relative to his parents and grandparents. In addition to education in the traditional sense, we both enjoy learning new things, whether culturally through travel, learning new hobbies, or meeting new people. We understand that everyone has different learning styles, some that are not always considered fully in a traditional education system. It is important to us that each member of our family is receiving a strong education that works best for their individual way of learning. As parents, we would like to provide a space where your child can learn and is encouraged to explore a wide variety of interests as they grow.

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Our Promise to You

We promise to offer your baby unconditional love and support each and every day. We promise to fully accept and embrace your child for exactly who they are and to work hard to celebrate each of their unique qualities. We promise to include you, your culture, and your history into the makeup of our family in ways you are comfortable with. We promise that your child will know who you are and will know of your courage and selflessness. We are so incredibly thankful you are considering us as parents to your child. We hope that you feel some sense of peace that your child will be cared for every day that we are blessed to love them.