Brad and Catie

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From Us to You

Hi! We’re Catie, Brad, Elliot, and Mini (our cat). We’re very excited and looking forward to giving your child a fulfilling future, a loving home, and a positive place in the world.

Throughout this journey, we can only imagine the unknowns you are currently facing. However, you can be confident that your child will be loved, well-nurtured, and will always have a home within our family.

With some practice from our first son, Elliot, we have learned how to be dedicated, supportive, and compassionate parents with a healthy amount of patience. Since day one, he has always shown us the brighter side of life, which we are excited to pass along to your child.

Our family spends a lot of time together, a lot of which is outdoors when the weather is nice, where we will often take afternoon trips to nearby Lake Michigan, the library, or an outdoor park. At home, we enjoy spending time playing with our cat, grilling, gardening, crafting, making forts, and enjoying quality family time.

With an older sibling to look up to in our household, your child will have a lifelong best friend and guide beyond a parental figure. As parents, we are dedicated to being good protectors, guides, and confidants from childhood through adulthood.

We’re sure that you will have many difficult decisions to make during your journey, but we are hoping that by getting to know our family a little bit more, you can be assured that your child will have a promising future with an abundance of opportunity.

With great warmth and well wishes,

Catie, Brad, Elliot, and Mini

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Why We Are Choosing to Adopt

Catie and I both have a strong desire to bring a positive change to this world. We are excited to give your child a loving family and promising opportunity in life. Having our current son opened our eyes to the amount of love that we can give to a child as parents which will fully extend to an additional member coming into our family.

Catie’s career is dedicated to providing compassionate care to others, and this desire to love another person will directly translate to her capability of whole heartedly loving your child. Through having our son, Catie realized her calling to be a mother and so much more love to give to another child.

I (Brad) have always made it a life goal to try and improve the world that we live in. I am excited to help provide an opportunity for your child and to be a guiding voice as they grow and begin to learn about the world we all coexist within.

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Lifestyle

We currently live in the City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin just a few short blocks from the beach on Lake Michigan.

Catie, works several nights per week at the local hospital downtown as an emergency room nurse, while Brad works a hybrid office job downtown as well. This ensures that our child has full time parental care at home.

On weekdays, we spend time visiting libraries, the community center, and various neighborhood play opportunities with our son. On weekends we like to take family trips to the zoo, parks throughout the city, nature trails, concerts, and the occasional out of town adventure.

We are excited to include your child in our daily adventures. From a simple bike ride to making s’mores around the campfire, we are looking forward to welcoming your child with open arms.

Fun Facts As A Couple:

• We’ve had the opportunity to explore two countries outside of the U.S. as a couple, including Brazil and South Korea.
• We like to bike around the city.
• We met in the gym at school, which is still near to our home, and continue to remain physically active asa family.

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About Catie, by Brad

Catie is an incredible mother to our son Elliot and a best friend to me.

She’s great at making sure that our son is always learning and having fun which takes a LOT of creativity and dedication.

In her work outside of the home, Catie is providing essential care to patients in the city with a serious need. When she’s not at work, there’s a good chance Catie is making something yummy in the kitchen, getting a little reading in, or chasing after a toddler.

Catie makes sure to find the puddles worth jumping in, the shells worth brining home from the beach, ice cream shops worth visiting, and the time to make good memories as a family.

There is nobody else in this world that I would want to adventure, parent, and spend my time with.

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About Brad, by Catie

Brad is a constant in my life. He works incredibly hard for our family and is dependable in crisis both large and small. He loves our son Elliot so much and is constantly bringing a smile to our faces.

Brad is a steward of the earth in our home, in the office, and as a passerby on a trail. His love of the earth gives me peace that the world will be a better place for Elliot and others.

He is quick witted, a total goof, and constantly keeping me on my toes. One example being a weekend where we were trekking at a local hiking spot, he spontaneously suggested that we drive to Chicago simply to taste test a giant burger.

His curious mind is incredible company. He thinks he can beat me at dominoes but is a really good sport when he loses. This companionship is shared fiercely with Elliot.

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Our Son, Elliot

Elliot is currently just over two years old and is an abundance of energy, curiosity, and smiles.

He loves running, Buzz Lightyear, snuggling our cat, playing at the park, bedtime stories, and pointing out airplanes as they pass overhead.

He is outgoing, high-energy, and always looking to make new friends.

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Our Home

Our home is in a culturally diverse neighborhood in the City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We have parks, museums, Lake Michigan, a nice downtown to visit, and plenty of friendly neighbors all within accessible walking and biking distance.

We are close to our city’s stadiums so that we are able to easily visit sporting events as a special family weekend activity. Our home has a nice little backyard with a thriving community of urban wildlife including bunnies, squirrels, outdoor cats, and the occasional fox. In the summertime, we have a large community of bees, butterflies, and other pollinators who like to visit our garden. We have the space to chase Elliot around, have an evening backyard fire, and cook out. Our neighborhood has a great library and community center with a multitude of excellent activities for learning children while also providing a great space to make friends.

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Our Family & Values

We are from two loving families that have spread out over time. Therefore, we often connect over the phone or coordinate trips with siblings and parents who live in other locations. Currently, some states that our family lives in include Colorado, Connecticut, Missouri, and Illinois.

Within Milwaukee, we have nearby cousins close to our age who love spending time with us and with Elliot.

Catie comes from a large family and has five siblings, 42 aunts and uncles, and 75 cousins (and counting).

We also have a close-knit group of friends nearby within Milwaukee
and Chicago.

Our Values:

• We will teach our children to be wise, always listen with an open mind and heart, make well thought out decisions, always be kind, and to treat others with respect.
• We would like to teach them so that they are capable of creating positive change, able to make good judgment, and discover their own passions and independence.
• Regardless of their life path, we plan on supporting who they are as an individual.

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Racial & Cultural Diversity

Regardless of the culture and heritage from which your child comes, we are excited to incorporate this aspect into our family’s traditions moving forward. We are looking forward to learning and exploring their culture with your child as they grow and become curious.

Catie and I hold no prejudice against any race, religion, culture, or ethnicity. We enjoy learning from other perspectives and are excited to bring your child’s background into our family.

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Our Pets

We have an old lady cat with a youthful spirit who is a big part of our family. She has loved our son Elliot from the very first day and tolerates his big hugs and occasional tug of the tail remarkably well.

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Favorite Traditions

We have already briefly mentioned many of the traditions and regular activities that we engage in as a family. However, some special moments that we are excited to include your child in would be our family camping trip to Door County, Wisconsin, Christmas time with family, trick-or-treating on Halloween, and family vacations.

We try to take at least one vacation per year. In the past, we have enjoyed taking trips to the Pacific Northwest to visit the beaches, mountains, and forests. Whether it’s summer or winter, we enjoy finding time and activities to spend together outdoors.

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Our Promise to You

• We plan on supporting your child in who they are as an individual as they grow.
• We plan on raising your child close to family and nature in a way that nurtures curiosity and personal growth.
• We will raise all of our children to see the world with an open mind and to grow into a well-rounded, kind, and respectful individual.
• As parents, we will emphasize the importance of having a strong work ethic for personal development and lifelong success.

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One Last Thank You

We would like to thank you for learning a little bit more about our family and why we believe that we would be a good fit as a loving adoptive home. While we are certain that the decisions you will have to make will not be easy, our promise is that we will love and support your child with all of our hearts in the same way that we currently do with our own beautiful son.

We are excited to grow our family and to provide a loving, supportive, and nurturing opportunity for your child to thrive and develop into their own individuality.

With love, Catie, Brad, and Elliot