Our leisure time varies greatly on the season and weather. In the spring we spend time planting gardens. Jen enjoys growing a variety of flowers (sunflowers and dahlias are favorites), while Matt enjoys raising a vegetable garden like he did as a child on his family's farm. For us, spring and fall are the best times to ride our bicycles and lace up our hiking boots to explore local trails and national parks. In the summer we tend to our gardens and enjoy outdoor concerts, sporting events, trips to local vineyards, local festivals, and going on vacation. Fall is our favorite time of year. We go leaf peeping and visiting local orchards. Winter is when we hunker down, entertain friends, play card and board games, and attend to our hobbies. Jen enjoys sewing and Matt woodworking in the garage. We also like watching our favorite shows on Netflix year round.

We believe parenting boils down to one thing - love. Every decision, or action, a parent makes should be made out of love for their child. Sometimes love looks like a pat on the back, a shoulder to cry on, words of encouragement, or a special treat at a store. Other times it is saying no, helping the child work through a tantrum, or being disliked by the child for a difficult decision made in their best interest. Most of the time, though, it is throwing a ball in the back yard, helping with algebra homework, driving them to their friend's house to play, baking cookies for a school fund raiser after a trying day at work and just showing up at their dance or piano recital and cheering them on. We expect that sharing in these mundane moments are what we will like most, and remember most, about being parents.

We are fortunate in that as a couple we hold very similar values and share many common underlying beliefs and hobbies.

Our personalities, however, are very different. Matt is able to solve most problems life presents, whether that means fixing the water heater, the dishwasher, or thinking through a personal dilemma with poise, patience, and logic. He has quiet confidence and is highly regarded by his friends, family, and colleagues.

Jen is very extroverted, makes friends easily, and really values growing relationships and keeping in touch with friends. She is adaptable to situations that present themselves, and has grown to be very resilient to trying times in life. While Matt enjoys routine and really appreciates the beauty and simplicity of life, Jen loves trying and experiencing new things and places.

Together, our differences help us appreciate each other more, make us a stronger couple and really offer a nice balance between practicality and fun.

We live in a historic area within Virginia on a cul-de-sac with little traffic, ideal for riding bikes and playing outside. Our modest three bedroom, two bath home has a large back yard and is flanked by some of the best neighbors you could ask for, including a family with two young children.

Our cozy neighborhood houses parks, playgrounds, pools and other green spaces that are excellent for a child's development and creativity. Our local park is only a short walk through our neighbor's yard and has a playground, tennis and basketball courts, and an open field for soccer or flying a kite.

We are a short walk from our church and the downtown area which houses a nice mix of restaurants, stores and fun events including a monthly family night with live entertainment and kid-friendly games as well as an outdoor ice skating rink in the winter. Our town celebrates its diversity by hosting various cultural festivals each year as well as an annual Christmas parade.

We are very fortunate in that we come from the best of both worlds. Matt's family is from a small farming community in the Midwest and Jen's family is from a major east coast city. We have small town values, cosmopolitan interests, and close family roots. We enjoy entertaining friends and family at our home for BBQs and board game nights, as well as hosting our annual holiday craft party. When out of town family comes to visit, we really try to maximize our time together, showing them cool sites in our area, taking them hiking in local, state, and national parks, treating them to our favorite restaurants and making our favorite recipes at home. We love attending our nieces' and nephews' sporting and performance art events whenever we can, and our family looks forward to welcoming and supporting your child in whatever activities or interests they choose to pursue.

Hi,

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. We hope it provides insight as to why we are pursuing adoption, some information about who we are, and how we would love your child and strive to be great parents to them. We will admit this is not a letter we ever expected to write, and it's a challenge to put our thoughts into words that adequately express our feelings, so please bear with us.

First, we would like to say that we hope you are well and that you are at peace with your decision to consider adoption for your child. We cannot imagine all the thought and sacrifice that went into your decision. We just pray that you reached this decision freely and it brings you peace. One of our fears about adoption is that birth mothers may feel forced into adoption for a lack of options, and we certainly hope that is not the case with you.

You may be wondering who we are. Jen grew up in Philadelphia, the youngest of three children. She lived five miles from her grandparents, and had a happy childhood playing with friends, attending family parties, playing sports, and spending summers at the local pool. After college, she moved to Washington, D.C., and started working for the government.

Matt grew up in a small town in rural Illinois, the third of four children. His youngest sibling is his twin sister. He grew up one mile from his grandparents' farm where he spent many memorable days helping around the farm, canning vegetables, and enjoying his aunts' and uncles' company. He spent his free time running track, playing football, and performing in shows. After college he joined the military and has been employed with the government since.

In 2021, we met each other. We complement each other well ?" Jen is very social, a big planner, and loves to try new things and travel; Matt is more introverted, patient, and has some cool hobbies like woodworking.

We are choosing adoption because we are unable to have children of our own. When we returned from our honeymoon, we were so happy to discover we were pregnant. A few weeks later that excitement subsided when Jen had a miscarriage. Jen became pregnant three more times, all of which ended in miscarriage. We reached the painful realization that having a biological child of our own was not possible. We grieved for a few months then turned to adoption as a way to grow our family. We both love children so much and cannot imagine a life not filled with their laughter, antics, tantrums, and extracurriculars!

We hope what we shared will put you at ease and provide you with comfort knowing that your child will be joining a loving family who will cherish every moment! We look forward to learning about you and your story, if you are interested in sharing, and forging a relationship with you by exchanging photos, letters, and updates on your child and their milestones! We are also open to additional methods of contact as our relationship grows. Until then, we hope you are well and remain well.

Warmly,

Matt & Jen