As adoptive parents we feel an incredible collection of emotions when we think of adoption. We would say the top two feelings are perfectly blessed and unexplainable love. Adoption has given us the incredible gift of becoming parents. We struggled for years to have biological children, but nothing could have prepared us for a more perfect gift than when we adopted our son. It is still a wonder to us how God made a broken, vulnerable, and painful experience into such a beautiful journey for our family and all those who support us. Brandon is an incredibly proud father spending every free valuable minute to be fully present as a dad. Brandt mindfully savors every moment – both wonderful and challenging – as an at-home mom. Not surprising to anyone that we are fiercely in love with our son! Adoption provides us with the opportunity to pour our love into another precious life. Planning adoption of our future child is filled with enthusiastic anticipation and already our hearts are open and waiting. We are beyond excited to become parents to a second child and bring a sister or brother into Aaron's life.

Brandt About Brandon: God has surely blessed my life with this wonderful man! Brandon balances me out... he is outgoing, patient, easygoing and naturally optimistic and kind. Always up for fun activity, Brandon makes everyone feel included and valued. Brandon is an exceptional dad and role model to our son Aaron and these qualities increase my love for him every day. He is thoughtful teaching Aaron how to navigate the world, devotes quality time to spend with his son, and together their giggles warm the house. He loves his family with his whole heart and dreams of sharing his love with a future son or daughter.

Brandon About Brandt: Brandt has a quiet strength and determination that is unlike anyone I have ever met. She is quiet with strangers but adventurous and hilariously witty with friends and family. As a stay-at-home mom with Aaron she creates an adventure for him every day and teaches him through her actions as a loyal, generous, kind and loving friend, daughter, sister and spouse. I cannot help but feel overwhelming love and pride for the mother, spouse and person she is.

During a typical week we look forward to relaxing with each other. In the evenings we three can be found singing and dancing while cooking dinner, sharing giggles, "'building a house"' using magnetic toys or Megablocks, and cuddling up for a good book in a squishy chair. Saturday mornings Brandon takes Aaron out to "'Donuts with Dada"' followed by pool time. As a family we highly value the balance of togetherness and encouragement our individual interests.

We are also very social and like to entertain at our home. Our friends and family come over almost every summer weekend to pile in the boat with snacks, floats, sunscreen, and smiles of anticipation. In the cooler months our friends and neighbors take turns hosting get-togethers at our homes where kids head to the playroom and adults relax into conversation. We weekly attend a non-denominal Christian church where Brandt is also involved in a mom's program during the week meeting other moms for breakfasts, creative evening events, and collecting donations for a local shelter.

Our favorite family pastime is traveling. We've recently been on our annual winter trip to Florida, to Michigan vacation with friends, the coast for Brandon's family beach week, and a theme park trip with Brandt's family. It is our dream to share all of our activities we experience as a family and create more memorable opportunities for our future child. Without a doubt Aaron's excitement will be amplified by having a sister or brother to share his adventures with!

We love our home and life on the Chesapeake Bay. We own a four-bedroom home with a walk-out lower level that leads to our backyard with a pier on the water. The kitchen is the heart of the house, Aaron and our future child's playfully-decorated rooms are upstairs, and we have a large basement for indoor play. When the weather is nice we are usually out splashing in a water table on the deck, chasing each other around the backyard, or packing snacks to enjoy with friends on the bay. At a nearby park only a bike-ride away, Brandon hopes to help coach a sport or two. We take advantage of three cities within a short drive with museums, zoos, festivals, and sporting events.

We love our "'forever home"' for the primary reason being our awesome neighborhood and neighbors. Our neighborhood has a marina, sport field, basketball and tennis courts, children's playground, clubhouse, and swimming pool. Aaron and the neighborhood kids love the regular neighborhood activities including bike parade on field day, Santa's breakfast at the clubhouse, beloved swim team, and poolside snow cone trucks during hot summer days. Children of all ages run and bike every day of the year on their way to a friend's house, playground or pool. Aaron and our future son or daughter will have a multitude of friends in the neighborhood that we will see on a regular basis.

Family is very important to us and a major reason we choose to live where we do. We are within a several hour drive of nearly all of our extended family - parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews.

We are blessed that our parents are all active and retired and love being involved in their grandchildren and children's lives. Brandon's parents currently watch our nieces and nephew part-time. Brandon's parents, known as "'Meims"' and "'Scooter"' to the grandchildren, make every effort to visit us regularly and spoil our son with love and fun. Brandt's mother lives by the ocean. Brandt's entire family looks forward to gathering at her house, eating "'Oma's"' home cooked meals, playing nightly board games, and making discoveries in the sand.

In addition to our parents support in raising our children, our sisters and brothers are a huge assistance as they are also raising young children. Both Aaron and our future child will maintain close relationships with their cousins and unconditional love of aunts and uncles. Our family has always supported us through life's challenges and celebrations. They couldn't be more excited to be a part of our adoption story again and welcome a second child into our family!

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to introduce ourselves. We are Brandon and Brandt and are so grateful that through the love you have for your child you are considering an adoption plan. It is a courageous and selfless decision and we are honored and humbled to be considered as a family for your child.

From the beginning of our relationship we desired to have children. As we began our journey to grow our family it became evident that the process would not be easy. Although we struggled to have biological children, our discussions to grow our family always included the possibility of adoption. In November 2019, we adopted Aaron and he has been a gift to us we cannot describe. We would love to grow our family with a second child and know Aaron would be an amazing big brother. We are overjoyed to realize our dream of becoming a potential adoptive family for your child.

We met in college and have been married for thirteen years. We consider ourselves truly blessed to have each other and our love grows stronger every day. Our relationship is built on Christian values and we plan on raising our child with similar beliefs. The two of us highly value quality time together, one on one time with Aaron, relationships with family and friends, education, and a curiosity for adventure. Our families are very close knit, loving, and supportive of our goals and decisions. They are enthusiastically committed to our journey to continue to grow our family through adoption. Your child will be joyously welcomed into our extended family with much celebration.

When we think about our adoption plan our hearts fill with excitement, humility, and ultimately love for your child. We consider being parents one of the greatest gifts we could ever receive as a couple. As a family, we can only imagine how wonderful it will be to share life's daily enjoyments with a second child including listening to playful music, reading colorful books, making new friends, learning to swim, playing in the snow, and cuddling on the couch.

As we continue to learn through the relationship we build with Aaron's birth mother, we cannot understand all the emotions you are feeling now or will in the future but can say that you are and will ALWAYS be the birthmother and significant to our family. We will always speak of you with respect and admiration. We promise to send you regular letters, pictures, and keepsakes of your child. We welcome your continued involvement with your child and when the time is right we are open to making arrangements for visits. We started an annual tradition visiting Aaron's birthplace to give his birthmother an opportunity to visit with him. A few times a month we also send pictures and messages via text to her. We understand each child's story is unique, will evolve over time, and respect your decisions of future interactions.

We sincerely commit to be a family for your child that will be filled with unconditional love, time and attention, a safe and stable home, and abundant joy.

With Love and Respect,

Brandon & Brandt