We both always envisioned having kids of our own one day. Early on in our relationship we talked about how being parents was something we wanted to do. Because we met in our late 30s, we knew the odds were already against us for having a biological child, so whenever we talked about having kids, adoption was already part of that conversation as one of the paths for becoming parents.

The fact that Patrick's mother was adopted and it was a very positive experience also made the idea of adoption familiar. She has been a great resource throughout this journey as we learned more about it and could ask her what things were like from her perspective.

In many ways it feels like we were always meant to do this. We both have a lot of love in our hearts and we know there is a child out there that is meant to come find us someday.

We both know that choosing to adopt and become parents is the most important thing we will ever do with our lives. Being a parent to us means we will be responsible for helping a child learn about the world and teach a child to grow into an adult that has a good moral compass and strong sense of self. We have had the benefit of learning how to be parents through great examples of our grandparents, parents, and siblings and even gotten in some real-life practice from being an aunt and an uncle. What we know is that patience and understanding is key and even sometimes a bit of humor is warranted as well. While it is not always an easy path as a parent, the love you get to share makes it worth all the while. In many ways we already see ourselves as parents we just haven't found our child yet.

We live in west Michigan within a neighborhood that has a lot of young children so we assume there will be a lot of potential playmates for our adoptive child. There is also an elementary school that is a very short walk away that has a great playground and sledding hill. We have friends that live nearby that often stop by on bike rides to say hello or at least wave at our doorbell camera.

Our neighborhood offers a lot of great amenities like biking and hiking paths. There is also a community center nearby that has a pool we anticipate using even more once we have a child.

As for our home, we live in a 4-bedroom house with a large finished basement that also opens up to a very large backyard with plenty of room to play and a great sledding hill in the winter. We have a little garden in the back where we grow some fruits and vegetables in the summer but often have to compete with the deer if we don't go harvest it soon enough!

We both come from large families which include lots of siblings and a bunch of nieces and nephews.

We are fortunate that most of our family lives nearby so we get to see them often be it to attend the kid's activities like sporting events or plays, celebrate birthdays, and of course holidays. Sometimes getting together is as simple as Pat's mother calling to say she is making a pot of chili so we should come on over! Both of our parents live on inland lakes so family get togethers are often centered around swimming, fishing, tubing behind boats or if it is too cold we play cards or find a board game that everyone can play regardless of age.

Regardless of where we are at, there always seems to be a plethora of great food at our family gatherings. The best part in our opinion is sitting around the table with everyone at meal time sharing stories and a lot of laughter.

Our family has been very supportive on our quest to become parents. When we told our families that we were planning to adopt, they couldn't have been happier and eager to know more about it. They are very excited to meet this potential new grandchild, niece/nephew, and cousin.

Thank you for choosing to make the courageous decision to consider an adoption plan for your child. We can only imagine the difficult, if not overwhelming decision, this is. We appreciate you taking the time to see our profile and possibly considering us to be the adoptive parents for your child.

We (Pat and Molly) met in 2018. We actually attended Michigan State University at the same time. We lived in the same dorm and worked in the pool system but never met so we joke to this day that we should have met 19 years before we did. We immediately knew this was it and got married just a year later. We are a fun-loving couple. We have a lot in common that includes things like a love for the outdoors and traveling. We complement each other well. Pat is very curious and patient. Molly is driven and very nurturing. We have a lot of fun together and would argue that our favorite past time of all is making each other laugh. We also are very close with our families and often see them for birthday parties, games, and sometime just because it sounds good to get together for dinner. Holidays are always spent running between both sides of the family for various events and activities and we make every attempt to make it to everything because it is so nice to be together and make memories.

We always wanted to build a family of our own and tried unsuccessfully for a short time. Because there was a slim chance of us being able to have biological children, we explored adoption very early on. As we started down this path, we already felt drawn to pursuing adoption because we believed it was something we were meant to do. Pat's mother is adopted so having learned how it had been a positive experience for her, the idea of us doing it seemed familiar.

We hope to meet with you either in person or on the phone to get to know you and learn what you are comfortable with as far as what kind of relationship you would like to have with us should you choose us as your child's adoptive parents. We see our relationship with you as a partnership where you will always be a very important person in our child's life. We want to know what you would like your child to know about you and if we could share a picture of you to show him or her when questions about their adoption are asked. We promise to always explain their adoption as being a very thoughtful act where their mom and/or dad loved them dearly and choose the very best people to take care of them and raise them.

For us, we would be open to sharing pictures and sending you letters about how your child is doing and what they are currently interested in. Beyond that, we would also like to know if you are open to ongoing contact with us. We are open to emailing or possibly bringing him or her to visit you as well.

We know we are meant to be parents. If you choose us, please know that your child will always be the most important thing in our lives. All children are gifts and by giving us your child you would be giving us the greatest gift imaginable, making us parents. We hope we can share this journey with you and wish you the best in making your decision.

Pat & Molly