Menu
We met through mutual friends at a party in college. We soon fell in love and realized we could not live without each other. This was more than 20 years ago. We make each other laugh, help each other grow, and always say “I love you” at the end of our day. When we faced infertility in our marriage, we chose adoption over IVF, believing it was the best option for building our family. In 2018, we were blessed to adopt Ally as a newborn. She is an amazing kid, and being her parents has been the best part of our lives. She is in kindergarten and her favorite part is being with her friends all day. She has always been very advanced in her talking, and that is probably because she has so much to say. She loves all babies and really wants to be a big sister
Our house used to be a high school that was converted by the previous owner into a home. It is unique in its layout. . It is spacious with enough room to do whatever we want. Ally even rides her bike in the house! When we bought the house, we bought all of the contents, which includes countless antiques and some large construction equipment for future projects. With all of the land we now have, we hope to dig a pond by next summer and create lots of fun memories as a family. The land has a mix of grass, a pool, and swings for Ally so far. We have 2 outdoor cats named Princess Junior (aka PJ aka the Peej) and Callie. Callie is the troublemaker, even though she will lie to you and tell you she is not. We also have 10 chickens. Ally loves raising them from baby chicks in the spring. Matt has started a garden and the tomatoes make amazing BLTs. Risa loves to decorate the house for all seasons, but goes pretty crazy for Halloween and Christmas. Living in this beautiful house in the country has been an absolute dream come true for us.
Risa is such a warm, loving soul; perfect for a mom. She is very organized and handles all of the details of the family. When we have a holiday or a family vacation, she makes sure it all happens. I just show up and get all the credit. Every year, we have so much fun together going to various festivals and concerts; she really enjoys that bonding time. She builds important relationships with friends and family, but always takes care of us first. She’s intentional and remembers people’s names. She is a great cook and opens up our home to our friends and family. She is the heart of our household, making sure we are all happy and in good spirits.
Matt is one of the few genuine, great men in the world. He adores me and Ally, and he is completely dedicated to this family. He is so patient with Ally, and I love how he makes her feel safe and makes her laugh. He has great emotional maturity and is good at analyzing problems from all angles. He can put himself in other people’s shoes, so he rarely gets angry. This includes even thinking like a kid so he can explain things to Ally really well in “kid language.” She is so lucky to have him as a dad because they always feel at ease.
Matt is great at living in the moment, where I always have the to-do list in my head. He does a fantastic job at making everyday life fun and silly, which is perfect for kids. He is exactly the guy I want and will spend the rest of my life with. He is happiest when he is doing his hobbies or just spending time in nature.
We believe we have a very strong and stable marriage that will last forever and that is very special and valuable for our child(ren). But our daughter has something else really special: 4 healthy and active grandparents, which we think is kind of rare. Both of our parents have strong, stable marriages that have lasted decades and not only set a great example for us in our marriage, but also models what a great marriage can look like for our child(ren). Both sets only live about 45 minutes away from us. They are actively involved in our lives, including being our best babysitters. Matt and Risa have 5 siblings with spouses that make up some fantastic aunts and uncles and 11 first cousins ranging in ages of 1 to adulthood. We are very close to our family and know that is the most important thing in life.
We believe that you should tailor your parenting style to the child and to what he/she needs at the time. For the most part, we are pretty laid back parents, without strict rules or schedules. We let Ally follow her instincts, make her own decisions, and learn from her mistakes. When trouble starts, our first step is not to punish, but to explore what needs to be attended to, such as hunger, thirst, fatigue, or boredom. We talk about emotions constantly in our house; emotional health is as important as physical health. She recognizes negative feelings of fear and anger and has kid-friendly tools to handle them and improve her own mood. We want to make sure our kid has healthy outlets and ways to express herself and also make sure she feels heard. Letting children be who they are and just guiding them to the best ways to do this is what we’re here for as parents.
We believe that openness in adoption benefits everyone. We have an open adoption with Ally’s first family. Respect and love when speaking about birth parents is the minimal first step in openness. Openness can vary depending on many things and may evolve over time. For many years, we only exchanged texts and pics with Ally’s first mom, but now, we have video chats and visits as well. We do not need or expect this adoption to be the same as our first, but we would love to nurture an expectant mother’s wants and needs, which honestly may change over time. And we are open to it all! When we adopt a child, we aren’t just gaining 1 family member – we think of a baby’s birth family as an extension of our family.
We thank you for reading our story and for considering us. We are ready to grow our family and Ally is so excited to be a big sister. We would love to take the next step to learn more about you.
No updates at this time.
