Our Relationship

We met through mutual friends while we were both in college and dated long distance for about 2 years, until we moved to Alabama (for Morgan’s schooling) and got engaged. We both always say that getting married to each other was both of our best decisions. It’s really true. Over the 10 years we’ve known each other, we have both made each other into better people. Morgan tends to be quick to act sometimes without taking time to rest and think; Bryan helps her slow down. Bryan sometimes doesn’t stand up for himself; Morgan encourages him to speak his mind. Our marriage is not perfect and we are still learning things from each other and about each other almost every day. One thing we keep at the center of it all is this belief: we are on the same team. No matter what, we both remember that we are not on “opposite” sides of any issues—we are on the same team, together. We are so excited to add another member to our team. 

About Bryan  (from Morgan)

I fell for Bryan because of his warmth and amazing sense of humor. Bryan is the kind of person that makes you feel totally comfortable when he is with you, because he accepts you for who you are and puts others before himself. Whenever we have someone over, he will figure out their favorite dessert and have it ready for them. Bryan is the kind of person who actually makes the world a better place—he picks up bags of litter in our neighborhood multiple times a week, he volunteers to donate blood, and he will spend 10 minutes after grocery shopping returning a bunch of loose shopping carts to the cart corral. He is also incredibly humble and doesn’t do these things to get praise or credit (or likes online)—he’s just a good person. I know Bryan will lead by this example for our son or daughter. Bryan is also silly and playful, and will do almost anything to get someone to laugh. He loves to tickle and chase and play with all our nieces and nephews. “Uncle Bryan” is everyone’s favorite, and can get any baby to stop crying with his amazing, calm spirit and patience. Bryan is also super smart. He reads a ton of history books and I believe he pretty much knows everything.  Even though it’s hard to describe him in just a few words, he is a gentle soul who loves people fully for who they are, and is someone other people genuinely enjoy being around because of his friendliness and good humor. 

About Morgan (from Bryan)

Morgan is the one who asked me out after we met for the first time, and I am grateful every day that she did. Early on, I couldn’t believe that someone so clever, smart, sarcastic, silly, and kind would be interested in me. Morgan has a love for others that is rare in this world. It is whole, real, and available to everyone she meets, and it shows up even more so in her relationships with friends and family. She is the type of person a friend will call for advice out-of-the-blue and will then she’ll give up hours of her time to help them talk things through and heal their heart in the process. She makes a positive impression on everyone she meets and it is a pleasure for anyone (myself included) just to spend time with her. You are instantly comfortable with her, just by the calm, warm, and open energy she gives. Morgan is a lifelong learner and is always working to gather information and experiences which allow her to grow both in knowledge and as a person. She seeks to affirm the soul and spirit of every individual. I love the inside jokes, silly nonsense, and “I can barely breathe because we’re laughing so hard” moments she creates for us that have not slowed down in the ten years we have been together. I know she will love and nurture a child, and that she will be a devoted mother. 

Our Extended Family

On Bryan’s side, we have a large extended family including his 5 brothers and sisters, all of whom are married, his parents, and his aunt. We have 2 nephews and 4 nieces so far! We love spending time with our nephews and nieces, and enjoy taking them to the park, on bike rides, out to lunch, or just have them over to play at our house. We are looking forward to having sleep overs now that the boys are almost old enough! The whole family gets together every Sunday for lunch and to spend time together. With Bryan’s siblings and the spouses, we have “sibling hang outs” every two months where we take turns planning a fun activity for everyone. Our favorites so far have been a Murder Mystery Night, mini golf, and a bonfire with s’mores. Morgan’s family is smaller (mom, mom’s long-term partner, dad, stepmom, brother and stepbrother) and lives in Ohio—but we plan visits with them and especially enjoy playing silly games where we all end up laughing! Even though her parents are divorced, the whole family hangs out together all the time. Morgan’s dad is an adoptee and is looking forward to having a special bond with our son or daughter. 

Our Community

We live in a diverse city neighborhood and picked this neighborhood because it is important for us to be part of a racially diverse area and somewhere we can walk every day and talk to our neighbors. Our house is a brick, ranch-style home with 3 bedrooms and 1.5 baths. Our decorating style is cozy and mis-matched and we love fixing up old furniture we find at the thrift store. Our house faces the river and we love to sit on our front porch and watch everyone using the Riverwalk for biking, running, and walking their dogs. 

Our house is walking distance to several parks. We find them very peaceful and love to walk around and try to spot wildlife like hawks and deer. We have a good size yard, and the back yard is fenced in. It will be a safe and fun place for a child to play in. We enjoy landscaping projects, and are currently growing some berries, tomatoes, and a squash. We have two compost areas and value taking care of the environment. 

We are both Christ-followers, and this means that our church is also part of our community. Our church is very diverse and meets in the middle of the city downtown. We usually attend church on Thursday evenings so that on Sunday mornings we can volunteer with the kids ministry—we have been working in the pre-school room with kids 4-5 years old and love our time with them. We also meet twice a month with a group of friends from church to share a meal together; most families in our group have young kids ranging in age from 1-12, and everyone is beyond excited to welcome a new member into the group. 

Parenting

Our number one goal as parents is to support the development of our child into the person he or she was born to be. For us, that means encouraging them to follow their interests and passions (especially if they are different from our own!), helping them understand and express their feelings, and providing a safe, supportive household built on the foundation of a loving marriage. There will be nothing they could ever do that would make us love them an ounce less—because we believe that love cannot be earned, but is given because they are a person who deserves to be loved. We will always encourage open and honest communication, and model this behavior for them by showing them how we can communicate honestly with each other and them (in age appropriate ways). One parenting idea we heard about for somewhat older children was writing a note that says “this note is a reminder that if you are ever afraid to tell me something, and you bring me this note, I will not become angry or upset, but will help you find a solution to your problem” and placing it in a common area that everyone knows about, to encourage communication about things that a child may be hesitant to bring up (like breaking mom’s favorite knick-knack). 

Our current childcare plans include Morgan taking 12-16 weeks of maternity leave from her job. Bryan will also be taking 12 weeks, and we will likely overlap a small portion of our time off. Long term, our plan is to have full time childcare be a combination of Bryan staying home (perhaps working from home) and daycare. 

We want to instill our values of finding joy in small things in life, being truly kind to others, and having a great sense of humor. We want them to know and love all their relatives and plan to spend lots of time with extended family and cousins. We want them to know their adoption story from day 1, and will always speak with kindness about their birth family. We are looking forward to having a relationship with you and your family and being on the same team for the child.