First off, we are so grateful that you have chosen to bring this baby into the world and are honored to even be considered to raise your child! We know this is not the easiest decision and if chosen by you, we look forward to supporting you in any way we can.

Adoption has always been part of our family history. Liz’s mother was adopted and was very open about this fact her whole life. As Liz was growing up, it became important that one day she would adopt a child and she found a man who loved this idea.

We have known each other since junior high and discovered we had feelings for each other in our senior year of high school. We dated for four years before getting married in the same church as Liz’s parents. Over the next nine years we completed college, started our careers, traveled and set up our life for our future family. We have now been married for 18 years!

After a long four years we found our way to parenthood when we welcomed our little boy Samuel into our lives. After Samuel, we decided to wait some time before adding to our family. Now that he is older we are excited and ready to welcome another child into our family, our home, and our hearts.

I have known I wanted to have a career working with children since I was young.

It wasn’t until my future mother-in-law introduced me to the idea of Speech-Language Pathology that I ever considered pursuing a different career path. After graduating with my degree in Communicative Disorders/Speech-Language Pathology, I was immediately hired at a public preschool where I have remained ever since. This preschool specializes in working with children with different diagnoses including Autism, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy,and language disorders.

I found my dream job and I remain dedicated to these families long after they continue on to elementary school. Samuel even got to attend the preschool as a typical peer model which introduced him to the idea of accepting and being kind to all.

A perk of working in the public schools is that I get summers and school vacations off allowing more time with Samuel.

Liz has always dedicated her life to helping children. She has always been specifically gifted in working with young children which, in addition to her profession, allows her to be an amazing mother to Samuel. She is a very caring person and connects with people on a very personal level. All of this mixed with her great sense of humor and patience makes her not only an amazing soul mate, but an especially wonderful mom.

I have always been a creative person, even in my childhood when building worlds with my Lego sets. As I got older, I focused that creativity towards designing and building in real life. I graduated with a degree in architecture from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and then Liz and I relocated to Los Angeles where I have been working in this field at several different firms. Samuel is always proud to tell people that I designed my parents’ home for them.

My parents encouraged my brother and I to follow our dreams and to find a career path that we enjoy. I plan on encouraging our children to do the same.

Beyond work, I find joy in being Samuel’s dad, reading comic books, going for walks, and traveling. I have always enjoyed exploring new places and learning about their history.

Gregg is the most supportive man and dedicated dad. Before our relationship got serious, we talked all about our future and what we were looking for. He has fulfilled everything I could have ever dreamed of and more. When I struggle with things, just knowing Gregg is by my side helps me continue to become the best mom, wife and person I can be.

Samuel is an amazingly special kid and we don’t take one minute with him for granted. While he can be feisty and loud, he has such a good heart. He is one of the first kids to give another kid a hug when he sees them hurting. He has assembled a large group of friends, even while going to school remotely. Samuel has attended Occupational Therapy and has persevered through difficulty learning how to read and write to become a great student. We are aware that every child can end up having different areas of need and we are ready to do everything we can to help and accept our children for who they are. We have spoken to him about the process of adoption since he was very little and he started talking to us about his future adopted sibling before we started the process. To say he is excited and ready to be a big brother is an understatement.

I am 9 years old. I am good at reading. I like that I have the best mommy and daddy in the world. I like having the best friends in the world Perla and Leul. I like video games and watching Sonic the Hedgehog. I like to hug and I’m excited to hug my new sibling. My mommy is silly and good at giving hugs. Daddy plays with toys and video games with me. Daddy will be a good daddy to the baby because he’s really silly.

“I’m really excited for my new sibling. I can’t wait to show them our house and my school. I’m just so excited about being a big brother.”

We love to travel to see family and friends and explore new places. We have traveled all across the world and we especially enjoy learning and being exposed to the different cultures.

We have fun watching sports as a family, specifically going to football and baseball games.

We enjoy watching movies as a family, including Disney, Star Wars, Marvel, and Harry Potter. In fact, we often watch family favorites over and over again!

We love amusement parks! We especially enjoy dressing up every time we go to Disneyland or Universal Studios.

Creativity is something our family nurtures. Whether it be Liz crafting personalized gifts or Gregg creating our Halloween decorations.

We were both raised in Christian families, and we are raising our son similarly. Our faith has taught us to be loving and accepting to all, helping others, and caring for our family.

At Christmas time, we decorate the whole house, including multiple Christmas trees in different themes in each room. In addition to it being close to our anniversary, it is a special time of year that we love to spend with our families and friends, usually up in San Luis Obispo with both sides of the extended family…. and Santa Claus knows where to find Samuel. Christmas eve service is our favorite.

Easter has always been an important day for time with our family. We make a trip up to see Liz’s grandmother. But we always have a visit from the Easter bunny as well!

Each year on Halloween the whole family, including Liz’s parents, dress up in costumes with the same theme, including decorating the outside of the house. Over the years we have done Marvel, Super Mario, Wizard of Oz and we’re looking forward to Alice in Wonderland this year.

Our community of Culver City has everything that we love about the greater Los Angeles area. It is a smaller community in the heart of the west side of LA. Close to the beach and entertainment industry that makes LA so famous. At the same time, it has a close neighborhood with schools in walking distance.

Our favorite part of the weekends is taking Samuel to explore new things in LA. We love sharing new experiences and adventures with him and cannot wait to share these experiences as a family of four.

We both grew up in a small town called San Luis Obispo. We discovered Culver City, a small very diverse community within the larger Los Angeles area.

It is close enough to the excitement and opportunities of Los Angeles, but away from the busy life of Hollywood or Downtown. We purchased our 4-bedroom home in Culver City because it has a small town feel that reminds us of where we grew-up, excellent public schools and a friendly neighborhood.

With a living room, family room, small central play area, grassy front yard and back patio, there are plenty of areas to play. We are close to the elementary school where Samuel attends and loves to play on the playground after school. Our neighbors have been very welcoming and there are several young children in the area. We have a room ready and waiting for our future child as well.

Liz’s Family: Although we both work full-time, Liz’s parents purchased a condo close by and help out by taking Samuel to his school and caring for him until we get home at the end of our days. They are excited for us to welcome a new baby into the family and will continue to be close by and to be a part of a new grandchild’s life.

Liz’s 95-year old Grandmother lives in San Luis Obispo and we continue to visit her as often as we can. Liz’s sister, brother-in-law and niece and nephew live in Colorado and we have a weekly FaceTime call between cousins. Several of Liz’s extended family live nearby as well.

Gregg’s Family: Gregg’s parents live in Cayucos which is outside of San Luis Obispo, a close drive from Los Angeles. Additionally, his parents also visit frequently in their RV while they drive through on their road trips. Gregg’s brother lives in the San Francisco bay area and always loves bonding with Samuel when they get together. Several of Gregg’s extended family live in Los Angeles and Orange County.

Family Friendships: Liz remains close with several of her childhood friends who have started families with children of their own. We see them several times a year and even go on some vacations together. We love our chosen family. Like most men, Gregg’s friendships have formed around work and school. He is still in contact with people he knew in college, and has earned the respect and friendship of his fellow architects in the firm where he works.

We promise to love your child unconditionally and with all our heart. We promise to fill their life with laughter and snuggles. We will raise them to be strong, determined, and independent. We will honor your story which will become their story and OUR story. We will be open and honest with your child about our adoption journey.

We thank you for considering us and taking the time to learn a little about us. We know that this decision you are making is a difficult one. We are grateful for your strength in making this decision. We look forward to learning about you and can’t wait to hear from you.