Hi there! We are Lauren and Alex from Monterey, California, along with our son, Rowan. We are so grateful that you are taking the time to get to know us through our profile. We recognize that you must be going through so many emotions right now. We understand this decision is incredibly difficult and important, so please know we have the utmost respect for you and your choices. We want you to feel nothing but love throughout this journey and hope that you will find peace with whatever decision you make. We are so excited for you to get to know us a little better and hopefully for our family to get to know you on a deeper level as well. We’re so happy to grow our family and give all of our love and support to your child throughout their life.

We always knew we wanted to expand our family through adoption. Being in the military, we have always felt that family doesn’t mean you have to share the same DNA. Some of our closest friends and their children have truly become a part of our family over the years. We had our son 4 years ago and though we struggled to maintain a pregnancy, we ultimately decided to not pursue fertility treatment and begin our adoption journey. Our son has wanted to be a big brother for so long and is so excited to welcome a little one into our lives and hearts. We understand that adoption is a big decision, but we feel so overjoyed that our families and friends are so supportive of this path and are just as excited as us to love on another child.

Our love story began when we met at a dog park in Texas. We knew early on we were crazy about one another and it was clear to our families this was a forever kind of love. Its a funny and long story but we actually ended up eloping almost 7 years ago in a Starbucks of all places and have been happily married ever since. It seems fitting for our relationship as we love to make each other laugh and feel as though we are not only married but best friends. Our house is filled with lots of joy and giggles especially from our son, Rowan. While military life can be unpredictable, we embrace each new adventure together and always make decisions based on what is best for our family as a whole not individually. We feel very grounded in our values and empower each other to follow our passions and feel comfortable expressing ourselves without judgment.

We absolutely love to be active and outdoors as much as possible. We feel lucky to live in an area where the weather is beautiful year round. Whether its hiking, tide pooling down by the water, riding bikes with Rowan, going for a swim or simply enjoying going for a walk downtown, we feel so relaxed when we are outside enjoying the sunshine. Cooking is such a joy for both of our families and is something we enjoy teaching Rowan about. He will roll up his sleeves, throw on an apron and help with prep and cleaning up after. We enjoy making homemade pancakes on the weekends or grilling outside if its nice. We try to incorporate new cultural dishes into our meals and stress the importance of being open to trying new things in life. Traveling is a big part of our family not just with the military but outside of it as well. We have a wonderful time visiting our families in Texas & Florida and go on weekend adventures nearby whenever we get the chance. Rowan currently likes to play soccer and go swimming and tried snow skiing for the first time this year which was a blast. We are constantly exploring new sports or fun activities such as music, arts and crafts and building exciting things with our Lego blocks. While we have an amazing time being outside, we cherish a good movie night curled up on the couch complete with popcorn and snacks or diving into a good story book together.

I consider myself to be a very outgoing and adventurous person. I absolutely love to make people laugh and thrive on helping others. I grew up traveling as a child and feel so fortunate I have gotten to explore some incredible places and hope to give that opportunity to my children as well. I truly adore kids and have worked with them in every job I’ve ever had. Being a pediatric nurse was by far the most rewarding career and helped shape me into the person and mother I am today. It taught me to have patience, grace and humility towards myself and others. I am currently staying home and enjoy getting to spend more time with my son and watch him grow. I feel so lucky I get to talk to my parents daily and have a great relationship with them and my brother. I honestly revel in being a mother, it’s such a fun and wild ride and I enjoy the constant excitement and embrace the daily challenges it throws my way.

Lauren is the most caring, courageous, and funny person I know. She is forward thinking about life and wants the best for our son and our family. She is so supportive as well and consistently tells me that I should strive for my goals in life, even if I worry I might fail. Teaching Rowan to be kind to others, to love and respect himself and to try his best no matter the outcome are the values she instills in him daily. Lauren loves a good dance party in the kitchen after dinner. She is always cracking jokes and making me laugh. She does not know a stranger and makes everybody that she meets feel loved. That is one my favorite qualities about Lauren. The compassion she shows our son highlights the patience and understanding that she exudes being a mother. My life would not be nearly as wondrous without Lauren in it. I have never met a more brave and loving woman.

I like to think of myself as loving and a warm guy. I am easy going and like to see where life will take me. Despite being laid back, I have always thought it was important to apply myself and see what it possible to accomplish in this life. My life revolves around my beautiful wife, Lauren, and my inspiring son, Rowan. Family is extremely important to me and all three of us spend as much time together as we can. I love showing the world to my son, exploring the beach, going hiking in the mountains that are 10 minutes from our house, or making food together as a family for dinner. I am a C-130 pilot in the Marine Corps but am currently in school, where I will learn French and eventually move overseas for my career. I am grateful and extremely lucky that my family has enjoyed moving around the country with me so far. I love being a dad and look forward to being able to share more of my love.

At 6 foot 5, Alex is the definition of gentle giant. I don’t have enough words to describe just how wonderful he is as a husband and a father. When we first started dating, Alex expressed to me that he really wanted to be a dad one day and be able to give his children a wonderful childhood like he had. He is the most hard working and loving human being I know. With an infectious laugh, he tells a great dad joke that will have you laughing and rolling your eyes at the same time. He is a sensitive soul who isn’t afraid to show his emotions and has taught our son that it is okay to express your feelings no matter what. Alex is the fun dad whose always up for an adventure. If you want a hilarious bedtime story, an awesome Lego spaceship built, a delicious grilled cheese sandwich or simply someone to snuggle up with during a movie, he is the perfect man for the job.

Rowan is 4 and is such a goofy, outgoing and very empathetic kid. He has such a big imagination and loves to ask us many questions about the world. He has the best time playing with friends and neighbors and going on new adventures outside. Rowan reminds us everyday that he can’t wait to help take care of his new sibling. He wants to help feed them, share his toys and teach them how to crawl and talk.

We currently live in a two-story home in a great neighborhood filled with lots of different service members and civilians from all over the world. We live right by the school Alex attends and have built such a wonderful group of friends out here. Rowan will be going to school this fall at a school in the neighborhood that we can walk to everyday for drop off and pick up. While we don’t have a very large backyard, we have so many playgrounds and a huge soccer field that we can see from our front porch. All of the neighborhood kids love to hang out with each other. We get a lot of fresh air in our house and always have our windows open to let in the sunshine during the day. We love to take our dog on walks and can’t wait to include our future little one on our daily outings. We are fortunate to live right by the ocean and the mountains and go to the beach almost daily and go hiking just up the road as a family. Rowan is very excited to show his new sibling around the neighborhood and where we live.

We have a beautiful 10 year old dog named Chester and he is such a good boy. He gets excited to go for long walks outside or play with his ball in the field across our house. He is a big cuddle buddy and is so gentle with kids of all ages. We also have a 2 year old cat named Thunder who is a little outdoor explorer and loves to get back scratches, play with her toys and snuggle up on someone's lap for a good cat nap.

We are fortunate to have such supportive and loving families. Our parents are the most affectionate and wonderful grandparents to Rowan. They call daily and visit multiple times a year no matter where are living. We know how lucky we are to have two sets of parents who love each other deeply and have been great role models for us as parents. Lauren has an older brother and a younger cousin who she considers a brother and Alex has two younger sisters, who all love being aunties and uncles to Rowan. There is never a time we are not all laughing together or getting competitive during a board game night. Our extended families are a huge part of our lives as well. Lauren’s mother grew up in South Africa and still has family there and has been to visit them over the years. We are so excited to go and visit in the near future. A beautiful joy of being a part of the military are the amazing friends we have made along the way who have become family to us. These friendships have carried on despite moves and life changes and remain strong to this day. We cherish the deep connections we have made in our community and feel so lucky that Rowan has so many people in his life he can look to for guidance in life.

The holidays are such a special time for us and our families. Alex’s entire family get together every Thanksgiving in Texas at his parents house for an amazing afternoon of delicious dishes, cousin time and football on the couch. Christmas Eve/Day is celebrated with a lot of traditional British/Canadian games, home cooked meals and laughter with Lauren’s family. We love to cuddle up and watch Christmas movies on the couch together.

We can’t begin to thank you enough for taking the time to get to know our family a little better through this snapshot into our lives. We know that there are no words to describe how difficult this decision is for you and we hope you can take comfort in knowing that your child will grow up in a warm and loving home. We are so excited at the opportunity to get to know you more deeply and build our own loving and open connection with you on this journey. We know that this is just the beginning of your child’s story, one that will be filled with many wonderful, exciting and challenging chapters throughout. We cannot wait to help create and be a part of your child’s beautiful story with you.