Introduction
Hello! We are Sarah, Kevin, Dylan (7), and Alex (4) from Virginia (just outside of DC). We have been excited about the possibility of growing our family through adoption for a long time and we are glad you found us and are taking the time to get to know us, initially through our words and photos. We are honored to have you consider us for this role in your child’s life.
We also know this may be a difficult time in your life. Although we don’t know each other yet, we respect you and want you to feel supported throughout this journey. This is and will always be extremely important to us.
About Us
We have been happily married for 14 years and are crazy about each other and this amazing life we’ve built together. We are a fun-loving, sometimes goofy, and always supportive family. We love going on adventures together, whether to explore other countries or the beautiful national parks and beaches near our home. The only thing we enjoy more is staying in for game nights or outdoor movie nights, often with close friends and family. We value kindness, inner strength, and acceptance and have raised our children to celebrate and stand up for what makes them and others unique, and to know unlimited, unconditional love.
Our house is constantly filled with joy and love, and we have a lot of fun together. Sometimes growing as a family is chaotic and messy and we embrace that excitement, especially when it comes to our kiddos discovering the world!
Why We Are Seeking Adoption
We both come from big, inclusive families and are extremely close with our parents, siblings, and cousins. From the beginning of our relationship, we knew we wanted to create a similar environment of love, support, and fun for our future children. Early on we decided adoption was a path we wanted to explore. We were excited about it and knew it fit with our shared values and goals in terms of growing a family and raising children.
Once we decided to start a family, we prepared for adoption and then surprisingly got pregnant with our incredible daughters, Dylan and Alex, within a few years. Unfortunately, Sarah endured life-threatening complications during both pregnancies. We know deep down that our family is meant to keep growing, and so we have returned to our original adoption plan – and couldn’t be more excited.
About Dylan and Alex
Dylan is 7 years old and loves to sing and dance, play soccer and dress-up as superheroes. She is the most incredible, patient and loving big sister a kid could ever ask for. We are in constant awe of her empathy for others and how she wears her heart on her sleeve. As her parents, we sometimes worry that her compassion and sensitivity might make her vulnerable to getting hurt, but then she does something to remind us of her bravery, like standing up in front of a crowd of people and performing in her 1st grade talent show! Dylan is a rule-follower and beloved by her teachers. She loves math, science and reading, and wants to be a ballerina/engineer/scientist and mommy when she grows up.
Alex is a 4-year-old firecracker! She is very clever (we sometimes worry she’s a little too smart for her own good!). She is hilarious, easily and frequently making groups of adults laugh uncontrollably. She likes to play soccer and run around outside with friends but is also completely happy playing make-believe or reading books by herself. Whatever she is doing, you can bet she’s smiling and giggling nonstop. Alex adores everything about her big sister. She also loves spending time with her youngest cousins, who she treats like her baby dolls, constantly whispering and asking if they’re OK, holding their hands, and hugging them. Alex has one more year of preschool before she will join Dylan at the elementary school just down the street. If you ask her, she’ll tell you she wants to be a ballerina or a ninja when she grows up, but we’re convinced she’s going to run the world someday.
We are committed to raising our children to be true to themselves, to care for others, and contribute to making our world a little bit better. We want them to become the people they want to be, no matter what others say or do, and they understand our job is to help them achieve that. We frequently ask them to consider what kind of person they want to be, and how would that person act? Our kids are the most important people in our lives. We don’t shame or guilt them into being who we want them to be. We want them to be themselves and it’s our responsibility to help them get there.
Our Home
We live in a single family home in Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C. The town we live in is safe, culturally diverse, and is full of family amenities. We live in a quiet neighborhood filled with fantastic neighbors who enjoy BBQing, riding bikes, and celebrating holidays together. On summer afternoons, we are often found at the charming community pool with our neighbors and kids’ friends. There are many families with small children and just like us, all the families are very involved in their children’s happiness and education. Several of our friends and neighbors have adopted young children, which has helped our daughters learn about adoption and provides us with a great support system.
Our county is well regarded for its public school system and we live within walking distance of all three schools (elementary, middle and high school), which is very unique in this popular area. Dylan is a rising 2nd grader at the small elementary school just down the street, and Alex will be attending the same school for kindergarten in just over a year.
The thing we love the most about where we live is the support network all around us. Sarah’s parents and sister and brother-in-law live less than 5 minutes from us and often help with babysitting and drop-offs and pickups. We’ve also developed close relationships with our neighbors who care about our kids and are always happy to lend a hand.
We have (proudly) earned a reputation around the neighborhood…we are the neighbors who invite EVERYONE to our yard for block parties, 4th of July fireworks, Halloween firepits, etc. We decorate neighbors’ yards to celebrate birthdays and deliver ‘awards’ for the best Christmas light displays.
We love our home. One of the happiest rooms in the house is the bright blue playroom where Dylan and Alex spend a lot of their time singing, drawing, and playing with toys. Both girls share a room upstairs, which is next to the nursery. The girls also spend a lot of time outside in our yard playing on the swing set and helping Kevin tend to the flower and vegetable gardens. Everyone in our family, community, and especially our daughters, are really looking forward to welcoming another child into this big, beautiful, close-knit family of ours.
About Sarah
Hi! I am 38 years old and work in my dream job as a cancer center director for a large hospital system, lead a nonprofit organization I founded to support families enduring cancer, and coach our daughter’s soccer team. I grew up in Fairfax, VA as the oldest of four siblings. My mom taught high school physics before becoming a full-time stay-at-home parent. She was a deeply loving mother, devoted to helping us all learn and embrace our individual strengths and interests. My dad is an environmental engineer and lawyer. Even as young children, he always spoke to us like we were peers and taught us how to disagree without disrespecting or being disrespected by anyone.
I benefited from the sort of upbringing I hope to recreate for my children. I enjoyed playing various sports and exploring the nearby creek, but my favorite thing to do was organize big yard games for my siblings and all the younger kids in the neighborhood. I quickly became the go-to babysitter in our community and loved working at several summer camps.
My childhood was very happy with one life-changing, heartbreaking exception. My little brother, Ryan, was diagnosed with leukemia when he was 11 and died when he was 13 (I was 16). It is impossible to describe what it was like to witness his battle, much less to eventually lose him. The way our family pulled together forever changed me and continues to inform the way I see the world. The experience led me to pursue the career I have successfully built, improving the lives of those impacted by cancer and other terminal illnesses. My job is a constant reminder that life is short, and so I work hard to ensure our family is fully living and experiencing this precious time.
About Sarah (from Kevin)
I have been so fortunate to spend the last 17 years with Sarah. Though our lives have changed quite a bit over those years, everything that I loved about Sarah remains exactly the same today. She is an amazingly positive, caring, and supportive person, who’s empathy to the experiences and viewpoints of others grants her an incredibly open mind. She laughs easily and loves making others laugh. Sarah is also a strong and confident woman who knows her value and stands by her beliefs. I think I have learned to be a better member of my family by observing the love and dedication Sarah constantly shows hers. I’ve seen more of the world and experienced many different cultures thanks to her eagerness to travel and go on adventures. Her work ethic and determination have also inspired me in my own professional life. I could not ask for a better partner and everyday I’m grateful she chose me in this life.
All the traits that make Sarah an amazing person also make her an excellent mother. I am a better parent simply by observing how she raises our two girls. Sarah epitomizes unconditional love on a daily basis, constantly hugging and kissing our kids. She’s playful and educational, whether that’s kicking the soccer ball with Dylan or reading a book with Alex. She’s patient and wise, calmly disciplining a child over poor behavior or mediating a disagreement between them. Through her actions she demonstrates her values to our children and is always willing to discuss how we feel about issues. She is an incredible role model for our children and I have no doubt that thanks to Sarah’s parenting, our children will grow up to be happy, healthy, and confident in who they are.
About Kevin
Hello! I am a 41-year-old professional archaeologist for a cultural resource management company and an avid gardener, cook and handyman. I was born in Virginia and grew up with my parents, two brothers and sister. Both of my parents were teachers, and so education was very important in our family. When my older brother was born my mom stayed home to raise us and constantly encouraged reading, art, and creative writing as we grew up. My dad was a geometry teacher and helped us with math. I am the person I am today from observing the values my parents demonstrated on a daily basis. Through them I gained an appreciation for providing for yourself and learned how to treat people with kindness. I remain very close with my siblings and couldn’t imagine growing up without them. We spent most of our days playing sports together outside and board games inside, watching movies, and learning from each other.
Prior to my career as an archaeologist, I spent time as a firefighter and EMT in Virginia. I continued to pursue a career in history though and after graduating from grad school in Washington, D.C. I began working as a professional archaeologist. Today I lead the investigation of archeological sites in Virginia for my company. I occasionally travel to excavation sites which allows me to introduce our children to the past and discuss the people and history of our state with them. When not traveling to sites, I benefit from a flexible work schedule which lets me be at home and attend our kids’ activities which is extremely important to me. I would not want to miss a day of them growing up.
About Kevin (from Sarah)
Marrying Kevin was the smartest decision I’ve ever made. I get to spend my life with the best person I have ever known. He is a true partner, supporting me in my career over many years and carrying more than his fair share of our family responsibilities in order to ensure we are also able to create the life we both want.
He has remained as affectionate and loving as when we first met, and continues to be my true north when life gets complicated. We make a great team when playing with the kids, traveling, or going on adventures – but even more importantly, we are each other’s rocks when life doesn’t go as planned or when navigating challenging times together. I wouldn’t want to do this life – the good or the bad parts – with anyone else. Also, he’s really cute and funny!
Kevin is a truly good person with a big heart and a clear eye on what matters most. He is always thinking up and organizing memorable experiences for himself and others, bringing lots of joy and laughter into other people’s lives. I am so grateful for his ability to live in the present moment and turn the everyday into magic. Some of my favorite moments are when I come home to find him playing dress-ups with our kiddos or inside the world’s biggest cardboard box fort.
Our Loved Ones/Family
To say we are big family people is a bit of an understatement. This was one of the things that really attracted us to each other, and so we work hard to support each other in prioritizing each family, staying close and connected and seeing everyone frequently. All four of our parents are still alive, remain happily married 50 years later, and are very involved in our children’s lives. We are both very close with our siblings who we talk with nearly every day and we are proud godparents to four nieces and nephews.
Sarah’s parents, who love everything about being grandparents, live just 5 minutes away (in the same house Sarah grew up in). In addition to seeing them numerous times each week, we spend lots of time with Sarah’s older sister, Mary and her family (husband Adam, little Jesse 2, and their twin baby boys Logan and Spencer), and also Sarah’s younger sister Regan who lives just 15 minutes from us. Whether biking to their homes, meeting at the weekly farmers market, or picking an activity from Sarah’s mom’s “adventure jar,” (ranging from going to the zoo or making slime), there’s always lots of family fun to be had!
Kevin’s parents, who also adore all of their grandchildren, live 45 minutes away in a more rural part of Virginia. Their country home is a lovely escape to a quieter, slower pace for all of us. At their house, everything in the kitchen is made from scratch, the enormous garden is a place of wonder, and nothing is encouraged or celebrated more than a child’s creativity and artwork. Kevin’s parents have instilled in our children an appreciation for the beauty of nature and a love for wildlife. They are also Disney fanatics and love taking trips to Disney World with their grandchildren!
Kevin’s parents also host several large family holiday dinners every year where the whole family gets together, including his brother Geoff (44), his wife, Shannon (44), and their three children (Kate, 13, Lila, 10, and Killian, 7); his younger brother, Brian (39), his wife, Lannette (38), and their two sons, Parker (4) and Lincoln (2), and his sister, Liz (31).
Having a Black sister-in-law, an Asian brother-in-law, two Black nephews and three Asian nephews, we are raising our children with an inclusive understanding of love and family and a respect for cultures that are different from their own.
We hope what we have shared gives you a good idea of who we are and what we have to offer your child; devoted parents, big sisters, and a large, diverse family and community that will provide unconditional love, support, and security, welcoming your child with open arms, acceptance, and love.
If you have additional questions for us or would like to talk about your wishes for your child’s future, we are eager to connect with you. In the meantime, we are sending you our very best wishes, good thoughts and lots of love.
With love,
Sarah and Kevin
