Dear Birthparent…
Thank you for taking the time to learn about our family and considering us as you try to make the difficult decision of adoption for your child. We can only imagine how hard this journey is for you, and it requires a significant amount of courage and bravery. Your child will be loved unconditionally, and we will do everything possible to provide him or her with opportunities to be their best self! We hope you will see the active, fun and caring environment your child would grow up in where their dreams will always be supported and developed. We want your child to know where he or she came from and the great sacrifice you made. We look forward to sharing special moments along the way if that is something you desire. The gift of adoption would be the greatest blessing we could receive. May you be blessed with strength, peace and wisdom for the choices you make in the days ahead.
About Us…
We met in an untraditional way by “winking” at each other on an online dating app and have been together ever since. Shawnna works from home and is a Manager for a large global company where she gets to work with people all over the world and enjoys learning about the cultural diversity of her colleagues. Her schedule is flexible which will allow her to attend school events and be home to spend quality time and care for your child . Matt is the Community Development Officer for a national financial institution. He mainly works from home as well and has flexibility in his schedule which allows him to take the lead in scheduling after school activities such as Taekwondo class and swimming. Our family enjoys riding our bicycles to grab lunch, get some ice cream, or go to one of our local parks to play. Shawnna captures all these fun and important moments along the way as she works on her amateur photography skills. Her baby book only had one picture of her as a child so she vowed not to let that happen to her children and uses her creativity to create family albums every year. Matt is musically gifted and grew up playing several instruments such as the saxophone and trombone. When our son Mason started playing a toy guitar and singing ‘Old MacDonald Had a Farm’, we purchased him a real guitar and now he plays and sings his own original songs. Mason also loves dinosaurs, playing kickball, riding his bicycle and playing in our neighborhood with his friends.
Our Home and Pets…
We have a four bedroom home with big yard in a family friendly neighborhood. Our streets are lined with large canopy trees that give the feeling of the suburbs, but we are just minutes away from all the city has to offer. Many of our neighbors have young children and the kids meet up to play outside almost every day. The schools in our community are highly rated, and we enjoy walking to school each morning as a family while stopping to say hello to neighbors along the way. When we are looking to cool off in the water, we head to the beach which is a short distance away. When we are craving some excitement, we head to one of the many theme parks or aquariums in the area.
We recently lost our sweet dog Molly to cancer, so we currently do not have any pets, but we love animals and plan to adopt another dog soon. Your child will grow up with a four legged best friend.
Our Family…
Our extended family is close by so we make time to connect every week. Whether it is a pool party, BBQ, or family game night, we love getting together to share stories and laughs. The grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins all live just a few minutes away, and we stop by regularly to visit for dinner or to catch up. The grandparents look forward to babysitting whenever there is an opportunity to spend some quality time with their grandchildren. Our family participates and raises money for The National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society through a 160 mile BikeMS event every year. This event is very personal to us since Matt’s mother was diagnosed with MS, and we raise money to support a cure for this disease. Whether it is riding in the event, fundraising, or standing at the finish line cheering, we all love to participate and get away for a family fun vacation every year. Matt and Shawnna both grew up with an older brother, who coincidentally shares the same name. As kids, Matt and his brother grew their entrepreneurial spirit by mowing lawns in the summer together, and Shawnna’s brother taught her how to drive a car. There is nothing better than having a full time best friend to play with, to teach you new things and have your back when needed. Mason can’t wait to be a big brother! Your child will have a big brother to love, protect, and teach him or her every cool thing he knows.
Our Journey to Adoption…
After we were married, we knew we wanted to have children right away. We had our son but struggled with infertility issues after that. The doctors gave us 0% chance to have another baby. We knew this was not the end of our journey! After witnessing our niece’s adoption and the blessing she is to our entire family, we knew the path of adoption was the way we wanted to grow our family. Your child will have a cousin with a similar adoptive background to grow up with and a large extended family network that will love and support them throughout his or her life.
Fun Facts…
Name: Shawnna
Occupation: Program Manager
Education: Bachelor’s in Business
Favorite Food: Pizza
Favorite Hobby: DIY Crafting and Photography
Favorite Movie: Oceans 11
Favorite Holiday: Christmas
Favorite TV Show: Law and Order
Favorite Activity: Traveling
Hidden Talent: Fixing computer issues
Guilty Pleasure: Reality TV
Name: Matt
Occupation: Community Development Officer
Education: Bachelor’s in Economics and Finance
Favorite Food: Pizza
Favorite Hobby: Exercising
Favorite Movie: Shawshank Redemption
Favorite Holiday: Any day he gets off from work!
Favorite TV Show: Seinfeld
Favorite Activity: Bicycling
Hidden Talent: Juggling
Guilty Pleasure: Ben & Jerry’s ice cream
