Hi! We are Emily and Chris. We're thankful you are taking the time to get to know us and learn about our family.

Our story began at the University of Colorado (Go Buffs!), where we were both in business school and attended the same church ministry. We had mutual friends and had known each other for a few years before going on our first date two weeks before graduation. We initially bonded over our love for baseball, so our first three dates were to Rockies games. After the third game, we decided to do something different for our next date to figure out if we actually enjoyed spending time with each other or if we just really liked baseball.

Luckily, we discovered that there was more to our connection than just the love of this sport. After two years of dating, we got engaged and were married in August of 2013.

Throughout our relationship, we discussed our desire to start a family someday. After trying to conceive for more than a year, we started fertility treatments. We were so excited when we finally were able to get pregnant, but unfortunately, each of our pregnancies ended in loss. Having both family and friends who were adoptive parents, we knew that starting the path to adoption was the right next step for our family. We are so excited and hopeful that our journey will lead us to grow our family through open adoption.

When I describe Emily to others, it often boils down to three words: (1) Loving, (2) Brave, and (3) Spunky.

Loving: Emily has so many friends. She makes friends wherever she goes and works hard to maintain and grow those relationships. She has a knack for bringing people together and is about as honest as it gets when discussing "life." She cries whenever she sees an old man or woman eating alone at a restaurant. Often, she picks up the check. I've learned so much from Emily about becoming a person that seeks to love others first, day in and day out.

Brave: Emily is not afraid to challenge herself (and others). I've seen her approach some of life's toughest situations with determination, grit, and grace. She's the person that shows up when you think nobody will. She fights for herself and those she loves while not forgetting to listen, learn, and grow from others' experiences. She values perspectives that help her see the world through a different lens - and challenges me to do the same.

Spunky: To be honest, I'm not sure exactly what this word means. It's what comes to mind when I'm asked what Emily is like. Witty. Energetic. Goofy. Adventurous. FUN.

I know many of the traits described above will show up in motherhood as she deeply desires to start and grow our family while fostering a home and family environment that kids will enjoy and appreciate.

Chris is an amazing provider for our family in every sense of the word. He provides so much stability, care, honesty, humor (including terrible dad jokes), and compassion in our life together. He is the hardest worker I've ever met and strives to improve daily. He is passionate about his operations job in the real estate industry, but most importantly, he is passionate about his family, friends, and faith.

Chris has the biggest heart and always demonstrates his love for others - whether it's helping a family member move, buying a friend dinner, or giving me a back rub after a long day. He can make you laugh one minute, then have a heartfelt conversation with you the next. He is generous, always puts others first, and will be an incredible dad to the child who is placed with us.

Chris enjoys spending time with me and our chocolate lab, Harvey, playing golf, perfecting his steak-cooking skills, and listening to music. He strongly desires to keep learning and growing in his role as a husband, colleague, and friend, often listening to podcasts or reading books about leadership and faith. As an avid sports fan and former athlete, I know he cannot wait for the day he can take a child to their first baseball practice or soccer game and cheer them on from the sidelines.

We are fortunate to live in our dream home in a suburb south of Denver. Our house is a five-bedroom home on a cul-de-sac surrounded by friendly neighbors - from retirees who have lived there for 25 years to young families who recently moved in, like us. We have summer block parties and often get together to have dinner or sit by the outdoor fire pit. Our neighbors are thrilled that we are starting our adoption journey and are eager to add another child to the neighborhood kid crew.

While we love being inside our house, we love being outside even more. Our backyard faces west with a view of the mountains, and you can find us on our back porch watching the sunset on summer nights while our dog Harvey enjoys playing fetch and chasing rabbits out of the yard.

Our community is surrounded by several parks, trails, and open spaces within walking distance from our home. We love to walk our dog on the trails while spending time outdoors and look forward to bringing a child along someday.

When we bought our home, we envisioned it being a place to bring people together. With big windows, high ceilings and a lot of natural light, our home is open and inviting. We love hosting friends and family at our house for barbeques, Sunday night football, game nights, dinner parties, and spending time together. We can't wait to welcome a child into our loving, cozy home.

Both of us grew up in Colorado, and although we spent eight years living in California, we knew we wanted to be back in Colorado near family and friends when starting our family. Our parents, siblings (except Emily's sister), nephew, and niece all live within 30 minutes of us - some as close as five minutes away! We spend a lot of time with our family, whether we're having dinner together, going to a baseball game, traveling for vacation, or spending an afternoon playing games.

Our families are incredibly supportive of our decision to adopt and cannot wait to welcome another member into our family. They are the most loving group of people we know, supporting us through our best and hardest days. We're eager for the day all the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins can meet our new addition. Our chocolate lab, Harvey, loves kids and can't wait for another person to throw the ball outside and cuddle with him on the couch.

We could not conclude this chapter without talking about our son, Asher, who passed away at birth in 2021. When we are chosen as adoptive parents and welcome a child into our family, they will always know they have a brother in heaven. Asher is forever part of our family, and we can't wait to feel the same immense love we have for him for his future little brother or sister, too.

As mentioned in the "Our Story" chapter, we initially connected through our love of sports. Twelve years later, you're still likely to find us at a baseball, football, basketball, or hockey game on date night. We cannot wait to share our favorite teams with a child and create another Colorado sports fan.

We also love to travel and have spent a lot of time exploring the world together. Whether we're road-tripping up the coast of California (we love a good road trip!) or walking down a cobblestone path in Italy, we feel so fortunate to experience new places, people, and ways of life. It's incredibly important to both of us to educate and expose a child we adopt to different cultures, various ways of thinking, and diverse backgrounds.

Most of our hobbies and interests are often enjoyed with our friends and family. We eat together, travel together, golf together, celebrate holidays together (Emily's family's Fourth of July party is one of our favorite traditions!), and adventure together. Our friends and family have been by our side, supporting and praying for us through our entire journey to start a family, and we truly cannot wait for them to meet and love on the child that joins our family.

Thank you again for taking the time to look at our book as you consider an adoption plan for your baby. We hope you have gotten to know us, our family, our home, and our hearts a little better.

If chosen as adoptive parents, we would be honored to welcome your child, you, and your family into our hearts and lives through open adoption. Regardless of the level of openness you prefer, the child will always know about the brave, loving choice that you made for them. We promise to love and protect your child and create a home filled with joy, laughter, adventure, security, and support. They will be surrounded by kindness, care, and affection and will know they are loved unconditionally by you, us, and God.

You and your baby are already so loved and cared for, and we hope we'll get to meet you and welcome you into our family.



Love,

Emily & Chris