Adoption is a brave choice and we can't even begin to imagine what it's like to be in your shoes. Though we don't know you, we know your heart. Just considering adoption, tells us that you care beyond words for your child and want to consider all options available to give your child the best opportunities in life. We, too, want what's best for your child.

It has always been our plan to choose adoption as the way to create our family and we adopted our son, Enrique, two years ago. In our view, family is about choosing to love and being loved. It's not about who you get "stuck" with, but about intimately sharing lives and learning how to survive life together. We all stick together, love each other, help each other, and learn from one another all in hopes of growing up and becoming more like our Heavenly Father.

We hope these letters and photos may give you a glimpse into how your child might fit into our family should you choose us.

While in college, we had several mutual friends and didn't notice each other at first. But as we started to get to know each other, we became close friends and enjoyed each other's company. We would go on walks, make dinners together, go swing dancing, watch tv with friends, attend international culture events, and several other activities we enjoyed together.

Our wedding day was a very special day for us. We loved spending not just the wedding day with our families, but the days leading up to it were a special get-together and a once-in-a-lifetime family reunion. Crystal had exchange siblings fly in from Brazil, Korea, Germany, Republic of Georgia, Ukraine, and Russia to be our maids of honor and groomsmen. It was a unique opportunity to have so much of our family in one place at the same time. We were able to honor our parents with a tea ceremony and enjoy some aerial swing dancing with our college friends. After the reception, we went to grab coffee and say goodbye to our wedding party before heading out to Washington DC for our honeymoon. We've been married now for eight years.

We love getting the chance to explore new places, meet new people, try new foods, and delve into other cultures.

Here are a few of the trips we've taken together:

We went to Moscow and St. Petersburg to spend time with Crystal's exchange brother and attend his wedding.

We went to Guatemala with our friends' kids and got to climb a volcano.

We went to Haiti to help build a dormitory and spend time with the kids at our friend's orphanage.

Most of our free time is taken up by outreach activities at our church, gardening, and home improvement projects. We often cook together and eat dinner together almost every night. One of our favorite traditions is Saturday morning breakfast. We like to make a special breakfast to start off the weekend relaxed and enjoying each other's company. We enjoy playing games over a pot of hot tea and often even create our own games. We like going for walks in the neighborhood or playing at the park and talking about our days and life in general.

Neil loves being around kids. He has taught children's sunday school at church, played basketball with at-risk youth and coached soccer for the neighborhood kids. Due to Covid he now works from home and is able to take small breaks from work to grab a cup of tea and play with Enrique. He even learned to play the piano so he could play it with Enrique. He squeezes in every moment he can to be with us as a family.

I couldn't ask for a better husband. Neil is my partner in everything. He is sweet, extremely patient, and calm-tempered. When Enrique is upset or acting up, he will often just lovingly hold him and talk to him about his behavior calmly before disciplining him. He loves playing around and making people laugh, yet he has a serious side that makes people want to open up to him. When they do, he usually uses that gift to counsel people through difficulties in their lives. He takes care to maintain a close relationship with God and really nurtures that in others. He reads the Bible to Enrique every night before bed to help him understand the key parts of our faith.

Neil is an electrical engineer for one of the major engineering firms in our area. He is an exceptional employee and gets recognized as such at work on an almost yearly basis. His company is definitely family friendly with unlimited sick time for their employees that extends to allow them to take off for family members that are sick. His work hours are set, but they are flexible to let him off at a decent time each night for us to spend time together.

Crystal is a loving and caring partner in every way. She is intelligent; gifted with excellent organizational skills and speaks several foreign languages. She is a creative person and uses her creativity to make special moments and gifts for loved ones. For example, she made Enrique his own baby-sized rock climbing wall for Christmas. I love the way she is always caring for others by asking if we can help another family in the church or a stranger we have just met. She is strong in her faith and is always challenging me to grow deeper in mine. I admire her view of family. She does not see family as exclusively the clan you are born into, but rather those you choose to add to it later and those who choose you. All of these qualities make me proud to call her my wife.

She is good with children and an excellent mom. With Enrique she is always there to hold him, give him hugs, and encourage him. She also teaches him through books and activities. When needed, she corrects him when he does something wrong and gives good rewards such as a favorite food, park time, stickers, or stamps when he does the right thing. She is also good with children at church. For example, there is a child that goes to our church that is in an unstable family environment and is often sad or upset about what's going on at home. Crystal will often come alongside her, give her hugs and talk to her about what's going on and how to navigate her feelings.

Crystal currently volunteers part-time as a Ministry Assistant at our church. Crystal loves her job because that is her calling. She has fallen in love with the kids we minister to and finds joy in the relationships she has forged with them as they all learn about God together. We love that it's a family-friendly job and Enrique gets to go to work with her and play around at church when she needs to be there in person.

Enrique is strong willed and extremely independent. He is convinced he can take on the world by himself. He's silly and loves to make people laugh, but also has a quiet, shy side that just loves to sit and read. He's very athletic and is up climbing, jumping, running, and playing ball at every chance he gets. He is musically inclined and loves to play the piano. He's a wonderful helper that likes to cook and clean. He loves animals, especially the ones that he can feed and pet like goats, dogs, cats, and donkeys. His favorite day outings are the kid's gym, the library and the zoo.

Enrique has been practicing with dolls, stuffed animals, and helping babysit the younger kids at church all with the goal of becoming the best big brother ever. He is a tender and sweet soul that will share everything he has with others, regardless of whether it's food or toys. He has a generous spirit and even wanted to set up a popsicle stand and pass out free treats on one of the hottest days of the year. He loves making new friends and always greets them with a hug once he gets to know them well enough.

Though Crystal is the only biological child to her parents, Eddie and Laura, they have had over 30 children in their home from Crystal's childhood until now. They spent several years as foster parents and then had exchange students pass through their home starting Crystal's 7th grade year through now. They have each found their special place in the family as siblings. Though they all return home, most will choose to return later with their parents, or spouses and children when they get the opportunity. Three of the exchange students that she's closest to have since had children. Davit, an exchange student from the Republic of Georgia, has been closest to Neil and Crystal as he lived with them for the first 4 years of their marriage while attending college.

Neil's parents, Dwane and Rosie, were both chemists by occupation. Neil has two older brothers: Sean and Keith. Sean has special needs and lives near his parents in an assisted living facility. Keith works for a tech start up company.

We share a close relationship with our family, often keeping up through phone calls and WhatsApp video calls. Being that they only live 3-4 hours away, they can easily come see us over free weekends. We see them at least once every 3 months and have longer visits over holidays. Both of our families are very supportive of adoption. They are excited to see who God places in our family and are anxiously awaiting having another grandchild and niece or nephew to spoil. They all travelled to Arizona to meet Enrique a few days after he was released from the hospital and we were cleared by Building Arizona Families (BAF) to take custody of him. 

Crystal's extended family pictured below:

(In order: 1-Enrique with his cousins and great grandparents, 2-Enrique with other great grandparents, 3-With Crystal's parents, 4-Enrique with exchange student from France on our trip to Florida, 5-Crystal's brother, Davit, on graduation day)

Neil's extended family pictured below:

(In order: 1-Enrique riding his favorite uncle, Keith, 2-Neil's parents and brother, Keith, 3-Neil's dad holding Enrique, 4-Dyeing eggs with Neil's mom)

We live in a raised ranch home with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. The backyard is modest in size, but large enough for us to enjoy grilling and gardening. We use the home as a home base for us to cook and recharge throughout the week to be able to go out and do outreach with our church family. Then on weekends it becomes a safe haven for us to really reconnect and relax. As often as we can, we like to have friends and family over for dinners and get-togethers in the large dining room, which provides a great atmosphere for conversation and games. 

We live in a large city in the Midwest that's full of activities to keep us active throughout the year. There are museums and cultural festivals frequently showcased in all parts of the city. We have great schools in our district that include the International Baccalaureate program to keep students challenged. Having worked with the schools on various levels to help the local kids, we know that the teachers are dedicated to helping students achieve their goals in all areas of life. We live just across the street from the elementary school. The high school (including tennis courts), public library, and two parks with playgrounds are all within walking distance. The city often has s'mores/hot cocoa nights and movie nights at the park just down the street to help promote unity within the community and get the kids comfortable with interacting with police and other public servants.

We've been in our house for about 4 years and bought it because it was right across the street from the school that we volunteer at. We love our community and can't imagine a better place for us. Having already established our roots here, we plan on raising our children here. We are currently undecided on whether or not we will adopt a third time, but are open to whatever God has in store for us.

Our Christian faith is central to our lives. In our home, we want to teach our children how to love God, love others, and impact our community to change the world. We want to encourage our kids and always lead by example.

We certainly encourage the pursuit of education and will help our kids to develop a love for learning, but ultimately want to cheer them on to pursue their dreams. Though we plan to send our children to public school, ultimately, schooling needs may vary and we will do whatever is best to meet those needs. If either child seems to need more one-on-one attention and we are unable to close the gap through working with them after school, we are open to other forms of schooling. We will support their decision to choose trade school, community college, university, or head straight into the work force.

We are so excited to welcome new members into our family, both you and your child. We are willing to consider an open adoption because we  know that at some point in a closed adoption, you or your child may have some deep questions. We want to leave the door open so that when those questions arise, there will be a way for there to be answers.

We hope these photos give you a good idea of who we are, how your child would fit into our family, and what life will be like for them should you choose us. We are so excited to welcome you and your child with open arms. The process of adoption is difficult, but we know that together, we can make a good life for your child. We have a loving home life and can't wait to add to our family. We will love your child and give them all the opportunities we can for him or her to achieve their dreams. And, we'll love you too as a cherished member of our family. Adoption can be a blessing to everyone involved and your child will always know how much they are loved not just by us, but also by you. We want to thank you for not just considering us as an adoptive family, but for selflessly considering adoption as an option for your child. Whether you choose us or not, we wish the best of life for you and your child.