Very early in our marriage, we started having an annual hot chocolate day. As soon as it starts to get truly cold in the winter, we pick an afternoon to melt chocolate and cream over the stove, sprinkle some cinnamon or nutmeg over it, and watch a movie together. We love watching how this tradition has evolved over the course of our marriage, and we are so excited to introduce our children to it.

Another high-priority tradition for our family in our annual menudo dinner. Menudo has been Anna's mother's favorite food since childhood, and it is now one of Anna's favorite meals as well. So every year, on the day after Christmas, John spends the day cooking menudo for the family. It gives us all a crucial opportunity to unwind after the Christmas chaos.

One of our favorite traditions involves not just our family, but many of our friends as well: our Christmas-cookie decorating party. This tradition started simply because Anna loves to bake (and because her mom has an amazing sugar cookie recipe), but it's been so amazing to watch our friends and their children have fun together and make a mess as they go.

We would consider it an enormous privilege to help our child connect with the culture of their birth as they grow up. This topic is particularly important to Anna, who loves finding opportunities to explore her own Mexican heritage. First, we want to provide our children with role models from their culture. In some cases, this will mean introducing our children to books or movies that feature strong leaders from their culture. But most importantly, we hope to connect our children to members of their culture who can serve as mentors to them in real life.

Second, we want to provide our children with experiences connected to their culture. This might involve helping them to learn the language of their birth family, celebrating their cultural holidays, or learning to cook their culture's foods. For instance, as a child, Anna once helped her mom recreate her grandmother’s enchilada recipe by piecing it together from old cookbooks and from conversations with older relatives who had participated in cooking it back in the day. We can envision going on exactly this kind of journey with our own children.

We are thankful to have a home that we are excited to enjoy with our child. We recently moved to a four-bedroom home to have space for us, our child, and visitors. We love preparing meals together in our kitchen, which has a big island that guests can gather around. We were happy to find a house with a large dining room that we can gather in with family and friends. Our living room gives us a space to relax next to our fireplace. We recently finished building a back patio where we eat outdoors, grill, and enjoy our yard and the woods behind our home, where we often see deer and other wildlife.

We are happy to be in a community that is both family-oriented and close to a city that can provide many opportunities for us and our child. Within a short walk or drive, we have parks, playgrounds, pools, tennis courts, basketball courts, hiking trails, soccer fields, and baseball fields. We also look forward to taking our child to visit local museums, the waterfront, sporting events, and other experiences that we are close to in Virginia, near the city of Washington, DC. Although we live near a major city, we are also thankful to be in a community that has plenty of yard and park space for children to explore. Our neighborhood hosts regular events like Holiday Caroling, the Halloween Parade, and the summer Block Party to bring together the families who live here.

John's extended family includes John's parents, four siblings, and their families. All are excited for a new child to join the family! John's parents and two of his brothers and sisters live in Virginia, so our children will have grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins within driving distance. John also has siblings in Tennessee and New Mexico. This child will have seven cousins on John's side, ranging in age from elementary school through early twenties. One of the traditions John's family shares is family gatherings for the Thanksgiving holiday. Thanksgiving has always been a time that has brought together John's family for roast turkey, stuffing, homemade cranberry sauce, apple pie, and other family favorites. John's family also enjoys trips together to the beach and to the mountains, since both are nearby in Virginia.

Anna was born in California, but spent most of her childhood in Texas. We often return to Texas to spend time with Anna's mom and dad and her younger sister, Emma, who lives near Anna's parents. When back home in Texas, Anna loves spending time cooking with her mom and watching classic old movies with her parents. We also love hanging out with Emma and her husband, who visit us in Virginia at least once a year to eat good food, kayak, and explore our city. From the moment they heard that we were pursuing adoption, Anna's family has been incredibly excited to welcome a child into their lives.

We are so thankful that you've taken the time to read our profile. We know that you must have a million thoughts running through your mind right now, but we feel incredibly privileged that you would consider allowing us to be part of your child's life.

We have been together since 2008, and we have been married since 2011. Looking back, it's crazy to think that we have been together for nearly half of our lives. Over the course of our relationship, we've worked together to handle whatever life threw at us, while supporting each other in our respective careers and making some amazing memories. We also have an incredible community of friends nearby, some of whom we've known for decades. And now, we are so excited to share this strong foundation we've built with a child.

Ever since we began discussing how to grow our family several years ago, we've felt that God had been calling us to adoption. And ever since we started the adoption process, each step has confirmed that this is the right choice for us. Even the most tedious aspects of the paperwork have felt so exciting when we think about what we're working towards. We feel that we are both completely ready to make a child the focus of our lives, and we feel an incredible sense of peace about the adoption process.

We know that this process may feel more turbulent than peaceful for you right now, but we do want you to feel a sense of peace about what your child's life with us would look like. If you choose us to parent your child, your child will grow up with full knowledge of you and a rich understanding of the permanent, lifelong connection you share, no matter how far apart you are. We will send you updates (at least once a year) with pictures of your child and letters describing their progress. We are open to occasional phone calls as well, and we will bring your child to you for at least one visit during their early years. No matter how our contact with you evolves over the years, we want your child to feel your love from the time they start forming their earliest memories to the time they become a full-fledged adult.

The fact that you are considering adoption at all shows that you are taking time to think critically about your child's future. It also shows that you already love them immensely. No one can make this decision for you, but we are thankful that you would allow us to share our thoughts and hopes with you. If you would like to speak with us directly about our lives, our marriage, how we hope to raise a child, or anything else that you feel is important to your decision, we would be more than happy to set up a time to talk through it with you. And no matter what you ultimately decide, we hope that your decision brings peace and joy for both you and your child.

Sincerely,

John & Anna