Kayla loves that Curtis is compassionate, tender, intelligent, generous, and endlessly patient. One of the first things that drew her to him was how naturally he cares for the people in his life. If a friend or family member needs support, Curtis is always the first to show up, often before anyone even asks. His kindness is steady and genuine, and it’s one of the qualities Kayla cherishes most.

Curtis' first impression of Kayla was how heartfelt, caring, and confidently herself she is. Kayla has a beautiful way of moving through the world with warmth and intention. On our very first date, she mentioned she was helping her 10-year-old nephew with a “Flat Stanley” school project and wanted to take photos for him at a few local landmarks. Curtis offered to help, and it was immediately clear how naturally Kayla nurtures and shows love to children and family. Her thoughtfulness shines through in everything she does.

As our relationship grew, we realized how much joy we bring to each other simply by being ourselves. We laugh easily together, support each other fully, and share the same hopes for building a loving, safe, and connected family. From early on, we saw in each other the kind of steady, compassionate partners we always hoped to become — and we feel truly grateful to be creating a home filled with warmth, understanding, and love for a child.

To us, being parents means offering a life of unconditional love, safety, wholehearted presence and attention, and the space to explore and become who they want to be. Our highest priority will always be the emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being of our child. We believe in parenting that allows a child to be wholly and confidently themselves while also shaping them to be kind and see, respect, and love the humanity of others. We both feel that we were taught growing up the importance of extending compassion, treating people with kindness, helping those who are struggling, and caring for the world around us. And we hope to impart those values ourselves.

What we expect to love most is simply the everyday moments: bedtime stories, first steps, discovering new interests, and talking through our days. For years, we have been fervently hoping for the moment when we could become parents, and if we do, we don't want to miss a moment, no matter how small! We look forward to watching a child explore the world with wonder, cheering on their dreams, and supporting them when things get hard. Becoming parents would mean more to us than words can say. It would be the greatest honor and joy of our lives.

We are deeply committed to making sure our child grows up surrounded by people, relationships, and role models who reflect and celebrate who they are. Their identity, whatever it may be, will always be honored in our home. We also understand that being intentional matters. Beyond our neighborhood and school, we will actively seek out and build relationships in communities and organizations that are not majority white—no matter our child’s race. We would want our child to feel fully supported and also respect people who are different from them. Each year, we attend our community’s African-American Heritage Festival, a celebration of culture, history, and Black-owned businesses. As parents, we are ready to learn and grow right alongside our child, adjusting our routines, connecting with new mentors, and broadening our community to make sure they always feel included and understood. We are open and eager to learn new cultures and languages in our daily life in every way needed to help them feel at home in all parts of their identity—loved, celebrated, and deeply rooted.

We live in Virginia on several beautiful forested acres at the foot of the mountains. We a live in an area with lots of natural beauty where we can go on hikes, go camping, and explore. In addition to the spectacular scenery, we live close to lots of great libraries, children's museums, and parks where we would love to take our child to learn and play. In fact, one of our favorite places to take our niece and nephew (they LOVE it!) is a nearby park with a duck pond and kiddie train that they can ride around the park. We are both lovers of books and learning and are excited to potentially have a child to take to story times and children's science exhibits to explore and stoke their curiosity.

We live in a four-bedroom house with a large yard. Curtis has a large workshop in the basement where he can work on projects. He envisions doing building projects and activities with a child of our own! Kayla takes advantage of the beautiful outdoor space where she has a large garden and a hammock that provides her favorite reading spot. We both cherish the idea of sharing our beautiful environment with a child where there is so much to explore and do!

We both come from large, loving families, surrounded by caring aunts, uncles, and many sweet nieces and nephews. Growing up in such close-knit homes shaped who we are, and we would be overjoyed to welcome a child into that same environment. A child would be embraced by a wide, supportive family—cousins to play with, aunts and uncles to cheer them on, and grandparents who already have so much love waiting to give.

We live next door to Curtis’ parents and sister. Our three homes are connected by little footpaths, and we imagine a child happily running between them for hugs, snacks, or time with their grandparents or aunt. Kayla and her sister and sister's children are very close. We enjoy regular visits with them, and envision a child playing often with cousins. We already have a wonderful village ready to help raise a child, and every single member of that village is overjoyed at the possibility of welcoming a child with open arms. We gather often to laugh, share stories, and play games. Kayla never misses a chance to play cards or board games with her twelve nieces and nephews, and Curtis loves making his aunts, uncles, and cousins laugh with his jokes and "talking shop" about cars and building projects.

Your child would grow up surrounded by love, joy, and a big family eager to support them through every milestone—from everyday moments to the biggest celebrations of their life.

Thank you for taking the time to view our profile and get to know us as you consider adoption. We are honored, humbled, and grateful for the possibility of welcoming a child into our home.

We have been together since 2017, married since 2019, and have been unable to have our own children. In our years together, we have drawn ever closer together as we have weathered challenges and shared jokes, shared interests, and deep discussions. We have been "Aunt Kayla" and "Uncle Curtis" to lots of children, including friends and family. Through those relationships, we have come to understand that not only are we fully ready to be "mom" and "dad," but also that our hearts are large enough to accept any child as our own. Together, we are best friends, confidants, and, hopefully soon, parenting partners who, through our relationship, exemplify care and respect for a growing child.

We feel that we live in an idyllic environment and would love to watch a child grow up here. They could walk next door to visit their grandparents and aunt, who will be present for milestones, big and small. There is lots of both open and wooded space for a child to explore nature, ride bikes, and play sports and games. We often host extended family, enabling a child to form close connections with aunts, uncles, and cousins.

We have been told over and over again by friends and family that they are overjoyed at this possibility for us because they believe we would be wonderful parents. However, just as importantly, we look forward to discovering and experiencing the wonderful person that a child would be and become. We look forward to seeing a child grow and develop into an individual with interests, dreams, and characteristics that we can share and champion. We wish to share the same opportunities that we had growing up to discover their own passions, skills, and values. And we hope to share our own interests: music, science, love of nature, reading, camping, and hiking.

We want to share a child's joy of self-discovery, making new friendships, and new experiences, all while anchoring them through the ups and downs of life in a home and family of love, compassion, and safety. Our home is warm, welcoming, and full of friends and family. We picture our days filled with bedtime stories, shared laughter, Sunday family dinners, and simple moments of togetherness. We want your child to feel safe, nurtured, and free to be exactly who they are.

We want you to feel confident in your decision and know that your child is happy, healthy, and thriving. To that end, we would like to send letters and pictures, and we are open to other forms of contact, such as calls and visits, if you are open to that and if you feel it would be beneficial for you. We promise to talk openly about their adoption and with deep respect and gratitude for that choice, making sure they understand that that loving choice and the person who made it are important, meaningful parts of who they are. We believe in honesty and would answer questions openly and gently, offering age-appropriate information and support to help them understand their story at every stage. We want our child to know that their life began with an abundance of love ?" love from their birth parent(s) and love from us. Adoption will always be explained as a choice rooted in care and the desire to give them the fullest life possible. We would make sure that a child understands that they were chosen, they belong, and they are special, not despite adoption but because of it.

Thank you again for considering us to participate in this courageous journey with you.

Curtis & Kayla