We love spending time outside. We're fortunate to live within driving distance of mountains, several state parks, and the beach. As such, we enjoy short hikes on the weekends as a fun way to exercise and be present in nature. Within the city, we enjoy visiting art exhibits, cultural festivals, and farmer's markets.

When not outside, we spend time playing board games together and with friends. Krysten likes cooking, baking, and planning trips. You can find Blake reading or watching action movies. Rainy days are great for reading and we hope to encourage a child's interests and foster a love of reading. We enjoy keeping in touch with friends and family through meeting up, phone calls, and video calls.

We both love traveling, and prioritize visiting places with beautiful nature. We've had the opportunity to explore several national parks, hike to colorful rock formations, and snorkel in tropical waters. We've also immersed ourselves in the history and culture of the different areas. We hope to continue to travel as a family and expose the child to various regions around the world.

Krysten About Blake: I admire Blake's patience. He is a great person to learn from because he doesn't become frustrated easily and he is kind and respectful in his explanations. He consistently treats others with respect, no matter who he is interacting with. He is caring, supportive, intelligent, loyal, and responsible. He often makes me laugh, and I know he'll be a wonderful father demonstrating love and support.

Blake About Krysten: Krysten is a naturally kind, empathetic, and understanding individual. Her default manner is to treat others generously and she is a great listener. I personally think she's hilarious, and her witty humor keeps me on my toes. Krysten is a lifelong learner always looking to better herself, which I admire deeply. I know she will bring all of these positive traits into motherhood and instill them into the child with loving care.

We have wanted to be parents for many years. Though we cannot have a biological child, parenthood can happen in multiple ways, and adoption allows for the opportunity to provide a child with so much love.

Though we don't have any children in our home, we have savored time with our niece, cousins' children, and friends' children. We have become familiar with a variety of children's books, songs, toys, and food, as well as using our imagination while playing. Additionally, Krysten has spent years as an occupational therapist working with children.

We hope to build from our experiences and create new memories as parents!

We live in a townhouse on the outer edge of a city, in a suburban area.

The kitchen is the heart of our home, and we spend a lot of quality time there cooking and sitting at the kitchen table for meals, games, and conversations.

Our neighborhood has sidewalks for bikes and scooters, and we have a driveway for playing and drawing in chalk. We have a front, side, and back yard with space to play.

We highly value education, and the good schools in our area were a large factor in choosing the location of our home.

There are several parks nearby, and the park district offers a variety of programs for kids ranging from sports to art.

Our neighborhood is diverse and there are many children. We have an inviting local library with many children's books and activities. A nearby park holds several festivals including a multicultural festival filled with food and music, a 4th of July celebration, and a holidays celebration with tree lighting.

There is also a local adoption community, so there are a variety of ways for socialization and support.

We both grew up in the Midwest and most of our extended family lives there, including Krysten's parents, her brother, sister-in-law, and nieces. Blake's mom and extended family live there as well, so trips North are filled with lots of time visiting with relatives including young children.

Despite us living in North Carolina, there are opportunities to experience snow and winter activities while spending a holiday up North. Summer visits are filled with enjoying the beautiful Midwest weather by spending time outside catching up with friends and family, going for walks, playing games, and sharing meals.

Our extended family is very supportive of our adoption plan and cannot wait to meet the newest member of the family!

Though all of our extended family currently lives out of state, we have strong social support in our friends and community near our home. We regularly attend summer barbecues, events like Friendsgiving, and birthday parties where our friends bring their children for quality playtime. We know the child will grow up loved and supported.

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about us, as we can't imagine how difficult of a decision this is for you. Something certain you can count on is that we'll provide a safe, loving, stable, and nurturing home for the child. We hope this profile has given you a glimpse into what life would be like with us, and has given you some peace of mind while making this difficult decision. Know that whichever decision you make, it is the right one.

We've been married for nearly 5 years and are incredibly happy with our marriage. We have been fortunate to have the opportunity of traveling often, hiking, enjoying the arts, cooking, and building meaningful friendships. While all of that has been wonderful, we've always known that we wanted to grow our family and share our love. After years of trying, we found that we will be unable to have a biological child. Because of that, we are taking the next step in pursuing adoption and opening our life to share with a child. Being an aunt and uncle is something we both love, as well as spending time with the kids of cousins and friends. We now look forward to making new memories by expanding to a family of three. Our families are beyond supportive and are looking forward to being part of the child's life through providing unconditional love.

Education and teaching by example are both of high importance in our home. Through our interactions in the home and in the community, we hope to instill the values of kindness, respect, support, and empathy. We will demonstrate identifying emotions and encourage independence while also showing that it is okay to ask for help when needed. With Krysten having previously worked as an occupational therapist in a school setting, we will be conscious of both health and sensory needs to promote wellness of body and mind. We hope to instill a love of learning and development, and will encourage the child's own interests as he or she develops them. We hope to share our love of travel by exploring new parts of the world together, and learning about cultures and nature both near and far through direct interaction.

We are happy and open to share updates with you about growth and development, if desired. Whether it's through photos, videos, letters with keepsakes, or email, we promise to keep you updated on the child's achievements and developments. We will be open and honest with the child about adoption, and provide reassurance about their worth, love, and belonging. In our home, your child will know your love and the difficulty of your choice as we convey your decision in a positive light.

Thank you for considering us as potential parents for your child. We hope you have been able to see and feel the love, stability, and support we can provide. We admire your courage and strength, and you will be in our thoughts during this journey.

Sincerely,

Blake & Krysten