We adopted our daughter – Luna – from Alaska. She is pure joy for us, and we felt our hearts connect from the first moment we saw her on a sonogram. We knew we wanted a sibling for her even before we met her, and we believe adopting our second child will only help normalize the "adoption story" for them both, since they would be able to share that part of their history. We plan to talk about adoption openly from the beginning, so that our children grow up knowing their story, understanding that it's a beautiful thing so many people loved them so much, and ensuring that there aren't unanswered questions about how our family became a family. We have wonderful age-appropriate books about adoption that we plan to read to them as they grow up as well, that highlight how much we prayed for them and hoped for them to be our children!

We love to travel! Experiencing new cultures, cuisines, and landscapes is our favorite thing to do and we look forward to continuing these experiences as a family! Seeing the wonder of the world through a little one’s eyes is precious! It brings us great joy to see Luna’s face light up with delight at seeing something new and she will love sharing her discoveries with a sibling one day. When we’re home in Hawaii, we spend lots of time together outdoors at the beach, hiking, boating, swimming in the ocean or pool, and playing in the sand. We love to snorkel, surf, paddleboard and play tennis, too. Brant also loves to golf, grill, scuba dive and ride his motorcycle. Liesa loves photography, jogging with Atlas and Luna, and practicing the piano in the evening. But if you can’t find us, chances are we are in the water somewhere! There’s never a dull moment and with the beach just steps from our front door – or jungles or mountains just 10 minutes away – it’s so easy to immerse our whole family in the unique beauty of our paradise island.

Cultural diversity is a beautiful aspect of our family life, and we joyfully embrace it! Liesa was born and raised in Germany, and moved to Japan with Brant when she was 25. Our daughter is part Japanese and Hawaiian. We have been stationed in Asia, the east and west coasts of the US, Europe and Hawaii. We have been fortunate to enjoy vastly different traditions and cultures with friends and locals in many different countries. As a military family, the people around us come from all walks of life, beliefs, and backgrounds, but we become incredibly unified and close thanks to our respect for each other and desire to serve. We actively travel the globe, exploring all the beauty and excitement the world has to offer. We've been blessed to be able to travel to 43 countries, so our recognition of and appreciation for the uniqueness of cultures and people around the world has become a normal part of our lives. We actively try to honor and incorporate their cultures into our lives. For example, every year we put on an Oktoberfest celebration to celebrate Liesa's German culture, and everyone is invited to wear traditional German clothing while we serve classic food with traditional music. Our friends also put on other traditional cultural celebrations from other parts of the world, so we get to enjoy Hispanic, African, Asian, and other cultures throughout the year. Cultural diversity for us is a celebration!

We live in Oahu, Hawaii, right on the ocean. We love that we can walk from our front door directly onto the beach, have ocean views from our bedrooms, and mountain views from our living room, kitchen and patio. We are on a small peninsula, so get to watch the sunrise and sunset over the water.

Our home is a beautiful, 2-story, 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom home. It has an open, spacious, and bright feel with many windows and skylights over the stairwell. We have decorated it with lots of artwork from places we've traveled, so it always feels warm and personal, and creates a sense of ease and belonging. We have a large yard, and have a small section of it fenced in close to the house for child safety.

Our home is ideally located for children, and we have six playgrounds designed for all ages within walking distance from the house. The community is very tight-knit and looks out for each other, and many of the mothers put together playgroups for the children. Our neighbors have become like extended family, and we get together weekly, as well as for birthdays and holidays.

We love that we literally live in paradise, with great weather year-round, wild mango trees where we walk, the smell of flowers everywhere, and the most beautiful beaches and waterfall hikes you will ever see.

We did our most recent family reunion with Brant's family for Christmas in the Bahamas! We had so much fun being able to play at the beach during the winter, paddleboard with dolphins, and take our nieces through the local aquarium to see lots of new animals for the first time! Our family trips have always been so memorable, that we have made it a tradition to meet up in new places around the world. Our next family trip is already scheduled for snow skiing! It's also fun that we have family – and friends as close as family – all over the world. No matter if we traveled to Japan, Romania, Liesa's family in Germany, or any region of the US, we would have a house to stay in and people to love on our children. That includes our Hawaiian Ohana - our local family comprised of neighbors and friends that are there for us just like we were biological family. They have all supported us in our adoption journey with Luna, and continue to do so on this adventure! We are so blessed to have a huge family that will love our children as their own, no matter what. It's also fun that each year we travel to Europe to visit Liesa's family, and usually combine it with a trip to either the German, Austrian, or Swiss Alps, or see bits of history like the incredible castles and cathedrals.

We are so thankful that you have taken the time to read our profile and perhaps consider us to parent your child! We hope that it has given you a glimpse into our unique home and life. Know that you and your child are in our prayers as you consider adoption, and we hope we can bring you a sense of comfort in whatever path you choose!

We met in 2012 while we were both newly commissioned officers (you can see us as baby-faced Lieutenants in our video!) teaching at the US Naval Academy. Brant was teaching Spanish and Liesa came from Germany to teach German…when we met it was NOT love at first sight (funny story for later)! But we gave each other a second chance, and after some quality time together scuba diving, camping, hiking, and taking Liesa to her first American wedding, we fell in love. Liesa was drawn to Brant's compassion for others, his infectious positive attitude and laugh, how he draws everyone in like they're hanging on every word whether he's teaching or telling a story, and that it's impossible to shake his calm leadership, even in the biggest crisis. Brant was captivated by Liesa's easy charm, generosity, and her personal drive for excellence. He loves how she constantly thinks about how to bless others. Her love language is acts of service.

Liesa had to return home to Germany, but we decided that if we could make the distance work, we could also handle any other curveballs life threw at our marriage. After dating across the globe, flying to meet each other at every chance, and lots of video calls, we decided to get married in 2013! Brant was stationed in Japan, but after 2 years of long-distance marriage, Liesa left her career and life in Germany to join Brant in Japan! Liesa started her photography business there and also became a yoga instructor, but her heart has always put family first. She has supported and helped make Brant's career successful as he's risen through the ranks of the military. Her support has paid off tremendously, as Brant is highly respected and accomplished within the Marine Corps.

Since Japan, we've lived in California, Germany, and Hawaii. As we look back on the last 10 years of marriage, it's hard to describe how blessed we've been to create amazing memories with each other, friends, and family across the globe. Our marriage has been steadfast through deployments and other challenges that have helped us learn to communicate lovingly, and be there for each other no matter the distance.

Despite all the adventures we felt incomplete without children to share it all with. We can't have biological children, but we always knew we wanted to adopt. While in Germany we decided to start our first adoption journey, and after moving to Hawaii we were blessed with Luna through adoption! Between the phone call that her birthmother had chosen us, meeting Luna's birthmother in Alaska and holding Luna for the first time - the journey was full of breathtaking moments. They are the most memorable moments of our lives. Witnessing each other become parents has grown a whole new layer of love, respect, and admiration for each other. We've always known we wanted a little brother or sister for Luna, and decided it's the right time to pursue our second adoption. While we know we are incredibly blessed in life now, our family just doesn't quite feel complete yet.

We have a beautiful relationship with Luna's birthmom, and want to have the same with you! We will treasure whatever level of involvement you want to have after the adoption, including keeping in touch via mail, texts, calls or video chats, or even visits whenever possible. We want you to know that you and your baby are so loved, respected, and cherished. We admire your strength and selflessness. We will always speak about you with honor and appreciation. We promise to always protect, love, and nurture your baby. All of our family, friends, church, and local ohana will be a huge support and fill your child's life with all the love, hope, and happiness he or she could wish for!

Brant & Liesa