Adoption has already impacted our lives in the most wonderful way! We were very fortunate to adopt our daughter, Eleanor, three years ago. That experience, and our continuing relationship with Eleanor's incredible mother, has reaffirmed our belief that adoption is just an incredible expression of a deep, deliberate, constant love. In adoption, two families embark on a lifelong journey built out of our of love for a beautiful child.

A Note From Alisse, Eleanor's Birth Mom: Ethan and Conor have been providing incredible care and nurturing environments for their daughter, showering her with love and affection. They understand the importance of nature in a child's development, often taking her on outdoor adventures. These fathers foster a deep connection with their daughter, creating beautiful memories in the great outdoors and ensuring she feels cherished and supported in every aspect of her life.

We love being active so most of our leisure time is spent out in nature or exercising. ... with a little bit of time for kicking up our feet and relaxing.

Most weekends we can be found hiking in the mountains or swimming at a nearby lake. Eleanor went on her first hike when she was just 6 days old and got to see a moose (from a very safe distance) when we were up in Alaska for her adoption. Since then we've gone on countless hikes, from short walks along the nearby river to big trips to Washington's three national parks. This past summer though we actually spent most of our weekends at the lakes near us because Eleanor is starting to learn to swim and loves splashing around.

We both enjoy working out too. We still play soccer every once in while but it's not as easy with a child when both of us would be playing. So most of our exercise comes in the form of running (Ethan) or lifting weights (Conor) where we can take turns with exercise and baby time.

We do also like to kick back and relax too, though! After Eleanor goes to bed, we have a few Netflix shows we'll watch together or Ethan will sneak in some video games (Baldur's Gate is the current favorite) and Conor will listen to his podcasts (In Our Times is his go-to).

Our dream for this child is that they can grow to be a caring, loving person who flourishes in their own unique way.

One thing Conor's mother emphasized growing up was "don't close any doors." By that she meant both that you should be open to new interests and also that you need to be prepared for futures you can't yet see.

In that spirit, we'd want this child to be exposed to different activities so they can discover what they enjoy, whether those things becomes life passions or just something to make life more joyful. And we want them to be exposed to people who've found diverse paths to finding personal fulfillment and for them to know they can chart their own path too.

No matter what though, we want to make sure they grow up with solid foundations of good schooling and healthy habits. You never know where life will take you, but with education and health so many more paths are open. We want to build those foundations from early on so they keep the doors open to a joyful, kind, healthy, and fulfilling personal life journey.

We live in a quiet, family focused community nestled in the beautiful Cascade Mountains but we're still just a 30 minute drive to Seattle. There we get to enjoy the culture and vibrancy of the city and get to visit Conor's sister who lives there.

Our favorite aspects of our community are all they ways it encourages healthy family activities. There are three playgrounds within 2 blocks of us, beautiful lakes to swim in, gorgeous mountains to hike, and community groups that host all sorts of family friendly events like art fairs and public concerts.

We live in a fairly modern home with three bedrooms and three bathrooms. It overlooks two ponds at the edge of the forest and we get to see and hear birds, frogs, and other wildlife year-round. But we're also just two blocks from the downtown area with groceries, restaurants, doctor's offices, and everything else we regularly need.

Eleanor's daycare is just across the street in one direction and the elementary school is just across the street in another direction. It's a very diverse neighborhood with many immigrant families. Year-round just outside our door we see and hear kids of all backgrounds and family types playing and growing up. It's just a very vibrant and wholesome atmosphere.

We've tried to settle into a home and neighborhood that could help our children grow up safe, happy, active, and part of a positive and diverse community. We're excited to continue building our family here!

The families we grew up with and the family we've made through marriage and adoption are the most important things in our lives. We love being with them, calling them, and talking about them!

Conor grew up with an older brother, a younger sister, and a younger brother. In addition, a close friend of Conor's from high school became part of the family as an adult. Conor's sister lives close by and we get to see her frequently. His mother and father still live in Chicago but we see them often.

Ethan is the second youngest of five children; three older sisters and a younger brother. His mom sadly passed away a few years ago, but we keep her in our heart and Ethan's father hosts a yearly celebration of her life.

Our families are very different. Ethan's family plans things out and is very well-ordered while Conor's family is spontaneous and freeform, often times making last minute trips to see us. We enjoy their differences though as they give us different models of building loving families.

While our families are different, one thing they share is tremendous joy for being aunts/uncles/grandparents/etc. They've been so helpful and playful with Eleanor, and they are all so excited for this new adoption journey!

We feel unbelievably fortunate to be in this adoption process. When we first started our relationship ten years ago, we talked a lot about how important building a devoted and loving family is to both of us. Devoted to loving each other, to loving each other's families, but most importantly devoted to loving unconditionally any children we would be so lucky have together.

We adopted our beautiful daughter, Eleanor, three years ago. We love our family and the home that we have created together. However, we know that our family is not yet complete, and we are excited to begin another adoption journey.

And this incredible process of adoption wouldn't be possible at all if it weren't for the strength and love of someone like you. On behalf of the entire adoptive parent community we just want to express how very grateful we are that you are considering adoption.

If we are so lucky that you would choose adoption with us, we know that this child would always have a special relationship with you. We would be excited to figure out how that special connection works best with you, just as we've loved developing that special relationship with Eleanor's birth mom. We would absolutely respect your wishes, but we would love to share photos, videos, letters and phone calls. And we can't imagine the emotions and feelings going forward, but if we would be able to visit each other that would be wonderful as well.

We try to fill our lives with positivity and understanding. In some ways the two of us are very similar, but in others we are very different. Instead of letting those differences lead to conflict, though, we are grateful for the role each other's beliefs play in making them the wonderful person that they are. With any child we're so lucky to adopt, we know that they will likely be quite different from us in many ways. But we are so eager to support and protect them as they engage with the world as the individuals they are.

We are a mentally and physically active family. We value education and healthy lifestyles. The bulk of our time is spent hiking, swimming, cooking, or enjoying Eleanor's toddler activities. Most of our closest friends we met through our interests and has helped us build positive and diverse communities. By pursuing our personal interests in math, soccer, video games, and the LGBTQ community, we've been able to make friends of all walks of life and from all over the world. We would want to give this child the same chance to explore the passions and communities that help them flourish.

We take serious things seriously, but for everything else we try to have fun and stay positive. Our home is colorful and welcoming, our conversations are filled with laughter, and we live our lives with the confidence that we know we can always rely on each other. We celebrate our good days as a family and work through our tough days as a family. We are so appreciative of our journey together thus far and are so grateful you might consider joining us on the most incredible next part of this journey.

Again, thank you so much,

Conor & Ethan