We started our adoption journey 5 years ago when we sought out expanding our family the first time through adoption. We adopted our son Adam about 4 years ago. It was a very exciting and scary time in our lives because we didn't have much personal experience in the adoption world, but we had very loving and supportive family and friends who have helped us along the way.

Adam is very happy, healthy, and active. He loves exploring outside, cooking with us, and playing with all his friends. We try to help him be as independent as possible while keeping him safe from his daredevil tendencies. His school is incredible and offers him a lot of opportunity to learn about the world. What we love the most is how much time he spends outside. They bring in other toys, special teachers, and animals for all the kids to experience. He is extremely social and makes friends very quickly with everyone from a new neighbor or just another kid at the grocery store.

We have been lucky to have an open relationship with Adam's birth mother and hope to continue to do so. We want to grow and support Adam and his birth family's relationship in any way we can. We hope to always be open about his story and him to have whatever relationship he and his birth family decide is right for them. We look forward to adding another child to our family and will facilitate and continued relationship that is mutually beneficial for them and their birth family.

Our shared passion is travel. We plan multiple trips a year and have been all around the U.S. and have taken multiple trips to other countries as well. Only 7 more states to go until Dawn has gone to all 50! So far Adam has stayed state side but has already been to 7 states by car, plane and even train. We have also gone to Mexico, Canada, and most of the Caribbean. Only 2 trips overseas so far but we loved both of them exploring multiple countries and cultures in Europe but we can't wait to see more. Adam recently got his passport so now he is ready for the next international trip. We love planning the trips almost as much as going and we are constantly planning the next trip, sometimes even before we have finished our current one. We like to sample everything at these destinations from fancy fine dining establishments to hole in the wall local places and especially natural wonders. Some of our favorites are kayaking in the bioluminescent bay on an island off Puerto Rico and riding in a bobsled down the Olympic track in Utah.

We are very open to exploring other cultures and customs and want to share that passion with our children with a focus on what makes them unique. It is important to us to talk about and participate in these practices but not to overly dwell on our differences. Dawn comes from an Irish background and we have actually been able to visit one of her family's ancestral villages on one of our trips overseas. Kyle has a more mixed heritage with some strong influences from both Italy and Lebanon. These histories are mostly passed down through special dishes prepared with family. In sharing our culture with the child we will also want explore their ancestral background as the child gets older as well. While we are sure we don't know all the details of these cultures and customs we pledge to always keep and open mind and continue to learn alongside the child. We also think its important to find people of the same cultural background to talk about shared experiences they may have.

We live in a four-bedroom house at the end of a cul-de-sac in a suburb of a large Midwestern city.

We have a nice fully fenced backyard with plenty of space for our son and dog to run around picking flowers, digging up worms, playing with his water table or chasing Chevy (our dog) around.

Our basement is fully finished and provides a great extra play space for more adventurous or winter time playing. Adam loves to make obstacle courses with all of his larger toys like a tunnel, nugget, slide, stepping stones and see how fast he can go around it.

Our neighborhood is quiet and friendly with a mix of younger families like ourselves and older couples entering retirement. People are frequently out in their front yards watching the kids play together or just walking up to chat. There is a big park within walking distance of our house with a nature trail on the way that is perfect for our walks as a family. We also have lake near our house that we can walk around through the woods or Kyle and Adam have started going fishing in the mornings on the weekends.

Family can have a lot of different meanings for us. It can mean our brothers, sisters, and cousin, or it can be lifelong friends and neighbors.

This child will have at least five first cousins, all under age 7, alongside a number of our friends' and neighbor's kids that we see on a day-to-day basis. We live right in between where our extended families' primarily reside, but it is a short road trip to get to both. We try to see each of them 3-4 times a year and come together on big holidays. Some big family gatherings with extended family are going to see Dawn's family for Memorial Day and watching the Indy 500 while hanging out at her Grandpas house with her 30+ family members while we BBQ, play yard games and rent a bouncy house for the kids. We also love to go to Kyle's parents' house and hang out by the pool in the summer times.

We are so excited to be going down this path again and that you are considering us. We have known each other for 12 years and have been married for 9 years now and have a 4-year-old son that also came to us via the adoption process. Having been down this path before we know some of the process, but also know that every child and every situation will be different and we are ready for it. Know that just because this isn't our first time does not lessen any of the excitement we have to meet you or welcome this child into our lives forever.

It is definitely true that parenting changes your life but we have always known that we didn't want it to define us either. We have many talents and interests that we can enjoy with a whole new dimension now. One of our favorite things is making breakfast together on the weekend mornings. We take our time and our son actively helps make things and get everything ready to eat together. He also loves to help us clean the house, especially vacuuming and steam mopping the floor, which we take advantage of since we know that won't last forever. We cannot wait to add another member to our family so we can continue to share with them and explore new interests they have as well.

If anything, our family has even more love to give because our son will be even more excited than we are. While he has our dog Chevy to play with sometimes being a dog just doesn't cut it when he wants to play trucks or do puzzles. He is extremely social and loves to make friends wherever we go. He is also great with all of his smaller cousins so we are certain that he will get along well with his new sibling. We think that the children will always have a special bond due to their adoption history that they can share with each other.

We have a very positive relationship with our son's birth mother and still communicate to this day. We are open and hopeful for this kind of relationship with you but also fully understand that that is your decision to make and are open to many levels of continued contact throughout the child's life. Whether it be letters and pictures every 6 months, phone call/video chats, to potential visits as this child grows we are looking forward to making the best plan for nurturing their relationship in the most helpful way possible.

The child will have every opportunity we can offer them and we will remain open to exploring any interest or path they want. Our family has a great interest in exploring other cultures through food, travel, and customs. We will use this passion not only to enrich our lives but also to learn about any differences in our heritage and celebrate them.

Thank you so much for looking at our profile and considering us as potential adoptive parents.

Kyle & Dawn