Hi there! We are Ari and David from Northern California! Together with our son Elian, we have created a beautiful life filled with love, laughter, and lots of food. We adopted Elian at birth, and seeing him grow and thrive has been the best thing that’s ever happened to our family. If we are blessed to welcome your child into our family, we promise to raise your baby in a safe, loving, and fun home—and they will always know how much you love them.

Thanks for giving us the chance to share our family’s story with you.

From the earliest days of our relationship over a decade ago, it was clear that raising a child was important to both of us. Now as parents, we’ve established a beautiful life with abundant love and laughter.

Having adopted our first child Elian, our eyes are open wide to the huge decision you are making. We want you to know that growing our family to include a second child is our dream, and that your child will be the center of our universe.

We can’t wait for the many family vacations, dance parties, bedtime stories, new adventures, and so much more that we’ll share together as a family!

Being dads and building a family together has been at the heart of our relationship since the beginning. Shortly after we met on an old-fashioned blind date and started dating in summer 2012, the topic of raising kids together came up, and we each knew it was meant to be. We’ve now been happily married for over 10 years living in the San Francisco Bay Area—and becoming dads exceeded our wildest dreams. Even during sleepless nights when Elian was a newborn, we couldn’t wait to do it again.

Our shared love of exploration, discovery, and most of all, fun and laughter, has been the centerpiece of our partnership since Day 1.

My passions are the arts and the outdoors. I was born and raised outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a kid, I took part in all of my school musicals, choir and more. When we moved to the Bay Area, I discovered a serious love of hiking and being in nature. Now I use my strengths as a professional fundraiser to make sure that our amazing regional parks are protected and accessible to everyone. David and I can frequently be found in a theater or on a hiking trail in our local parks. I take a light-hearted approach to life, trying to find the fun and humor in every situation. I can’t wait to raise another child with David, to open up their eyes to the magic and wonder of the arts and nature, and to fill each moment with light and laughter.

Ari is my rock. He constantly lifts me up with his humor and zest for life, and he keeps me grounded and steady with his sensitivity and calm. Ari is smart, funny, outgoing, charming, driven, and compassionate. I’ve never met a person more committed to the people and the ideals that he holds dear. He inspires me daily to be a better human being. Ari’s passion for the outdoors and the performing arts has fueled my love of them too, and he makes sure that our family is never far from somewhere fun, exciting, and new. When he smiles (which is often) I can’t help but smile too. We are two parts of the same whole, and I am at my best when I am with him.

Ari has a unique ability to connect with people at any age, from toddlers to grandparents. He loves kids, and as I watch him play with our son, my heart swells as I think of welcoming another child into our family.

I am committed to justice and equality. I grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. From an early age, I loved learning about different people and cultures—and cuisines—from all around the world. I’ve lived in Mexico and Argentina and traveled all across Latin America. I speak multiple languages, and I regularly speak Spanish in my daily life. As a lawyer, I use my passion for justice to advance public policy and to build a better and fairer society, especially for kids. I also love to cook, whether a simple but delicious Tuesday night dinner for me, Ari and Elian, or a big meal for our friends.

I’ve always wanted to be a dad. A few months into our relationship, Ari and I were playing with a family friend’s baby and I knew then that Ari was the person I wanted to raise a family with.

David is brilliant, funny, thoughtful, passionate, caring, kind, loving and sweet. As if that weren’t enough, he possesses each of those qualities in spades. He has a heart of gold, wanting to make the world a better place for the most people possible. His desire to do good in the world drives nearly every decision that he makes. He will always go the extra mile for others and expect nothing in return. He actively seeks out different cultures and will learn everything he can about them. He loves fiercely and effortlessly, with a warmth and generous spirit that draws me and others closer to him every day. Also, I think it’s important to note that he is incredibly handsome.

Watching David become a Papa has been my favorite thing in the world. He is such a natural caretaker and playmate. I truly can’t wait to welcome another child with him and experience our growing family by his side.

Something we love about having met at such a young age is that our hobbies and passions have developed jointly.

Our biggest and first shared passion in life is food, especially cooking. We cook together almost every night. Some of our favorites include family recipes like David’s Mexican pozole and Ari’s famous chocolate chip cookies.

David is usually the chef, and Ari handles desserts as an avid baker. We can’t wait for our kids to join us in the kitchen.

We also share a sense of adventure and discovery. Travel is a big part of our lives. One reason we wanted to become parents is to introduce our kids to the world around us. We try to visit at least one National Park each year, with a special place in our hearts for Yosemite and Redwood National Parks. Disneyland and Lake Tahoe are some other favorites.

We have seen the world together, but our greatest adventure of all is being dads.

We adopted Elian when he was born in early 2025. He is playful, silly, full of energy, and loves to laugh and eat! We speak English and Spanish with him and are excited to share parts of his Latino culture with him as he grows up. Our adoption journey with Elian has been so meaningful, and we know we are meant to do it again!

Seeing the gentle and sweet way Elian plays with his friends and younger babies, we know that he will make an amazing big brother.

We live in a three-bedroom home that we love for its cozy cabin vibes and big backyard. Our home is perfect for our growing family. We live in a quiet, diverse neighborhood in El Cerrito, California, just across the bay from San Francisco. We bought it in 2025 so our kids could have lots of space to play in the backyard and walk up the hill to their elementary school. We love that we can go on a hike in the woods or play at the playground less than five minutes away, and then easily get to San Francisco for family fun.

They say it takes a village, and we’re lucky we’ve got a great one.

Ari’s sister Lindsay and our brother-in-law Eric are the best aunt and uncle. They come to visit often from Nashville and send awesome presents. Our parents each have been married for over 40 years and they raised us with a spirit of discovery and not to take ourselves too seriously. While they live in Philadelphia and Phoenix, they love being grandparents and are eager for more grandkids. A bunch of aunts, uncles, and cousins who live nearby round out our family circle.

Our village is made stronger through our many close friendships in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. Lots of these friends have been a part of our lives for decades, and many now have young kids of their own, so your child will always have playmates. We’ve become uncles many times over and love being a part of their lives. A perfect Saturday night consists of us cooking a big homemade meal for our friends and playing with our kids.

We are so grateful to be able to share our story, and our hopes and dreams with you. We completely understand that this is one of the toughest decisions you will ever make, and we do not take that lightly. No matter what or who you choose, your child will be incredibly loved.

We hope you can see the devoted and equal partnership we have built together, and the values and spirit we bring to our family. That we support each other and are dedicated to creating a better world. That we keep things light and encourage singing and dancing in the living room. And that your child will forever be loved, cared for, and protected.