Hello from Pasadena, California! We are so lucky you found us and we are humbled by your courage and selflessness that has led you to consider adoption. Thank you for considering us! We are so excited to start this journey alongside you. While we know this is a difficult decision you’re facing, we can assure you we’ve always known we wanted to adopt. Our son, Oliver, is adopted! For us, adoption is an opportunity to share our blessings.

We will give everything we have to your child: our time, our hearts, our lives, our devotion to education, and every opportunity to learn and grow.

We’ve known we were going to adopt since before we were even married. Adoption was always our first choice when we realized we wanted to raise a family together! We adopted our son, Oliver, in 2020, and now we are excited to grow our little family again!

We live with our son, Oliver, our cat, Cheech, and our dog, Margot, and have been together for the past ten years.

Our first date almost didn’t happen, because Matt panicked when he found out the restaurant he wanted to take Amanda to was closed that night. Fortunately, we found somewhere else to meet, and had a great time! So great, that Amanda invited Matt to dinner the next night with her friends, intending to friend-zone him, but when he showed up that second night, she decided, yep, actually, this is the guy! Matt was, of course, already head over heels. Less than two years later, Matt proposed and Amanda said yes!

Being able to adapt and go with the flow has been a huge part of what makes us such strong partners. We love to travel and explore, and will keep doing so as a family!

I studied Art History at UCLA, and spent a semester overseas in France, where I met some of my closest friends to this day.

After I graduated, I stayed in Los Angeles, and put my love of classic Hollywood and my passion for art and design to use and became a Set Decorator. It’s my responsibility to make the sets in commercials, TV shows and movies look real. My job is a lot of work, but it can be a lot of fun! It’s also great for scheduling, because I can pick and choose when I want to work, which, along with Matt’s profession, gives us the flexibility to be with our family anytime they need us.

Amanda is an inspiration to me, and her strength and persistence absolutely blow me away. She always puts family first, looking out for the needs of others. She also makes me laugh, and often understands what Oliver and I are feeling before we can even articulate it. She loves to cook, but never follows recipes, and it always turns out delicious! She’s great at pushing me out of my comfort zone to explore new places and try new things, and watching her do that with our son is amazing. She leads him with compassion, and if he’s upset, helps him understand why, so he can calm down with her. Her ability to teach him new things and to show him how to demonstrate kindness makes me strive to be a better person, every day. Her patience and boundless love are such valuable qualities for raising a child, and the way she handles it all with a sense of humor is the best.

I was lucky enough to discover at a young age that I loved writing and making movies, and so I went to Florida State University, where I studied film.

Now, I’m a TV writer and producer, which is great, because my hours are flexible and I can work from home. Growing up, we traveled and moved a lot, and my parents encouraged me to explore, for which I’m super grateful. I love visiting new places, talking to the people there, and trying new foods. I think that being a parent is both an opportunity and a gift, and it’s our job to make the most out of it.

Matt’s patience and ability to love is why I love watching him be a father. He has so much knowledge and love to give to our children. Nobody can tell a “dad joke” quite like Matt. He makes me laugh, giggle, eyeroll and smile constantly. Whether it’s dancing around the kitchen, much to the dog’s chagrin (Margot hates dancing), or playing with our son in the backyard sprinklers, we genuinely have more fun when the other is around. Knowing and loving Matt has, without a doubt, made me a better person. His thoughtfulness, care and kindness truly inspire me on a daily basis. His love for our son, myself, our families and our pets knows no bounds. He is always willing to go above and beyond to make sure we are all safe and happy.

We adopted Oliver the day he was born, and ever since then we have been so fortunate to watch and help him grow into the strong, curious, and kind boy he’s become.

Gentle with animals, in love with babies, and passionate about dinosaurs, Oliver can’t wait to teach his new sibling how to make (and eat!) pancakes, where to find lizards in the neighborhood, and how to trick Mom and Dad into reading an extra book at bedtime.

We moved to Pasadena five years ago from Los Angeles, and even though it’s only 15 minutes away, it feels so different. With its tree-lined streets, fun parks and playgrounds, and good schools, we knew this is where we wanted to raise a family.

Pasadena is in Southern California, where it’s warm and sunny for most of the year, which is great for playing outside!

We are smack dab between the mountains and the beach, and like to go to both depending on the season. Our son is about to start preschool in a small school just minutes from our home, and in the afternoons, he likes to play in our backyard and eat oranges and peaches right off the trees. We love to garden, and grow lots of fruits and flowers.

Our neighborhood is full of young families and children, and the park is just a short walk away. We love living here!

Amanda’s family lives in the Central Valley of California. She grew up playing with her two brothers on a farm, caring for geese, chickens, horses and baby goats. Because we are lucky to live so close, we spend a lot of time with Amanda’s parents and grandparents. Amanda’s grandmother, Ruth, was actually adopted in Europe during World War 2, before she and her parents moved to California. Amanda’s oldest brother has two adorable daughters that Oliver loves playing with. Oliver also loves to visit his other cousin, Clara, Matt’s brother’s daughter. While Matt’s family lives further away, in Pittsburgh and Florida, we still make time to see them regularly, and his parents frequently come out to visit us in California. They live on the bay, and when we visit them, they love to build sandcastles with their grandchildren!

Here in Los Angeles, we are lucky to have a lot of very close friends, many of whom also have kids! Matt’s best friend since college likes to challenge Oliver on his superhero trivia, and Amanda’s best friend is always teaching him how to draw new things.

Cheech is a sweet, little, smoosh- nosed gray kitty that loves to snuggle and sleep in the sunshine. Her favorite thing is to sit in Amanda’s lap. We rescued Margot as a tiny puppy. She loves to run around in our backyard, hunting for lizards and chasing her soccer ball with Oliver.

We were both raised to believe that nothing is more important than family. As parents, we think it’s our job to help our children understand the world, and to find their place in it. We like to be hands-on in teaching, but hands-off when it’s time to apply those lessons. We like to let them stand on their own two feet, but know that we will be there to catch them if they fall.

We promise to talk with our children early and often about your love and strength in choosing adoption, so that you will always be a part of your child’s beautiful story.

In our family, we strive to create an open and honest place to speak freely about our feelings. We encourage each other to be authentic and chase our dreams. As parents, we do our best to lead by example in teaching Oliver about kindness, acceptance, and empathy. We love adventures that challenge us to grow and try new things. We are always cheering each other on!

Thank you again for taking the time to read our profile, and for the brave and self-less decision you’ve made. It means so much to us that you would consider us, as this would change our lives and family in the greatest way. We hope you can take comfort knowing that if given the opportunity, we will give your child the safest, most loving home and life as we help them grow, learn and achieve their dreams.