Welcome to our story! We hope you enjoy getting to know us and learning about who we are and what we are about. Thank you so much for the opportunity to share our lives with you. Also, thank you for making such a brave decision, bringing us all to this point.

“Something great about our family is that we go on a lot of really cool trips.” Hayden

We are a family of four: Jim, Dawn, Hayden, and Dawson (plus 3 cats- Xander, Felix, and Pearl). We have spent a lot of time at Disney World. We have so much fun there. We try to plan trips to other places, but we usually don’t make it more than a year or so, and we find ourselves back there. It is a place where we can experience amazing things and use our imaginations. It is a place to be silly and to make memories. It is a place to explore…together.

“Family holds such a special place in my heart. I would do anything for my children.” Dawn

“I’ve always wanted to have 3-4 children.” Jim

Once upon a time, there was this girl from the country who met a boy from the city. Ok, so that is our attempt to make this interesting, but it is true. We lived next door to each other in our freshman dorm at the University of Pennsylvania. We started dating, and that continued for a little over five years when we got married at Valley Forge National Park—on a romantic trail in the woods. We only had a few people with us as there wasn’t much money in our lives in those days. Then, we spent the next month having two receptions in different states to share our marriage with friends and family. It was sort of out of the box, but that is kind of the way we are.

I am a numbers guy. I studied economics in college and am now a real estate broker and investor. I like to help people and have been on two mission trips, one in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina and another in Nicaragua, where I helped build houses for those in need. I like to plan our family vacations, go out to eat, and work out. The best moments in my life were getting married to Dawn and the births of our sons. I like to play video games and nerf gun wars with Hayden and Dawson and go on dates with Dawn.

“The greatest gift I have ever received is my family.” Jim

I have an undergraduate college degree in Anthropology and a PhD in Egyptology (the study of ancient Egypt). I am a history professor and an associate dean of a college at a large university. I like to make a big impact by empowering people to do things they never thought possible. I love spending time with my family, going to church, reading books, gardening, and cuddling with our kitties.

“I think I’ve always wanted to adopt. It seems like such an amazing journey.” Dawn

Hayden is a feisty 10-year old. He is an excellent older brother and is looking forward to having another brother or sister. Hayden is really good at gymnastics, and he likes to compete and win medals. He also has a big heart for animals. Hayden is good at math and wants to become a rocket scientist or engineer someday. He likes to create things out of duct tape and cardboard. When he is not doing that, he likes to play video games.

“I am looking forward to helping take care of the baby.” Hayden

Dawson is 6 years old. He is a good reader and loves school. He also likes gymnastics and will begin competing soon. Dawson sometimes likes to play on his own and marches to his own drum. He likes video games and swimming. He has a great best friend from Kindergarten, and they like to run around being crazy and having a good time.

“My favorite restaurant is Red Robin, and my favorite store is Walmart.” Dawson

We live in one of the fastest growing regions of the country. From trampoline parks to climbing walls, escape rooms, and ninja courses, we have lots to do with our energetic children. We love our 2-story brick home with its 4 bedrooms and 3.5 baths. We keep many of our toys in the living room so that we can all be together. Another important part of the house is our screen room where we gather when the weather is warm. Our backyard has room to play, including a large playset with swings and a slide.

Hayden and Dawson go to a school for high achieving/gifted kids. Both went to a private preschool which has a safe environment and a great curriculum, and we plan to send our future child there as well. Education is very important to us, and college will certainly be something we can provide.

Because we live close to the university, our children have access to a lot of experiences. They also come into contact with diverse people from all sorts of racial and cultural backgrounds. Whatever heritage your baby has, we will be able to provide for cultural experiences and mentors so that we can all celebrate and support that part of his/her identity!

We have been actively involved with kids for a long time. We have worked together with church youth groups and Big Brothers Big Sisters. Dawn has taught Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. She has also worked with children as a gymnastics coach and in an organization called Dig the Past which set up simulated archaeological digs for kids and taught them about ancient Israel. More recently, we became foster parents and welcomed kids from 5 months to 17 years old into our home. We were able to empower these kids to overcome some very difficult things. It was a wonderful and rewarding experience for our entire family, but saying goodbye was always hard.

“In our family, you get to learn a lot and do fun crafts.” Dawson

When Dawn was pregnant with Dawson, she had a lot of complications in the first and third trimesters, one of which could impact future pregnancies (could even be life threatening). We have always thought that we might like to adopt. It looks like circumstances have fallen in line with this desire and that adoption is our best option for adding another child to our family. We are really looking forward to meeting our new baby and his/her birth family. What a wonderful gift!

Thank you for taking the time to read over our story. We are looking forward to welcoming a new baby into our home. We cannot wait to watch him/her grow and to provide him/her with opportunities to explore. We can work together, as a team, to give your wonderful child the best future possible!