Hi there! We’re Dina and John from Claremont, California. We are two teachers living in beautiful Claremont, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. Together with our dog Angel, we live in a warm and loving home next to a wonderful park. After many of our own struggles, we feel truly blessed to be living such abundant lives. We would be delighted to share these blessings with a child. Thank you for taking the time to consider us as adoptive parents. We’d be honored to partner in this journey with you, building a relationship that feels right for everyone. We hope to get to know you and your story as well.

We are givers. We love to share our knowledge and our adventures. We love to play, create and connect with our friends and family. Now we want to build that kind of connection with a child of our own. Unfortunately, we have experienced the heartbreak of pregnancy loss. Thankfully we connected with close friends who grew their families through adoption. As we learned more about this beautiful way of becoming parents, we felt called to open up our lives and our hearts to this possibility. Adoption is a chance for us to share the wisdom and experience we have gained. We’re blessed with resources and we would love to use them to create opportunities for your child.

We met during Covid (2020) when LA traffic disappeared and dating apps actually worked! Coffee Meets Bagel led us to a prehistoric dinosaur museum, La Brea Tar Pits, for our first date. We bonded over sharing the same zany sense of humor and the joy of just being outside. Every night we read stories to each other over FaceTime. This is how we fell in love. Many travels and adventures later, John proposed to Dina at the local botanical garden with a scavenger hunt. She thought she was going to a magic show! Our marriage is rooted in respect and faith—we believe God has a plan for us and gives us the strength to follow it. Every day we spend quality time together, say “I love you,” laugh, and share our dreams. We like to say: “Together the mundane becomes magical and adversity becomes adventure,” because we really live that way. We are truly better together!

I’m a nurturer who loves to connect on a deeper level. I pack my husband breakfast and lunch every day and write cards to friends just to let them know I care. I’m a life-long learner. That definitely played a role in choosing a career in education. As a community college professor, I value taking time after class to get to know my students better. With hard work and patience, many of my life dreams have come true. Now I’m ready to give motherhood my all. I have always dreamed of teaching my child about different cultures and the arts. I hope to have a close and open relationship. I imagine long walks together sharing our thoughts and feelings. I can see us telling stories and traveling the world together as a family. With a flexible schedule and working from home part-time, I’ll be fully present: diaper changes, homework help, PTA meetings, and bedtime stories!

Dina is amazing. You might not notice it at first because she’s gentle. I was instantly attracted to her warm smile. She is the best listener and my biggest supporter. Whenever I have a problem, she is the first person I turn to. She is calm, cool, and level-headed, ready to help me and anyone else in her close circle. This makes me certain she will be a safe place for our child. In fact, all her adoring kid fans love to tell her their secrets. Dina has a beautiful sense of self and purpose. She honors the sacrifices that her parents made so that she could have a good life. She is charming, hardworking, and resilient. She dreams of being a mother and passing on these values.

I am a curious and compassionate person who loves projects and adventures. I love solving problems and finding new ways to do things. At home this means new creations in the kitchen; at work this means science experiments with my students. Building a community of family and friends is at the center of everything I do. I grew up in a loving family in rural Tennessee. After college I joined the Peace Corps and helped farmers plant trees in Africa. I moved to Southern California in 2011 when I learned I had a 7-year old daughter here. It’s been an amazing journey to parent her through adolescence and into college and adulthood. I’m so proud of the woman she’s become. Now, I am so excited about the home that Dina and I are building together as we prepare to welcome a child into our lives.

John is one of a kind. He is so outgoing that he makes friends wherever he goes. He’s creative and full of energy. When he is working on house projects, teaching, or planning family vacations, he is figuring out ways to make things better. John is thoughtful. He hides love notes around the house and encourages me to try new things like horseback riding and skiing. I feel safe and cherished around him. I admire how he built a relationship with his daughter. His nieces and nephews adore him! During the pandemic, he set up a Zoom school for them. They were so excited. I can’t wait to see him cheering on our child while learning something new and teaching them how to be brave and kind.

Claremont is an ideal place to grow up: top-rated schools, scenic nature, and genuine people. We live in a bright 4-bedroom home with mountain views. It’s on a quiet cul-de-sac, with friendly neighbors and kids playing outside. Our favorite part of the home is the big backyard, filled with fruit trees, veggie beds, and a pool. We love hosting summer BBQs and game nights. The fire pit in the yard is cozy and perfect for making s'mores. There’s a park (one of many!) just across the street and an award-winning elementary school right next door. We’re minutes from the mountains and within an hour of both the beach and the desert. Our tree-lined college town has a vibrant downtown with shops, an indie movie theater, and a library. We have a weekly farmer’s market, concerts/movies in the park, and monthly art walk. We especially appreciate how walkable and safe Claremont is.

Angel is our wonderful 5 year old Doodle. We adopted her from a rescue on Mother’s Day. She is medium sized, medium energy, and hypoallergenic. She loves cuddles, long walks, and her morning play group. Her gentle soul makes her great with children. She’ll be the best buddy to our future kid.

Our child will be supported by a big, close-knit tribe. Dina’s parents, sister and bro-in-law, live 45 minutes away, and we see them weekly. Dina and her younger sister are best friends, (her sis is expecting her first baby) and dream of raising their kids side by side. We often go on road trips and take turns hosting Sunday family brunch. Dina’s parents are retired and can’t wait to be first-time grandparents! They already come over to help around the house! John’s parents, siblings, and seven nieces and nephews (ages 2–13) live on the East Coast and in Northern California. We all meet up for Thanksgiving at our house, Christmas somewhere with snow, and each summer on an island in Maine for swimming, kayaking, and the famous ice cream race! We’re also surrounded by dear friends, many with kids, who are ready to jump in for babysitting and playdates. Some are adoptive families, too!

Words we have dreamed to express. Our parenting philosophy is to share our best selves and be positive role models for making good life choices. We want to help our child learn important values, knowledge, and skills for success, while nurturing their dreams every step of the way. At the heart of our values is love — providing safety, structure, inspiration, affection, kindness, and encouragement. We also deeply honor open adoption. We want you to stay involved in your child’s life and cherish the special bond you will always share. Our hope is to support a relationship that feels right for everyone involved, giving both you and your child the chance to know and connect with each other.

Thank you for taking the time to learn about us! We hope something here resonates with you and we get to know each other better. If chosen, your child will be at the very center of our lives, surrounded by love, laughter, and opportunity. With Dijon, (Dina + John!), and our tight-knit community, your child will always know where they came from and just how deeply they are loved.