Hello! We are Janelle and Brent from Castro Valley, California. We can only imagine what you're going through as you consider adoption for your child, and we can't thank you enough for taking the time to get to know us better. We know this is just a small window into who we are, and we hope to have the opportunity to get to know one another. We are so grateful that you would consider honoring us with adopting your child. We promise to love, encourage, and support your child unconditionally, and welcome you into our hearts forever.

We talked a lot about adoption at the beginning of our relationship. So, when we found that Janelle would not be able to carry a child we were already comfortable with adoption and excited to grow our family that way. We are looking forward to open adoption where our future child can know their whole self. Our hope is to provide our future child with a life full of love, encouragement, and new adventures.

Our story began in the summer of 2013 on match.com where we met 21st century style. We bonded over conversations about our love for flip flop wearing and the Bay Area, and we've been inseparable ever since. Exactly two years later, Brent surprised Janelle with a scavenger hunt proposal at the very spot we first exchanged "I love you's." That next summer, we were married in the backyard of our home. A quick glimpse into our home you would see us spending quality time together while cooking dinner. You’d hear music, laughter, and good conversation.

I love being around children! I’ve spent over 20 years in elementary education. It’s so rewarding to see a student grasp a new concept and see their face light up with excitement about learning something new. I also enjoy supporting students’ social-emotional growth and helping foster creativity and problem-solving skills. Each day I’m with my students, I dream of the day I get to sit with our child criss-cross-applesauce on the carpet and read an engaging picture book or teach them their ABC’s. I also love organization! When I have time to myself, I enjoy cleaning and organizing. I have a collection of vacuums and cleaning products that I geek out on. I love making to-do lists and get a sense of accomplishment when I can check something off of my list. I’m in my happy place when the house is clean and the to-do list is completed.

If I had to choose one word to describe Janelle it would be sunshine. That’s what she is to me and to all of her friends, a beautiful ray of sunshine. Janelle makes any situation better whether it’s grocery shopping, beachside in Cabo San Lucas, or spending time with friends. She lights up every situation. Janelle is the best partner, cheerleader, and wife any man could ask for. She is always making me laugh with her quick wit, and doing thoughtful, little things like sending me texts in the middle of the day to let me know she loves me and is thinking about me. Janelle’s excited to write loving, encouraging notes on our future child’s napkin and sneak it into homemade lunches. I know Janelle is going to make the best mom any child could ask for! She is the best part of my day, and every day I get to spend with her is the best day of my life. I can’t wait for her to be the best part of our future child’s day!

I am a proud carpenter for a local regional park system. I started as a park ranger and within a few years got a promotion to carpenter. It is so fulfilling to build and maintain facilities that the public get so much joy out of. I am looking forward to teaching our future child how to build a birdhouse or make a fort. I can’t wait to encourage a child to do what they love and what they’re passionate about. I love being outside, so we are very fortunate to live where there are 300 sunny days a year and the temperature is perfect for being outside year round which I can’t wait to share with our future child. We live right next to a beautiful lake and within a short drive we can be fishing in amazing rivers or walking along fantastic Pacific Ocean beaches. All we need to decide is do we travel east or west? These are the places you can find us most weekends.

Brent is the most thoughtful, kind-hearted man I know. After working all day, he’ll surprise me by cooking dinner or stopping by the store to pick up my favorite daisies he can’t pronounce. On his days off, he loves to work on home projects where he can see accomplishment made and a smile on my face. I know he’s going to do the same for our future little one, whether it’s building a tree house or fixing a bike to see our child’s face light up. Brent exudes positivity and has an infectious personality; family, friends, neighbors, and even strangers love to spark up conversation with him. He is the best listener and will be when our future child needs to share about the monster under the bed or the weird bug found at the park. Brent’s patience, kindness, and wonderful listening skills will make him an amazing dad. I respect and admire him so much, and I want to share his awesomeness with our future family.

We are so fortunate to live on a safe, quiet, private street in a diverse, suburban neighborhood adjacent to open space with groves of trees, sprawling hills, and a lake. We know all of our neighbors on our street and hold annual street BBQs. Our 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home with an additional playroom is very special to us; it being our first home together. Our home is in short walking distance to a popular kids’ park with a play structure and swings. An asphalt loop trail surrounds a large, grassy field; we imagine teaching our child to learn how to ride a bike and rollerblade there. Down the hill, there’s a community center with a splash pad and skate park. Our town holds several parades and street festivals, including a weekly farmers’ market, that we are excited to experience with our future child.

Sawyer is our sweet, loyal, loving, 16 year old rescue dog. He’s 10 pounds of chihuahua-mix personality. He’s slowed down a bit over the years, but he still loves accompanying us on long walks in our neighborhood and nearby hiking trails. He spends most of his time cuddled up next to us in a blanket and he looks forward to doing the same with our future child. He’s probably most excited to eat all of the food scraps they drop on the floor!

Our family and friends have small children who are looking forward to playdates, birthday parties, and sleepovers with our future child. We can’t wait to fill our weekends with family time and kids’ activities. We really enjoy making new memories with our nephew and nieces; whether that's playing dress up, board games, or whatever creative game they've come up with. They are excited to have a new cousin to love and play with. Brent's mom anticipates baking delicious cookies with her grandchild and snuggling them.

Thank you so very much for taking the time to get to know us. We look forward to getting to know you and are so grateful to be on this journey with you through open adoption. Reading picture books before bedtime, singing catchy toddler tunes, and exploring nature are just some favorite moments we can't wait to create with a son or daughter. We promise to love, encourage, and support your child unconditionally, and welcome you into our hearts forever. We are open to any questions you may have about us, so please feel free to reach out to us.