Hello! We are Monica, Phil and Rio from Oceanside, California. Thank you for taking the time to learn a little about us. We are more than thrilled to grow our family through adoption, and we are truly grateful that you are considering us. We know this is quite possibly the most difficult decision of your life, and we deeply admire your strength and courage. We promise to provide your child with a supportive home where they will always be listened to, valued, and loved unconditionally. We would be honored to love and cherish them for a lifetime.

Even in our early years together, we talked about how we wanted the honor of adopting a child into our home. Later, a change of heart led us to want to grow our family through both adoption and pregnancy. We now have a biological toddler, Rio, and we know he will be a wonderful big brother someday!

After growing up in the same city and attending the same high school, we didn't formally meet until we both worked as food servers and bartenders at the same restaurant. We immediately bonded over our love of family, food, and education (we're both teachers!). Even though we are no longer in the food industry, our love of food still plays a huge part in our lives. We enjoy watching food travel shows, trying new restaurants, and exploring new cities and cultures through their food. We are also both very active and love being outdoors with our son, Rio, and our dog, Presley. If we're not enjoying a new restaurant or hiking spot, you can most likely find us with family on the weekends. We are fortunate to both have very tight-knit families with whom we love to spend time & celebrate small and big moments.

On our many breaks from school, we enjoy traveling and being active together. We love the outdoors, especially camping with our dog, hiking, and visiting national parks. To date, we've traveled to ten national parks, thirteen states, and four countries together. Living close to the beach, we often go paddleboarding, kayaking, and take walks along the strand. We've put a lot of work into our yard, and spending time there – whether we are picking fruit, blowing bubbles, splashing in water, playing lawn games, or relaxing on the hammock – is one of our favorite pastimes.

We often talk about what it would be like to have another child join us on our adventures or to simply enjoy time together in our backyard. We love trying new local restaurants, but we also enjoy cooking meals at home and roasting marshmallows in our backyard for dessert. We get so excited at the thought of going on many more family adventures with our future child, and we can't wait to introduce them to a world of endless possibilities. We look forward to creating lasting memories with every walk, hike, or camping trip we go on together.

I practiced gymnastics competitively for more than 10 years in my childhood. As a young adult, I got into Capoeira, a Brazilian martial art. I still love to be active and competitive and have discovered that pickleball fills that need. It’s a very inclusive, communal sport, and people of all ages can play. I look forward to introducing our child to this welcoming, friendly community as well as experiencing their interests as they grow up.

My dad immigrated to the United States from Mexico as a teenager. As a child (and even now), I loved listening to all his stories about growing up in Mexico. His stories and work ethic helped shape me as an individual and encouraged me to want to learn more about my culture and heritage. So I started to learn Spanish in college. I studied abroad for one summer in Costa Rica and for one year in Spain. After college, I moved to Peru to teach English for one year. The students I teach today are from all over the world, so I continue to learn about other cultures. I can't wait to share my interest in travel and culture with our future child.

Monica is easily the most selfless person I know, and I can honestly say that she has made me a better person in all walks of life. She loves unconditionally and values family more than anything else. She'll meticulously plan and host events for both of our families, from the food, to the decor, and to the games, because creating joy for others and creating memories is her love language. Not only is she an amazing partner, but she is an amazing mom to our son, Rio, and auntie to our young niece and nephew, who absolutely adore her. Watching Monica as a mother has been one of the greatest joys of my life. I know she has so much more love to give, and I can't wait to watch her welcome another child into our family with that same unwavering devotion. She is completely dedicated in everything that she does personally and professionally. When I met one of her coworkers, she said, "Monica is a treasure!" and truer words had never been spoken. I'm so blessed to have her in my life, and I couldn't ask for a better partner for this next phase in our lives.

From my childhood to adulthood, I was given the opportunity to explore many different interests. I grew up playing baseball and basketball, took piano lessons, taught myself how to play guitar, and learned to play chess from my mom and mahjong from my dad. In high school, I worked on the school paper and eventually took my love of writing to college where I graduated with a degree in English. I became a Language Arts and History teacher, which is a job that I love. The 2026-2027 school year will be my 15th year working in education, and I still get butterflies in my stomach on the first day of school. My love of the outdoors and travel developed later in life, and my favorite thing to do is visit National Parks. For me, it's a reminder of how big and beautiful the world is, and this passion is something I can't wait to share with our children.

A room of forty-one seventh graders might sound like a nightmare to most people, but not to Phil. He embraces the chaos with an admirable calm, much like everything else he does in life. And the way his students look up to him is inspiring, but not at all surprising. He is definitely the rock in our relationship and leads by example, reminding me each and every day to focus on the positive and to take every challenge "one bite" at a time. I always feel listened to and appreciated, and I love how we just get each other. I think it's also really amazing that he still has strong friendships with many of the guys he met in middle school and high school. And even with those strong relationships, he's great at forging new ones and making connections with people. Just as he won over my heart, he won over my family very quickly with his charming personality, authenticity, and kindness. Our son, Rio thinks the world of him, and I know he has so much more love, patience, and guidance to give.

Rio is a fun and active toddler. He loves cooking in his toy kitchen, and he will even give his stuffed animals "food" that he makes. He runs everywhere and loves splashing around in water. He is also very sweet, giving great hugs and blowing kisses when he says goodbye. He loves spending time with kids his own age, whether at daycare or with his cousins, and we know that his big heart and playful attitude would make him the best brother anyone could ask for.

We live in the beautiful up-and-coming city of Oceanside, California. Both our city and our neighborhood have seen some incredible positive changes in the 10 years we've lived here. We're three miles to the beach and to the downtown area where arts and culture are celebrated. Every year, we have the opportunity to experience the Filipino Festival, the Samoan Cultural Celebration, Day of the Dead, the Super Girl Surf Competition, Ironman race, and the Oceanside Museum of Art. Exploring new restaurants, checking out food and pop-up shops at the Thursday night sunset market, and watching the surfers from the pier are only a small part of what makes our city great.

Our home sits within a safe, quiet cul-de-sac that has more and more younger couples with young children moving in. The elementary school is right down the street, and we see ourselves walking our future child, lunchbox in hand, to school every morning. We hope your child grows up surrounded by the same sense of community that has made this city such a special place for our family. Our favorite part of our home is the backyard that has a grass area for lawn games, an outdoor dining table for family dinners, and even a firepit for roasting marshmallows in the mild Southern California winters.

We are both extremely close to our families. Phil's parents grew up in the Philippines and moved to California in their late 20s. He grew up as an only child, but was surrounded by many cousins who he enjoyed birthdays, holidays, and sleepovers with. Many of his cousins now have kids of their own, which makes for very lively and fun family get-togethers. With his parents less than an hour away, we enjoy meeting up with them regularly to enjoy a home cooked meal together or go for a walk. Everyone in our families is excited for our adoption journey and looking forward to welcoming your child with open arms and hearts.

Monica's father immigrated from Mexico as a teenager and met her mom while working in a restaurant. Monica grew up as a middle child, with a sister 3 years her senior, and a brother 10 years her junior. All her immediate family live in San Diego County, so family gatherings occur often. Monica's mother has four siblings. Each year since Monica's grandma passed away, one sibling chooses a location for a family reunion, and whoever can make it attends. These reunions have been such a fun way to get all generations together in a destination we would not have otherwise visited. The last few reunions have been in Oregon, Montana, and North Carolina.

Holiday traditions mean a lot to us and our families. Every 4th of July, Phil's dad wakes up at dawn to set out blankets at the lake in the same perfect spot every year. After a delicious BBQ at his parents house, we walk to the lake to see the fireworks show from the blankets his dad laid out for everyone. Christmas Eve is especially big in Monica's family. For what is believed to be an almost 100-year-old tradition, the entire family prepares a traditional meal of clam chowder and oyster stew that we eat at a long, formal dining table by candlelight. We often have more than 20 people at one table!

First and foremost, we aim to create a home environment full of love and acceptance where our children always feel safe to be who they are. We hope to build a family in which we are supportive of each other and learn from our mistakes, always striving to be better. Our family will be one that encourages creativity, open-mindedness, kindness, and gratitude. We want our children to learn the value of teamwork and commitment through extracurricular activities that fit their interests. We look forward to cheering them on through every milestone, comforting them through every challenge, and celebrating the unique person they become.

To our future child, we promise to love you wholeheartedly and unconditionally. We promise to surround you with friends and family who love you for you. We promise to give you a home in which you feel comfortable to be yourself and express your interests. We promise to introduce you to a world of endless possibilities where your imagination can run wild and your dreams can soar. We promise to lift you up and empower, nurture, and protect you. Without a doubt in our minds, we will put in the effort day in and day out to ensure these promises are never broken.

We want to thank you for taking the time to read our profile. If our story has resonated with you, we hope you'll reach out so we can get to know each other better. There's so much more to us than can fit into a profile, and we're truly an open book. We believe it's important for you to be part of your child's story, and we'd love to talk with you about what that could look like. We are open to staying in contact, keeping you updated, and sharing your child's important milestones. At the same time, we will always respect your wishes, whatever they may be. We know this journey is not easy, and we trust that whatever decision you make will be the right one for you and your child.