Hi there! We are Ashley and Chris – it’s nice to (sort of) meet you! We’d like to tell you a little about us and why we want to become adoptive parents.

Believe it or not, we grew up only about a mile apart but didn’t actually meet until 2010, when we were introduced by mutual friends. We started dating in 2011 and quickly became best friends. We knew right away that we shared similar morals and values, a love of travel, and the same goofy sense of humor. Our ability to laugh together carried us through nearly six years of long-distance dating. We took turns making the three-hour drive each weekend until we tied the knot in April 2017.

Immediately after getting married, we started trying to have a family. Medical tests soon revealed that it would be extremely unlikely that we would be able to have a biological child. After learning this, we began to take a closer look at adoption. This is a path we feel God has led us toward and we are waiting patiently to meet the special child who will complete our family.

Chris is meant to be a dad. He truly loves all children and is gentle, loving, and protective. His funny and silly side will appear at a moment’s notice. If I’ve had a hard day, you can bet that Chris will bring up a funny memory to put a smile on my face. Chris is a warm, kind, and generous soul who never thinks twice about helping others in their moment of need. Whether he’s tutoring his younger cousins in math or serving lunch at a local shelter for homeless families, Chris is always there to lift others up.

As a dad, he would provide a strong example of what it means to be a man of high moral character and Christian faith who stays true to his beliefs. One of the things I love most about Chris is that he forges his own path and doesn’t follow the crowd. I know he would encourage a child to pursue their uniquely personal dreams.

Another amazing quality he embodies is perseverance. Despite many challenges, after seven years of hard work, Chris earned his doctoral degree (PhD) in Atmospheric Science. He knew that reaching this goal would set him up for future career success and didn’t let anything stand in his way! He now works as a scientist for a federal agency!

It’s easy for me to envision Chris as a loving, attentive dad, playing catch at the park, trying new recipes in the kitchen, or teaching a child about nature and science. Fatherhood would be a natural extension of who he is.

Ashley will make an excellent mother. She is an understanding, charitable, compassionate, loving person who truly cares about children. I’ve witnessed Ashley make children in our extended family feel loved and accepted to be themselves. Whenever she has the opportunity to hang out with her younger cousins, she makes sure to ask them a million questions about their current interests, hobbies, dreams and goals. Ashley cares and loves children so much that she even traveled to Honduras to work with children in an orphanage. There, she played with the little ones and made it her goal to put a smile on their faces each and every day.

I love that Ashley is always herself. On top of having a big heart, she is also faith-driven, vivacious, energetic, inspiring, and really funny. Whenever I need some words of encouragement, I can count on a Ted Talk level of inspirational wisdom from my wife. Her creativity, work ethic and positive energy have led to her successful career as a marketing writer at a nonprofit organization. There is no doubt in my mind that these character traits will serve her well in motherhood.

In her spare time, Ashley loves to bake cookies and read books. I can picture her helping a child learn to bake while being silly, laughing, and making a big mess in the kitchen. I imagine that every night she will read bedtime stories to a little one and will eventually teach them to read.

Ashley will provide the encouragement a child needs and be a great role model as well. I can’t wait to see her share her warm, loving heart with a child.

Our first-floor condominium is bright, cozy, and filled with family photos and mementos from our travels. Our favorite room is the kitchen, where we spend time together testing new recipes and whipping up tasty desserts, including Chris’s favorite: chocolate chip cookies! We look forward to sharing these special times with a child and trying out new recipes as a family. In warm weather, we love eating outside on our private patio!

Our neighborhood is filled with friendly, helpful neighbors, many children, and we’re just two blocks away from a playground. We’re lucky to live within walking distance of a pharmacy, an ice cream shop, a candy store, and several restaurants. (Can you tell we like to eat?) There are many nearby activities for families throughout the year, such as a Halloween Parade – the kids wear costumes and take part in the fun!

There are many things we like to do as a family that we can’t wait to share with a little one.

Spring: When the weather gets warm, we enjoy going to local parks to have picnics, take walks, and explore nature. We’d love to take a child to see the beautiful cherry blossoms blooming in Washington, D.C. Another favorite springtime activity? Attending Washington Nationals baseball games to cheer on the home team!

Summer: Ashley’s favorite season! This time of year, you can find us visiting nearby family for cookouts and Sunday dinners. During the summer months, our family rents a beach house in the Outer Banks, North Carolina, where we soak up the sun and relax by the water. And each summer, there is always at least one family reunion to attend!

Fall: Chris’s favorite season! We visit a nearby pumpkin patch each October and can’t wait to carve a jack o’lantern with a child. As huge Virginia Tech fans, every fall we will be rooting on the Hokie football team. We also like to visit local family-friendly wineries for picnics and enjoy the wide-open spaces.

Winter: We love experiencing the magic of the holidays and can’t wait to show a child the area’s larger-than-life Christmas lights maze (where Santa always makes an appearance!). Each year, we look forward to choosing a fresh Christmas tree from the neighborhood tree lot and decorating it together while listening to Christmas carols.

We have both been blessed with loving families who fully support our intent to adopt. Growing up, our parents instilled in us the importance of maintaining strong family bonds. In fact, one of Chris’s cousins came to live in their home for several years, leading to a strong bond with Chris that continues to this day. Above all, our families taught us that faith in God can bring you through even the toughest of times.

We are lucky to have a number of close friends and family members who live in the Washington, D.C. area, including Chris's brother and his wife, as well as three of Chris’s first cousins and their families. They are all eager to welcome a new member to our close-knit family. We also have several close, trusted friends living nearby who have expressed their desire to be available as a support system for us.

Both of our parents live just a few hours away in the city where we both grew up. They can’t wait to become grandparents (that’s probably an understatement!) and will surely spoil a child with unlimited attention, affection, and love.

We truly appreciate your reading our profile and hope that it helped you get to know us a little better. Thank you for making the choice to bring a child into this world and for making the brave and difficult decision to allow them to be placed with a loving family who longs for them each day. You are a blessing.

We can’t imagine the weight of the decision you are making. Please know that, should you choose us as adoptive parents, we will do everything in our power to protect, nurture, and guide a child so that they can blossom into the person they are meant to be.

We promise that a child will know that their birth mother envisioned such a bright future for them and loved them so much that she chose a family who could provide everything they deserve in life – unconditional love, a close-knit family, acceptance, security, and a future without limits. We wish you the clarity of doing what’s best for you and your baby, and we thank you for considering us as adoptive parents.