Who we are as a family:

Zach is a wonderful husband and a loving father! He is honest, trustworthy, optimistic, patient, and a good listener. He is full of integrity, and is easy going and flexible. He is more introverted, but also prioritizes time with family and friends. He is funny, loves dad jokes, and really likes playing with the kids. Zach is a very hands-on parent and takes ownership of caring for our kids and home. He strives to put his faith and family first, and truly leads our family well. Zach works as a mechanical engineer, and especially geeks out when he gets to use complicated math at work! Zach is a talented musician, enjoys all flying things from model rockets to drones, and loves spending time outside through hunting, fishing, lighting campfires, and going on bike rides.

Alicia is my best friend and we have a lot of fun together! She is encouraging and supportive and I can honestly say she makes me a better person. She is caring, dedicated, gentle, patient, organized, detail-oriented, and loves to plan. She runs the household activities, maintains the budget and finances, and she’s the family glue that binds us together. As an introvert she enjoys reading and listening to podcasts but her love for people is strong. She has several close friends that bring her comfort and joy, she offers a room in our home when someone needs it, and she commonly makes food for others to lend a helping hand. Alicia has a bachelor of science in psychology with intercultural studies and Bible minors, but her desire is to be a stay-at-home mom. I’m very grateful for her willingness to do this and our kids greatly benefit from her influence and teaching.

Sadie is a cheerful and loving big sister. She is very affectionate, opinionated, witty, creative, and genuinely helpful with things around the house. Sadie has a sharp eye for detail and doesn’t seem to forget a thing. She absolutely loves reading, playing musical instruments, and helping in the kitchen. With Dad, Sadie enjoys playing at the park, wrestling, or helping with house projects. Her favorite activities with Mom are coloring or cuddling on the couch to read a good book. Sadie also enjoys learning about numbers and letters through homeschooling!

Clara is a happy, funny, and cuddly girl. She is becoming more independent, and loves copying her older sister. Clara loves reading books, taking care of her dolls, and hoarding toys in piles around the house. She also likes collecting rocks, often stashing them away in unexpected places! With Mom, Clara enjoys coloring, helping to make sourdough, or simply being carried around while doing house chores together. Her favorite activities with Dad include going on walks, having dance parties, and playing hide and seek.

Our views on openness in adoption:

To be honest, openness was something that we didn’t know much about when we started the adoption process, but thankfully we have learned and grown so much!

Openness is important to us. We are committed to making child-centered decisions, and therefore we are excited to establish openness with you. We think openness is healthy and healing for everyone involved in adoption. We know that relationships can ebb and flow, and we are hopeful that an open relationship will grow over the years.

We want to honor the desires of the birth family, and we know that some may want more or less contact. We are open to various types of contact including sending photos, texting, video chats, and in-person visits. We are open to meeting before the child’s birth, being at the hospital, and having in-person visits within the first year as well as in the years to come!