We have been married for 12 years and together for 14. We have one daughter, Evie, who we adopted as a newborn in 2008. We have a wonderful open adoption relationship with her birth parents. Parenting has been the most rewarding experience of our lives, and so here we are, in search of a sibling for her and a second child for us to cherish.

About Us

Karen and Joshua are both from large extended families, with many aunts, uncles and cousins in addition to our immediate families, and we have always known that we wanted to have a family of our own. After being married for a few years and establishing our careers, we began to try for a baby and discovered that Karen has severe endometriosis that has prevented her from conceiving. Infertility treatments were a difficult time for us, but we depended on our faith in God and the support of family and friends to make it through that experience. We quickly embraced adoption after fertility treatments failed, and we were lucky to find Hillary's agency through a friend.

Adopting Evie

We were matched with Evie's birth parents in July of 2008 and were overjoyed to meet her on the day of her birth that September. We have been blessed with a wonderful open adoption with Evie's birth parents and we communicate with them via phone and e-mail, send them photos and videos, and visit with them regularly (they live in the KC metro area). Although every adoption is different, since it is a unique relationship between the child, birth parents and adoptive parents, we would love to have our second adoption be as open as Evie's adoption, if possible.

About Karen

Karen is a stay-at-home mom to Evie, and plans to remain at home until all of our children are in school. Her career before Evie was born was as a high school English teacher, and while she loved her students and her profession, she is grateful to have the chance to stay home with Evie and any future siblings. Evie is an active toddler, so she and Karen stay busy during the week: visiting the park, grocery shopping, swimming at the community center or having friends over to play at our house. When we add a baby to the family, he or she will get to come along in a carrier or stroller and watch big sister Evie until he or she is old enough to join in the fun. Karen's hobbies include reading, quilting, scrapbooking and practicing yoga.

About Joshua

Joshua is an engineer and works for the Federal Department of Transportation. He loves his job and has been with the department for over 8 years now. His government job is particularly great for being a dad because he is able to work from home on Wednesdays and Fridays and have every other Friday off to spend more time with Karen and Evie. Joshua's job also affords him four weeks of vacation every year, which we use for travel and visiting family. Joshua has been involved from day one with night feedings, diaper changes, toddler chasing and reading Goodnight Moon over and over and over. Evie adores her “Dada” and giggles endlessly as they tussle and goof off. Joshua enjoys running for exercise and his hobbies include playing the drums and wine-making. He is the current president of our home wine-making club and has won many awards from local and national wine and beer competitions.

About Evie

Evie is a fun-loving, cuddly and social toddler who will turn two in September 2010. Her favorite things include being outside in our back yard, swinging, sliding, playing in the sandbox and chasing the dogs around. She is very coordinated and already climbs ladders, pedals her tricycle and does somersaults. But on the other hand she also gentle. She loves to snuggle in our laps to read books, give big hugs to her stuffed animals and dolls, and give soft pats and scritches to our dogs. Evie adores other children, and we look forward to seeing her relationship grow with a little brother or sister; we predict she'll be a devoted and fun big sis.

We have lived in Liberty, Missouri for over eight years. During that time we have made many friends in the area and we feel comfortably rooted in our community. Liberty is known for its historic downtown, highly-ranked William Jewell College and a superb public school system. Our home sits on a quiet, tree-lined street only one block from a park and three blocks from the local elementary school. We appreciate our mature, shady trees, beautiful hardwood floors and the huge screened porch where we spend a lot of time during nice weather. Our neighborhood is a fun mix of senior citizens, empty-nesters and young families like ours. On warm evenings you would find us walking the dogs and pushing Evie in a stroller to the park, or chatting with our neighbors while Evie pedals her tricycle in the driveway. We have a large yard with gardens, where Evie and Karen enjoy digging for worms and watching our roses, basil and tomatoes grow.

Our Values

Our life together is full and rich. Our relationship as a couple has stayed strong and loving over the years and we are careful to nurture our marriage and keep it healthy. We share parenting and household duties evenly and find time every evening to sit with a glass of wine and talk about our day. We value our faith and are very involved in our church, where Joshua plays drums in the band and serves on the leadership team. Karen also serves on a leadership committee at church and helps with the children's ministry. We prioritize our family; Evie sees all four grandparents frequently and sees extended family during the holidays. We believe children should be lavished with love, hugged and kissed to excess and given the time and space to become independent and unique.

In Conclusion

It has been utter joy to watch Evie change from a newborn into a roly-poly infant and now a giggly, running, talking toddler. We can't wait to see what comes next in parenthood, and we can't wait to do it all again with a second child, who will add a special new voice and delight to our family stories. Thanks for taking the time to read about us and consider us as adoptive parents. We would love to meet you and tell you more. We respect your decision to create an adoption plan for your baby, and we hope you find peace in the process.

In Friendship,
Karen, Joshua and Evie