If you are reading this, Thank you. Thank you for making the remarkably difficult and incredibly courageous choice of adoption for your baby. We admire your decision beyond words. We are choosing to grow our family through adoption because we have more room in our family, space in our hearts and love that is eager to be shared. We love being parents and Trace can’t wait to be a big brother.

We are honored and humbled that you are taking the opportunity to learn a little about us and we hope that our pictures and words provide you with confidence in our ability to provide your baby with love, security, laughter and adventure. Thank you for considering us.

We met in 2006 while working together in the footwear department of REI. Dave overheard Christa talking about an organic farm where she volunteered and asked if he could join her for her next shift on the farm. It was there that tomato fights ensued and sparks flew. The farm and its owners became an integral part of our relationship. Three years later, Dave proposed on the farm and a few months later we were married there as well. Our lives have been filled with fun and adventure and challenges and growth since the day we met. Trace joined our family in 2013 and our hearts grew immeasurably.

We believe that families who play together, stay together. And we love to play! We play baseball and soccer and ride bikes and go to parks and fish, camp, dance, sing, and play games.

We want to raise our children without judgement or prejudice, without entitlement or pretention. We want them to know what it feels like to be respected and to be respectful and to love and be loved unconditionally. We believe that it’s the people in our lives that make our lives great and we love our people fiercely.

We believe that health is one of our greatest assets. We both maintain regular workout routines and strive to eat nourishing food in order to live long, active, enjoyable lives.

Dave. Is. Awesome. He’s a stellar dad and an outstanding husband. He’s our cheerleader, our car packer, our baseball pitcher, and our rock. He’s a caretaker and a limit pusher. Dave is the guy who will walk into a party and by the time he leaves he will know everyone’s life story, what motivates them, and what scares them and he’ll have made friends for life. He will sooner give up his bed for a guest than let them sleep on the couch. He is our guide through a life of bold, (almost) fearless, heart-centered living.

He never settles for status quo. He is constantly learning and finding ways to improve and is my inspiration for my own personal growth. He is thoughtful and nurturing, a great communicator, and very sensitive. He is a creative thinker and has taught me to be the same. When he decides he’s going to try something new, he dives deep and accomplishes it like a pro. Sometimes I need to remind myself that he is human because in my mind he has superpowers and can do anything he sets his mind to. When I get a wild hair to do something crazy, usually with short notice, he doesn’t just humor the idea, he owns it. We love to travel together and explore new places near and far.

Christa is the guiding force in our family. She a natural protector who is very caring, and has a strong will. People are attracted to her easy going nature and fun loving personality. Her smile is amazing and she gives great hugs. She is re-energized by immersing herself nature, sometimes alone, and often with our family and friends. She’s a very physically active person. You can find her in the garden, at the gym, playing with Trace, walking the dogs, cooking amazing meals, taking care of our nest or being a great friend. I am grateful to be married to her and have the opportunity to raise a family with Christa.

Sooo much. Her smile. Her hugs. Her loyalty to the moon and back. The way she cares for our family and friends when we are in need. Christa has really great ideas and that has led to some vibrant memories-traveling abroad to New Zealand, Bali, Thailand, local adventures in the Colorado mountains, and amazing friendships. She’s super committed to our family and can’t wait to love another child and to provide him or her with all the rich experiences life can offer.

Trace is an energetic ball of love, usually found in constant motion exuding joy. He loves big, hugs strong, runs fast, jumps high, bikes enough laps up and down the street to wear through his tires and climbs everything. When he is not in motion (and sometimes when he is) you can find him eating enough to feed a horse. He is Mama’s co-explorer, sous chef and snuggler extraordinaire and Daddy’s end-of-the-workday timer, playmate, and reading buddy. He loves to play in nature, create buildings and art and has been known to turn every pillow, blanket and chair in our house into a fort over and over again. He reminds us regularly to laugh more, play more, and get dirtier. Most importantly he has taught us how to love unconditionally.

Trace cannot wait to be a big brother. He periodically moves things into our extra bedroom that he no longer plays with or that he has outgrown because, “the baby might want it.”

Christa has loved that being a stay at home mom with Trace has provided opportunities for them to explore so many different facets of life together and create awesome memories.

Our home is our sanctuary. We spent a year remodeling our house to make it a reflection of our style and needs and we continue to find ways to make it even better. The kitchen is the hub of our home and when we’re not in the kitchen, you can often find us in the backyard where Christa has planted a vegetable garden, multiple fruit trees and lots of flowers or in our living room playing games and building forts. As much as we love our house, it’s the opportunities we create at our home to gather our friends and family together on the back patio or in the treehouse Dave built that really makes us feel proud of the space we have created.

We live on a cul-de-sac that borders a park, abuts a bike path, and is buzzing with 17 biking, kite flying, rocket launching, baby-doll-stroller-pushing children. There is always someone to play with. We feel fortunate to have such an awesome community of neighbors who look out for each other’s children like they are our own. It’s not uncommon for the adults to pull chairs into the road and chat after work while the kids chase each other up and down the street. Beyond our neighborhood, we live in a beautiful area and make great use of nature’s playground as much as possible.

We make a big effort to keep in regular contact with our families since they are out of state. We FaceTime with both of our moms every Sunday morning (both of our dads have passed away), we make annual trips to the Midwest to see everyone and we love when they come visit us! We are so excited that Dave’s sister has just moved an hour away with our new nephew! Christa has so much admiration for her grandmother who spent every day of her 99 years with her home filled with family and friends. She was literally surrounded by love until the day she died. Christa hopes she’ll get to be as lucky.

Bodhi is the peach colored four legger. He’s is the calm, mature, polite family member. He likes to be near his people but isn’t a fan of PDA so he keeps a safe arm distance away to avoid embarrassment by petting. He can often be seen photo bombing our pictures of Trace who Bodhi has been arm distance away from since the day he was born.

Rizzo is our barrel of puppy love. She is wary of new people but can’t contain her love once she warms us. She believes her purpose in life is to fetch tennis balls and keep our laps warm. She’ll take all the petting and PDA we have to give.

Our Community is extremely important to us. Since most of our family lives in other states, we have created very strong relationships with many friends who are like family to us. We take care of each other’s children, they stop by unannounced to say hi, we travel together, play together, eat together, and dance together. Everyone is so excited for us to add another bundle to the group.

If anything happened to us, Christa and Dave are two (of a very, very short list) that we would want to raise our children. That’s a big deal. As an elementary counselor, I’ve seen many parenting styles and they exhibit all the characteristics of the best parents. They are kind, loving, thoughtful, patient, and nurturing. Their 5 year old son is already exhibiting these qualities that he has learned from them and is, hands-down, one of our favorite kids to be around. They have a strong marriage based on respect, love, and open communication that creates a strong foundation for their home and family. There is not a family out there that would provide a more loving home. -Angela and James M.