Hello! We are Joe, Kiersten, and Lawson. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for taking the time to learn more about our family & the love we have to give. We haven’t met you yet but we already think the world of you and know how brave you are. We are grateful to be considered while you make this courageous decision. We hope to give you comfort and confidence that you are making the right choice knowing that we will do everything we can to be loving parents to your child.

We are choosing to grow our family through adoption because we both have family members who have been adopted and we know it is magical. We have space in our hearts and love that is eager to be shared. We love being parents more than anything and Lawson can’t wait to be a big brother.

Our first date was in Brooklyn, NY where we spent the first 10 years of our relationship. We knew right away that we had a lot in common and began to explore each other’s interests. Joe joined baking classes (our third date was a cupcake baking class) and Kiersten joined Joe for football Sunday’s. Trying new restaurants, going to the movies and taking trips along the East coast were our favorite things to do. Kiersten even managed to drag Joe along to a Broadway show once or twice. After many trips to tropical locations in the Caribbean and Central America, we were married in Santa Barbara, CA in September 2014. We spent our honeymoon in Bora Bora since we both love being by the sand and ocean. In 2017 we relocated to Northern California since both of our families are from California.

“ New York City shaped me and it will always be a huge part of me, but I will always be a California girl at heart. “

I grew up in a small beach town in central California. After college I lived on the East coast for 16 years where I met Joe. I cherish many of the small town values I grew up with but am drawn to cultures and people from large cities.

I have been a social worker and therapist for over 20 years and truly feel it is my dream job. I am even lucky enough to be able to work from home 1-2 times a week. I believe we need to be the change in the world we want to see and am passionate about working with kids, families and adults who struggle or need doors opened for them.

Having a new baby in our home and life will be the biggest blessing we could receive.

Kiersten is the most unselfish person I know. She gives so generously and selflessly to her family, her friends, her colleagues and all of the children and families that she has worked with over the years. She is incredibly successful in her career but loves being a mother most of all. Kiersten still loves to send handwritten cards. She remembers every birthday and life event for her friends and family. She also organizes preschool activates, builds community wherever she is, takes on challenges with grace, and always puts her family first. She is the woman every woman wants to befriend and the mother every mother hopes to be.

“I love being a dad. It gives me more purpose than I knew was possible and it will always put joy in my heart and a smile on my face.”

I grew up in southern California to a very large extended family. 12 aunts and uncles and dozens of cousins who all lived close by. Growing up, family was everything to me and continues to be so today. As close as I am to my family, I was always going to be the one to leave the nest and explore. I moved to NYC in 2005 where I learned so much and met so many amazing people (Kiersten being the most important). Because I grew up around so many little ones (nieces, nephews and second cousins), I have always loved children.

Joe is the life of any party. He knows the words to every song and he constantly amazes me with random facts of knowledge. He goes out of his way to make my day better by running to Starbucks, making multiple trips to the grocery store, and sending sweet midday notes. He is an incredibly devoted father, a superb chef, and a very hard-working man. He is brilliant in his career as a business analyst where he's able to work 100% from home. I only need to look at the way Joe plays with Lawson to see that fatherhood is the role that suits him best.

Our favorite place in our home is Lawson’s playroom right off of our kitchen. Between grabbing a book of the bookshelves, solving a puzzle or checking on dinner, we spend quite a bit of time in those 2 rooms. We also have a huge backyard where we love to host playdates and entertain. We are close to our neighbors and often have their kids playing in our backyard.

We love spending time at the park we live around the corner from and going to live sporting events. We spend our Saturday mornings at soccer practice. We love being a part of a community where there are lots of social events and seasonal activities.

We have a son named Lawson who is 3 years old. Lawson was born in NYC after multiple rounds of IVF. He is full of energy, very curious and incredibly outgoing. He loves soccer, swimming and is currently learning Mandarin. He loves to sing and dance like no one is looking. He loves playing in his sandbox or going for walks to find snails. His favorite song for us to sing to him is “You are my sunshine”.

Kiersten comes from a large extended family of a sister, brother, and three step-sisters. Kiersten's brother Chad is adopted by her father. Kiersten's step-sister is also adopted. Most of her siblings live in California and we visit them several times a year. Kiersten is exceptionally close to her sister, Sydney, who is 13 years younger than her. Kiersten and her mom, Phyllis, talk every day and have traveled across the globe together.

Joe comes from a large family. He has one younger brother, John, but grew up with his two cousins who lived across the street from him. He spent his whole life in the Los Angeles area until he moved to NYC. Joe’s father passed away two months after we were married but is always with us in spirit. Every year Joe’s family hosts a large Christmas Eve party and everyone is invited. Part of the Christmas Eve tradition is making dozens upon dozens of tamales leading up to the holiday for everyone to enjoy. It is a blast and we look forward to it all year.

We are also lucky to have many close friends that we consider family and we spend most of our weekends and holidays with them when we aren’t with family in Los Angeles or on the Central Coast. Every fall we go apple picking together and we have an annual Easter egg hunt at a local park. All our friends have supported us through our adoption journey, and they are so happy for us to be expanding our family.

We have a 13-year Yorkshire terrier named KaliRae. Kali has traveled across the United States with us on multiple occasions and is always with us on family trips. She loves to cuddle and sleep on our laps. Lawson adores Kali and tries to explain things to her like she is a person.

Thank you so much for taking the time to get to know us a little bit. We realize this is one of the most important decisions that you will ever make and that you want to feel 100% confident in that decision.

We promise to love your baby unconditionally and will ensure with all our hearts that they will want for nothing. They will be loved and adored. We will encourage them to have an adventurous, curious mind about the world, to always want to learn, and to treat others with kindness and curiosity. Thank you for your courage and love.