Darin & Andrew
Our Religion(s)
Christian / Christian
Race of child interested in adopting:
Caucasian, Hispanic, Asian, Caucasian/Hispanic, Caucasian/Asian, Caucasian/African American, African American, African American/Hispanic
Dear Birthmother
We couldn’t be more thrilled or grateful that you are considering us to love, protect, and raise your baby. We have prayed for this opportunity to grow our family and show our love unconditionally. We are excited to provide a safe, loving home where we can show and model respect, kindness, and trust. We are also looking forward to continuing some of our favorite hobbies together as a larger family. We like to pick one new recipe a month and cook it together and are excited to add a new chef. We are eager to go on walks along the river and trails, exploring and discovering wildlife as a family.
We are looking forward to sharing some lifelong Christmas traditions and hanging an extra ornament on the tree each year from your baby’s future grandma, if you choose us. A fun family tradition is when Mimi and all the cousins bake sugar cookies and decorate them with colorful icing. A family that plays (and laughs) together stays together! We love playing Euchre as a family, and Grandpa (Papa) is the best teacher!
Most of all, we are excited to watch your baby grow, learn, and discover the beauty and wonders of life and a loving family. We can’t wait to witness and capture the firsts: first steps, first day of school, first sleepover, and much more.
Thank you for considering trusting us with your baby. We look forward to walking this journey together.
About Us
Darin works from home as a healthcare IT analyst. Until we adopt, Andrew is currently working as a teacher’s assistant and licensed massage therapist. Once we welcome a child into our home, he plans to be a stay-at-home dad so we can both be present in our child’s life and upbringing as much as possible. We have been together for over 8 years. When not working we enjoy getting outside to explore all the beautiful nature we have within walking distance to our home. You can also often find us either visiting local hotspots and grabbing dinner, donuts or relaxing on the porch enjoying the fresh air and mountain views. We love playing board games and keeping a tally of wins; we both enjoy cooking new and adventurous home-cooked dinners with flavors from all over the world and we look forward to doing this with our future child. Food and games are fun ways to incorporate culture, creativity, and conversation to our family dynamic! Darin also speaks French (Andrew is learning!), and we enjoy traveling abroad. We are both Master Gardeners and Andrew volunteers with 4-H and Junior Master Gardeners.
What Led Us To Adoption
One of our favorite places to travel to is France. Darin studied in France, interned at a church and speaks French fluently and Andrew is actively learning! We spent two weeks in Paris in 2017 and ate at as many bakeries (boulangeries) as possible and were on the lookout for the next charcuterie board and finest cheeses. Our favorite moment during this trip, though, was when we decided to rent bicycles and ride through the streets of the City of Lights. Dodging cars while taking in the sights of the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower while simultaneously attempting to take a selfie made for quite the memorable experience. This was slightly more adventurous than our 2024 trip to the south of France where we rented a car and maneuvered through the mountains of Provence chasing lavender and sunflower fields.
Our Home
We live in a mountain town in close proximity to hiking trails and rivers. Our neighborhood is a quiet subdivision with friendly neighbors and large yards for playing and running around. In our home, we love sitting around the table and playing games like Sequence, Splendor, or Dominos and also enjoy crafts with our nieces and nephews when they visit. Our favorite spots in the house include the large yard where we enjoy gardening, the kitchen where we bake and cook and pretend like we’re the next contestant of the Great British Bake-Off, and the back porch where we watch the sunsets, birds and other wildlife. We are fortunate to be in one of the top-ranked school districts in the state, with plenty of extracurricular activities.
Our Family
Between us, your child will have 16 aunts and uncles—Andrew has eight siblings, and Darin has two siblings—and 12 cousins! We feel like it wouldn’t be fair to exclude our extended family’s fur babies: four dogs, a cat, and a rabbit named Bun. There is no shortage of family love and spoiling here! Our favorite holidays to spend with family are Thanksgiving and Christmas.
One of our Thanksgiving traditions is spending the day with either of our families and not counting calories. We love to bask in the traditional Thanksgiving spread with homemade dressing, cranberry sauce, pie, and plenty of stories and laughter. We spend the Friday after Thanksgiving with Darin’s family and pick out a Christmas tree as a family. That evening, we each receive pajamas and a new Christmas ornament. After we put on our new pajamas, we dish out bowls of chili and watch Christmas Vacation as a family.
As we’ve talked about adoption with our families, they couldn’t be happier to have another member of the family to share our traditions with.
