Maryann & Clayton
Race of child interested in adopting:
Any
Dear Birthmother
Hello,
We’re so glad you’ve found your way to our profile! We know you’ve probably read many of these already, so we want to share who we are and what we hope for in an honest and heartfelt way.
We’re Mare and Clay, both 30 years old and living in a community we love. Those who know us best describe us as responsible, compassionate, intelligent, and witty—qualities we hope to bring to parenting every day.
Becoming parents has always been our dream, and for us, it’s never been about sharing DNA. Over the past three years, we’ve fostered seven children, from toddlers to preteens. While fostering has been deeply rewarding, the system can also be challenging, which is why we’ve chosen to pursue private adoption.
We’re open to whatever level of contact you feel comfortable with—open, semi-open, or closed. Ideally, we’d love to exchange letters or messages a couple of times a year, around birthdays and milestones, but we fully respect your wishes, whatever they may be.
Our promise to any child in our home is simple: we will raise them to be kind, confident, and curious. We will support them through challenges, celebrate their victories, and create a home full of love, laughter, and acceptance.
We also value diversity and representation. As a white couple, we intentionally seek out schools, communities, and friendships with people of different races, cultures, and abilities, so our children see their identities reflected, honored, and celebrated.
Thank you for getting to know us!
Our Home
We own a home near Kansas City, Kansas, with a large kitchen where we love making homemade pizza and brownies with foster kids on weekends. Our house has multiple play areas - a living room, family room, playroom, and large backyard perfect for running and playing. The child would have their own bedroom and bathroom, plus, we’re near a cul-de-sac and 3 other families with children.
We've adopted four beloved dogs: Maple, Liv, Ember, and Thunder. Two are "nanny dog" breeds who take their job seriously, watching over, cuddling, and playing with kids. Our home sits in a highly-rated public school district, within walking distance of an elementary school, daycare, pool, field, and playgrounds. We're also just 25 minutes from adventure parks, an amusement park, the KC Zoo, and museums.
Our Family
We are surrounded by an incredible village of family, friends, and chosen family who support us deeply. In 2021, we relocated to be closer to Clay’s relatives—his two brothers and their partners, his aunt, uncle, and cousins. His stepmother and step‑siblings live about an hour away in Topeka, and his grandmother and extended family are in St. Louis. We’re also very close to Mare’s mom, who lives near Tampa, Florida; we visit several times a year and talk often.
Our chosen family—a close‑knit group of eight friends—has walked with us through life’s biggest highs and lows. We’re honored to be godparents to our best friend’s daughter and often lean on Clay’s brother and sister‑in‑law for household help, pet‑sitting, and emotional care.
We’ve also walked through grief—saying goodbye to foster children we cared for up to nine months and losing Clay’s dad in 2017 and Mare’s dad in 2024. These experiences have shaped our hearts and strengthened our capacity to love deeply and unconditionally.
Our support system means the world to us—and will be an incredible source of love for any child we welcome into our family.
