Thank you so much for taking the time to learn about our family and for considering us as you decide who will parent your child. We understand that your journey to this choice is likely a difficult one. Our hearts go out to you as you wrestle over this hard decision. We truly hope that as you look through our profile, that you can see the love we share as a family and how excited we are to welcome your child into our family. If you choose us, we will provide a loving and nurturing environment for your baby as well as opportunities for them to grow and develop into the person that they are meant to become!

We truly feel called to adoption as the path to expand our family. We have loved being parents to our now three-year-old biological daughter, Mina. We came to marriage a bit older than our peers, and this meant starting a family later as well. We are incredibly grateful to have Mina in our lives. We do not have any known infertility and came to the decision to adopt intentionally. Our experiences working with kids in education and the foster system made us want to join hands with a courageous mother in making an adoption plan for her child. We believe deeply in our hearts that all children are made in the image of God and want to share the love created in our home with a child through adoption.

We both place very high value on family. Your child would grow up in a safe home where lots of love, laughter, and fun is shared.

Renee was born in Minnesota, and I was born in California. It took us moving all the way to Beirut, Lebanon in the Middle East to meet each other! We met at our friends' house for Bible study and connected through both being educators. Nothing romantic happened for a while, and we were friends for the next two and a half years. Shortly before Renee moved back to the U.S., I asked her out (nine days before the plane took off, to be exact). After that, we went on a few very memorable dates and dated long distance (very long distance) for much of our relationship. We got engaged in Egypt and were married the next summer in Colorado. It was fast, but we knew that we wanted to move forward and build on our strong foundation of friendship and trust.

Almost five years later, we remain happily married and work as a team together in all ways, especially in parenting our daughter, Mina. Being parents has created new ways for us to show love and support to one another as we care for our daughter. Through various ups and downs, our bond as a married couple is as strong as ever.

Being married has led us on many adventures together, and we are excited for what is to come!

Steven introduces Renee...

Renee will be a wonderful mother to our second. I trust her more than anyone else. Renee is both a delight to be around and the person you want in your corner when the going gets hard. Renee is fiercely caring. She is confident, responsible, and determined. When Renee sets her mind to something, it happens. She celebrates others and is a phenomenal mother to Mina. She is always thinking of things that Mina would like to experience or try. She is an excellent cook of many different cuisines and has taken to baking since Mina came along. Renee is quick to forgive and is a great listener. She is patient and kind. Renee's faith in God drives all she does. I can't wait to see her be a mother to our next baby.

Fun Facts

• Favorite Movie: Pride and Prejudice (the Keira Knightly version)
• Favorite Place to Be: Exploring new places abroad (the more off the beaten path, the better)
• Favorite Ice Cream: Pistachio
• Something Serious: I have spent my whole career working with kids and currently help support kids' cases in the foster system here in the Pacific Northwest.

Renee introduces Steven...Steven is a kind and goodhearted person. His heart for kids initially led us on the road to adoption. He is good to me and to others. He makes me laugh. He is an adventurer and is bold in what he does. He has stood by me in difficult times. I know that he's a person who won't give up easily in hard circumstances. He's attentive to my feelings and appreciates me. He has lots of plans and dreams and is creative. He keeps me on my toes. He supports me in my dreams and plans. He's a wonderful dad. He is affectionate and makes our daughter laugh and have fun. She loves playing with Papa and being silly together. Steven prioritizes time for family on weekdays and weeknights and is always available to plan fun adventures and outings for us. He purposely makes choices that best serve the family. He will make a great dad to a second child because of his loving and tender heart for his family and others.

Fun Facts

• Favorite Movie: The Royal Tenenbaums
• Favorite Place to Be: By the sea or at a drumset
• Favorite ice cream: Raspberry sorbet - if that counts!
• Something Serious: I have worked with young people in the States and abroad.

Mina is a loving, intelligent, active, and imaginative child. She is fearless when it comes to climbing playground equipment and trying out new gymnastics moves (her current hobby). She is a good friend to others and has many friends. She loves anything to do with firetrucks, construction workers, dressing up, and dolls. She's observant of others' feelings and already shows a lot of tenderheartedness not only to her dolls and stuffies but also to others she meets in her community. She is a caring child we know without a doubt will be a great big sister to her new sibling.

I grew up visiting my extended family who live in a few different places in the U.S., mainly Colorado, Texas, and Kansas. My parents live in Texas, as do my brothers and their families. Adoption is significant in my family - one of my uncles was adopted through Gladney. One brother has a daughter and son who are very close in age to Mina. The other is married, and they have several pets that the kids love to see. We enjoy spending time together and see each other at family events and at least once a year during the holidays. The grandparents cherish time together. They visit, are active, and love thinking of activities to do with their grandkids. Everyone is excited to welcome another child to the family and has been supportive from the beginning.

I am close to my family and am in touch with them weekly via phone and text. My dad and stepmom live in Minnesota. One of the tragedies of my life was losing my mom several years ago. With that said, I'm grateful for many older women friends and one particular aunt who is a mother figure to me. My younger brother lives in Minnesota as well and has two daughters, including one who is close in age to Mina. I also have a sister who has two daughters, and they live in Wisconsin. My stepbrother and his wife live in Texas with their baby son. It's fun to spend time together, especially with five girl nieces who make everything more joyful and entertaining. We visit our family yearly on holidays, and the grandparents make a couple of visits yearly to spend time with us in our home. Like Steven's family, the grandparents adore their grandchildren, and everyone is excited to welcome another child into the family.

We have learned that Mina, in particular, loves holiday traditions. It's fun to share in her joy and excitement about holidays. Since her arrival into our lives, we have enjoyed brainstorming family costume ideas for Halloween. Mina loves all things firefighter-oriented, so she was very happy about us joining her as a fire hydrant and fire department employee this past Halloween.

For Christmas, we enjoy going out to a tree farm and picking out our Christmas tree. Mina really likes decorating the tree with Christmas music playing in the background, along with having snacks available to refuel us while we decorate. We also like to attend a Christmas Eve service and open presents on Christmas morning along with eating a special breakfast. Having the nieces and nephews wear Christmas pajamas is a new tradition that we've gotten into over the past two years.

Renee's mom passed away several years ago, and one way she likes to honor her is by going to a nearby rose garden (Mom was a great gardener) and thinking about memories of her.

We have learned that Mina, in particular, loves holiday traditions. It's fun to share in her joy and excitement about holidays.

We live in a 3-bedroom home in a neighborhood on the northern side of the city. It is the perfect place for kids with lots of sidewalks for bike riding and traveling by scooter (something Mina is learning now). Our neighborhood also has several parks and wading pools in the area and is close to a couple of city bus stops. We enjoy taking the bus downtown to visit popular sites including the Children's Museum (a favorite of Mina) and other unique parks. We have some designated play areas with lots of toys and activities to help pass the time. We love to have

friends over to play in our yard and share meals together. The Pacific Northwest is a beautiful place with many opportunities for hiking, skiing, and water activities. We love to take advantage of getting out in nature here when we can.

We love to travel and visit places in the U.S. and abroad. We visit Texas, Minnesota, and Colorado often to see family that lives there. Since being married, Steven and Renee have traveled to Mexico and Costa Rica. Recently, we took Mina to Scotland and England while attending a family wedding in Europe.

Renee enjoys reading, cooking, baking, gardening, traveling, and spending time with friends. Steven likes to play music and go outside to bike, hike, or sit by the beach with friends. Mina loves any outdoor park, especially one where she can climb tall structures, gymnastics, reading books with Mama and Papa, and doing crafts.

Thank you for considering our profile and taking the time to learn about our family. We are so happy to be on this journey of adoption. We are looking forward to growing our family and seeing Mina be a big sister. We are excited to create a home where our children can be secure and supported in who they are. We are so grateful for the opportunity to expand as a family and love another little one.

We know that this journey for you is a difficult one, and we hope and pray that you are assured in your decision. We pray that God gives you peace and wisdom as you decide what is best for you and your child.

Sincerely,Renee, Steven, and Mina

Thank you for considering our profile and taking the time to learn about our family. We are so happy to be on this journey of adoption. We are looking forward to growing our family and seeing Mina be a big sister. We are excited to create a home where our children can be secure and supported in who they are. We are so grateful for the opportunity to expand as a family and love another little one.

We know that this journey for you is a difficult one, and we hope and pray that you are assured in your decision. We pray that God gives you peace and wisdom as you decide what is best for you and your child.

Sincerely,Renee, Steven, and MinaThank You