- Kansas -
We are high school sweethearts who have been best friends since our teen years. We’ve now been together for over 13 years. We enjoy wandering around different gardens and parks near our home as our little dog excitedly sniffs every flower and greets every person we pass. We love having a night in watching movies or packing the car to go on an adventure somewhere new. Our friends and family are dearly important to us, and we spend a lot of time with them doing life together.
Makena can be found with her nose in a book, making a mess while baking in our kitchen, running around exploring the world of imagination with our nieces and nephews, organizing or cleaning something around our home, or laughing and talking with her close friends.
Jacob can always be found adjusting our garden on nice days or tinkering around with a new project he is building, playing strategic board games with friends, or trying new food at a yummy restaurant he discovered.
Hello to you!
We cannot imagine everything going on in your mind and weighing on your heart right now. Considering an adoption plan is probably overwhelming and scary. We want you to know that we are thinking about you, and we want to thank you for considering us as you explore your options.
We hope that looking through our online profile you get a little glimpse into our lives and that something about us connects to your hopes and dreams.
Makena and Jacob
We have read many parenting books, and want to use the gentle parenting approach. That means we believe in using empathy, consistency, and boundaries with our child so that they know we are safe people they can rely on, talk to, and depend on. Children need developmentally appropriate boundaries and consequences, but we do not believe in corporal punishment. We want to be the type of parents who their child knows will always be there for them, through the good times and the rough times. We will love them unconditionally.
Imagine driving through a suburban neighborhood, when suddenly you come across a big stone house that takes you back in time. This house sits on a large corner plot and has an antique red well pump in the yard. This is our home. We found this beautiful 100 year old home with an acre of land that Jacob is diligently creating a garden in. Our neighborhood is a pretty typical suburban community that also has a mixture of people with different types of jobs, young families and older families, and diverse cultures. We are walking distance from several restaurants, a park with a pretty lake, and our city’s mainstreet area.
This house and yard is a dream home for us, and another major selling point is that this home sits merely 10 minutes from both sets of our parents, siblings, and many extended family members and close friends. We want our children to grow up around these important people who helped shape us into the people we are today.
Our nursery is set up with the baby basics: crib, changing table, rocking chair, diapers, wipes, car seat, and a few more things. However, our nursery is currently a neutral space. We want to paint the walls a cute soothing color that matches the crib sheets once we bring baby home. We want the nursery to be their room, be a space that feels like their home. So, for now, we will keep it neutral knowing it will be a cute inviting space for baby after they come home.
Pixie has now been with us for over 6 years, and she has been a light in our world. She is goofy, adorable, incredibly stubborn, and just a perfect fit in our family. She is curious, sweet, and protective of every baby we’ve had her meet, and she loves kids because they pet her and give her food and attention. We know Pixie will be a great dog with any child we bring into our home.
We chose this photo from our wedding because this group of people are our best friends. Some of them are our siblings, cousins, and friends, but together it is a group of people we are closest to. Our family is a unique and loving bunch, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Since we basically grew up together, our families know each other very well, and we’ve become friends with each other’s siblings. We moved back to our home town to live in our dream home and be close to our families. For every holiday, we get together with Makena’s extended family to eat and spend time together. Birthdays and major holidays are important for both sides of the family, so we always have multiple celebrations to join.
Our family is already touched by adoption. Jacob has two siblings who were adopted, and Makena has a cousin who was adopted, and another cousin who adopted their child. So we know that any child we bring into our family will be loved and accepted without question or hesitation by the whole big extended family.
We’ve been asked by people, “What advice would you give your future child?” and after contemplating that thought provoking question, here’s how we would answer: Be yourself, because there is only one you in this whole world, and that’s something special. Be bold, be brave, try new things, go on adventures, don’t let the unknown stop you from trying something you believe in. Ask questions. True genuine kindness and empathy will always be strengths needed in this world. You have a big, quirky, messy, loving, strong support system always here for you whenever you need us. Don’t be afraid to show your heart to people who are meaningful to you. Always know how loved you are.
This is us and our world. We hope that reading this gave you some comfort and answered some questions. We hope most of all that something about us brings you peace of mind.