Waiting Family Profiles

Home Location: Twin Cities Metro

Family Status: Couple with Children

Children in Home: Two

Child Ethnicity: African American, Asian, Caucasian, East Indian, Hispanic/Latino, Native American

Thank you for allowing us to share our lives with you. We have tremendous respect for the decision you’ve made in considering open adoption, and we’d love to learn more about you and your dreams for the future.

 

Our family at a glance…

We decorate everything, all the time. Giant inflatable Halloween dragons? Check! Giant inflatable Christmas dragons? Check check!

We love adventure and we love to get dirty! Our yard is full of nature, fruit trees, and a mud kitchen. The creek by our house is full of trails and wildlife, and the city around us is full of new people and experiences. We love to explore all of it!

Family Values: We take care of each other, and we solve problems together.

Family Favorites: Friday cousin-time and movie night, Saturday morning pancakes, biking to the beach, kid-led hikes where we all stop to admire every cool rock and stick.

Children: Two! Ages 7 and 5.

Location: South Minneapolis

Pets: One cuddly pup named Gertrude; one moody fish named Charlie

 

Why Adoption?

Our journey to adoption comes from a place of deep love and recognition that families come together in a myriad of ways, and children deserve infinite love, support, and encouragement. From early on in our relationship we recognized the potential that our family might come together differently than others, and we felt called to create a family where our kids would know they are loved and accepted for exactly who they are. We love parenting, it’s our first and most treasured (and challenging!) role.

We identify as a queer family, and Melissa is non-binary. These are important parts of our identity, values, and the culture of our family and community. We have people in our family who are queer, trans, and mixed-race. We recognize that people’s identities are complex, nuanced, and unique, and we believe strongly that all people and all families have value. We promise to love and honor your child, to embrace them for exactly who they are in all their beauty and complexity, and to do our best to create a nurturing environment for them to grow into their best selves.

 

About Us

Melissa loves getting dirty in the garden, foraging in the woods, growing and cooking food, solving problems, brainstorming elaborate art projects to make with the kids, and Husker football.

Adam loves being a total goofball, belting out Disney ballads, playing basketball, woodworking, music, and Vikings and Gopher football (hello family football rivalry!)

Clarence is a thoughtful, goofy, and determined 5yo who loves to make art, play games, wrestle with his brother, and cuddle with Gertrude.

Otis is a passionate, loving, and curious 7yo who loves to cook, build epic Lego creations, snuggle during family book time, and climb anything in sight.

 

Our Home

No matter where you are in our home, it’s apparent that kids live here. You’re bound to climb into bed and discover a hoard of dragons under your pillow or find a random pile of rocks meticulously stacked in the center of the room. Play happens everywhere.

 

The Clinic

We’re both practitioners of Traditional East Asian Medicine and we have a neighborhood acupuncture and herbal medicine practice together. We create our own schedules, so we have flexibility, and we alternate days we see patients in the clinic so one of us is always available to be home. It’s a gift and a privilege to be out in our community doing work we’re passionate about, while making sure that our family remains our first and most important priority.

 

Our Promise to You

Thank you for taking the time to read about us and learn about our family. If you choose us, we will always be open with your child about the love you have for them, and that this decision was made from a place of bravery and love. You will be honored and respected in our family, and your child’s story will be valued and embraced. It’s clear to us as parents that there can never be too many people who love and care for a child. We’re committed to building an ongoing relationship of openness, honesty, and respect. We are hopeful to hear about your journey and discover how our stories might come together and evolve.