From very early in our relationship the idea of adoption was discussed. We have always had a heart for adoption and expected it to be a part of our family's future. Our plan was to grow our family biologically first and then expand our family through adoption.

We have a beautiful 4-year-old daughter, Addison. She has the kindest heart and is very empathetic. She loves being creative and making artwork to give to others or hang on the fridge. She also basks in having adventures in nature, being an explorer, and playing outside at parks and in our backyard.

After our daughter was born, we struggled with secondary infertility for a few years; praying often for answers and wisdom for our future. While it was very difficult at times, the struggle caused us to grow as individuals and as a couple. Near the end of 2022 we learned the difficult news that having another biological child was probably not a reality. As hard as that was to hear, it provided us clarity and was an answer we were needing. After taking some time to process and grieve, we whole-heartedly turned the page to our next chapter.

Knowing we have the love to provide another child a wholesome and fulfilling life, we began educating ourselves about the adoption process. We know adoption is difficult in many ways, but we also know also that it produces beauty and hope. Our family is so excited to meet and begin life with the child God has created to join our family.

We enjoy quiet days reading at home, hiking up the side of a mountain and everything in between. Shelby and Addison (our daughter) are both artistic and draw, paint, and create together. We both love to cook, but not doing dishes (awkward ...). Shane loves music and plays the guitar and piano; he even surprised Shelby by writing a song for the wedding.

Our family loves traveling and takes multiple trips each year. We usually take one bigger trip in the summer, but really find some of our best adventures are just weekend road trips fairly close to home. We loyally cheer for our local sports teams and will attend a few baseball games each season. We like our nature time and enjoy hiking, fishing, and exploring in the woods. Addison loves skipping rocks in streams and helping in the garden. We enjoy game nights with friends and family.

Shelby's ideal morning is quietly reading her Bible while drinking hot tea. She loves reading and her stack of books is always bigger than her time to read. She enjoys checking out local coffee shops with friends and thrives on meaningful conversation with others. Shelby enjoys anything that involves kids and she volunteers each month providing childcare with an organization that helps single moms.

Shane likes grilling and smoking meat for guests. We enjoy hosting small back-yard BBQs that usually end with laughter, conversation and s'mores around the firepit. Shane also reads history and Sci-Fi books, turkey hunts, and enjoys quality time with friends

In the seven years we have been together we have developed some small little traditions that are big in our hearts. The most simple and, perhaps our favorite is "Family Movie Night" which involves stove popped popcorn, milkshakes, and plenty of blankets. Sometimes we make a bed on the living room floor, other times we just curl up on the couch. We all look forward to this each week, especially Addison.

We love fall! Each year we visit the apple orchard and a pumpkin patch; both are fun family Saturday outings. The orchard provides fresh apples for Shelby's cast iron apple crisp. The pumpkin patch provides pumpkins to paint and carve for fall decorations. We also make one or two batches of spiced apple cider which is very popular with friends and family.

Father's Day involves a weekend activity with Shelby's dad and 3 sisters. Usually this entails BBQ, plenty of cousin play and going to a baseball game. This past year we took weekend trip to the Omaha Zoo.

Small Fun Traditions: We make cinnamon rolls for every birthday breakfast. We make a big batch of chex mix for New Years. We always make a snowman and snow ice cream with the first snow. At Christmas, we drive around neighborhoods scouting out the best Christmas lights.

We live in a wonderful suburb of a major city filled with culture and a short drive to many activities. In our town we love going to the annual carnival "Downtown Days" and relaxing on a blanket for "Music in the Park" on summer evenings. We live 1.5 miles from a 3,000-acre conservation area where we like to hike, fish, relax, and explore. There are plenty of nearby parks with playgrounds and trails and we enjoy our neighborhood pool in the summer. We are surrounded by wonderful neighbors of varying ages and races and absolutely love our neighborhood.

It is very important to us for our home to be a place of joy, laughter and be welcoming to everyone that walks through our door. Our house is a single story 4-bedroom ranch with a finished basement. The kitchen table is the heart of our home; it's where we enjoy meals, meaningful conversations, and games with both friends and family. We love hanging out in the living room by the cozy fireplace in the winter months, and enjoying the backyard, patio and firepit in the summer. Downstairs has a guest bedroom, Shane's music room, and a large rec-room where our daughter and other children love playing. Our home is filled with books, toys, art projects on display, and music is often playing.

We both come from backgrounds with strong family relationships that we value greatly.

Shane's family is small, very close, and likes to laugh…a lot. Regardless of the activity we are doing, it usually ends with us all laughing pretty hard. Shane's parents live ten minutes away and live on 10 acres; perfect for outdoor adventures, back-deck BBQs, and firepit evenings. They love being grandparents and our next child will gladly be welcomed into the fun of eating popcorn, sleepovers, and playing games. Shane's brother lives three hours away and visits fairly often for holidays and family events. We enjoy playing games, watching sports, and eating good food together. We usually take an annual vacation to the mountains or the beach.

Most of Shelby's family lives two hours away and we love visiting the farm! One sister lives locally which we see often. Shelby has a close relationship with her three sisters and they FaceTime often to keep in touch. Family trips usually involve a zoo, children's museum, or exploring nature. Addison adores playing with her cousins and our next child will be well loved and spoiled by all the Aunties and cousins. Shelby's dad has a heart of gold and comes to visit often- which sometimes includes a house project, eating out, and playing games. The entire family gets together for birthdays and holidays. Shelby's mom goes 'all out' for a family Christmas and decorates cookies with the grandkids each year.

Hello, we are truly thankful and humbled for your interest in our profile, and to have the opportunity to share with you a bit about our lives.

Right now, we can't even imagine the weight and difficulty of the decisions you are faced with. We genuinely wish we could just reach over and give you the biggest hug- to let you know you are loved, and you are cared for. Should you choose us to be the parents of your child, we want you to have confidence that your son or daughter will be given so much love, share in our laughter, and be taught of God's profound love for them. Please know that we will not be perfect, but we promise your child will always be safe, loved unconditionally, and will be taught to value honestly and hard-work.

Our life adventure began nine years ago when Shelby moved in with some of Shane's best friends. It wasn't long before Shane started visiting a lot more often; we were married three year later. After the wedding in 2017 we spent the first couple years traveling, working, and genuinely enjoying life. Those first few years gave us an opportunity to build a foundation in our relationship that we still carry with us. In 2019, our beautiful daughter, Addison, was born. Becoming parents has been such a wonder blessing filled with so much joy and love. It also has caused us to grow, both as individuals and as a couple. We tried to expand our family again biologically for a couple of years when we were finally told that was unlikely to happen. After some time of processing the emotions and with lots of prayer, we were able to turn the page and are so excited to expand our family through adoption. Adoption has always been something we have discussed and thought we would pursue it after two biological children. God seemed to have different plans and we will do it His way! We have so much love and affection to give our next child and we know Addison will be the absolute best big sister.

Shane works at a bank and always makes sure our family is taken care of. He absolutely loves being a dad who fully engages in playing, teaching, and caring for our daughter in all the best ways. He can't wait to teach a new child how to fish, introduce them to good music, and play sports and games in the back yard!

Shelby enjoys being a stay-at-home mom but also occasionally works as an Occupational Therapy Assistant with children. Her background gives her useful expertise in working with child development, teaching emotional regulation skills, and fine motor skills. She LOOOVES babies and kids and often babysits for others, teaches children's classes at church, and volunteers in childcare with an organization that helps single mothers. She genuinely loves people and connecting with others.

Again, thank you for your considering us as Adoptive parents. If you do choose us to parent and guide your son/daughter we would love to stay connected to you. We would share the child's growth and experiences with you through letters, pictures, and likely the child's artwork. We would also be open to calls and annual visits, hoping to bring you in as part of our extended family. However, we also value and respect your desires, boundaries, and preferences. We always want to be open with your child about their strong and brave birth parent(s) and promise to always put you in a positive light. Never doubt how strong and brave you really are- even on days it doesn't feel like it! We have been praying for you and will continue to do so as you walk the difficult journey. May the Lord guide you, strengthen you, and provide you peace with your decisions.

Sincerely,

Shane & Shelby