Hi! We are Kyle and Paul from Redwood City, California. We're in our mid-thirties, married, and have been together for over ten years. Since the beginning of our relationship, we've been excited about building our family through adoption. We've always believed that love, respect, and support make a family - not just genetics. This belief partially stemmed from Kyle's early experience with his cousin, who was fostered and adopted by Kyle's aunt. Kyle's cousin is just as much a member of the family as Kyle is.

Thank for taking the time to read our letter and considering us as adoptive parents for your child. We can't imagine what it's like to decide to place your child for adoption. However, it's clear that your decisions are rooted in love and dedication. If you decide to place your child with us, please know that we will unconditionally love, respect, and support your child for the rest of our lives. Our hope is that this letter will offer you a glimpse into our lives and what kind of parents we want to be.

Our Story

Our story began in 2008 in a bar in Lubbock, Texas, when we were both in our mid-twenties. We remember that night vividly. Paul noticed Kyle from across the room when he was dancing with a friend to the Cupid Shuffle (sooo 2008). At first, Kyle didn't talk to Paul despite Paul's attempts. Kyle recalls that he was intimidated by Paul's dashing appearance. As luck would have it, we saw each other out the following weekend. This time, it was Kyle who built up enough courage to make the move to invite Paul over for homemade chicken spaghetti. After our first meal together, the rest was history.

During our early days, Kyle was establishing his career in real estate and Paul was in graduate school. Neither of us knew exactly where life was going to take us, but we knew that we wanted to start this adventure together.

As a couple, our first big decision was whether to move away from Texas to Minnesota. Paul had a job offer from a company that was willing to relocate both of us to Minneapolis. Deciding to put faith in our relationship, we packed our house and moved to the Midwest - and even brought Paul’s mom, Marsha. It's a decision that Paul will eternally be grateful to Kyle for.

Living in Minnesota made a positive impact on our lives. It gave us an opportunity to strengthen our relationship, build lasting friendships, and grow both of our careers. Despite this, we knew that California was where we ultimately wanted to be. Our best friends recently had their first child and we wanted to develop a relationship with our new "niece." When Paul received a job offer in the San Francisco Bay Area, we jumped on it. Within a few months, we moved ourselves (and Marsha!) to California.

Since moving to California, we have really put down our roots here. Kyle has been re-establishing his real estate career, which has afforded him flexible hours and the opportunity to work from home as needed. Paul has been following his passion for education by working on a design team at a philanthropic tech company. In his free time, he also teaches a design course at a university in San Francisco. Amazingly enough, Paul's new office is only a 10 minute walk from our house in Redwood City.

Now that we're in our mid-thirties, with a life we feel is comfortable and happy, we're ready for it to get even better by beginning our next adventure as parents. At this point in our life, we have stable careers, a supportive family, and an abundance of love to share with your child.

Question + Answer

How do you like to spend your time together?

Kyle: We like to take excursions to San Francisco to explore museums, see live shows, and try new restaurants. We also like to explore wine country (both north & south of us) and drive along the coast. Over time, we want to drive on all of Highway 1 along the coastline of California.   

Paul: We work on a lot of projects around the house. Even though we rent, we like to make our home feel comfortable and welcoming - inside and out. This includes everything from rearranging rooms to building outdoor spaces. We don't plan on moving anytime soon.

What are you individually passionate about?

Kyle: I love real estate, especially helping others find a place to call home. I've worked in that industry for 15+ years. Recently, I've also transitioned into helping newer agents explore their talents and grow their businesses. During my free time, I also enjoy finding opportunities to sing - I have a degree in music!

Paul: I am personally passionate about learning, especially helping others. I regularly listen to podcasts, listen to audiobooks, and read. I also feel fortunate that I'm able to focus on education in my professional life through research, design, and teaching. 

Describe your husband in three words and why.

Paul is:

• - Driven: at home and at work he is always actively trying to improve himself and the world around him
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• - "Adorkable": Adorable & dorky all at the same time
• - Passionate: He has a huge heart!

Kyle is:

• - Responsible: financially responsible, the safest driver, and SO organized
• - Reliable: keeps his word, always on time, and pulls his weight at home
• - Easy going: up for anything, patient, and encourages me to relax

Why do you think your husband will be a great dad?

Kyle: Paul is extremely patient and caring. He is the most selfless person I know, always taking care of the people around him at home and at work. Paul has been ready to be a dad for many years now - he's been reading parenting books since before we started to seriously talk about adoption. 

Paul: He's definitely going to be a fun dad. Kyle is so gentle and attentive around kids. He's the BEST at reading kids books (especially with voices), singing along to Disney movies, and knowing how to communicate the right way. I learn a lot from just watching him interact with our niece.  

What three ways do you want to spend time with your child?

Kyle: 

• - Watching and singing along to all of the classic Disney movies :)
• - I love story time and cannot wait to read books with her or him
• - Play time: blowing bubbles, making messes (that Paul will obviously clean up), coloring, and exploring our imaginations

Paul: 

• - Exploring and learning: visiting all kinds of museums, traveling to new cities and countries, and taking road trips around California
• - Building: Legos, train tracks, and pillow forts - any opportunity for us to be creative together!
• - Living in the moment: being present for all of the "firsts" - crawling, steps, and words

What traditions are you excited to share with your child?

Kyle: We're excited to share the value of being around people we care about. Our home is always open to friends and family. My parents visit us every year around Christmas. Each time, we take a trip to somewhere new in California. We also enjoy having a big homemade meal and watching holiday movies. This has been our time to relax and spend quality time with

Our Home

We live in a 3-bedroom house near the heart of downtown Redwood City, CA. It’s worth noting that Redwood City’s motto is “Climate Best By Government Test.” In addition to the weather, we love many things about our home, but we mostly love what our kitchen, living room, front porch provide us.

First, our kitchen provides us a way to connect with each other and our friends and family. We learned early on that food is central to who we are, both in terms of staying healthy and sharing experiences. Paul is our primary cook and he incorporates techniques from the places we've lived. Having lived in Texas, we were accustomed to some of the best BBQ in the country. This inspired us to learn how to smoke meat and vegetables ourselves when we moved away. In Minnesota and California, this has been one unique way we've been able to give back to our friends and family. We're looking forward to teaching your child about our appreciation for food - for cooking, health and bringing people together.

Next, our living room provides us comfort and relaxation; it’s really the heart of our home. We spend the last couple hours of each day snuggling with our dogs on the couch and watching shows streaming online. We enjoy discovering new shows on Netflix like The Fosters and keeping up with our favorites like This is Us. We can imagine that the living room will be where we spend time with your child as an infant, cuddling with them on the couch. This is also where we will sit and read books, watch classic Disney movies, and even witness his or her first steps.

Finally, our porch provides us fresh air and a sense of community. In the warmer months, we tend to eat most of our meals outside. Our favorite time is on Saturday mornings when we enjoy our pancakes and coffee, listen to the excitement of sports games at the local high school, and wave to our neighbors as they walk by. We can imagine weekend mornings when we will draw with sidewalk chalk, set up massive train sets, or simply play pretend outdoors in our yard or at a nearby park.

We love sharing these moments with family and friends. Luckily, Paul's mom and our best friends (Viktoria, Eric, Kate & Alec) live within a 5-minute drive. However, Kyle's parents, Paul's dad, and our extended families live only a plane ride away. Our entire family is as excited as we are to spend time at our house with your child as he or she grows up.

Our Promise

We promise that your child will be the most important person in our lives. We will provide your child with unconditional love, respect, support, and guidance for them to develop into an individual who can follow their own dreams. This also means that we are dedicated to providing them opportunities to explore their interests through education and experiences. Because relationships and family are so important to us, we will do our best to do this all together. With that in mind, we are looking forward to developing a relationship with you that is the most comfortable for all of us. We have heard stories of many different situations, and would like to talk about what type of relationship you hope to have with your child and with us.

In making your decision, we would love for you to get to know us better. We are more than happy to answer any questions you may have for us, big or small. In meeting us, we're confident that you will see our commitment to each other, your child, and you.

We certainly wish you the best in your pregnancy and in the decisions you make for your adoption plan. Please let us know what we can do to help you in your journey.