Amanda and Val

We are committed to creating a post-adoption relationship that honors your wishes and supports what is best for you, the baby, and everyone involved. We understand that every adoption journey is unique, and we are open to finding a level of contact that feels comfortable and respectful of everyone’s boundaries.

To us, adoption means building a family through love, trust, and deep respect for the people who make that family possible. We recognize that choosing adoption is a profound and courageous decision, and we believe it comes from a place of immense love for your child.

Your place in your child’s story will always be important. We will ensure that your child grows up knowing about you in the way you choose, and understanding from an early age the love, care, and thought that went into your decision. We will speak about you with respect and gratitude, and we will support your child throughout their life as they come to understand their adoption story and the important role you hold within it.

Should you wish, we would be happy to share photos and updates about major milestones and special moments in your child’s life. While our careers may make it difficult to guarantee regular in-person visits, we are committed to maintaining the level of communication we agree upon and to nurturing a relationship that is meaningful, honest, and respectful.

Adoption has always held a special place in our hearts because, to us, family is built through love, commitment, and connection. We have long admired the courage, selflessness, and love that are part of an adoption journey. The idea that people can come together to create a family through trust and shared love for a child is something we find deeply meaningful. Adoption is not simply a path to parenthood for us—it is an opportunity to honor a child’s story, celebrate where they come from, and provide them with a home filled with unconditional love and support.

Our hopes and dreams for a child are both simple and profound. We hope they always know they are loved, valued, and accepted exactly as they are. We want to provide a safe and nurturing home where they feel encouraged to explore their interests, pursue their dreams, and develop into the person they are meant to be. We look forward to sharing everyday moments—reading bedtime stories, celebrating milestones, cheering them on at activities they enjoy, helping with homework, and creating family traditions that they can carry with them throughout their lives.

What excites us most about welcoming a child through adoption is the opportunity to grow our family while honoring the unique journey that brought us together. We are excited to learn who they are, discover their personality, celebrate their individuality, and watch them grow. We look forward to helping them understand and embrace every part of their story, including the love and courage that made their adoption possible.

Our Story

We met while we were both stationed overseas in Korea. The whole year we were there we were only acquaintances and hung out a few times in groups. Once we were back and stationed 5 hours apart, we figured that was a good time to start hitting things off. We dated for 10 months before we knew that we wanted to spend our lives together and Val proposed. We got married in 2020 while stationed overseas again and then celebrated with family once we were back with a reception in 2021.

As a dual military couple, our life has been filled with incredible opportunities to experience life in different cultures, countries, and communities around the world. With those opportunities it has come with some sacrifice and time that had to be spent away from family. We know what it’s like to be away from family, we cherish the moments that are spent together and with our families, exploring off-the-beaten-path destinations, and making memories together. Our home is tucked away on some land surrounded by the peaceful sounds of nature. We enjoy coming home after being out and about as it provides a calm and relaxing environment to recharge and unwind. We have four dogs and a cat who make our home that much more warm and comforting. Your baby will grow up in a home overflowing with love, laughter, and plenty of puppy kisses every single day. 

Amanda is the best person I know. She is loyal to a fault, funny, and she never takes herself too seriously. She loves her family and they talk multiple times a week.

Amanda loves kids. She was 14 when her parents had her little brother and she took on a caregiving role which has shaped who she is as an adult. Her niece and nephew absolutely adore her. Any time we visit they are so eager to spend time with her and tell her about what they have been up to. My own niece and nephew immediately loved her.

Amanda is a meticulous and driven person. Which goes well with her love of DIY projects. She is super handy. I have learned so much from our house projects together. She’ll deep dive into online forums, YouTube, and self-help books to ensure she knows what to do before starting a project. She is looking forward to sharing her handywoman knowledge and doing projects with a little one someday.

Amanda’s patient, caring, and nurturing soul will make her an amazing mother. I am beyond excited to see our family grow with her by my side.

Val’s best qualities are her devotion, intelligence, and her humor. She is the youngest of three siblings, and shares a close relationship with her siblings and her best friends.

Children are drawn to Val. Her friend’s children get so excited when she comes to visit. The first time my niece met Val, she walked up to her, held her hand and didn’t let go the rest of the day walking around the grand canyon. Her own niece and nephew are no different.

Val loves history. I’m always amazed at how many random facts she knows. She definitely carries the team in trivia nights. Any time I look over when Val is not busy, she is usually reading. She enjoys fiction and supporting small up-and-coming authors. She already has a list of books to read to baby at bedtime.

Val truly bears a love that is genuine and fun. That amount of time we spend laughing is unbelievable. She is going to make a great mom.

We live in Georgia about two hours south of Atlanta. Our town provides access to a lot of outdoor activities and events. There are plenty of community activities and we have friends in the area that have children of their own.

Our home is on six acres of land. You can often see deer and nature wandering around as you look out from our back porch. We have a pond that you can fish from and plenty of room for running and playing around.

We love our home for its openness and the ability to give a child a very own space to make their own. We can’t wait for them to watch the birds and butterflies fly by, get their hands dirty while we plant vegetables in the garden and watch them grow their minds as they explore the area around them.

Together, we enjoy doing DIY projects around our house to truly make it our home! Val comes up with the idea and Amanda makes it come to life.

Our extended family is very diverse. It brings together different races, ethnicities, cultures, and religious backgrounds. Family gatherings are filled with unique traditions, foods, perspectives, and celebrations that create an environment of acceptance, learning, and love. The same is said for our close friends. We have met so many wonderful friends from all walks of life that provide us with a strong and supportive community. We have family and a close friend who were adopted. Their perspective, experiences, and support have been meaningful to us as we navigate this journey. Your child will never have to worry about not fitting into our family. They will grow up surrounded by diversity, inclusion, and will always have someone that they can connect with.

We believe that a child’s heritage, culture, and identity are important parts of who they are, and we are committed to helping them develop a strong sense of pride and connections to every aspect of their story. We understand that our role as parents is not only to love and support our future child, but also to actively honor, celebrate, and learn about their background. We would intentionally incorporate their culture and heritage into our family’s everyday life. This could include reading books featuring characters and stories from their background, preparing traditional food, celebrating cultural holidays/events, learning about important historical figures from their community, and exploring music, art, and traditions that are meaningful to their heritage. We would also seek out cultural festivals, museums, community organizations, and local events that allow our child to connect to their culture.

We have four dogs and one cat. Our oldest dog, Spector, is 13 and a gentle soul. Then we have our Miniature Pinscher, named Archer. He thinks he’s a big guy, but he is the smallest. Mattie and Mabel are our two female dogs and they are both the sweetest girls, but they definitely run the house. We rescued our cat, Scottie, on the side of an old back road. She has some special needs but is super sweet and loves to take naps in the window. All of our pets are great with children!

We both grew up in families that believed some of life’s best moments happened around the dinner table. Cooking meals together, sharing family recipes, and gathering with loved ones created memories and developed our understanding of the importance of connection, laughter, and quality time. We knew when we got married that this was a tradition that we wanted to continue and build into our own family. We began making homemade pasta from scratch every New Year, to re-connect with Val’s Italian ancestry, take time to reflect on the year past, and look forward to the year to come.

We can’t wait to watch our future little one play in their own pile of flour and create warm memories with a full heart and stomach! If you have your own favorite recipe we would love to make it with them as a way to connect with you and share in your traditions too!

Above all else, our greatest hope is to raise a kind, compassionate, and confident person. We want our child to grow up knowing that family is not defined by physical similarities or shared genetics, but by love, commitment, trust, and support that people share with one another. We hope to teach them the importance of kindness, empathy, and respect, and to lead by example in how to treat others.

We want them to embrace and celebrate the diversity of people and experiences around them, understanding that every individual has a unique story and value. We hope to teach them to look beyond appearances and assumptions, and that the most important value is someone’s character and integrity. Most importantly, we want them to know that they are deeply loved, to feel secure in who they are, and to grow into someone who makes a positive difference in the lives of others.

Thank you for taking the time to get to know us. We hope that we were able to connect with you and show the love we hope to share. If there is anything else you would like to know, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We want to be as open and honest as we can throughout this journey. We admire and respect whatever decision you make and know you will choose what’s best for your baby. If that leads you to us, we can promise you they will be surrounded with all the love, guidance, and opportunities they could ever need. We will nurture their dreams, celebrate their milestones, and honor your role in their life in whatever way you choose.