Paul and Rachel

When you google the term Unconditional Love you get the answer “it is love without strings attached. It’s love you offer freely. You don’t base it on what someone does for you in return. You simply love them and want nothing more than their happiness”. We cannot express how deep our gratitude to you goes. We know unconditional love is what has landed us on this journey that has brought us to you and your child.

Your child will tie the three of us together for the rest of our lives in ways we might not even fathom as of yet.

Life is a weird adventure, and we are ready for the next step.

Like many other families who adopt, we have had a share of infertility issues. When we were first married Rachel was diagnosed with PCOS. We spent years and all her inheritance on infertility treatments. At the start of 2020, we reached the point where our hearts were not in it anymore, the toll on Rachel’s body was not worth it and we had all the time in the world to talk it through over and over. We concluded that there are so many children out there who just want parents who can offer love and stability. A child is a child no matter whose body it comes from. Parents are the ones who raise their children in love and acceptance, and who put their children above themselves. We want to adopt to give a child those parents, us, when the ones who can give them life are unable for whatever reason to give the child what we can.

With us both working in education, our lives have traditionally followed the school calendar. While Rachel still works in the school system, Paul now works from home, which has given our family even more flexibility and time together. During the school year, our days are fairly routine. Rachel leaves for school in the morning, while Paul works from home. Evenings are spent together enjoying dinner, walking the dog, working on projects around the house, or relaxing with a favorite TV show. Weekends can be quiet and restful or filled with small adventures. Paul often attends church on Sunday mornings, while Rachel attends services on Friday evenings. Saturday nights have become especially meaningful as we regularly take Paul’s mother out for dinner while she is staying with us.

We enjoy keeping daily life simple while making the most of school breaks and holidays. Those times allow us to tackle bigger projects around the house, spend time with family, and travel. In recent years, we have traveled to Canada and Maine with Paul’s family, taken our first Caribbean cruise, and spent time in Gatlinburg with Rachel’s family.

What we foresee for your child is a life filled with consistency, love, and involvement. Because Paul works from home, we do not anticipate needing daycare or a nanny. There may be times when a babysitter is helpful if Paul has a project, meeting, or commitment that requires additional support, but one of us will generally be available throughout the day.

As your child grows, we will carefully consider the educational environment that best meets their needs. We are open to public school, private school, or homeschooling, depending on what is available and what will help them thrive at that stage of life. We believe every child is unique, and we want to provide the setting where they can be most successful and happy.

We look forward to including our child in the rhythms of our daily life—family meals, walks, household projects, holidays, and travel. As they grow, they will have age-appropriate responsibilities and opportunities to build confidence and independence. If they develop an interest in sports, music, art, clubs, or any other activity, we will do everything we can to support and encourage their passions. We want to be actively involved in their interests, celebrate their accomplishments, and help them discover who they are.

Rachel is intelligent, funny, creative and I love her beautiful eyes! An example of her creativity was evident in one of our first vacations together as a married couple. I planned a surprise Christmas trip to St. Louis. Shortly after we left Georgia on a 1,400 mile round trip that took twenty-three hours of driving I realized that I had forgotten my favorite beanie. When I told Rachel she calmly said, “no problem I will make you one.” She then proceeded to crochet me a gray beanie in the passenger seat while I drove. By the time we stopped for the night in Nashville, I had a new beanie! The most important goal that Rachel has centered around being a mother. She has dreamed and thought about it since she was a young girl playing with her dolls. After seeing how she is with our niece and the students she has taught over the years, I know that she will be a wonderful mother. I am excited to start the next chapter of our life together that will center around our shared love for your child.

My two favorite things about Paul are #1. He lives his life with the goal of being the best person for his family and #2. He has really funny voices which he has great timing bring out. In Paul, I know that I have a partner who I can trust fully and always rely on in all aspects of our lives. He takes his time to research before making a decision. Makes sure we are always safe. At home and in public. He has a strong moral code of how one should behave towards others. This aspect of him landed him as the head of the Honor Council at his school. I’m one of the lucky ones who gets to see his fun side. Paul loves to plan adventures for us. This can be longer vacations or what he calls “mini adventures”. Seeing how fun he is as an uncle, I know he will be a fun dad. Seeing how dedicated he is to his student’s knowledge and safety proves he will be even more so with his own child. Even after 10 years I look forward to watching Paul develop as a person, and even more so as a father.

We moved to Mobile, Alabama from South Georgia six years ago. Semmes has a small-town feel that is close to the bigger city. We can easily get to many places in the city of Mobile within 20 or 30 minutes. Most often we go to the gym at The University of South Alabama, where Rachel got her masters a few years ago. The pool and gym there are amazing. It will most likely be the place we teach a child to swim, and where they will spend some time at summer camps. The people of Mobile take Mardi Gras very seriously and often state that it started here not in New Orleans. There is always something to do in the city of Mobile, though much of what we need is here in Semmes. Our favorite Thai restaurant is down the street and we have gotten to know the owner. The high school Rachel teaches at is only 5 minutes from the house, we do end up running into Rachel’s students often. Semmes is a growing community, but due to the many large plant nurseries in the area will still feel like a small town for years to come. Semmes City has a great library, two parks, several community ball fields, and a splash pad to name a few things. They have recently started a weekly farmers market and a food truck Friday. We are excited to see how our little town develops as we live here longer.

Our home is small but cozy, with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The living area is open and airy, making it easy to spend time together whether we are cooking, reading, or relaxing. Rachel loves cooking in the kitchen and being able to look out into the rest of the house while she does. Her favorite feature is the beautiful built-in shelving where we keep our growing library and treasured family heirlooms passed down from grandparents.

Paul’s favorite part of our property is the large backyard. Over the past few years, he has transformed the back buildings into a music studio and a ceramic studio, and together we recently added a dedicated kiln building. These spaces allow us to pursue our creative passions while still leaving plenty of room for our dog, Hans, to run and play. There is also ample space for a future playset and, hopefully one day, a pool.

We enjoy spending time outdoors, whether working on projects around the property or taking walks through the neighborhood with Hans. Our home is not extravagant, but it is full of warmth, creativity, and love. We have built a life here that feels comfortable and meaningful, and we look forward to sharing it with a child.

Both of Rachel’s parents are closing in on retirement but are not there yet. They live in North Georgia, and her brother and his family have recently moved into their home with them to help everyone. Rachel’s mom and her twin sister (Rachel’s aunt) are beyond excited and ready to help however they can with a baby or child. Rachel’s dad is a big goofball and is just looking forward to teaching another grandchild how to do mischievous things, like shooting straw wrappers into Rachel’s curly hair at restaurants. Voshti is our 7-year-old niece, and she is looking forward to having a cousin on her dad’s side of the family. Her mother, our sister-in-law is so sweet and gentle, and can’t stop talking about all the things we can do as a family with more kids. Rachel’s brother is just hoping someone will finally want to go fishing with him. Paul’s mom is older, and just turned 87. She is reserved and is just looking forward to watching a grandchild be themselves as long as she can, She will probably stay in our home longer periods of time for this.

When it comes to our “tribe” here in Alabama, we have friends in the Jewish community, Paul’s church community and our school communities that will welcome a new addition to our family with open arms. Our friend Jerod will be a fun “extra uncle”. He is our closest friend here and is a rock for both of us. He has helped us when we are in binds and need a friend with out asking anything in return. He has dragged himself out of bed to bring a tent to Rachel for a ceramics sale at 8 am on a Saturday, and is currently helping to fix our ridding lawn mower. Added bonus as a volunteer fire fighter/first responder he always ends up with animals that need a home, and has started a small farm on his land that a kid would love to visit. No matter how far they will have to travel, we know that we have plenty of support and love with a child from the people we surround ourselves with.

Rachel more than Paul has felt how differences can feel, good or bad. Growing up in the military culture there are people of all backgrounds, races, and faiths. Her extended family has German and Puerto Rican Catholics, and French and Polish Jews, with some native and country cornbread thrown in. It wasn’t until her father left the Air Force when she was 10 that race or religious differences became clear to her, and it was upsetting, to this day she has ended up being the “token Jew” to many. It’s something she has learned to embrace and feel pride over most times. Paul luckily grew up with parents who were able to shelter him to some extent because they were kind to everyone and never had a negative thing to say about the color of someone’s skin.

As adults, we have both seen the negativity that can happen when someone is different from what is the “norm”. We live in the south, where even the people meaning well, can make someone who doesn’t quite fit the mold feel left out or othered. As teachers, we see it all the time, especially with the white vs black. We’ve seen the white kids in the mainly black schools get made fun of and bullied and vice versa. We’ve seen the “light” kids get made fun of by the “darker” kids. We’ve heard over and over again “Where are you really from?” to the Latino or Asian-looking kids. It’s a topic of discussion we have had a lot with each other and those close to us. It can be a complicated discussion and raise fear for children who might not fit the mold of where we live or whose skin color is different than ours. We have managed to boil it down simply. We want to love a child, your child, and help them become the best person they can be. We want them to be proud and confident of who they are in every aspect. We will do our very best to make sure they have the tools to gain those. We believe that showing a family full of love, acceptance and fun will be what others will see and nothing else.

Animals have always been an important part of our family. Rachel often says that a house does not truly feel like a home without a dog in it.

Hans, whose full name is Hansel Von Wulffenstine, is our seven-year-old German Shepherd-Corgi mix. He is incredibly sweet, gentle, and eager to make friends with everyone he meets. Whether he is accompanying us on walks, supervising projects around the house, or relaxing on the couch, Hans is happiest when he is spending time with his people.

Maverick is our two-year-old black cat and the unofficial mascot of Rachel’s Art Club students. Curious and full of personality, he quickly became Hans’s companion and keeps life entertaining with his antics. Despite his playful nature, he is affectionate and enjoys being part of the daily activity around the house.

We recently said goodbye to our beloved beagle-Jack Russell mix, Gabbie, after many wonderful years together. She was a treasured member of our family and taught us so much about loyalty, companionship, and unconditional love. The love we shared with her continues to shape the way we care for the animals in our lives today.

Our pets are part of our family, and we look forward to sharing that love of animals with a child. Whether it is helping care for pets, taking family walks with Hans, or laughing at Maverick’s latest adventure, we believe animals bring comfort, responsibility, and joy to everyday life.

RACHEL Her family moved a lot and her dad was deployed most of her childhood, making most holidays a little different from year to year. As a way to give her kids some whimsical childhood memories, Rachel’s mom shared her love of theater and musicals with her children, she would spend months searching thrift stores to help her children come up with their dream costume for Halloween or Purim, then make sure that they had someplace to go and enjoy the festivities.

PAUL Saturday pizza and movie night. His parents would load Paul and his brother into the car and go pick out two movies and the pizzas. Paul’s second favorite family tradition was his birthday parties. Paul’s parents would take his five favorite friends out to play three games of highly competitive putt-putt while taking arcade and food breaks. We hope to find and develop new family traditions as we get to know our child and look forward to reaching some of the old magic of our own.

We promise to raise your child surrounded by love, stability, laughter, and acceptance. We will encourage them to discover who they are, support their dreams and interests, and provide a home where they always know they are loved and valued.

We promise to honor your place in their story. We will speak of you with gratitude, respect, and love, and we will make sure your child knows that their adoption began with an act of courage and love. We will never hide their story from them, and we will answer their questions honestly and in ways that help them understand how deeply they have always been loved.

We promise to share updates, milestones, accomplishments, challenges, and everyday moments in whatever way feels comfortable and appropriate for the relationship we build together. We understand that every adoption journey is unique, and we are committed to respecting the level of connection that is best for everyone involved.

Most importantly, we promise never to take this gift for granted. The trust you place in us is something we will carry with humility every day. We cannot promise perfection, but we can promise that we will do our very best to provide a life filled with love, opportunity, family, adventure, and unwavering support.

Your child will always know how wanted they were, how cherished they are, and how many people loved them from the very beginning.