Matt and Agnes

We have a lot we hope to convey in this booklet, but we hope the key points you get from reading this is that we’re a loving couple who have wanted to grow our family since before we were married. We offer a loving home with a large support network of family and friends and a desire to raise your baby so that they can grow into a happy healthy child with everything they need to pursue their dreams. We’ve been blessed in so many areas such as finding each other, good health, successful careers and the ability to travel the world to become who we are today.

To start, we want to convey that we’re so thankful you’re considering us as adoptive parents of your child. Hopefully by reading a bit about us you’ll be intrigued to know more. This is our first time adopting a child, and we will be new parents at the end of this journey. Just like we don’t know what to fully expect, we understand that you’re on a unique journey as well. One thing that we’re both in agreement on is ensuring that you have a place in the child’s life. We hope to discuss that and understand what that means fully as we get to know you.

Building a family has been a shared goal of ours since before we met and was discussed at length when we were dating. We knew that we have a shared love in our hearts to raise a family. We both come from large loving families and want to continue the same for the next generation. Unfortunately after a 4 year infertility journey we now know that adoption is our only path to fulfill that dream. Just as we respect your right to share as much as you’d like about your journey, we’re open to sharing our story with you if you wish to know more details about ours. We look forward to a healthy, respectful relationship with our child’s birth mother. We respect how hard it must be to consider adoption and are so very thankful that you’re considering us to become the adoptive parents of your child. We believe that the healthiest way to raise your child is to ensure they know their birth mother and that you’re a part of their life.

We absolutely love to travel! Before we met, Matt had a job that allowed him to travel all over the US, Europe and Asia. Once afraid to fly, he’s now eager to go nearly anywhere at a moment’s notice. In fact it was a photo of Matt at an Indian friends wedding that caught Agnes’ attention. Agnes grew up in Africa and had traveled to Thailand, Europe and all around Africa before they met. As a couple we’ve been on at least one international trip a year. As a multi-racial, multicultural couple we enjoy traveling to new places to absorb the culture, history and of course the food of these unique locations. We’re so excited to be able to share the world with our future children. We want them to have access to these experiences that we value so much.

We also love live events! Whether its a comedy show, jazz club or large venue concert we’ll watch just about anything live. Our home city of Milwaukee has so many concert venues that there is always something to see. We also trek to Chicago often for weekend events.

In the last few years we’ve become avid gardeners. We enjoy fresh food and what started as a few plants in pots has expanded to a garage the size of a 3 car garage. Matt’s favorite harvest is sweet corn and Agnes loves all the different lettuces for salads. We also love day hikes. There are several state and federal parks within a few hours drive and we get to several each year.

Agnes grew up in Uganda, a small East African country marked by political turmoil during her childhood. At 18, she and her family moved to Wisconsin, a bold and resilient step that has always amazed me.

In Wisconsin, Agnes pursued her dream of becoming a nurse, caring for elderly patients and helping them rehabilitate after surgery. Though modest about her achievements, she frequently receives praise from families for her exceptional care, humbly insisting, “I’m just doing my job.”

What I love most about Agnes is her caring and patient nature. She keeps me grounded and brings calm to my life. Some of our best memories are from our travels, laughing and making the best of unexpected changes. Her resilience, especially during our IVF journey, left me in awe. Lately, she’s been creating a stunning backyard garden, filling our home with warmth and vibrant color. Watching her dedication bloom has been a true joy.

I’m incredibly proud to be married to Matt, whose curiosity and kindness inspire me every day. From the start of our relationship, he embraced new experiences, like attending a Jazz in the Park concert and enjoying his first Ethiopian meal, which remains a favorite of ours. Whether tackling new cuisines, fixing engines, or trying a new recipe, Matt’s enthusiasm for learning and helping shines through.

Matt grew up in Lansing, Michigan, and studied engineering at Michigan Tech, where he honed his mechanical skills and love for winter activities like snowmobiling and sledding. Today, he enjoys outdoor adventures year-round, from gardening and building custom structures like our pergola to hiking and playing fetch with our dog, Rusty.

His kindness is just as remarkable—he remodeled our home and helps my mom with repairs, saving her money for retirement. Whether he’s fixing cars, making amazing barbecue ribs, or helping those in need, Matt’s generosity and resourcefulness make me love him even more.

We live in Milwaukee Wisconsin, about 2hrs north of Chicago. We’ve owned our home here since 2017 and both work nearby. We recently finished remodeling our home, with a big focus on the kitchen as we both love to cook. Agnes cooks lots of stir fry dishes and Matt makes a lot of pasta dishes, but we both frequently are trying new recipes we find during our travels. We’re into gardening and have a large entertainment space in the back yard where we frequently have friends and family over for bonfires. We built this space after covid so that we could have a place to spend as much time with those we love as possible. We’re near Lake Michigan and often take our dog Rusty for walks by the lake. Milwaukee has a lot of jazz, comedy and music festivals that we attend as much as possible. We also have a cabin on a lake about 4hrs from Milwaukee. We go up there as often as possible to fish, hike, snowmobile, and relax throughout the year. Its where we go to relax from the world!

Our family reflects our diverse backgrounds, with loved ones as close as a mile away and as far as Africa. Thanks to the digital world, we stay connected with everyone. Agnes’ mom and siblings live nearby in Wisconsin, so family gatherings often feature Ugandan food, music, and dancing. The local Ugandan community feels like extended family, and we cherish trips to Uganda every two years to visit relatives and enjoy the vibrant culture.

Matt’s extended family is mostly in Michigan, and we see them every 1-2 months. His large, close-knit family connects regularly, with annual reunions bringing the cousins together. Matt’s grandparents, many of whom lived into their 90s, adored Agnes, and both sides of our families have embraced each other warmly.

Our meet-ups range from brunch with Agnes’ family to cabin trips with Matt’s family or massive parties in Kampala. We’re grateful for how well our families get along and the values our parents instilled in us: respect for others, a drive to learn and succeed, and the importance of family and friends. We aim to pass these lessons to our child, ensuring they grow up loved, with clear guidance and strong values.

We’re a bi-racial, multi-cultural couple. Matt is a descendant of European (Italian, Welsh, German)Immigrants and Agnes was born in Uganda, East Africa. Its a space that we’ve learned to navigate very well and we enjoy the differences each brings to the relationship. Our backgrounds reflect in our personalities and provides a large amount of variety in our life. We look forward to welcoming a child that may also be from a mixed background. In fact it’s a goal of ours to be able to celebrate that our family continues to grown in size and diversity. This includes ensuring that our child knows their heritage and is welcome to celebrate it.

During the early years of our marriage, Agnes worked as a shift nurse, so we couldn’t always spend holidays together. Now, with her day job, we’re all in on holiday traditions! Thanksgiving is a time for friends, with Matt perfecting his smoked turkey recipe, while Christmas is spent with family. We love touring the local zoo’s Christmas lights and dining at our favorite supper club. Matt, an avid outdoorsman, enjoys hunting and fishing with his family and can’t wait to share these experiences with his future child. Agnes, a book lover, looks forward to teaching a little one the joys of reading.

We both come from large families and children of our own have always been something our hearts wanted. We dream about being called “mom” and “dad”, teaching them how to play soccer or baseball, making waffles on a Saturday morning, pushing a stroller through the airport and taking them to the 4th of July parade to catch candy. We are a bit older than most first time parents but that just means we have so much to share with the child.

Our parenting style will be to ensure the child always knows that they are loved and supported through all stages of childhood and life. We understand this is a huge responsibility and want to ensure you know we welcome the task with open arms.

We can’t thank you enough for considering us as adoptive parents to your child. We hope our profile has shared our story, our desire to start a family, and conveyed that our hearts and home are open and ready to love your child. We offer a loving home and a supportive extended family that is anxious to surround your baby with everything they need to grow into a happy and healthy adult. Our shared love of education and travel means your child will be supported on a path to ensure they have a well rounded life!