Beth: Twenty-four years ago I became a mother for the first time, one of the best moments of my life. Being a mother is the most motivating and rewarding job I have ever had. Three years after my daughter, Hannah, I was blessed with a son, Liam. Watching the two of them grow up has been an amazing experience. I enjoyed every step of the way from holding them in my arms as babies to taking my daughter to college. There's nothing better than knowing that I have raised two healthy, strong and unique individuals. Unfortunately, after having my son, I experienced some complications and at age 32, had to have a hysterectomy to improve my quality of life. At the time I had come to terms with knowing I wouldn't have any more children with my husband at the time. However, years later, we divorced and I met Josh. Immediately, we discussed children because of my medical history. He explained that he couldn't wait to be a father and it didn't matter to him whether his child was biological or adopted. From that moment I knew I would be a mom again. Now, being older, I am beyond thrilled to be able to devote all of my attention to this little one. Hannah and Liam are equally thrilled to have a little brother or sister to teach new things, give advice and to love.

As teachers, we have both worked with students with learning disabilities in the areas of reading, writing, math, executive functioning, and ADHD for over fifteen years, as well as Beth formally teaching Art, Science and Social Studies and Josh currently teaching English. Josh typically has a much lighter schedule in the summer and either teaches small sessions and camps for a few weeks or tutors students that need extra support. Additionally, both of Beth's careers allow for flexible scheduling throughout the summer months to coordinate with Josh's schedule. This gives us a lot of extra free time to spend on hiking local trails, visiting the zoo and other local attractions, seeing movies at the theater, and visiting family and friends. We love to walk up the street to several of the restaurants and cafes around our home. When the NHL season starts up we watch the Blues and attend games at the Enterprise Arena as much as we can. Within our house, we like to sit down every night and share dinner. This allows us to catch up with one another as we share a meal. We also like to share a family show that we can watch together at least once a week. Over the last several years, Josh has devoted a great deal of his free time to gardening. He can often be found working in the garden, harvesting produce, canning vegetables, or simply doing further gardening research. Throughout the year, when she is not baking for her business, Beth loves to share the fun task of decorating cookies with family and friends, as well as trying out new recipes along the way.

Every year, right after school lets out, we journey to Florida. We meet Josh's parents, sister, cousins, aunt and uncle down there for a couple of weeks of sand and sun. We have been going to this area for about ten years now. Most of our days are spent on the beach under an umbrella watching and listening to the ebb and flow of the ocean's waves. Some days we drive and visit Disney World or Universal Studios. At night, we typically play games, or sit outside on a boardwalk to watch the sun go down and look for dolphins. We also go on a boating trip when we are down there. Some of these trips are tours of the area with music and dancing, while other trips are focused on fishing and offer us the opportunity to go back to the condo and learn how to spice up and cook our fresh catch. Perhaps, most importantly, this annual trip is a chance to get to visit with Josh's sister, Kaysha, who lives in Oregon. Over the past five years, she has been a foster parent, and often brings the child/children with her. It is a great time for us to get to meet them and make memories. She has been fortunate enough to have had the same 3 children (twin girls and a boy) for over the last 2 years and is now in the process of adopting all three. So, for the last several years, we have gotten to know the three children, and spend quality time with them, not only while in FL, but on visits throughout the year as well. All in all, it is something we look forward to each year, and is a vacation we can't wait to share with a child.

We live in a smaller town in Southern Illinois that is absolutely charming. We have a historic Main Street with cute shops and restaurants, and three annual parades, the 4th of July Bike Parade, Columbia Days (celebrating the founding of our town) and the Bright Night Christmas Parade in December. Throughout the year, there are various festivals and events, including Artisans on Main and Taste of Columbia, shrimp boils, a 4th of July celebration and Halloween Hi-Jinks.

Our house was built in the 1940's and has charming features including a window seat and several nook areas upstairs. We have an updated kitchen, open dining/living room, front bonus room, three bedrooms and two bathrooms. We also have a large shaded backyard, a side porch off the kitchen, and a welcoming patio. Our style as shabby/chic, which includes lots of colors, comfort and repurposed furniture. Our home is always decorated for holidays and seasons, which is one of Beth's favorite things to do.

Our house is just one block away from Main Street and one block from the town library and city park. There are a variety of children's programs happening weekly at the library and several family events at the park throughout the year. During the summer months, Music at Metter happens each Sunday night, which features various musicians, as well as food trucks. Each September there is a Festifall, which includes folk music, pumpkin decorating, face painting, arts and crafts, and local food vendors.

We are very blessed that both of our families are excited to welcome a new child into the family. Josh's parents, Dave and Cheryl, are beyond thrilled to have their third grandchild and can't wait to be called "MeMaw and Papa" again. They are caring, energetic, generous and love kids. They are both retired and are excited to be involved in our child's life, especially as caregivers during the first year. Dave and Cheryl live close by and we often get together to explore restaurants, watch Blues Hockey and play games.

Beth's parents, Dave and Jan, are experts at being grandparents. In addition to Hannah and Liam, six other children call them "Nanny and Papa," ranging from "just arrived" to 15 years. Dave and Jan are also both retired and spend most of their time volunteering at their local Moose Lodge. One of our favorite traditions with them is going to their house for "Sunday dinners." Dave is an accomplished griller and Jan is an amazing cook. Gathering outside on the patio to visit before and after dinner, playing whiffle ball in the backyard, and spending time in the amazing treehouse that Dave built for the grandkids, are some of our favorite things to do as a family.

Thank you for considering us, although we are strangers now as you read this, we hope to share something very special with you in the future. We are Josh and Beth, and we live in Illinois, just outside the St. Louis area. We met 11 years ago while teaching at the same school and were married in December 2016. When we began our relationship, we knew we wanted to have a child together, and it has always been our plan to grow our family through adoption. After the birth of her two children, Hannah (24) and Liam (21), Beth had numerous medical complications, ultimately resulting in a hysterectomy at age 32. We are thrilled to welcome a child of our own into our home through adoption, and want to thank you for giving us hope on our journey to grow our family.

As a family, we love to hike around our area, exploring trails with unique sights; especially in the Autumn. We love mountain biking, fishing, and boating as well. We also enjoy going to our two city parks, one of which is located a block from our house, and attending local festivals featuring art and music. We are both active in volunteering for a variety of causes, mainly animal rescue, and spending time with our family. We can often be found at one of our parents' houses on the weekend, making dinner or barbecuing and playing a variety of games. We love to try new restaurants and explore small towns. Since we are indoors most of the day with our jobs, we enjoy being outdoors as much as possible on our time off. We love playing with our black lab and rescue dog, Wednesday, in our backyard or at the nearby dog park.

Being from the St. Louis area our entire lives, we love to support our local sports teams. Josh can often be seen at a St. Louis Blues hockey game with his dad, as part of their season tickets. We also love attending hockey games as a family as well. Cardinal baseball is also one of our favorite sporting events. There's nothing like spending a perfect summer night at Busch Stadium, cheering on the home team.

As a teacher and former teacher, we are excited to share our love for learning and exploring with your child. Education is one of our top priorities and we can promise that your child will receive whatever he or she needs to be successful in school. We met teaching at a school for high potential children with learning disabilities and feel confident in our abilities to handle most educational situations as they may arise. We believe that a child should be given the space to create and explore new learning opportunities as they present themselves, while maintaining the appropriate level of structure that each child needs to thrive.

We are committed to do everything in our power to provide your child with the happiest of childhoods and the best opportunities. Your child will always know that you made this decision out of love, a decision that will always have our utmost respect. We want your child to admire your strength and selflessness. We want to ensure that your child knows not only our story, but yours as well. We are committed to an open adoption in a way that is comfortable for all. We would be happy to keep you informed about your child's growth, sharing milestones and joys through letters, emails and photos.

We wish you all the best and offer you our sincerest thanks for considering us as a potential family for your child.

Josh & Beth