Hannah is genuinely the most high-on-life little soul we’ve ever encountered. Getting to be her parents has been the highlight of our lives and the source of infinite joy. Her vibrant personality shines in everything she does. Whether we’re singing ABBA in the car, making slime at the kitchen table, or joining Matt on a trip to ACE Hardware so she can push the kid-sized shopping cart, Hannah approaches life with enthusiasm and wonder. Her love of bright colors, upbeat music, and creative projects reflects her adventurous spirit and zest for life.

She also has an incredibly nurturing side. Most days, she can be found caring for her baby dolls—feeding them, changing their outfits, and tucking them into bed. On walks to the car, she often stops to rescue roly-polies from the driveway, carefully moving them to the grass so they won’t get too hot or “lost from their families.”

While many of these qualities are simply part of who she is, they have also been nurtured by the incredible village surrounding her. We are especially grateful for her teachers, who have become dear friends and important people in our lives. They often come over for backyard BBQs, join us on trips to the zoo or park, and babysit when we have date nights. We know Hannah will bring so much love, fun, and excitement to life with a younger sibling. She talks often about having a baby in our family and is eager to become a big sister!

Our greatest hope is to raise children who are kind, compassionate, capable, and joyful. This goal shapes our parenting and the values we try to model every day. We believe kindness grows through everyday actions. Every Friday morning, Emma and Hannah stop at Starbucks on their way to school to pick up coffee for Hannah’s current and former teachers. It has become a special tradition that teaches gratitude and appreciation for the people who care for us.

At the same time, we believe children build confidence through independence, responsibility, and learning from mistakes. We love watching Hannah develop new skills, whether she’s putting together a challenging puzzle, cracking an egg on her own while baking, or choosing her outfit each morning. We are so grateful to watch Hannah grow into a person who loves herself and others, and can’t wait to do the same with her future sibling.

Education is an important part of our family life. Emma is a College Counselor, and her dad coached college baseball for 38 years, so conversations around our dinner table often include college admissions, college sports, and updating the family on the latest “Gen Z” terms Emma learns from her students. Because education opened so many doors for us, we place a high value on learning and personal growth. We were both fortunate to have our college educations supported by our parents, and we hope to provide the same opportunity for our children. Before Hannah was born, we opened a college savings account for her and continue to contribute to it regularly. We plan to do the same for our future child. While we value higher education, we also believe there are many paths to a fulfilling and successful life. Whether our children choose college, trade school, or another professional training program, we will encourage them to pursue the path that best aligns with their interests, talents, and goals. We love being involved in our daughter’s learning, building relationships with other families, and supporting her teachers. Above all, we hope to foster a lifelong love of learning, curiosity, and confidence in our children as they discover who they are and what inspires them.

We live in an awesome suburban neighborhood in California surrounded by close family and friends. Emma’s parents live right across the street, so we see Yaya and Papa nearly every day! We spend many summer afternoons swimming in their pool and enjoy family dinners together several nights each week.

Our neighborhood is full of young families. The kids are always outside riding bikes, scooters, and playing together. We’re especially close with two neighboring families, both of which have young children. We enjoy monthly “neighbor dinners” with them where everyone takes turns hosting.

We own a two-story home with 4 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms. Our property includes a large fenced backyard with a play structure, sandbox, and plenty of room to run and play. We love spending time together in our living room, whether we are building puzzles, making forts, or watching a baseball game, as well as enjoying backyard dinners and movie nights under the gazebo when the weather warms up.

We’re also within walking distance of a local park, which has a great playground and hosts weekly summer “Concert in the Park” events that we love to attend. Hannah’s school/daycare is just across the street—and conveniently located next to our favorite ice cream shop, making Friday afternoon ice cream outings one of our favorite family traditions.

We are very close with both of our extended families, despite them being pretty different!

Emma is one of five kids, each of whom is married to or partnered with someone of a different race/ethnicity or religious background (Vietnamese Buddhist, Mexican Catholic, African American), so there is a lot of diversity in the family! Most of Emma’s immediate family lives in California, but her older brother and his family live in Indiana. Emma’s parents have been married 35 years. Her mom, Kathy (Yaya), was born and raised in Mississippi and her father, Dean (Papa), was born in South Dakota but raised in California. Thanks to Yaya’s Southern roots, family traditions include making seafood gumbo each year to enjoy on Christmas Eve and hosting lively Mardi Gras celebrations with friends and family.

Matt comes from a much smaller family with one brother, Nick, who is married and has two daughters. Matt’s parents and brother’s family live about 20 minutes away, so we are lucky to see them regularly. One of our favorite annual traditions is going to the foothills with them to cut down Christmas trees the weekend after Thanksgiving.

We are blessed to spend lots of quality time with our extended families- whether we are watching our niece perform at the community theater or cheering on our nephew at his little league games. Since both sets of parents live close by, we celebrate all holidays together and frequently combine both sides of the family when we get together!

Thank you for taking the time to read our letter. We can’t begin to imagine the emotions, courage, and love wrapped into this decision, and we’re deeply honored that you might consider getting to know us.

We are Emma and Matt, and while it’s impossible to fully capture who we are in just a couple pages, we hope this letter gives you a glimpse into our hearts, our relationship, and the life we hope to share with a child. We believe adoption begins with connection, trust, and compassion, and we hope you feel the care, openness, and a bit of lightheartedness we bring to this journey. We first met in 2013 after “swiping right” on Tinder-- a pretty novel way to meet someone back then. Emma was finishing college at Santa Clara University, while Matt had just moved home from Chico State to begin his career in construction management. From the start, we seemed like opposites. Matt loves mechanical projects, is more type-A, and comes from a small family. Emma is a baseball enthusiast, big-picture thinker, and comes from a large, loud family. Despite our differences, there was an undeniable connection, and twelve years later (including 9 years married), we can confidently say opposites really do attract. Nearly four years after meeting, we got married. One funny memory from our wedding weekend is that we legally had to get married the day before our ceremony because our officiant realized at the last minute that he wasn’t ordained in the state where our venue was located! We love this story because it reflects one of the greatest strengths in our relationship-- our ability to roll with the punches and find joy in unexpected moments. We moved to the Sacramento area in 2018 to be closer to family. In 2019, we bought a home across the street from Emma’s parents, lovingly known as Yaya and Papa. Emma started a college counseling business, and in September 2021, we welcomed our daughter, Hannah.

Our lives feel wonderfully full. We’re surrounded by loving family and friends who are deeply involved in our everyday lives. Whether we are swimming in Yaya and Papa’s pool, taking the boat out on Friday evenings, baking M&M cookies for Hannah’s class, riding scooters around the neighborhood with our wonderful neighbors, or hosting cousin sleepovers, our home is filled with laughter, warmth, and togetherness. Not to mention our dog, Millie, loves all the attention that comes with a full house. We are so excited to expand that love with another child. Hannah can’t wait to become a big sister and shower her sibling with love and kindness. She is a spirited little soul who loves putting together wild outfits, dancing unapologetically in the living room, and swimming for hours on end. At the same time, she is deeply thoughtful and caring. During a recent trip to Legoland, Hannah refused to ride any rides that her younger friend wasn’t tall enough to enjoy with her. We already see what a loving big sister she will be and can’t wait to watch her grow into her role. Emma encourages her students to present the truest, most authentic version of themselves in their college applications, and trust that the right college will not only celebrate who they are, but foster the right environment for them to reach their full potential. We see many parallels between that process and adoption. As prospective adoptive parents, we want to show up fully, honestly, and vulnerably throughout this journey, and we hope you feel empowered to do the same. We trust that openness and authenticity will lead us exactly where we’re meant to be. Our promise to you is that we will always honor and celebrate the important role you play in our child’s story. We hope to maintain an open relationship filled with updates, visits, and connection, so that this child always knows how deeply they are loved by all of the people who make up their story. We truly believe family is built through love, and would be honored to welcome you into ours.

Thank you for allowing us to be part of your story.

Matt & Emma