Hello from Columbia, Missouri! Thank you for reading our profile and considering us as parents to your child. Being members of the LGBTQ+ community, we have always believed in a chosen family; we both understand that it isn’t blood that unites a family but the friendship, trust, and love between all involved. As parents to your child, we want to welcome you into our lives!

We know that you are critically important in the life of your child. We promise to make you a part of your child’s adoption story and if you so choose, to have you be a part of their life as they grow older.

We have come to a point in our lives after focusing and achieving other life goals that we are ready for the experience of parenting together. We know our life together wouldn’t be as fulfilling without being able to share it with a child. A child who we can help grow into an individual that this world would be better for having them in it! we hope you consider us to be a part of this chosen family for your child.

We found each other back in 2006 when we both happened to be in a tattoo parlor. Michael was getting his first tattoo and he and his friend started asking Matt about his piercings. We had our first date tie-dyeing t-shirts and watching “The Devil Wears Prada.”

Being together over 16 years, we have had lots of time to do all our favorite things. We enjoy playing video games together, swimming in our pool, going out with friends for all the yummy sushi, and hanging out with our pets. We recently got married at the local cave in our town surrounded by our best friend and her three kids. Having a loving family and accepting community has taught us to appreciate people from all walks of life. We can’t wait to share our love, community, and hobbies with your child.

I grew up in the town we live in now with my loving and supportive family. Growing up, my parents introduced me to travel, the arts, and film. They also valued hard work and at 16 I started my first job to pay my way to Italy. I received a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Truman State University and believe in the power of knowledge. I hope to encourage our future child to always continue to learn.

I followed the footsteps of two generations before me and now work in the banking business. When enjoying those bank holidays, you can find me exploring music at the local record shop and constantly adding to my vinyl collection. I would love to show our future child the power of Nina Simone, the twang of Dolly Parton, and the epic talent of Fleetwood Mac!

From a young age, I have always been intrigued with the odd and spooky! I love a good scary movie in the dark or you can find me on my bean bag reading horror comics.

Matt is one of the most caring and responsible people I know. Matt has only ever been supportive, and nurturing. I could not imagine my life without him - mainly because he knows too much about me at this point! I know Matt will be a great father because of his gentle heart and patience. He has a natural inclination to provide and care for anyone or anything that provides him with love and purpose.

I grew up in a few smaller towns in Missouri with 2 older brothers. My childhood was a bit chaotic, but it really provided me with the ability to handle any situation in my adult life.

I attended a junior college on scholarship and obtained an Associates degree of Liberal Arts in Kirksville, Missouri before determining a full four years was not for me. I work for a company that specializes in providing mortgage loans for Veterans. While mortgages aren’t my passion, I enjoy seeing all the good stuff my employer does for people. They also offer great flexibility to work from home!

Some hobbies of mine; creating art, playing video games, hiking/trailing with the dogs, chilling in the pool, and spending time with our friends and family. I am also a foodie but have come to learn as I get older that eating cannot be a hobby, ha! I can’t wait to share and experience new things with our future child. I am very excited to take family vacations to the beach and to teach them how to swim.

Michael has a great sense of humor and always makes me giggle. He teaches me everyday with his humor to be yourself and never be afraid of what others are thinking. I admire his confidence whether he is talking about Mario and Luigi or sharing his convictions on more serious topics from the world around us. He loves with his whole heart and is very protective of people he loves. I can’t wait to see him be the fun and encouraging father I know he will be!

We chose our home because its size allowed us to have five pets, with room to spare. The wooded back yard includes a pool that is going to create so many great memories.

We live in a multicultural neighborhood that consists of 400+ families; it even includes its own park!

We reside in a liberal city in central Missouri—the same town Matt went to K-12 in. The high school that Matt attended is rated in the top 30% in Missouri. We live in a college town so there’s always something to do. A few of the things we like to do are exploring the parks and trails nearby, going to live entertainment events, and trying new restaurants.

Our love of animals has always been present and will continue being an important part of our growing family. Since the beginning, we have always added to our family by rescuing all of our many pets. Our eldest rescue is a petite calico, Ciggy, who has been with us 14 years. The large back yard is the kingdom for our two dogs, Wilgo and Chimal. The male of the bunch is the ever-curious kitty, Howard Parlemagne Johnson. The newest member is the long-haired tabby, Stuffy; she is unable to hear us, but we know she feels our love as we take care of her health needs.

Our pets are a large bunch that get along with each other and love attention from anyone, even small humans.

Both sides of the family are huge with a ton of aunts, uncles, and cousins. While we don’t get to see Michael’s family very often, we are so lucky to have Matt’s side nearby because they are full of unconditional love and support. Most of our family resides in rural Missouri, where there’s lots of outdoor activities. Although Matt’s brother, Charles, is a professional dancer in Brooklyn, New York!

Since 90% of the family are local to us, there’s never a shortage of family get togethers, especially around the holidays.

As we get older, we find ourselves choosing to hang out with Matt’s Mom and Dad on Friday nights, instead of going out. Matt’s parents, Russell, and Susan, have been married for over 40 years. Their relationship is truly an inspiration to us and something we strive to have every day. We get excited thinking about all the aunts, uncles, and cousins that our future child will get to grow up with and learn from.

Most holidays are spent with family. While we aren’t a religious family, we do find Christmas time to be magical. We cannot wait to make all holidays feel special for our future child, like our parents did for us.

We are very excited to add to our family and do everything we can to promote a feeling of wholeness for our future child. This includes you; you’ll be providing us a dream come true. We commit to guiding and empowering them on their life journey, while supporting their creativity and childlike wonder.

We promise to embrace your role as Birth Mother and teach your child to love wholeheartedly.