Kara & David

David is a calm, intelligent, and thoughtful man. Although he may seem quiet at first, he is full of fun and makes me laugh constantly even though he may not mean to. David is extremely passionate about his job as a college professor and researcher. He is a deep thinker and wonderful writer! He absolutely loves sports whether he is playing or watching. Wise. Loyal. Gentle. These are the three words that come to my mind when I think of David. He is wise in the choices he makes, how hard he works, and how he seeks wisdom from God’s Word in all situations. David is loyal in that he loves his family with his whole heart and truly puts us before himself. He is always there to spend time with us and make new memories. I never question his love for me and our son, Nate. He has such a compassionate heart and is always looking for ways to serve. David is very gentle. I love watching him play dinosaurs, kick the soccer ball, jump on the trampoline, and read with Nate. The list could go on with all the things these two do together! He is always so patient as he teaches Nate new things. I am so thankful that he is able to spend so much quality time with his family. David is involved in all aspects of Nate's life and is constantly pointing him to Christ. He is a good listener and always makes sure we are communicating and working together as a team as we walk through life’s ups and downs. David is the spiritual leader of our family and loves to lead our family in nightly devotions and prayer. It is one of our most treasured times as a family. David is such a wonderful father and Godly example to Nate. His love, wisdom, guidance, and involvement in Nate and our future child’s life is why he is such a wonderful father. I know he is excited to nurture and invest in our next son or daughter’s life.

Kara is my best friend, the love of my life, and a true embodiment of what it means to be her spouse’s better half!She is an absolute joy to be around, and her bubbly personality is infectious. She does not know a stranger, and her genu-ine love and concern for those around her is always evident. She is comical, caring, and a good type of crazy. There is no one else whom I would rather do life with. While I certainly love all of the adventures we share together, she makes everyday life fun, and I never doubt for a minute that she loves me and Nate. Kara also helps keep me accountable and makes sure I stay on track as the leader of our family. I admire her close relationship with the Lord and am constantly inspired by her loving spirit. She is also an incredible mother. Even before I saw her interact with the kindergarteners and 1st graders she taught for several years, her nurturing and caring demeanor was always evident. Now, I see it on full display as she lovingly guides Nate through life. She has always desired to be a mom, and even though that can be a very thankless and challenging job, she handless it selflessly, without complaint, and with Nate’s best interests in mind. Seeing how she has handled both the joys and challenges in life and parenthood has reaffirmed what I thought about her since the day I met her: she is a kind and loving person who does not let the bad things on this earth bring her down. Nate and our future children will be blessed to fall under her guidance.

Nate is our sweet and huggable son who we adopted through Gladney in 2019. He is currently 3 years old and cannot wait to have a sibling to play with around the house! Nate’s personality reminds us very much of Winnie the Pooh. He is so gentle, laid back, and friendly. Nate is very outgoing and loves playing with other children of all ages. Right now, Nate loves to jump on the trampoline, do puzzles, and play with trains. When Nate is not at school, Nate and mommy spend their days playing at the park, going to the pool, going on walks, baking yummy treats, and riding his bike . When Daddy gets home, Nate and Daddy spend their time wrestling, playing ball, or jumping on the trampoline. We love to end our days with a fire in the backyard or evening walks to the park then bath time, and reading the Bible with Nate. Nate has a wonderful relationship with his birth mom. We FaceTime and text often. We also look forward to visits with Nate’s birth mom and biological grandmother. She has been such a blessing to us and is an amazing woman. We are so blessed the Lord brought her into our lives. We are excited to watch and cultivate a beautiful bond between Nate and his sibling through their stories of adoption and their brave birth mothers.

Cooper is our funny and loveable corgi. Cooper will be four years old in May 2021. Nate and Cooper are constantly running and playing around the house and in the backyard. Cooper has been the perfect family dog! He is very gentle with Nate and other children. Cooper enjoys going to the dog park, long walks, cuddling with his family on the couch, and eating all the scraps that fall to him!

We absolutely love the neighborhood and community we live in! There are many places to ride bikes, trails to go walking, and a community pool to enjoy during those hot summer months. We have a large backyard which is our favorite part about where we live where we enjoy playing soccer, eating outside, and having bonfires! Our neighborhood is very tight knit and there are so many young families. We enjoy calling up our neighbors and going on afternoon walks to the playground/park and eating dinner together. We often grill out on summer nights with many of our neighbors in the backyard and just let the kids run around and play. As a stay-at-home mom, it is such a blessing to Kara to have such a great community to do life with. Another huge part of our community is our church! The support and community from our church has been such a blessing.

When we have time away from work, we are adventure seekers! We are blessed to have been able to experience many beautiful sights and sounds throughout our lifetime and have BIG plans to carry on these traveling traditions with our family. We love exploring with each other and with our friends and family. Some of life’s greatest joys are realized through travel and just making memories with the ones you love. We love hiking, boating at the lake, and enjoying the beach! These past two years have been especially memorable as we have gotten to experience all of these things with Nate. We can’t wait to continue to show our children the beauty in our world and expand their dreams and horizons through travel!