We believe that the Lord put the desire in our hearts to adopt from day one. We knew before we got married that we would grow our family through adoption. The fact that we have experienced several miscarriages has only solidified our faith and desire to parent a child through adoption. We have also witnessed firsthand what a beautiful blessing adoption is with one of our nieces being adopted as a baby and we have friends who have adopted. We are inspired by their journeys. We are so excited to provide a child with unconditional love, opportunities and a secure home. We are thankful to have a great support network of family and friends and they can't wait for us to grow our family! We are ready with open arms to welcome and cherish a precious baby.

We are a very loving, fun couple, and enjoy spending time together. We are bicultural, bilingual educators and have dedicated our lives to working with children. We both grew up in California, and we met early in our teaching careers after moving to Oregon where we now live. The moment we started talking to each other, we quickly discovered that we shared many of the same interests. There was an instant connection. We first became friends and loved spending time together doing things such as eating delicious food, going on scenic hikes and simply making each other smile and laugh. After a short time, we started dating and the rest is history! We knew that our relationship was special. We got married on a sunny and crisp December afternoon eighteen years ago.

Our love continues to grow each day and we are each other's best friend. JoAnna not only found the love of her life in Will but was also blessed with becoming a mom to his beautiful daughter Holly who is now grown and to his amazing son Alex. Early on in our marriage, we sadly experienced loss and grief. Besides a number of miscarriages, we also suffered the terrible loss of our beautiful son due to medical complications. We honor him everyday in how we live our lives. Alex taught us a deeper meaning of love and compassion, and he always wanted a little sibling.

We share a strong faith and always encourage and support each other. We cheer each other on and we help each other up when we fall. We are full of love, family-oriented and can't wait to bring a child into our home to love beyond measure!

I was born in Northern California and grew up outside of the city. I come from a loving, large and diverse family. I am Hispanic on my dad's side. One of my favorite childhood memories is going to my abuelitos' (grandparents') home. I'm very passionate about being a bilingual elementary teacher. I love getting to know the unique personalities of my students and find so much joy in watching their eyes light up as they discover and learn new things. I also love making them laugh! I couldn't have chosen a better career. I absolutely love children! I also love spending time with family and friends, whether it's going out to a favorite restaurant, shopping or having them over to our home. I enjoy exercising, playing the piano, decorating our home, gardening and being outdoors in the fresh air. I like to dance and sing around the house. Will often enjoys the silly songs I've been known to improvise! My two greatest blessings are being a wife and being a mom. I can't wait to love your child with all my heart if you decide to make us part of your story.

Things I love:

• Being outdoors
• Chocolate/ Watermelon
• Cooking delicious food
• Traveling to our favorite spots & new places
• Children's books
• Reading in the backyard

What Will loves about JoAnna ~ Las cosas que Will ama de JoAnna

I fell in love with JoAnna's smile and her bright beautiful eyes. It has been said that the eyes are the windows to your soul, and JoAnna has a beautiful one! She is loving, caring, and compassionate. She cares deeply for others-including her students, and above all, loves Jesus. I love how she is outgoing, friendly and easy to talk to. She makes me complete and her ever-present and calm demeanor brings peace to my life. Most of all, I love the mom she has been to my children. She came into our lives when they were little and became the best mom (and wife) we could ever ask for. She is the love of my life. JoAnna is the heart of our family! I know that she will love your child unconditionally.

I am Salvadoran-American. I was born in San Salvador, but grew up in Los Angeles, California during my forming years. As a child, I was raised by my abuelita, who instilled in me the love of Jesus, caring, and hard-work. Growing up in LA later as a teenager into adulthood wasn't easy, but despite the circumstances I overcame and went to college and became a bilingual principal. I work hard every day to ensure that all children have a safe and positive learning environment. I am a loving husband and father, and I love to build and fix things around the house. I love the outdoors, adventure, and mentoring kids. I love to play soccer, but most of all, I really enjoy coaching kids and teaching them soccer skills. And my favorite baseball team is the Dodgers! One of the most beautiful things I have done in my life has been raising my son and my daughter. They are the apple of my eye. I always wanted more kids, and can't wait to love your child as well!

Things I love:

• Travel/ Adventure
• Outdoors/ Camping/ the Ocean
• Good food/ Barbecues
• Ice Cream, Carne Asada, Pupusas
• Soccer
• Bike Riding

What JoAnna loves about Will ~ Las cosas que JoAnna ama de Will

Will is my best friend and the love of my life. He is dependable, honest, and has a wonderful sense of humor. He keeps me grounded when life seems uncertain. One of the things that I instantly loved about Will when we first met was what an incredible dad he was to his kids. I loved seeing the special bond he had with them. It was clear that he was their hero! To this day, Will and Holly continue to share a loving daddy-daughter relationship that makes me smile everyday. What I love most about Will is how he is such a great listener and listens with his heart. I, of course, also love how much he makes me laugh! I love that we enjoy cooking together and he especially loves when we make horchata french toast on the weekends. Will is very kind-hearted and always puts our family first. When he says he is going to do something, he always follows through! He has a warm personality and connects so well with people from all different backgrounds. Will is the rock of our family.

We love staying active and exploring the outdoors. We enjoy the four seasons where we live, although we must admit that we prefer warm and sunny weather over cold and cloudy days. We enjoy going on long walks, hiking, and riding our bikes. We look forward to teaching our child how to ride a bike when the time comes! We love that we are surrounded by beautiful and scenic trails. We also enjoy camping (although our friends call it "glamping") during the summer months near the ocean beaches where we can fly kites, build sand castles, and take in the beauty of the outdoors.

We love traveling to new places and cities! Some of our favorite places to travel to are El Salvador (to visit family) and California (Disneyland is always a family favorite!). We have fun trying out new restaurants. We love finding warm beaches wherever we go! Another thing we like doing together is cooking yummy foods and hosting get-togethers with family and close friends. We enjoy listening to music while we cook up our favorite family dishes (Mexican and Salvadoran) and new dishes where we don't fully follow the recipes, but cook with our senses just as our abuelitas did! We also love discovering foods and traditions from other cultures.

We love our neighborhood! We live in a recently built home and enjoy our frequent walks on tree-lined paths to a very large community park with play structures for children, picnic tables, ponds, soccer fields and tennis courts. Our home is located in a cul-de-sac in a safe, quiet and multicultural neighborhood with a wonderful mix of families with children and young couples. Our house is filled with natural light and has three bedrooms, a home office, a playroom (designed with a new little one in mind), two full baths and one half bath. We also have a large open kitchen/living room where we love hosting family get-togethers. The future nursery will be a well-lit room next to our master bedroom.

We have a beautiful backyard perfect for playing or spending a relaxing afternoon. Will loves to build with wood and has built a pergola in our backyard for us to enjoy family barbecues (carne asada, yum!) and time in the sun. He is already planning on building a swing and play structure as well!

We love the location of our home because it is close to our work, church, schools, libraries, the city, museums, the zoo and so much more. There is such a variety of fun-filled activities for families and kids! We are so grateful that Holly lives nearby, so we get to spend time together often. We also live within driving distance of the coast where we visit as often as we can. We are excited to raise our child in such a culturally diverse and great community.

We both come from large families with lots of nieces and nephews! Our families are fun-loving and there's never a dull moment. We enjoy coming together for the holidays, birthdays, weekend get-togethers and special occasions (Christmas, baptisms, quinceaneras and graduations, etc.). Everyone is so excited and supportive; they love that we have embarked on this adoption journey. Your child will be fully loved by a big sister, aunts, uncles, cousins, and an adoring grandma from each side of our family!

We hope that our story has given you a glimpse into our lives and hearts, and has allowed you to see the life that we promise to offer your child should you choose an adoption plan with us.

In our family, we love deeply, we laugh and have fun together; we eat and pray together. We share the goodness of the Lord and we accept and learn from mistakes and give grace. We support one another and we grow together. We will raise your child to know their story and where they came from. We promise that your child will always know you and your tremendous love for him or her.

We promise to love this precious child unconditionally. We will raise your child to know the Lord and to love and make a difference in the lives of others. We will teach kindness through our actions and be your child's biggest supporter.

Your child will grow up in a bilingual and multicultural family, broadening their horizons and preparing them for a bright future. We will raise your child to be proud of who they are and their background. We promise to encourage education and provide your child with the experiences and opportunities to become an amazing, kind, thoughtful and caring adult.

Remember this, you are brave and loving. We truly admire your courage, and we will continue to pray for you each day that you receive the strength and clarity you need in this season of your life.

With much love,

JoAnna & Will