Hello we are Andrew & Dana - Graceful Adoptions

Hello we are...

Andrew & Dana

Our Hopes and Dreams...

We want to provide a child with a loving home, endless support, and true family atmosphere.

We can offer amazing possibilities. Thankfully, we have a stable home and financial situation, but there is more to life than money. We offer an extended family that cannot wait for a new family member. We offer unconditional love. We offer exposure to God, Jesus Christ and the church. We offer an appreciation for animals, respect for others and being grateful for all the blessings the Lord has bestowed upon us.

We have been together for 7 years and can’t wait to have children. We tried infertility treatments, but after unsuccessful attempts to conceive we know adoption is the way to expand our family. Adoption is already a part of Andy’s family, so it was an easy decision. Andy’s mother is adopted and Andy’s sister and her husband have adopted three children.

We realize this is a very difficult decision for you and we want you to know we are thankful for making this tough decision. We are firm believers God has a plan for all of us. If you chose us we believe it is a part of God’s design. If you select us to parent your child, he or she will join a family who cannot wait to love them. Your child will be the center of our world. We will make every effort to make all of his or her dreams come true.

Respectfully,

Andrew & Dana

515.225.6351 / 877.628.1415 GracefulAdoptions.com

We focus on what matters to make every adoption a beautiful experience.

Faith – Our belief in Jesus Christ as our savior is the heart of our family. Our faith in God is what brought us together and made us into the supportive couple we are today. We attend a Christian church that encourages a strong faith in the Bible, family, and love. We will bring our child up in the church with praising/thanking/trusting God a part of everyday life. We will share our faith with our child by praying before we go to bed, thanking God for our food and teaching our child to be a good person. We believe God has a plan for each and every one of our lives and look forward to our child finding that unique path God has in store.

Family – We believe in a strong family and support system. We value time together and making the most of all life experiences. We both come from families who supported us and provided us the foundation to become the people we are today. They took us on trips, attended school events and exposed us to different parts of the country. We want to do the same for our child. We strive to show our child the importance of family through dinners, swimming out on the lake, taking vacations, going on walks with our dogs, and supporting each other at activities. We will be there for our child whether it be a school project, hanging out watching a family movie, or attending an extracurricular school/community activity. Our child will be surrounded with an extended family including cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. Being there for our child will be our number one priority.

Education – We believe education is so crucial in today’s world. We both have college degrees and believe learning does not stop after a diploma is obtained. Being an integral part of a child’s learning is important. We strive to incorporate learning and education as part of everyday life. We believe there is always opportunities to learn and every day can bring new experiences - whether it be learning their ABCs, shopping at the grocery store, reading a book, exploring nature, having fun with animals at a petting zoo, listening to music, road trips to see new sights of the country or meeting new friends. We will support our child’s educational growth by always being there and by helping our child learn these new things of life. There is so much to learn in this world and we will make learning part of everyday life and most importantly, fun!

Healthy Living – God gave us these amazing bodies. Taking care of the body we are given is a commitment to not only God, but ourselves, family and loved ones. We believe in an active lifestyle and will incorporate activities for our whole family to enjoy. We will demonstrate an active lifestyle with our child by going on walks, swimming in the neighborhood pool, encouraging playtime, taking the dogs for walks and fun time with cousins. We look forward to exposing our child to many different activities and experiences. We both encourage team and structured activities. We believe being involved in structured activities teaches a child teamwork, discipline and work ethic. We hope our child finds interacting with teammates fun, rewarding and fulfilling.

Our values and beliefs

as parents...



We live right outside Nashville, TN in a family-centered neighborhood with lots of sidewalks, trails, a playground, and three different size swimming pools. There are lots of professional sports nearby, including NHL and NFL teams. Our home is in one of the best school systems in Tennessee and the bus actually stops right in front of our house.

We had our home built in 2012. We were fortunate to have the opportunity to write scriptures on the framing, floors and walls prior to the finishing stages. I love knowing we have these as part of the base for our home and marriage. We love being at home and our child will be with us through every journey life takes us.

Our home is beautiful and inviting. The interior walls are painted with neutral warm colors. We like simplicity and clean lines. When we designed and built the house, we wanted to make all the space livable with a purpose. The less clutter the better. We strive to live “light” in the house and clean up after ourselves. One of our favorite things is seeing the dog toys either on the floor or in their basket. (Just wish we could train the dogs to also pick up after themselves...)

We love family time and spend most of our time together eating and talking. We also enjoy “game” nights when we play board games or watch sports. We spend a lot of time in our bonus room where there is a big screen TV and surround sound. Andy is a huge fan of the University of Tennessee (UT) so our bonus room is painted smokey gray with UT accent pieces.

Our main living area leads to one of our two outdoor living spaces. We installed custom French patio doors with a doggy door insert. This allows the dogs a sense of freedom to go in and out when needed. Last summer we purchased new patio furniture so we have a great place to sit under the covered patio and talk. We also have a grill and outdoor dining furniture. During the warmer months we eat outside. We even have cable and electrical outside to watch TV.

Evening is our favorite time of day. This is the time of the day we are both together and can disconnect from our work lives and reconnect with each other. Our favorite meal is spaghetti. We both came from “spaghetti loving” homes. There is just something “homey” and soothing about a plate of spaghetti and homemade garlic bread. And you cannot forget the sweet tea! We love catching up on our TV shows and spending time with our furry four-legged children. We cannot help but spoil them rotten. We love play time with them, throwing a ball, rope tugging and going for walks.

Where we go, our child will go. When we are at home our child will be with us. We look forward to hearing the pitter patter of little feet. We look forward to the laughter and life our child will bring. We also look forward to watching our child grow and develop. And our dogs will have a new brother or sister to play with!

Our home...

• Both non-smokers

Hobbies:

Adoptive Mother:

Spending time with our family and our dogs,

exercising, aerobics, dance, shopping

Adoptive Father:

Coaching nephew in his sports, being with family,

attending University of Tennessee athletic

events, watching sports, boating, exercising

Professions:

Adoptive Mother: Operations Manager

Adoptive Father: Sales Manager

Education Level:

Adoptive Mother: Master’s Degree

Adoptive Father: Bachelor’s Degree



Our family...We met at Dell where we both worked eight years ago. For our first date, Andy offered to go with me to pick out a puppy. On the way we stopped at Waffle House for breakfast and then on to our puppy journey! I came home with a six-week old puppy I named Frankie.

Andy proposed on our one-year dating anniversary and we were married approximately six months later. I told Andy, IF he was going to propose, please make it something that holds a special place in our hearts. And he did! He proposed at Waffle House. The same location and the same booth from our first date. I am a big proponent of traditions and it meant a lot to me that he asked my mom for permission to ask for my hand in marriage. Initially our wedding was scheduled for a Saturday night but due to Andy’s unwavering love for the University of Tennessee football team, we moved our September wedding night from a Saturday to a Friday night so he wouldn’t miss the football game. Now that is true love!

We love being around our dogs. We would take food out of our mouths to make sure our dogs did not go hungry. I have a hard time walking into PetSmart without coming out with dog toys and treats. We take them for rides and over to visit our families. One of our favorite things to do with the dogs involves Christmas. One of us will set out their presents under their dog tree while the other stays with the dogs. Once all set out, we release the hounds! We absolutely love seeing the looks on their faces when they see all the new goodies under the tree. We look forward to warmer weather months so we can take them outside to play and for walks around the neighborhood. We have an emphasis on exercise and see the benefits for not only us, but also our dogs, when play and activity is incorporated as part of everyday life.

Neither one of us can imagine life without both sides of the family. Holidays are important to all of us. One of our favorite holidays is Halloween. Our neighborhood goes all out - there is even a house with lights set to music! Each year our nephews and niece come over to go trick-or-treating. We eat first for energy and then begin our Halloween journey! We also gather at Easter for an Easter egg hunt and on 4th of July to watch fireworks. We enjoy being around our nephews and niece and spending time with them, which we do often. We’ve been to see the Harlem Globetrotters, to many movies, and of course they participate in game nights.

It is hard to put into words how close we are to our families, and they are excited about us expanding our family through adoption. They are a great support system and helping us to keep a positive outlook. Andy’s sister and her husband have adopted two boys and one girl. Witnessing and hearing about their experiences has been helped us along our journey. Our family will welcome another family member with arms wide open! Andy and I will have the first grandchild on my side of the family. Andy’s family cannot wait for the new addition either. Our child will join a family with so much love and openness.



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Hello we are Andrew & Dana - Graceful Adoptions