Al & Laura

Hi! We’re Al and Laura (and our two dogs Rey and Daisy). It’s lovely to meet you!

We’re so excited to become first time parents and give a baby a safe and loving home. We can’t wait to get to know you, so feel free to reach out using the form below or contact Lifetime to get in touch with us. We are open to staying in contact through texts, photos, and visits each year.

About Us

We’d like to share with you a little about our story in a quick-fire Q&A fashion!

Q: HOW DID YOU FIRST MEET?

A: We first met in our freshman year of college when we both started working at the coffee shop on campus and quickly became friends.

Q: WHEN AND WHERE WAS YOUR FIRST DATE?

A: We started dating our sophomore year and since our school was small and located in a small town, there was only one fast food restaurant, perfect for broke college students—Subway! Then we went to the college basketball game afterwards.

Q: WHEN WERE YOU MARRIED?

A: We were married in 2010 in Laura’s hometown in Ohio. Since Al is British, he wore a kilt with his family tartan as his suit, even though it turned out to be a sweltering June day.

Q: WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO TOGETHER?

A: We enjoy watching our favorite shows as a way to unwind from the day, and we also like going to the gym and working out. Another way we like to unwind (and try to fit more steps in for the day, too) is taking the dogs for a walk around our neighborhood or picking up dinner and taking them to a park. We enjoy playing video games and board games together, and we love doing escape rooms, too. We may or may not have completed all the escape games at our favorite place more than once.

About Al (written by Laura)

Al loves the Lord and has always wanted to be a father. He has such a quick wit that still often takes me by surprise, and he has a great laugh. Another thing to know about Al is how smart he is. He has two degrees in mathematics, and he picks up things so quickly. I know he’ll be a go-to for our child when they need help with homework. He has recently gotten into 3-D printing and painting, and he also enjoys working on his model train layout in our basement and playing with our dogs (he’s a big animal lover). With Al’s job, his workday ends at 3 pm and he has weekends off, which will give us a lot of quality time together as a family.

Here are a few things Al’s excited about doing as a new dad:

* Helping with feeding and caring for our little one
* Making silly faces and playing with toys together
* Teaching our child how to swim, ride a bike, and play football (soccer) in the backyard
* Going on family vacations
* Working on model trains together

About Laura (written by Al)

Laura is a joy to be around; she lights up any room that she is in. Her laugh was the reason I fell for her, and I can’t wait to see her share that joy with our child. She loves Jesus, and she loves family. I have loved watching Laura interact with our nieces and nephews over the years; I know she will make a great mother. She is an avid reader and will often stay up into the early hours to finish just one more chapter, so it’s no surprise that she works in the book industry. Laura is looking forward to lots of snuggle time with our child, teaching them how to cook and bake with her in the kitchen, and watching them experience fun things for the first time like going down a slide, riding a rollercoaster, or eating ice cream.

Some of Laura’s other favorite things to do are:

* Knitting or Crocheting
* Walking the dogs
* Gardening (growing our own food) and preserving
* Cooking and baking (especially sourdough bread)
* Reading mystery and thriller books

Our Extended Families

Both of our families are thrilled that we are adopting! Laura’s parents live close by, while Al’s family live in the U.K. It’s important to us to stay connected to both families, so we try to visit Al’s family once a year, whether it’s us traveling to the U.K. or them coming here to visit. Video calls and texts make things so much easier to stay in touch, too.

Laura also has a sister and brother-in-law who live thirty minutes away with four children, and a brother and sister-in-law who live in Colorado. All of our siblings and their children are excited to love and get to know the baby that joins our family.

Some of our family traditions include:

* Birthday parties, which involve favorite desserts, singing “Happy Birthday”, and sitting around the table talking or playing games.
* Going on a vacation, often including our dogs. Our favorite place to go is in Amish Country in northeastern Ohio where everyone stays together in our favorite old farmhouse, playing pickleball, cooking meals together, and visiting the local shops and farmer’s markets.
* Getting together for major holidays with us hosting Thanksgiving (Al’s family joins us when they can), Laura’s parents hosting Christmas, and Laura’s sister hosting Easter.
* When we’re visiting Al’s family in the U.K., we enjoy having family meals and always try to experience something new together.

Our Home in Ohio

We live on a quiet cul-de-sac that is situated outside of the hustle and bustle of our city in southern Ohio, but still conveniently located next to many attractions like laser tag, water parks, rollercoasters, and go-karts. We picked our home with a growing family in mind, so our house has four bedrooms. The nursery is decorated with a beautiful Hundred Acre Wood mural that Laura’s sister painted and has a nice sunny window overlooking our street. We often see people walking their dogs or parents pushing strollers down our street.

Our most lived-in areas of the house are the kitchen and family room, with windows and a patio door overlooking the backyard and deck. Both areas are basically one open room which will make it convenient to check on our little one while he or she is playing in the family room or playing outside. We also enjoy playing board games with friends or family in our dining room.

Our Promise

We promise to raise your baby knowing how much he or she is loved by us, by our extended families, and by the Lord. We will teach your baby to be kind and loving to others, about the joys of growing food and working in the kitchen, and the value of doing your best work, including the small things at home, school, and work. It will be an absolute joy to teach them how to respect and love animals and to watch them develop their own interests and hobbies.

We promise to raise your baby in a Christian home, teach them about Jesus, and involve them in our church family. Know that we are (including our extended families!) lifting both you and your baby up in prayer, and that we’re thinking of you.

You can always reach us through Lifetime if you’d like to speak with us or send a text. We hope to learn more about you, and we’re open to an open adoption in whichever manner you feel most comfortable with, whether through texts, photos, and/or visits.

We’d love to talk or answer any of your questions. Please call or text Lifetime at 1.800.923.6784.

—Laura and Al

In Closing

Thank you again for stopping by our page and getting to know us a little bit. We're honored that you're considering us as potential parents for your baby, and we hope you will reach out to us below for any questions or to receive more info about us. We're open to post-adoption contact and visits, whenever you're comfortable to begin that step.

All the best,

—Al and Laura