State We Live in: Illinois
Our Religion: Christian
Stay At Home Parent: No
Our Age Preferences: Newborn-3 Months, 3 Months – 12 Months, 1 and 2 Years
Our Gender Preferences: Either Gender
Our Race Preferences: Any Race, African American, African American/Hispanic, Asian, Caucasian, Caucasian/African American, Caucasian/Asian, Caucasian/Hispanic, East Indian, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, Native American
Sibling Group: Yes
With oldest up to 2 years old
Open to Twins: Yes
Learn More About Us
We're Open To Visits!
Call or text Lifetime Adoption at 1-800-923-6784.
Hello from small-town Illinois! We are a young couple who enjoys walking with our dog, shopping, spending time with friends, and exploring new places together. Although we are different, we balance each other out and encourage each other to try new things. We have wanted to be parents for so long and cannot wait to grow our family through adoption. We know that God has called us to Lifetime, and we pray for our future baby and his/her birth mother daily. We promise to provide a safe, affectionate home for your child that encourages them to discover and embrace who Jesus has called them to be. We are so excited to get to know you and we are open to scheduled visits and phone/video calls.
About Us
We met working a summer job at a waterpark in the summer of 2016. Alana was going to school in Florida and Cooper was in Illinois. We dated with 1000 miles of distance between us, visiting each other over breaks and Facetiming every night. After three years of distance, we were married in 2019.
We cherish our time together, but we also enjoy spending time with friends and family on the lake in the summer and with bonfires and movie nights in the winter. We love to explore new places, go shopping together, and try out different restaurants. Our favorite way to spend an afternoon is walking our dog and sharing a meal with the people we love. We cannot wait to share our life with a child and try new things as a family.
We always talked about adoption when we were dating, but we did not know when our adoption story would begin. After three years of infertility, loss, and lots of prayer, we clearly saw that God was opening the door to adoption for us. We are thrilled to begin our parenting journey and finally start the little family our hearts have always wanted.
Meet Cooper
Alana says: Cooper is the most gentle-hearted man. He always thinks before he speaks and knows how to be calm in times that make others feel stressed. He loves watching sports, playing golf, coaching basketball, talking to friends, playing video games, and spending time with family. Cooper is excited to go to the movies as a family, take our child to sporting events, see animals at the zoo, and give them other experiences that will make their childhood memorable. Cooper will show our child how to love others well, teach patience, and model empathy. He will be a great dad because he always puts others before himself.
A short story that tells you about Cooper: When we were dating, there was a hurricane coming to the university where I was attending. While everyone else was evacuating, I was afraid I would get stuck in the bumper-to-bumper traffic on the evacuation route and be stuck on the road in a hurricane. So Cooper got on a plane and flew to me so I wouldn’t be alone. If Cooper will fly into a hurricane for love, think about the bravery he will show and the lengths he will take to take care of our child!
Meet Alana
Cooper says: Alana is easily the most incredible person I know. She is kind, loving, smart, and very talented. Since I’ve met her, she’s always been working with children. She worked at my family’s waterpark, taught elementary school, and now works as a speech pathologist at our local hospital. Alana enjoys spending time with the people she loves, doing things like game nights, movie nights, walks around town, and other outdoor activities. Alana is excited to read books before bedtime, take our child to the beach for the first time, spend rainy days snuggled on the couch, and plan big birthday parties filled with family and friends. She will show our child how to work hard to achieve their dreams, teach them how to be a trustworthy friend, and she will encourage them to love and respect others. Alana has a deep love for children, and I am so excited to see her become a mother.
A short story that tells you about Alana: When we were dating, Alana helped with my church’s vacation bible school program. She didn’t know anyone at the church or any of the kids, but by the end of the week the kids were all surrounding her and fighting for her attention. It was a great opportunity for me to see the way she can effortlessly connect with kids and made me realize that one day she would be an incredible mother.
Our Home in Illinois
We live in a small, picturesque town in central Illinois. It is small enough to be quiet and cozy, but there is also plenty to do. Our 2-story, 5-bedroom home sits on a big lot with plenty of room to run and play, and is conveniently located just blocks away from the town movie theatre, candy store, record store, coffee shop, and toy store. We are also located next to the church we attend, and just minutes from schools and restaurants. Our home is no stranger to hosting friends and family, but is also our family’s cozy getaway from it all. We are lucky to live in a Hallmark town, and we know a child will absolutely love it too.
Our Family
We are blessed to both have big families that love us and are actively part of our lives. We are even luckier to have a lot of that family within 45 minutes of us, so we get to spend a lot of time together. We get together for cookouts, to spend time outdoors, go to the movies or have game nights. We also get together annually in big extended family gatherings for Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, and even birthday parties. Our future child will grow up knowing them well and feeling very loved by so many.
The rest of our family, although they live in other parts of the country, gives us a great opportunity to travel and experience new things while we visit them. They are extremely loving and kind people, and we always leave wishing we had more time with them. We cannot wait for our child to get to know them.
We also have a group of friends in our local community that have become family to us. We see each other regularly and share all kinds of experiences with them. They have become our favorite part of the place we live, and we know that they would be there for us if we ever needed anything at all. Although they are not the family we were born into, they are the family we chose!
Our Promise
We promise to tell your child about you and their adoption story. We will work every day to imitate the love that Jesus shows and to raise your child in a home that knows the importance of His Word. We promise to support their dreams and provide them with opportunities to experience their different interests. We promise to stay in contact with you, if that is your wish, and share updates about your child and their life. We will provide a warm, affectionate home that feels safe – a place where your child can always come back to no matter how old they are and what decisions they’ve made. We promise to give them a childhood filled with laughter, security, and love.
Thank you so much for considering us as parents. We would love to connect with you! To connect with us, please call or text Lifetime at 1.800.923.6784.
More About Cooper
Education: Bachelor of Arts, Pastoral Ministry
Profession: Youth Pastor
Stay-At-Home: Part-time, and works from home most of the time
Racial Background: Caucasian
His Favorites:
Food: Steak sandwich
Smell: Fresh linen
Warm Weather Activity: Golfing with family
Cold Weather Activity : Movie nights
Animal: Elephant
Bible Verse: Isaiah 54:10
Childhood Memory: 1st NBA game
More About Alana
Education: Master of Science, Speech-Language Pathology
Profession: Pediatric Speech Therapist
Stay-At-Home: No
Racial Background: Hispanic/Caucasian
Her Favorites:
Food: Tortellini pasta
Smell: Cinnamon apple
Warm Weather Activity: Going to the beach
Cold Weather Activity : Bonfires with friends
Animal: Sea otter
Bible Verse: Isaiah 40:8
Childhood Memory: Dancing ballet in the Nutcracker
Gallery
click on any image to enlarge
More About Our Family
A Day in the Life ...
On a weekday: Alana gets up early to go to work and Cooper wakes up a little later and usually works from home or the local coffee shop. Once the workday is over, we often take our dog for a walk or workout together at the gym before dinner. If it is a youth group night, Alana may meet Cooper at the church and help out with games/small group. We end the night with prayer before going to sleep.
On a weekend: Alana makes her coffee and reads her Bible, and Cooper plays with the pets. If nothing is planned, we usually seek out friends or family to spend time with or we do our separate hobbies together - for example, Alana will read in the golf cart while Cooper golfs. Either way, we enjoy leaving work alone on the weekend and spending intentional quality time with each other.
Plans for Education
As a former elementary school teacher and current pediatric speech therapist (Alana) and a youth pastor (Cooper), we know just how important education is for a child's upbringing. We understand that every child has unique needs and gifts, but initially we plan to enroll our child in the local preschool and public elementary school when it is appropriate. We both plan to attend parent-teacher conferences and volunteer at school events. We are looking forward to being involved in our child's education and hopefully helping them discover extracurricular activities that bring them joy.
Our Pets
We have a dog named Bentley. Bentley is the sweetest soul who is very gentle around everyone, especially young children. She is always following Alana around the house and loves to snuggle on the couch with her family. Fun fact about Bentley: Our friends often tell us that they wish their dogs were behaved as well as she is!
We also have a cat named Dolly. We found her as an abandoned kitten, and she loves to play. Her favorite things to do are sunbathe, look out the window, and follow Bentley around the house. Fun fact about Dolly: We call her "Surprise Bear" because she reminds us of the Care Bear that likes to play fun tricks on her friends.
5 Fun Facts About Our Lives
1. Cooper's aunt and uncle own a waterpark less than an hour from our house! (It's where we met!)
2. Alana has lived all over the country (Florida, Kentucky, Washington, South Carolina, Illinois) and loves to travel.
3. We enjoy riding roller coasters and try to go to 6 Flags every Fall.
4. We always have random good luck finding a parking spot when we go shopping.
5. Our happy place is a cabin in Tennessee, surrounded by Fall leaves and a crisp breeze.
In Closing
We feel humbled and honored that you took the time to look through our page. We are praying for you and your journey every single day. We would love to get to know you; our hearts are prepared and eager for an open adoption at your comfort level. We promise to love and care for your child with our whole being and to tell them about you, who stepped out in love to provide a nurturing home for them.