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Bryan & Olivia

Marriage Length

STATE LOCATION

Iowa

CHURCH DENOMINATION

Presbyterian/Reformed

Children

Nathan 14 yr

• passionate about coding
• on a local robotics team
• logical and black and white
• severely allergic to peanuts & tree nuts
• thinks it will be great to welcome another sibling
• loves our family game nights

Deborah 12 yr

• our night owl
• loves to read for hours on end
• a talented artist
• has ADHD
• loves to be creative with both color and words
• has a huge heart of compassion
• thinks it will be so much fun to welcome another sibling
• the thing she loves about our family is having a loving mom and dad

Daniel 10 yr

• all boy
• loves whittling and woodworking
• wants to be a lumberjack
• outdoorsman
• has ADHD
• has dyslexia
• loves helping the farmers
• tender and loves to snuggle
• when asked about welcoming another sibling he says, "I’ll love him or her like I love my baby brother, Judah"
• the thing he loves about our family is freedom, he says "If I want to cut down a tree, I can"

Ellie 8 yr

• full of life
• if it has sparkles, glitter, or butterflies that's all her
• loves to dance, sing, create
• loves to play with her little brother
• loves to play outside with our dog, Lady, and various barn cats
• thinks it will be FUN! Fun! fun! to welcome another sibling
• the thing she loves most about our family is having friends

Judah 1 yr

• all toddler
• so much fun
• loves life
• full of smiles
• curious as a cat and quick on the move
• loves to sing wheels on the bus, twinkle twinkle, the itsy bitsy spider, and etc.

Pets

ABOUT THE COUPLE

A quick snapshot of us:

• We live in rural Iowa.

• Bryan is a pastor of a Reformed Presbyterian Church.

• Olivia is a stay at home mom.

• We value: faith, joy, and love.

• In our home, kids are safe, wanted, guided, and deeply loved.

We're Bryan and Olivia. We've been married for 16 years and are raising five very different kids in rural Iowa. Our home is full--sometimes loud, usually busy, and filled with: meals around the table, read-alouds, friends, church, outdoor adventures, family vacations, and plenty of enjoyment. Bryan is a pastor and Olivia stays home with the children. With the older 4 in school she has lots of one on one time with our toddler. Our Christian faith is at the center of our family, and it shapes the way we try to love each other: telling the truth, apologizing when we get things wrong and working on heart change, forgiving quickly, and treating each person with kindness and respect. We realize that seeing five children may make you wonder whether another child could really receive individual attention in our family. We think that is an important question. Our five kids have taught us that children aren't interchangeable--they have completely different personalities, interests, strengths, struggles, and needs. Welcoming another child would not mean simply adding one more to the group. It would mean getting to know a whole new personal and making room for their personality, their needs, their story, and their birth family.

How we met:

Bryan is from Southern California, and Olivia grew up in Ohio. We met at a Christian student conference in Virginia while Bryan was serving in the Navy. What started as a long-distance relationship eventually became much more. 18 years later, we still genuinely enjoy spending time together, and protecting our friendship in the middle of raising a large family is important to us.

Why Adoption:

It's been a long-held desire since we were both kids. We are deeply grateful for the five children already in our home but we are pursuing adoption because we believe we still have room in our lives and our family to love another child well.

Adoption can bring something beautiful, but it also begins with real loss for a child and birth family. We don't want to minimize that. If you decide parenting your child is best, we respect that. If you decide adoption is best and choose our family please know that your baby will be safe, cared for, and deeply loved in a stable home with open hearts and open arms. We want your child to grow up knowing the truth about their story. We want them to know that their life began with a mom who courageously and selflessly gave them life.

Our faith deeply shapes our decision to adopt. In the Gospel, God welcomes those who were not His children and makes them His beloved children through Jesus. We see adoption as a reflection of that love.

Marriage Length

STATE LOCATION

Iowa

CHURCH DENOMINATION

Presbyterian/Reformed

Children

Nathan 14 yr

Deborah 12 yr

Daniel 10 yr

Ellie 8 yr

Judah 1 yr

• all toddler
• so much fun
• loves life
• full of smiles
• curious as a cat and quick on the move
• loves to sing wheels on the bus, twinkle twinkle, the itsy bitsy spider, and etc.

Pets

ABOUT THE COUPLE

A quick snapshot of us:

• We live in rural Iowa.

• Bryan is a pastor of a Reformed Presbyterian Church.

• Olivia is a stay at home mom.

• We value: faith, joy, and love.

• In our home, kids are safe, wanted, guided, and deeply loved.

Letter to you

Thank you for taking the time to learn about our family. We know that even viewing a waiting family profile can carry a lot of weight, and we don’t take that lightly.

Your story, your circumstances, and the many thoughts you may be carrying right now are real. You are facing decisions that require courage, strength, and love. From the very beginning, we want you to know that we respect you deeply, and we are grateful for the care, love, and thought you are giving to your child.

We'd love to share with you what choosing our family for your child would mean. Our house is already full of people, and we know that may be one of the first things you notice. We have five children, and they have taught us just how different children can be. They need different things from us, enjoy different things, struggle with different things, and relate to us differently. If another child joined our family, we wouldn't want them to simply become "number six." We would want to know them, to know their personality, their interests, their gifts, their fears, and their questions. We’re not perfect people, but we are committed to a child’s safety, belonging, and long-term flourishing. We will love your child with care, stability, and joy. We will honor you in how we speak about you, and in how we tell your child their story.

You deserve to be treated with dignity. You are not a problem to solve. You are not a footnote. You are not someone to be judged. If adoption is the path you choose, we will speak of you with respect and gratitude. Your child will be taught the truth: that they were deeply valued, and that their story began with a mother who loved them enough to make a costly, selfless choice. A child does not have to love us less in order to love you. We would talk about adoption openly and honestly from the beginning. And if adoption brings complicated feelings for them someday--sadness, questions, anger, gratitude, curiosity, or a mixture of all those--we want our home to be safe enough for those feelings too.

If you decide to parent your child, we genuinely hope you have the support you need to do that. If you choose adoption but another family feels right to you, we hope you have peace about that decision. And if you choose us, we would be deeply grateful for the privilege of getting to know you and of loving the child whose life would forever connect our families.

Thank you for taking time to learn about us. This is just a small window into our family. We hope it helps you picture our home. We hope it shows you the love and steadiness a child would receive here, if adoption becomes part of your story. Thank you for allowing us to share a small part of ourselves with you. No matter what you choose, we hope you are surrounded by support, kindness, and understanding.

We are honored simply to be considered, and we are praying you have wisdom and peace.

With love and respect,

Bryan and Olivia

Read Less

our family video

ABOUT Bryan

EXTENDED FAMILY

WORK & EDUCATION

HOBBIES & INTERESTS

ABOUT Olivia

EXTENDED FAMILY

We see my dad and stepmom about every 1-2 years and just enjoy spening time with each other, adventures, and good food!

My mom actually lives with us about 2/3rds of the year! It's a blessing to have her so close and have her investing in our lives.

My mom!

WORK & EDUCATION

HOBBIES & INTERESTS

Nathan

Deborah

Daniel

Ellie

Judah

• all toddler
• so much fun
• loves life
• full of smiles
• curious as a cat and quick on the move
• loves to sing wheels on the bus, twinkle twinkle, the itsy bitsy spider, and etc.

ABOUT OUR HOME
ABOUT OUR WORLD

ABOUT OUR HOME

Our Physical Home:

A rural home where kids play outside, there's plenty of fresh air, and the atmosphere is calm and peaceful.

Our Marriage:

• We try to deal with issues the same day, not store them up.

• We check in often: “How are you feeling?” “What do you need?”

• We apologize quickly and make things right.

• We’re a team: different strengths, same direction.

• Our home runs on commitment more than mood.

• We have daily dates at 3pm.

Parenting and Discipline:

• Our goal is a home that’s loving, stable, and well-ordered.

• A family culture where we can be honest and safe.

• Our faith teaches us to confess, forgive, and start fresh. There are new mercies every morning.

• Our goal as parents is to raise children who have the opportunity to love Jesus, serve and love others, and develop their God given gifts and life skills.

Our Experience Caring for Children:

• We’re comfortable with: newborn routines, night wakings, sick days, and the long-haul patience kids require.

• We have help and a great community nearby when needed.

• We believe kids thrive with affection + consistency.

• We have a lot of experience caring for children with ADHD and who struggle with executive functioning.

• We have experience with children who have learning disabilities and have sought the outside help/resources we need for them to thrive

ABOUT OUR WORLD

Everyday Fun

- pizza, ice cream & game nights

- read-alouds & puzzles

-homeschool and extracurricular classes

-CrossFit

- pool days

Vacations

- hiking & national parks

- camping

Celebrations

- birthdays

- 4th of july fireworks

- thanksgiving nerf battle

- anti-resolution day (ask us about it!)

Faith & Community

- church camp

- vacation bible school

- youth group

- Psalm Sings

Waiting Family Profile

Bryan & Olivia

Letter to you

our family video

ABOUT Bryan

EXTENDED FAMILY

WORK & EDUCATION

HOBBIES & INTERESTS

ABOUT Olivia

EXTENDED FAMILY

WORK & EDUCATION

HOBBIES & INTERESTS

Nathan

Deborah

Daniel

Ellie

Judah

ABOUT OUR HOME

ABOUT OUR WORLD