We met through a mutual friend after college and since then we’ve bought a house, traveled the world, got married and continued to grow together. We’re ready and are so looking forward to starting a family!

We love spending time with friends, traveling, hosting family gatherings and cooking and baking together. We’re both runners and love to go paddle boarding in the cove by our house. Joe also enjoys gardening and bakes bread weekly. Ryan is in a book club and makes cakes for every get-together.

Joe: Ryan is the kindest, most compassionate and understanding person I’ve ever met. He has great friends, always has an activity planned and bakes delicious treats!

Ryan: Joe is an incredibly dependable and trustworthy person, with a thoughtful heart and witty sense of humor. He is also a gifted cook and has a very green thumb, both of which make our house a cozy and delicious place to call home.

We both have large extended families that can’t wait to welcome a new family member. Joe’s family spends summers by the beach in Maine and regularly get together throughout the year. Ryan’s family enjoys playing games and trying new activities together. We also have an amazing network of friends who will be family to our little one!

We’ve always known that we wanted to grow our family. We feel like adoption is right for us because as an LGBTQ couple, we have experienced the unique gift of chosen family and we want to continue giving this gift. We have a lot to give a child, like a loving and supportive home and opportunities to help them grow into themselves, and know that these shared experiences and memories will make us a family.

We’re excited for the big things, like taking vacations, and for the everyday moments, like going to the playground and reading stories together. Being close to the coast, we can’t wait to bring our own little one to the beach! We have many family traditions that we’re excited to share, like summers in Maine and our 4^th of July whiffle ball game.

Holidays are the best! All gatherings are full of family, friends and food. We host Christmas at our house, where we do the Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve, followed by sticky buns Christmas morning. We make fresh ravioli for Easter, and for Thanksgiving everyone is required to bring a pie.

We live in a 3-bedroom home outside of Boston in a neighborhood full of parks, playgrounds and families of all ages. We have plenty of space inside as well as a backyard with flower and vegetable gardens. We’re close to the water and a quick drive away from our summer getaways in Maine.