Hey there, we are Lance and Laura! We are so grateful that you are reading about us today. We hope you enjoy seeing a glimpse of our lives and to learn about us. We are excited about the prospect of being adoptive parents and welcoming another child to love, nurture, and raise in our family. 

We met in 2005 through a mutual friend while at a local movie theatre. By 2009, we had both graduated from college and were working in our careers as a deputy sheriff and registered nurse. During the five years that we dated, we enjoyed spending time with friends and going to concerts and the beach. Much of our time was spent in the woods or at a pond, hunting and fishing together. When Lance proposed, it was no surprise when he drove to the woods and popped the question. We were married in March 2010 with all of our closest family and friends present and spent a sunkissed honeymoon in Jamaica. 

Both of us grew up in large, tight-knit families, and knew that we wanted the same for our family. So, after two years of marriage, we started trying to have a baby. After months of fertility medication, we thankfully conceived and had our daughter, Ava Grace, in August 2013. 

We have tried to grow our family, but have been unsuccessful. We love being parents and are so hopeful to welcome another child into our family through adoption!

When I met Lance, I remember thinking how friendly and laid back he was. He is one of those guys who can make friends with pretty much anyone. He just knows how to talk to people!

Not long after we started dating, Lance approached me with the idea of going into law enforcement. I was super proud that he might serve and protect his community in the same way my dad did (and still does today). Lance has worked hard and serves as a deputy sheriff. I am so proud of him and all he has accomplished. He is one of the most dedicated people I know, and when he devotes himself to something, he sticks with it until the end. 

Lance does so much in and outside of the home to make things better for our family. He has taught himself to be our “handyman" around the house. Lance is a wonderful daddy too. He involves himself in anything Ava Grace is doing. He is always ready and willing to play basketball, jump on the trampoline, or "play cheerleader.” I also love that he is teaching Ava Grace the importance of putting God in the center of her life and leads by example. 

In his spare time, he enjoys fishing, boating, going to the gym, and working in our yard. He is an avid hunter and spends a lot of time outdoors. Ava Grace is now showing a huge interest in these same hobbies, and I love watching them spend quality time together. I know he will offer another child the same love, devotion, and undivided attention.

Laura caught my eye the first night we met. She is beautiful, has a tender heart, and cares so much about making others happy. She is devoted to her family and always puts our needs first. Laura is one of the friendliest people you will meet, and I love that she teaches Ava Grace to be a kind and thoughtful person, too. 

I knew that Laura would be a great mom early into our relationship. She has been a registered nurse for 13 years, has worked in hospice and the NICU, and cares deeply for others. She has always loved babies and kids, and she is a natural with them. Laura is hands down the best mom, and being a momma brings her the most joy. 

Laura enjoys many of the same things I do. She enjoys taking the boat out and fishing, whether it's in a river, pond, or on the gulf. She likes to hunt and killed her biggest deer last year, which we were both proud of. She spends a lot of time decorating our home and is always bringing in something new. She likes to garden, can fresh vegetables, and plant flowers.

One of the things that made me say, "Yep, that's the girl I'm gonna marry," was when I came to see her at her house one evening while we were dating. When I walked in, Laura had a big pan of fresh peas in her lap and was shelling them by hand. She is a down-to-earth woman who appreciates the simple things in life, but also goes above and beyond to make things special for her family.

Our daughter, Ava Grace, is eight-years-old. She brings us so much joy and we are so grateful to have her to spend this life with. 

Ava Grace loves art! She definitely gets this from Laura's side of the family (just not from Laura..haha!). Our house is filled with canvases and pictures that she has drawn or painted. This year, she decided to play basketball, and she LOVES it! She gives us the best of both worlds because she loves all things girly, like playing with make-up and cheering. But, she also likes playing ball or riding her 4-wheeler.

Ava Grace has wanted a sibling since she was old enough to understand what a brother or sister is. She plays with her baby dolls like they are her sisters and we often talk about what it would be like to have another baby to love and play with. She is ALWAYS eager to hold the babies at church, and will be a wonderful big sister! 

In 2017, we moved to the small, rural town in North Florida that Laura grew up in and built our forever home. We have a great amount of room to ride our ATV and four-wheeler. Our home is spacious, and we would love nothing more than to create a nursery for a precious little one. 

Because of our love for country life, we designed our home to be a modern farmhouse. We sit on the porch and watch the sun rise and set, and we want to watch our children run around and create the same childhood memories we had. 

We live in a spacious neighborhood so our neighbors aren't right next door. It is a very safe area and we often walk and let Ava Grace ride her bike up and down the road, admiring the sunsets. It isn't out of the ordinary to hear the sounds of cows or roosters, or to chase fireflies on a summer night. 

Our community is relatively small, but feels like it's growing all the time. Our school system provides a great place for learning and a safe environment. The community consists of families who have lived here for multiple generations. We can’t wait to welcome another child into our home and share all of this with them. We know they will love it too!

Family has been and always will be a priority in our life. We both come from large, active, and involved families, with many aunts, uncles, and cousins. We talk to or see our parents nearly every day. 

Growing up, we both spent summer and any time out of school staying with grandparents and spending time with cousins. These experiences created amazing memories and close relationships. We hope to provide a similar upbringing for our children and will always encourage time with family.

Today, we spend lots of time with each other, whether that’s cookouts, vacations together, or just to hang out. Because we live five minutes from Laura's parents and sister, we see them nearly every day! Laura's mom often invites us for a meal or Sunday lunch, which consists of all the "down-home, southern cookin.” 

Holidays are also a special time we enjoy with both of our families. We live only 30 minutes from Lance's parents, so we are able to spend time with both sides of the family during the holidays...which are BIG, by the way, with a growing number of children! It's safe to say that during Christmas, the grandparents, aunts, and uncles LOVE spoiling the kids...there are presents EVERYWHERE! 

We are blessed with a tight-knit family of grandparents (even two great-grandmothers), aunts, uncles, and cousins who are very supportive and excited for us on our adoption journey. They are all so ready to welcome another little member into our tribe. We can’t wait to share our love and affection and create new memories with another child.

We want our family to “take time to smell the roses.” We can summarize the things we enjoy and activities we do by the season. 

Spring: We plan a Disney vacation! Laura and Ava Grace plant flowers. Our family gets together for a big Easter meal and our annual egg hunt at Lance's parents’ house, which involves the golden prize egg. 

Summer: We love all the fun Southern activities that come with summer, like beach and river days! Every year, we rent a lake house with friends and family. The dads drive the boats while the kids enjoy water sports. The moms set up on a sandbar to relax, talk, and provide snacks and drinks. It's the highlight of each summer.

Fall: It's tradition to carve pumpkins with our daughter and attend our town’s annual Halloween festival with treats, food, and a costume contest! We also spend every Saturday morning cheering for the junior league football team. On Thanksgiving, we eat till we are STUFFED! 

Winter: It’s the most magical time for us...Christmas! We go all out with decorations! Our daughter decorates the tree for her room and always makes cookies for Santa (with help from momma). Every year, we attend our town’s Christmas parade and visit a huge Christmas light display nearby. We also watch The Christmas Story and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation!

We enjoy all of these things, year-after-year, together and with our family. It would be our biggest blessing to have another baby in our family to share all the fun, joy, and magic we experience.

It's hard to know where to begin...there's so much we want you to know that it's hard to fit it all here. We have prayed about this adoption journey for several years now, and we want you to know we have prayed for you and for this baby. The decisions, struggles, and emotions you may be feeling are something we can't imagine. But, we hope you have peace, comfort, and clarity knowing that we would be able to give your baby a home that is filled with nothing but love and opportunity. 

Being parents is something so special to us, and becoming a big sister would mean the absolute world to Ava Grace. 

We have so much gratitude in our hearts for you, for considering an adoption plan. Please know that if we are chosen, we promise to love your child with every ounce of love we have. We will guide and support them throughout their entire life, and give them a home that fosters selflessness and love. 

We promise to be silly and teach him/her to laugh at things and to "not sweat the small stuff.” We will always support and show him/her that we are proud of them, whatever their accomplishments be. 

We will have open communication with him/her surrounding their wonderful story. They will know what a blessing they are to us, and how much we love them. We will tell them that you are one of the most loving, giving women we have known...because you want what's best for him/her, and gave us the greatest gift we ever wanted...a son or daughter.