Welcome (About Us)
Thank you for visiting our page! We are Donovan and Stephenie (D&S) from Northern Virginia. We like to think of ourselves as loving, responsible, educated, God-honoring people. We met in church more than 17 years ago, and after a couple years of dating/engagement, we married in 2006. We would be lying if we made our marriage seem like a “bed of roses” ever since, but we can say with confidence that we love each other, we make a great team, and God has been gracious to us both throughout our marriage.
We bought our home in late 2008 and gave birth to our only daughter about a year later (she is 12 as of the time of this writing). Several years after our daughter was born, we confessed regularly that we would likely adopt in the future. We considered foster-to-adopt through the state/county government, but we’re not sure that’s the best avenue for us and adoption is less common through that process. Now, however, we are in the right position to adopt, and we believe the best means for us to do this through is direct placement adoption.
Adoption
We are excited about the prospect of adding to our family through adoption! Our motivation is simple: we want to expand our family and share the same gracious and godly love that has been bestowed on us. Moreover, in recent years, we witnessed firsthand how our church leaders lovingly blessed four children through similar means, and we have enjoyed being a regular part of their lives. It is such a blessing to witness this family, filled with love and support; we hope to do the same.
Our daughter is an absolute joy, and we believe another child will only further enhance our family. Unfortunately, pregnancy had some challenges and while not completely outside of childbearing years, we are certainly within the window of high-risk pregnancy. Adoption, with the right existing mother/father or the right expectant mother/father, is one way for us to bless the child while enlarging our family.
We have great compassion for birth parents, too. We realize that there are often difficult and mitigating circumstances associated with seeking out adoptive parents. As such, we are certainly available for a level of aid and openness with birth parents in this adoption effort.
*As of February 2, 2022, we have an approved home study through Autumn Adoptions, Inc. We have an adoption attorney on standby for support as well.
Our Community
Our home is an approximately 2,000 square foot, single-family home. It has 4 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms. The prospective child (or children) would sleep in a room that is vacant and currently used for storage. Our surrounding community is a quiet, suburban neighborhood with various amenities nearby. There is an elementary school, a middle school, and two high schools within a 3-mile radius; there’s also a private Christian school that is walking distance. Additionally, we have a grocery store that is also walking distance. Our community, as evident from my nearest neighbors and the local school, is diverse in ethnicity. The diversity correlates with the heavy government and military presence in the community that is typical of Northern Virginia. Additionally, our community has a homeowner’s association (HOA), and there are various community events, especially in the summer. We have a pool, basketball court, playground, and tennis court in our community as well.
Our Values
As alluded to before, we are Christian, and our faith is both real and important to us. We are not perfect, but we strive to live this life in hope of the One who gave His life for us. We are Protestant and non-denominational. We serve in leadership capacity at our local church (pastors); Stephenie sings, our daughter is gracefully advancing on the piano, and we are in church (online via Zoom or in person) multiple times per week. We have family times of prayer and devotionals where Donovan leads the family in a biblical teaching or passage that is applicable to all of us. Our daughter is homeschooled right now, but prior to COVID, she attended the private Christian school about a mile away.
Things we do (aside from direct church involvement):
- Movies
- Read
- Artwork
- Shop
- Music
- Cook/Bake
- Target shoot/train
- Play games (video games or otherwise)
- Laugh/Joke
- Enjoy each other’s company (sincerely)
Things we don’t do:
- Smoke
- Furry pets (cats or dogs–allergies)
- Drink alcohol
- Use profanity
Other values include that we are not generally fans of “sleepovers,” and we are (and have been) quite protective of our daughter (e.g., she had a GPS device on her person from kindergarten through 4th grade. I know—yikes, right? *smile*). Although we do extend hospitality to others, we are cautious with other parties in our home and when our daughter goes elsewhere. We do not generally allow alone time with children, time where we can’t see and/or hear them. This is true regardless of the relational status because, unfortunately, trusted sources are common culprits of mistreatment, and protecting children is a foremost concern for us.
In closing, Donovan and Stephenie are two people who genuinely love God, love people, and look forward with hopeful anticipation to loving another addition (or two) to the family. It has been a challenge to share so much on our site; sharing our heart and life on the internet is no simple task. Yet, the motivation makes the task worth it. We are blessed because we came from imperfect but loving families. Now, we have this life, this opportunity to expand our family through adoption and bless others in the process. We hope you’ll contact us for more information.
