Welcome! Meet:

Andrew + Whitney

Plant Scientist / Stay-at-Home Mom

California

Caucasian

Christian

All About Andrew & Whitney

We love stories! We love reading stories. We love writing stories. We love hearing and sharing stories. We are excited to share some parts of our family story with you; however, we are most excited about the possibility that your story, our story, and the story of your sweet baby may come together on the same page. We honor your story and your journey and we are so humbled and grateful that you are open to learning more about us.

Andrew grew up in a small town in western New York state and has lived in Pennsylvania, Utah, Idaho and now California. Andrew has always loved being outside and enjoys all outdoor activities, sports, and adventures. He lived in Mexico as a missionary for our church for two years (he speaks Spanish!) and worked on the Arsenal soccer fields in London, England for a summer. 

Whitney grew up in a small town in Idaho and has lived in Utah, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Maryland, and now California. Previous jobs include managing a private label wedding and prom dress company (she had her perfect wedding dress picked out years before she picked out the perfect groom!), developmental therapist for kids with disabilities, blog content manager, writer/editor, legal assistant, and gymnastics and cheer coach. All of these jobs helped her prepare for her dream job of being a mom.   

We have three awesome children: A’s Favorite Things (age 8): my family, learning about space, going to school, doing crafts, visiting national parks, the beach, gymnastics, the library, eating chicken curry, and enjoying French silk pie

C’s Favorite Things (age 5): kindergarten, going to the park, swimming, Legoland, playing with LEGOs, Cover Your Assets game, playing in our backyard, ninja class, riding his bike/scooter, making new friends, and eating Hawaiian haystacks

W’s Favorite Things (age 3): the beach, Legoland, watching construction, fixing things, babies, his dinosaur blanket, peppermint treats, aunts, uncles & cousins, visiting the zoo, and playing in the sandbox

Why Adoption?

From Whitney: Ever since I was a little girl, I have known two things deep in my heart that I wanted to be a mother and I wanted to adopt. Each of my children hold a special place in my heart and I know there is yet another piece of my heart that has always been reserved for the child that will take a different journey to my arms.

From Andrew: Nothing else compares to fatherhood. Each time a newborn is placed in my arms, I am overwhelmed with joy and gratitude that I get to be the father. I love raising my kids! They have each taught me so much and helped me to experience true happiness. I want to adopt because I feel like there is so much more I can learn and I know having a new child join our family will help me become better. 

From All of Us:  Each child that has joined our family is a most precious gift from God.  We know that it takes a lot of sacrifice and courage to carry a baby inside of you and even more love and bravery to consider adoption. There is nothing that makes us more excited than having you and your child join our family! We think we would be the most blessed family on earth if you allow us the honor and privilege of raising your child.


Family & Home

Our Home: We live in the sunny central valley of California. The first room we designed and set up was the playroom for the kids. We love having a space dedicated to their adventures, learning, and creating! We also love spending time together in our large kitchen cooking and baking delicious food for our family and to share with neighbors and friends. We can’t get enough of the yard we created outside: complete with playground area, many fruit trees, and garden boxes full of homegrown fruits and vegetables.

Our Neighborhood: We live in the best neighborhood! Our street has family friendly holiday themed block parties multiple times a year. We have a really diverse neighborhood full of friendly people who have become like family to us. 

Our Community: We are part of a large church community full of great people who look after each other. As our children attend school, we are excited to be part of their school community and enjoy making friends with new families. 

Our Families: Andrew is the fourth of five children (all redheads!). His parents live in Utah and his siblings live in Utah, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. Whitney is the third of four children. Her parents live in Idaho and her siblings live in Idaho, Utah, and North Carolina. Although none of our family members live close to us currently, we make it a priority to stay in touch via video calls and messages and love getting together in person as often as possible. Our kids always have a blast spending time with their cousins. Our kids are also lucky to have four incredible grandparents who make it a priority to stay closely connected to their grandchildren.

How others describe me

The first thing that attracted me to Andrew is that he has a gentleness about him. He’s physically strong and coordinated; yet he is also kind, thoughtful, and unassuming. He’s brilliant and yet is also very good at connecting well with everyone around him. He genuinely loves learning and makes an effort to learn from everything and everyone. He willingly makes frequent sacrifices to put our family first. He is a very involved and present husband and father. Andrew is an optimist and always finds solutions to problems and a happy way forward. And he is so very fun! He’s constantly chasing our children around the house, playing on the floor with the kids, making me laugh, and planning new family adventures. I adore Andrew!! He is my best friend and I feel beyond blessed that I get to share my life with him. 

When I first met Whitney I did not want to leave. She made me laugh and I soon found out she is very intelligent. I also soon learned how kind and loving she is to others. She would plan activities just to help friends. The best thing is that nothing has changed. She continues to make me laugh and inspires me to be more selfless. She is always interested in learning and enjoys teaching our children new things such as math, writing, baking or gymnastics. I enjoy having the time to watch her have fun with our kids by doing crafts, playing board games, or playing hide and seek. She is also very patient, kind, and loving which helps her to assess difficult situations with our children or other kids and quickly diffuse the situation. I have truly enjoyed watching my family grow with the help of Whitney because she helps us all to be better. Asking Whitney to marry me was the best decision I have ever made and thankfully she said yes.

how we met

How We Met

We grew up in small towns 2,001 miles apart. Through an incredible chain of events we met at a church social in Whitney's hometown just a few months before Andrew started graduate school. On our first date we built our own kite. Despite our best efforts and enthusiasm, the kite did not fly. The date, however, was a success! We continued to spend time together and before long we knew we wanted to build a life and a family together. Six weeks before our wedding, Whitney was hospitalized and very ill. A lot of prayers brought a miracle and Whitney survived. This was the first of many hard things we have had to face as a couple. We are not afraid to face hard things together and we have witnessed many miracles too! Our favorite thing is talking to each other. We can never get enough of talking and laughing about anything and everything together. Our family is everything. We adore each other and our three children.

Advice to Future Child

You are so very loved. You are the miracle child that was prayed for, wished for, and hoped for by our whole family. As a member of our family, we are thrilled to teach you, help you, protect you, and stand beside you. We know you are destined for greatness! We can’t wait to see all the light and love that you will share with the world. We adore you and we will love you forever and ever.

Perspectives on Open Adoption

We are so excited to talk with you about your desires for an open adoption. We are happy to share pictures and updates if desired and we are very willing to discuss any other requests you may have.

Favorites

Andrew
  • Favorite Movie: The Sandlot
  • Favorite Holiday/Tradition: sledding with the kids between Christmas and the New Year
  • Hobbies/Interests: being a husband and a dad, camping, hiking, snowboarding, mountain biking, pickleball, soccer, tennis, cooking/baking, science, and listening to podcasts
  • Dream Vacation: hiking in the Alps of Switzerland or hike through Norway
  • If I Could Choose a Superpower: never-ending energy
Whitney
  • Favorite Movie: Top Gun: Maverick, Christmas in Connecticut
  • Favorite Holiday/Tradition: Christmas (driving around to find the best light displays, making Santa stew and Christmas tree bread, baking cookies, watching Christmas movies, and choosing the perfect gifts)
  • Hobbies/Interests: love being a wife and a mom, organizing, planning parties, reading, writing, cooking/baking, teaching, finding great deals, and riding my bicycle at sunset
  • Dream Vacation: Portugal and the Azores
  • If I Could Choose a Superpower: clone myself

We’re here to help.