Welcome! Meet:

Phillip + Kaitlyn

Solutions Consultant / Labor Analyst

Indiana

Caucasian

Christian

All About Phillip & Kaitlyn
Why Adoption?
Gallery
Family and Home
How We Met
Advice to Future Child
Perspectives on Open Adoption
Favorites

All About Phillip & Kaitlyn

Our Story

Hello! We are Phil and Kaitlyn! Thank you for looking at our profile. We are excited to tell you our story and a little bit about us as prospective parents.
We met towards the end of college and quickly became inseparable. Our personalities are exact opposites, but for us, it works. We have always brought out the best in each other and have encouraged each other to be better versions of ourselves, whether that be in our personal lives or our careers.
After a little over a year of dating, we knew we were meant for each other and married in 2011. We walked into our wedding reception to "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by the Proclaimers, which set the tone for our marriage and describes our lives perfectly.
We have always wanted to have three or four children. After struggling with infertility, we were blessed to have our daughter, Cecily, in 2018. She has been such a blessing in our lives, and we are excited to give her a sibling because we know she will be an amazing big sister.
We have grown so much in the past twelve years. Together we have experienced success and growth but also hardship, and because of this, we are evolving into the best versions of ourselves.

Traditions & Hobbies

We love taking full advantage of our weekends by keeping busy. Our favorite things are going to the park, playing mini-golf, or getting ice cream or coffee at the local shops. There is a children's museum and zoo close to our home. We love visiting them and learning new things every time we go!
Sometimes we prefer to stay in with a puzzle or board games. Family movie night is becoming a Friday night staple in our house. We love sharing the movies that were favorites from our childhood with Cecily, and she loves the quality time.
For vacations, we go skiing in the winter and to the beach in the summer. Camping or renting a cabin in Brown County is our ideal weekend getaway.
The holidays are our time for traditions. We kick off the holiday season by wearing our ugly Christmas sweaters to pick out our tree, then get busy baking everyone's favorite cookies. On Christmas Eve, we open our family PJs and settle in for a Christmas movie night. Phillip's favorite thing is waking up Christmas morning to the same homemade cinnamon rolls he had as a kid. Kaitlyn loves Christmas trees and wants as many trees as possible in the house!

Why Adoption?

We have always wanted to have at least three or four kids. We both grew up with siblings and love the dynamic it has added to our families.

When we first married, we had always talked about having one or two biological children and then adopting. For some reason, we always felt a strong pull toward adoption. We struggled with infertility and were overjoyed when I became pregnant with Cecily. She is so special; we wanted to try and have one more.

Towards the middle of 2020, we started fertility treatments again, and suffered a devastating miscarriage. After taking some time to heal, we decided it was time to pursue the path that was always a part of our plan.

For us, it is not important how our family grows. What is important is being able to share the love and laughter we have with others.

Family & Home

Our Home & Community

In 2017, we were out for a drive, stumbled upon a wooded lot, and immediately fell in love with the property and the town. We moved into our home in 2020, and the kitchen quickly became the heart, where all our family and friends love to gather. We have found this house to be a perfect match for our personalities and how we live our lives.
Cecily loves being outside, exploring the woods, and playing on the swing set. She enjoys helping us around the property, driving her tractor, gardening, and "raking" up leaves. Kaitlyn's favorite thing about our home is all the wildlife that comes to visit. She loves watching the deer walk through in the morning and all the birds that visit our feeders. Phillip loves the floor plan and how it fits our family life perfectly.
We bond well with our neighbors and regularly help each other with projects. There are families with children of various ages, and always something to do around the area. We have an annual tradition with one neighbor on the Fourth of July and enjoy spending time often with other neighbors who make our community what it is.
We live in a growing, rural community minutes away from a lake for boating and fishing. Walking around downtown, we feel like we are on vacation. We love sitting by the water, eating ice cream in the summer, or visiting the local coffee shop!
We feel fortunate to have the best of both worlds: the city is full of many different experiences, activities, and cultures, juxtaposed with outdoor spaces to explore and the close-knit feel of our small town.

Our Family

Our families have been essential pillars in our lives. Our parents were our coaches, our troop leaders, and our mentors. They taught us everything we know, from sewing to fixing engines and everything in between. Our siblings are some of our best friends, and we love visiting each other. Our families are filled with love, kindness, and fun times.

We live fairly close to our parents, and while our siblings have all moved away to different cities or states, we still see them often. We love to get together for shopping trips, cookouts, swimming in the pond, or celebrating fantastic holidays. Our home has become the place where everyone gathers and enjoys being together.

Our families and friends are unique and extraordinary people. They have supported our adoption journey - many have gone through it themselves. They cannot wait to welcome another little one to the family to love and support them the way they have loved and helped us.

How others describe me

About Kaitlyn by Phillip

Kaitlyn is incredible and has been a tremendous partner in my life, helping me to be a more balanced and thoughtful individual. She is always someone I can turn to for an intellectual conversation or some fun banter over a board game. She has introduced me to many new experiences during our time together and always pushes me to be better and achieve more.

Kaitlyn will put herself last to ensure her family has what they need, proving she is a terrific mother, spouse, and friend. She always meets Cecily where she needs her to be, whether it is high-energy playtime or just a warm snuggle on the couch. Kaitlyn embodies intelligence, passion, diligence, and empathy.

Fun Facts About Kaitlyn

Occupation: Labor and Payroll Analyst
Favorite Movie: Casablanca
Favorite Color: Purple
Hobbies: Sewing, Quilting, Embroidery, Gardening, Skiing
Personality: Easy Going and Independent
Fun Fact: She has visited ten countries

About Phillip by Kaitlyn

Phillip is incredibly outgoing and friendly, which is part of what drew me to him. He helps me feel more comfortable in large crowds and gives me the courage to put myself out there. Our relationship has always been a partnership, helping around the house and the yard. I appreciate the balance this gives our lives and the lessons it teaches Cecily about a healthy relationship.
He is always willing to try new things and stretch his skills. Whether it is building a dress-up closet for Cecily, cabinets for my sewing room, or raised beds for our garden.
Phillip is a fantastic father who loves spending time with his little girl. They love going on trips to the grocery store or on dinner dates just the two of them. He has done a fantastic job raising her and is continuously growing in his parenting style to fit her growing personality and needs.

Fun Facts About Phillip

Occupation: Solutions Consultant
Favorite Movie: Anything with Jason Statham
Favorite Color: Red
Hobbies: Video Games, Weightlifting, Wood Carving
Personality: Outgoing
Fun Fact: He was responsible for all the retail technology for apparel at Super Bowl XLVIII

About the Big Sister

Cecily is extraordinarily intelligent and ornery. She always smiles at everyone she meets and lights up the room. This little kid is so excited to have a sibling and will be an amazing big sister.
At five years old, she loves anything to do with mermaids, fairies, or unicorns. She is a fantastic helper and wants to be involved in everything we do. She enjoys helping Daddy cook dinner or helping Mommy in the garden.
Cecily enjoys her busy schedule, taking dance, gymnastics, and swimming classes and adding soccer in the spring.
She loves fish! Cecily's bedroom is decked out in colorful fish, and she got her own fish tank for her birthday. She has shown much responsibility for feeding and taking care of her fish. We are very proud of her and can't wait to be a part of her next adventure of big sister!

Fun Facts About Cecily

Favorite Movie: Encanto
Favorite Color: All of them
Hobbies: Dance, Gymnastics, Swim, and Soccer
Personality: Sweet, Outgoing, and Incredibly Goofy
Life Philosophy: Poofy dresses are better for twirling; the more hair bows, the better; Band-Aids fix every ouchie; sprinkles make everything taste better.

How We Met

We met while Kaitlyn was a junior at College. Phil was visiting some friends at the time and we both found ourselves at a “Crazy Hair” party. We joke that for our first few dates, Phil was completely unrecognizable. Between crazy hair, a hair cut, and switching out glasses for contacts - he looked completely different each time we met.

Phil was convinced after our first date that we were meant for each other and just had to spend the next year convincing Kaitlyn the same thing!

Advice to Future Child

If chosen as adoptive parents, we promise to provide a loving and nurturing home filled with respect, appreciation, gratitude, education, and more.

The most important advice we have comes from some very wise women in our lives. First - never stop trying something new and living with purpose. As children, time passes so slowly. Often we take this for granted when it is a gift. It passes slowly because every experience is new, and anticipation is constantly building. Every day has something special. As we grow older, we have fewer and fewer new discoveries and time starts to speed up. Keep new experiences in your life, always.

Second, it is okay to take a break. One of Kaitlyn’s favorite childhood memories happened while feeding horses with her grandmother late at night. They sat on the fence and looked up at the sky. Her grandmother told her, “the longer you look up, the more stars you’ll see.” It was one of the most magical nights of her life and it would never have happened if they hadn’t taken the moment to look.

Perspectives on Open Adoption

We are very supportive of open adoption. We have talked about the idea of staying in touch digitally by creating an online shared drive to share pictures and events with each other, and love the idea of emails, phone calls, and texting. Although, sometimes you can’t beat a physical letter, or picture. We love the idea of sending cards, photos, and letters in the mail, too. We are also interested in arranging several in-person visits throughout the child’s life.

While we would love to stay in touch, if you ever need a break, we are respectful of that. Please know, we will always be available to you.

Favorites

Phillip

Favorite Movie: Anything with Jason Statham
Favorite Holiday/Tradition: going to the tree farm and picking out our Christmas tree
Hobbies/Interests: video games, weightlifting, woodcarving
Dream Vacation: skiing in the winter, beach in the summer
If I Could Choose a Superpower: super strength

Kaitlyn

Favorite Movie: Casablanca
Favorite Holiday/Tradition: baking cookies with the family while listening to Christmas music
Hobbies/Interests: gardening, sewing, cross stitch, skiing
Dream Vacation: skiing in the winter, beach in the summer
If I Could Choose a Superpower: Mary Poppins' ability to clean the house