I was invited to attend a women’s exercise class at Robb’s church (I was attending a different church at the time).  The pastor’s wife met and started talking with me after the class and before long, had visions of introducing me to Robb, who was an elder at the church.  I was generally pretty cautious about dating, but I really appreciated the things that the pastor’s wife had said about Robb… specifically, about him being a very Godly and humble man.  Robb and I met after Sunday school a week or two later and went out on our first date soon after.

Initially, I liked Robb but was concerned that he might be a little too goofy for me.  Robb’s first impression of me was also good, but he wondered if I might be a little too serious for him.  In time, I came to see that Robb had a serious side, and Robb came to see that I had a goofy side.  We shared a lot of other things in common, too, of course.  Most importantly for us, we shared a common faith in Jesus Christ. 

Our early dates included a trip to the museum, a “banjo club” performance, a movie, Bible study discussions at Panera Bread, and get-togethers with friends.  We dated for about a year before getting engaged and were married four months later.

Pictured is the bean bag chair in our daughter’s bedroom.  Can you spot our dog, Sully, amongst her stuffed animals??  We couldn’t resist including a photo of him, as he has certainly been part of our lives together since we adopted him last year!  :o)

Saturday mornings in our family are generally relaxed and give us all a chance to sleep in a little and have breakfast together.  The rest of the day is usually a combination of family time (either at home or out) and projects around the house.  “Family time” might include a family movie night, going for a hike, walk or bike ride, or going to a local festival.  On Sundays, we go to Sunday school and church in the morning, followed by lunch and time at home in the afternoon and evening.

Robb works regular hours during the week, and we usually have dinner together as a family in the evenings.  Unless we are having a “picnic lunch” on the back deck, our meals together are always at the kitchen table.  Alaina and our daughter often have memberships to some combination of the zoo, museums and parks.  A typical week will include a visit to one of these in addition to time at home to play, preschool, dance lessons and swimming lessons.  After swimming lessons lately, we’ve been enjoying a mother-daughter date at a fast-food restaurant like Wendy’s or McDonald’s… our daughter really looks forward to this once-per-week special treat!

Robb and Alaina make an effort to plan visits with their parents each week (making for lots of quality grandparent time).  They also do their best to make time for friends.  For example, on Thursday nights, Alaina meets with a small group of women for Bible study.  Robb and Alaina also enjoy having people over their house for dinner whenever possible. 

In the evenings, Robb and Alaina typically put their daughter to bed together.  Bedtime always includes a short Bible reading and prayer. 

Robb grew up in the suburbs with his mom, dad, and older sister.  He is now an uncle to two nieces, who are in their twenties. 

Robb works for a chemical company.  On his way to and from work, he enjoys listening to audio books.  In his spare time, Robb is as comfortable attending a musical theater performance as he is going for a hike or working around the house in his Carhartts.  He loves “fatty foods” like pizza and nachos, but he also enjoys a big salad.  He is very handy around the house and in the kitchen.  :o)

From Alaina’s perspective…

Everyone who meets Robb loves him!  Robb is a loving husband, father, and son.  He has a great sense of humor and loves to get our daughter involved with “Daddy jobs” like shoveling snow, using a screwdriver, and trips to Home Depot (he lets her get the cart with the steering wheel so she can pretend to drive).  He is extremely creative and imaginative. 

Above all, Robb is a man of integrity who seeks to know and follow the Lord in all things.

Like Robb, Alaina grew up in the suburbs with her mom, dad, and older sister (she is the baby in her family by 12 years!).  She is an aunt to two nieces and two nephews. 

Alaina went to law school and worked for a law firm when Robb met her.  Although she enjoyed working, Alaina is thankful that she is now able to stay at home full-time with their daughter. 

Alaina loves decorating for the holidays, watching movies (especially romantic comedies), musical theater, dancing, traveling to new places and practicing her Spanish (although she is rusty!).  Her favorite foods are pasta and ice cream.  

From Robb’s perspective…

Alaina is classy but also has a fun side.  When I first met her, I was intimidated because I felt like she was processing and analyzing everything.  After a short while, I saw that once some trust and familiarity was built, she was much more relaxed.

Alaina is an impressive wife and mother.  She has much more than average patience and is very calm and rarely shows that she is upset.  She is very dedicated to raising our daughter, and I am thankful that I have her to help me.  I never worry about what our daughter is learning or doing while I am at work, I have complete trust that it is something enriching.

I am impressed with the faith of my wife.  It is solid and unquestioning with a total reliance on the promises of Jesus.  I find that encouraging and strive to emulate her on that front in many ways.

Robb and Alaina both grew up in loving and closeknit households.  We are thankful to still be able to see our immediate families on a regular basis (we see our parents, pictured here, every week).  Robb’s sister and family live out of town, but we all try our best to stay in touch in between visits through group texts, letters and packages.  Many of our extended family members are local, and we see them (including some younger cousins) for holidays and birthdays. 

We have taken a few family vacations since having our daughter.  The first was to the Ark Encounter in Kentucky and the Cincinnati Zoo.  This past summer, we traveled to the beach to visit Robb’s sister and family.  In the near future, we are planning to visit Walt Disney World.

We live in a two-story, four-bedroom home in the suburbs.  Our neighborhood is close to lots of restaurants and shops, and also a bike trail.  We enjoy taking walks around the neighborhood as a family.  We are also fortunate to have both a front porch and back deck to enjoy.  We are planning to add a firepit to the backyard in the near future and we have turned our basement into a playroom for our daughter.

We have found parenting to be such a blessing!  We know what an awesome privilege and responsibility it would be to welcome another child into our home, and we believe we are prepared (with God’s help).  Your child would be dearly loved, covered in prayer, and taught about God and the Bible from an early age… including what the Bible says about how we can ALL become God’s “adopted” children.

We are praying for you and your baby as you consider what is best for you both. 

Our daughter is five years old.  She is a creative, thoughtful and sweet little girl who loves to learn and play.  She is very mature for her age and a big helper around the house.  She is generally very shy, but her best friend brings her out of her shell.

Lately, our daughter is all about dogs… whether it’s our dog Sully, her Paw Patrol figures (we perform lots of rescue missions!) or her collection of stuffed animal dogs.  Other favorite pastimes include reading books, playing games, doing crafts, and visiting local attractions (zoo, amusement parks, museums, and playgrounds).

Our daughter attends a Christian preschool.  She also takes dance lessons and swimming lessons. 

We are happy to share more about our daughter (including better pictures) offline.