Family is not just blood relatives, although they are a part of our family. It includes those who we are born into a relationship with, those we choose along the way, and the animals we love. We hope to be able to include you in our family, because the more the merrier. Family doesn’t have to mean seeing each other or talking every day, but being there to love, support, give advise, lend a hand, stand up for, care for, spend quality time with, create with, adore, share with, explore with, learn from, teach, and feed when we can. I know, that last one doesn’t fit as nicely but Andrew and I honestly love cooking for and feeding those we love. It is an act of service we both enjoy doing and sharing.

Our nuclear family right now is Andrew and me plus Goldy (our pup). We are hoping, praying, and waiting for the right adoptive match and placement so we can expand our nuclear family. Our future adoptive child will have a large extended family outside our nuclear one—our parents and grandparents; my sister, her husband, and their daughter; Andrew’s brother and his wife; Andrew’s aunts, uncle, and cousin; my aunts, uncles, and cousins; my cousin’s children; our friends and their children; and (possibly most importantly) their biological parents, if they’ll let us, and their families. To us, family means those we love, those we spend time with, and those who we care for plus those who love us, spend time with us, and care about us.

What does family mean to you guys? Let us know in the comments!

~Natalie