Hello, we are Charlie and Tina - and we are honored you are taking the time to get to know us. We live in sunny San Mateo, CA. We're a loving and active couple, surrounded by amazing friends and family. We have experienced many wonderful things; however, our biggest dream is yet to be fulfilled - that of being parents. We're excited to start our family through adoption, as we were not able to conceive on our own.

Charlie is a Jr. High School Teacher and has always wanted to be a father! Tina, a former Project Manager, is a natural with kids and is so excited to be a stay-at-home mom. We look forward to nurturing our child to be anything they want to be. Many of our friends and family have created their own families through adoption and are an inspiration and support to us. We know our child will have many people of all ages to talk with, who are also adopted. We can only imagine the difficult decisions you are making and admire your courage. Should you choose us as adoptive parents, please know you will be making our life's dream come true and we will be forever grateful!

Us As A Couple

We have been together for 10 years and married for 7 1/2. It all started with the thoughtfulness of a mutual friend who sat us together at her wedding reception and...  we've been together ever since! We are both the second child in the family, with older brothers, which might be why we get along so well. We have a true admiration of each other's talents and support them fully. We are surrounded by family and friends that help strengthen our bond.

We love being together outside rafting, skiing and camping. We also enjoy dinner parties with friends, museums and watching movies. We have a mutual love of travel and photography and look forward to sharing that passion with our child. We rescued a kitty named Dylan 3 years ago. Dylan is a very active, funny and cuddly little guy. We look forward to growing even closer together as parents... and seeing the world through a child's point of view.

Our Home

We live in San Mateo, CA, which is south of San Francisco between the city and the beach. It has a small town feel with lots of parks, schools and libraries. Our home is welcoming, comfy and the barbeque is always ready for get-togethers. In our house, you will find framed photos, scrapbooks, board games and music playing. Tina decorates for every holiday, which makes it festive and fun to come home to. We also collect little snow globes from our travels which are a nice reminder of our experiences together. We are excited to add to our collection with our child's choice of snow globes. Our yard is large - perfect for our garden and active children. Even our cat Dylan likes the garden because he eats the falling rose petals and chases the butterflies. We look forward to the activities and imagination a child can bring to our yard and life at home.

About Tina

I'm a 6th generation Californian with a large extended family. I look forward to passing on my family stories and heirlooms. I love to scrapbook, sew and create jewelry, which I sell on Etsy.com. I enjoy dancing, swimming and being at a sunny beach is my ultimate happy place. I love traveling and experiencing different cultures and languages. I even lived in Paris, France for part of college.

After earning my college degree in Business and Psychology, I worked as a Project Manager in computer software and finance. I'm happy with my long career success and I'm thrilled I can now be a stay-at-home mom. Being a nanny of three babies for ten years cemented my own desire for a family. I have dreamed of being a mother my whole life and believe it is my destiny.

He Said: About Tina (By Charlie)

Tina is an amazing partner and I 'm proud she is my wife. She is truly loving, resilient, down-to-earth and funny. Tina is very intelligent and was successful in her career where she was admired and respected by her clients and co-workers. She brings out the best in people by encouraging them to reach higher and believe in themselves.

Tina will be an amazing full-time mom! She is a natural with kids of all ages. Our friend's kids always call out "Auntie Tina, come play with me." She is a fabulous cook and makes artistic cakes. The birthday parties for our child will definitely be memorable. She is caring and always goes out of her way to make everyone feel special with thoughtful gestures, such as a handmade card or the perfect gift. I can't wait to see the pure joy I know she will have being a mom!

About Charlie

My enjoyment of shopping at the farmer's market to my love of outdoor activities such as kayaking, skiing and camping come from my Alaskan roots. I can't wait to see the expressions when our child experiences these things for the first time also. Family and friends are the most important thing to me. I love to barbeque for friends while chatting about our day.

I earned a Bachelors in History and a Masters Degree in Educational Technology. I am a Jr. High School Teacher and coach. As a teacher, I am constantly learning and interacting with people both young and old. It has helped prepare me for being a parent and my knowledge of how children learn and grow will help us raise our own child. I'm so excited to be a father and to provide a loving and safe place for our child to grow up!

She Said: About Charlie (By Tina)

My husband is a social butterfly and always greets people with a hug and a smile. He is very caring, dependable and athletic. He values his relationships with family and friends and always seems to be "the favorite" friend at work. He has a zest for life and exploring it. Charlie always looks at the positive side of things and has an abundance of hope. He is a wonderful partner and I feel so lucky to be sharing my life with him.

Charlie is a great role model because he has worked hard for everything he has, especially his Masters Degree. It's been fun to see how great Charlie is with kids. Only someone with a lot of patience would choose a career teaching Jr. High School kids. Being a teacher has definitely prepared him for the steps of helping a child mature into their own person. I believe that any child would feel lucky to have him as a father!

Our Friends & Family

We alternate holidays between Charlie's family in Alaska or Hawaii and Tina's in California or Idaho. Our whole family is ecstatic about our adoption plans, especially the dotting grandparents-to-be. We feel fortunate to be surrounded by caring, fun and inspiring friends. We plan to continue our annual trip to Idaho with our child to camp, raft and visit friends. Most of our friends have children so our gatherings are already family centric. It will be great having one of the kids running around the yard, be ours! In fact, the couple who referred us to our adoption agency lives down the street with their adopted son, who is anxious for another friend to play with. One thing is for sure; our child will have a lot of playmates!

Adoption & Parenting Thoughts

We are so excited to create our family through adoption. Even before our struggle to get pregnant we knew adoption was the right choice for us. Many of our friends and family have created their own families through adoption and have inspired us. In fact, Tina grew up knowing two of her cousins were adopted and could see what a wonderful gift it was to the whole family.

We are committed to being involved and supportive parents. We will provide a safe and stable home filled with unconditional love. We're excited to help them figure out their own passions, talents and who they want to be. As parents-to-be, we look forward to family activites like bike rides, picnic lunches and just savoring our time together.

We are grateful Tina will be a stay-at-home mother and that Charlie has the summers off from teaching, so we can travel and camp as a family. We believe strongly that those experiences will help our child become a confident, well-rounded and happy person. Most of all, we want to be loving parents and will cherish the laughter of a child in our home.

Closing

We want to thank you again for taking the time to read our letter. I hope it showed you that we can offer a safe home for your child, as well as a lifetime of love, laughter and adventure. We are excited to create our family through open adoption.

If you have any questions or just want to talk, contact us through our agency, Adoption Connection at 1-888-517-5580, and our website www.charlieandtina.com or email us directly at [email protected]. We hope to hear from you!