Watch Our Video
https://vimeo.com/1013231912Hi, we’re Matt and Shannon! Thank you so much for taking the time to get to know us! We are a family of 3 that enjoys taking advantage of all the local things our area has to offer. You’ll often find us outside at a park, grabbing coffee at a local shop, enjoying neighborhood walks, or visiting family and friends nearby. We would love to get to know you and learn about your wishes for your child.
About Us
Our story started when we met 11 years ago playing Jenga at a birthday party! We went on our first date 2 days later and have now been married for 9 years. We still have a love for board games and will often play with our siblings on family vacations. We also have a shared love for travel and will typically take several vacations a year.
Trips we have taken or are taking this year:
- Vacation with Shannon’s family to the Outer Banks
- Renting a river front house with Matt's family
- Spending a few days at the beach just the three of us
We love spending time with our son. We adopted through Lifetime in 2023. We are overjoyed by the adoption process and are excited to grow our family through adoption again. We’re open and flexible to whatever contact you would like. We’re looking forward to welcoming another child into our family and having a sibling for our son.
Meet my Husband, Matt
Shannon says: Matt is a caring, loving, and dedicated husband and father. Whether he is focused on a project for work, fixing something around our house, or playing with our son, he always dedicates the same level of care and attention. He highly values family. He works from home and always spends his time in the mornings and at lunch with Alex, our son, and me. In the evenings, he usually takes a few minutes to Facetime his parents who are crazy about their grandchild and would love another. At least once a month, Matt grabs dinner with his brother who lives in the area. Matt is also fun-loving. He enjoys all types of games: sports, board games, and video games. He is excited to share his love for games with his children as they get older. In his free time Matt enjoys grilling, watching football, games, and reading. Above all, Matt is a man of faith. He loves the Lord and lets that love shine in all that he does.
Things Matt enjoys with our son and looks forward to sharing with our future child:
- Going to the park
- Playing in the backyard
- Teaching him how to throw a ball
Meet my Wife, Shannon
Matt says: Shannon is hard working and yet playful. She is an amazing teacher and mom. She taught for our local school district for 13 years, but is taking a break from teaching to raise our son. She does tutor one day a week and does end of year testing for homeschooling families in the area. She is a person who always provides for the needs of those around her. From a young age, her siblings liked to call her “mini-mom” because she is always looking out for them. Close friends and family often reach out to her for advice because of her extensive experience with children. Shannon is also very creative. She loves to do interior decorating and keeps our house clean and lively. She makes delicious yet healthy food for our son and me. In her free time Shannon enjoys reading cookbooks to find new recipes and cooking, and she enjoys working on creative projects like making photo albums. Shannon’s love for children and her nurturing personality makes her an amazing wife and mother!
Things Shannon enjoys with our son and looks forward to sharing with our future child:
- Practicing new skills like using big Legos
- Snuggling and reading books together
- Singing songs together
Meet our Son, Alex
We have a 2-year-old son, Alex, who we adopted through Lifetime. He is a very active, playful, and loving little guy. He loves to play chase around the house. He also likes to explore new things and figure out how they work, like the vacuum cleaner. Most of all, he loves the outdoors. We go for walks and playground trips, almost daily. Right now, he loves the slides and climbing on the play equipment. He is very interested in other kids and will often give them hugs. He also likes playing with his cousin who lives 20 minutes away! He is going to make a great big brother someday!
Home Sweet Home in Virginia
We recently moved to a new home in the area! Our home has five cozy bedrooms. We have a big, open kitchen and living room that is perfect for hosting family and friends! We have a beautiful backyard and deck that look out onto woods. You can often find us spending time out there having dinner as a family, playing in the grass, or hosting a birthday party! We also have a large basement that is a play space for Alex and our future children. It also has a cozy guest room for family and friends when they come to visit!
We live in a beautiful, quiet neighborhood in northern Virginia. You can often find us going on walks together at different times throughout the day!
Things we can walk to from our home:
- 3 parks
- Our community pool
- Baseball fields
- Walking trails
Our Promise
We promise to love your child unconditionally. We promise to teach our son to be a good sibling and big brother. We promise to provide a safe, loving, supportive home for your child where they can grow, learn, and explore. We promise to share our faith with your child and help them develop their own love for God. We are happy to keep in touch with you in ways you feel comfortable with, whether that’s letters, pictures, or occasional visits. We’re excited to welcome your child into our joy filled home full of love, laughter, learning, and faith in the Lord.
We’d love to talk or answer any of your questions. Please call or text Lifetime at 1.800.923.6784.
More About Matt
Education: Bachelors in Marketing Management
Profession: Project Manager
Stay-At-Home: No
Racial Background: Caucasian
His Favorites:
Meal from a Restaurant: Saturday Brunch with eggs and bacon
Coffee Shop Drink: Cold brew with Cream
Place I have Visited: Iceland
Place I'd Love to Visit: New Zealand
Board Game: Gubs
Friday Night Pizza Topping: Bacon and Ham
T.V. Show: Seinfeld
More About Shannon
Education: Masters in Curriculum and Instruction
Profession: Teacher
Stay-At-Home: Yes
Racial Background: Caucasian
Her Favorites:
Meal from a Restaurant: Spicy fried chicken salad and a side of fries
Coffee Shop Drink: Coffee with expresso and caramel
Place I have Visited: Norway
Place I'd Love to Visit: Switzerland
Board Game: Settlers of Catan
Friday Night Pizza Topping: Pepperoni and Mushroom
T.V. Show: Gilmore Girls
More About Our Family
Our Faith
Our faith is extremely important to us. It is the foundation for our marriage and life. We both make time to read our Bibles daily and we host a weekly Bible study group at our house. We attend a large non-denominational Bible church about 20 minutes from our home. We are also involved with the adoption ministry at our church, which supports other families who are considering adoption and gives the children an opportunity to get to know other children who are also adopted! Our hope is to share and model our love for Jesus with our children and help them to grow in their own faith.
Our Extended Family
We are both blessed to have family that live locally. Shannon’s mom, sister, and niece live about 20 minutes away and Matt’s brother lives about 30 minutes away. We also have family in Pittsburgh and throughout Virginia. Family is extremely important to us and we make an effort to get together a lot.
Things we do with our families:
• Take yearly vacations with each side
• Visit our family in Pittsburgh and southern Virginia
• Have cookouts
• Celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas
• Celebrate birthdays, especially for Alex and his cousin
A Typical Day with Us
• Have breakfast together
• Shannon and Alex go out for an activity (park, grocery shopping, playdate)
• Eat lunch together
• Shannon cooks dinner while Alex takes his afternoon nap
• Afternoon walk or playtime
• Eat dinner as a family
• Matt and Alex Facetime Granny and Grandaddy while Shannon cleans up
• Bath and bedtime
Things We Love About Where We Live
• Lots of free parks and playgrounds. Our neighborhood has 3 pools we can go to.
• We are close to Washington, D.C, so we can go to museums and monuments.
• We are a few minutes from shopping areas that have ice cream shops, restaurants, and kid activities like swim classes and indoor play places.

In Closing
We are so excited to grow our family through adoption! We are so grateful that you are considering us to parent your child! Thank you for taking the time to learn more about us! Love, Matt and Shannon