Amanda
Alex is my older sister and Joel is a long-time friend.
Joel is a quiet guy with a good sense of humor. One of the neat things about Joel is that when talking to kids, he always gives his full attention and actually listens and cares about what they have to say. He has a knack for getting them to smile. He is gentle, silly, caring, and smart. He’s incredibly creative and always has a new and interesting project he’s working on, or a new Lego set to put together with Quill. He takes time to think up fun things to do. In our years of friendship he’s been known to do elaborate scavenger hunts for birthdays. He would fill envelopes full of clues and prizes and hide them all over. I know someday his kids will have a blast with their dad doing that for them!
My sister Alex is a pretty amazing person. She can create or do just about anything she sets out to try. She’s not only determined and smart, but she’s one of the sweetest people I know, and someone I turn to for life advice. We are four years apart in age, but we’ve been extremely close friends our entire lives. I can remember playing when we were little, and something Alex often pretended with her dolls was that some of her children were adopted. I look back now and can see that even back then adoption was being placed on her heart. I believe God has been preparing her for this. The both of us have always grown up talking about our future families and our strong desire to be mothers. Through adoption Alex is able to pour forth all of the love and devotion she’s been saving her whole life for. It’s a beautiful thing to witness her doing that now and see her dream of being a mom fulfilled. We all look forward to seeing her family grow and all the ways she will continue to bless them and never take a moment for granted.
I’ve always known Alex and Joel would be good parents. Their individual character, convictions and morals, told me that long before they adopted for the first time. They show kindness, consideration, and love in their everyday interactions with those around them. I’ve witnessed this on a regular basis back when I worked for them both at the boutique that they owned. They were always so genuinely willing to help, generous with their time, and attentive to each customer’s individual questions and needs. I have also worked in our church’s children’s ministry with them both. This same individual concern and attention was poured out for each child they helped to mentor. It’s very apparent the value they place on family, friends, coworkers, and relationships in their life. And it’s with that same dedication and care that they are raising their son, Aquilla.
I love being an auntie! My husband and I have 5 kids, two of which are still little. They are really close with Quill and love to play together. Growing up, my sisters and I have had many amazing memories and adventures with our cousins, and we want the same for our kids to enjoy.
Jonathan
I’m Joel’s brother and Alex’s brother-in-law, and Quill’s uncle. I’ve known Joel his entire life, (and Quill for his) and I’ve known Alex for probably almost 20 years. We tried to figure out when we met the other day, and we figured it was probably sometime around the mid-2000’s, but it’s been so long, we couldn’t remember for sure.
Joel and Alex are both very creative, Joel and I went to art school together, and our entire family loves creating things, but Joel and Alex have turned their creativity into full-blown businesses. Even on top of having full-time jobs they’ve found ways to turn their creative ventures into several different kinds of businesses, from Etsy shops, to art shows, to an actual brick & mortar location. They’re always coming up with cool ideas, and figuring out how to market them.
This creative spirit is the perfect attitude to have when it comes to raising well rounded kids. A lot of people think creativity is something you’re born with, and that might be true to some extent, but it can definitely also be taught as well, and you can already see that in Quill. He’s not biologically related to Joel & Alex, but you can already see him picking up hints of his parents, and I can’t wait to see how their creativity manifests in him, and any other kids they adopt in the future.
As their uncle, I will do my part to foster their creativity as well. Joel and I also have three other brothers, so in addition to Quill, I also have a bunch of other nephews, (and a niece on the way!) who I love doing all kinds of fun things with. From normal things like buying them books and games, to completely random things, like playing “Fossil Fairy” and hiding hundreds of tiny dinosaurs all over the house for them to find when they visit. (I think at least one nephew has figured out that I’m the Fossil Fairy, but they still go along with it.)
Joel and Alex have already proven to be awesome parents to Quill, and we would all love to see their family grow, and continue passing on our family’s creative spirit. Any child that comes into their lives would be loved unconditionally, and grow up having a ton of fun.
Jennifer {Alex's mom}
Alex and Joel have all of the qualities you would hope for in good parents, but I think the most important thing is that they have a strong commitment to each other and to family. Everything else just flows from that and then you’re able to provide a stable and loving home for any child. And that’s exactly what they’ve given their son, Quill.
Alex and Joel are very reliable people, they have a great sense of humor and they’re super fun and easy to be around. We have many family gatherings where we play games, and no family gathering is complete without Alex and Joel and Quill. We also like to have a huge 4th of July celebration every year and we pretty much get together for all of the other holidays. Everybody is very family oriented.
Something that really stands out to me about Alex and Joel is what great listeners they are, and of course that applies when listening to their son. Now that he’s old enough to have actual conversations, it’s really fun to observe them because he has a lot to say. You can just tell they’re interested in what he says and they don't ignore him or dismiss his feelings. They genuinely enjoy talking to him and answering his questions… even when he has an excessive amount of “why” questions. You can see how patient they are with him and I love to see that. They’re really enjoying their son and they are such great parents.
My husband and I are thoroughly enjoying this season of our lives and getting to be grandparents. I feel like I play a pretty significant role, particularly because I don’t work outside the home and I live close to all of my children and grandchildren. It’s only maybe a 20 or 30 minute drive to any of them and it’s actually even closer to Alex and Joel. So I’m available to watch the grandchildren if I’m needed and I absolutely love doing it. I love spending time with them. And it’s kind of like getting a second chance. Being a stay-at-home mom was the greatest privilege of my life and so getting to spend this time with my grandchildren is really important to me and really special to me and I just love all of them.
Alayna
Alex is my big sister. She is one of the most creative people I've ever known. She is a very determined, passionate person and also incredibly smart and understanding. She is comforting and and easy to talk to. I have countless wonderful memories with Alex. We've always been close and she's always been a good listening ear and a shoulder to cry on.
Joel is also extremely creative. He is kind hearted. He has a gentle demeanor but also has a super silly side. My sisters and I have been friends with Joel for a while, even before he and Alex were married. I have lots of fond memories of all of us hanging out with Joel, just being silly together. He's always felt like family since we first met.
Alex and Joel both love kids and have always been so good with them. They currently have a son, and I've gotten to be a witness of their happy home and their love for him. Quill is such a happy boy, and that's a testament in and of itself that they are already wonderful parents.
I look forward to being an auntie to this new little baby. I foresee play dates with our children and I'm grateful we live close to each other so that I can be active in this child's life.
Dave & Grace
We have known Alex for over 10 years and met Joel when they got married. We have had the privilege of knowing Joel & Alex over the years because they are a part of our church family.
Joel is hard-working, steady, and kind. He is always willing to serve and has a fun-loving, goofy side that may surprise some.
Alex’s sweet spirit and relatability is refreshing. She is wise and unselfish, caring for the needs of her family and others over her own.
Both Joel & Alex are creative souls. Be it music, woodworking, filmmaking or crafting, they have many skills to pass on to a little one.
Joel & Alex would be wonderful parents because they are both wonderful people. They will love unconditionally and unselfishly because they know unconditional, unselfish love. They will train up their child, grounding them in truth because they are grounded in truth. And they will remain committed to the role of parenting regardless of the difficulties in the journey because they understand that the challenges are worth it in the end. Joel & Alex have so much love to give and will provide a stable, joy-filled home.
As their friends and members of their church family, we will assist Joel & Alex in loving their child and pointing them to Christ. We will be there to encourage their family, pray for them, and celebrate life’s milestones with them.
April & Ethan
From April: Alex is my older sister. I’m the third of 4 girls, so I’ve known her my whole life. She’s fantastic and she’s a great mom. One of Alex’s biggest strengths is being super passionate about everything she does. She has always wanted to be a mom and is an absolute natural at it. She’s definitely the person that we go to when me and my other sisters have parenting questions. And I’ve also known Joel for several years. He’s super kind, gentle and patient, which are his strengths.
From Ethan: Alex is very natural, loving, caring and just passionate about being a nurturer. Joel is a very soft spoken, super patient, very loving guy. April and I got married almost 3 years ago and that’s how I know Alex and Joel. They’re a wonderful, fun-loving family and they are doing a great job with their oldest son, Aquilla, who’s their first adopted. He wasn’t an easy child and they’ve done such a wonderful job of parenting an adopted child and bringing him up in a loving, caring home where he can feel welcomed. I think that’s such a huge thing. I would applaud Alex and Joel - they’re doing a great job. I have a lot of fun with their son, Aquilla and Alex and I share this special love of Chuck Norris jokes. I love sharing Chuck Norris jokes with her. That’s a lot of fun.
The one thing that’s just really nice about our extended family in general is that we’re all really close knit, so we will play a big role in their children’s lives, just being Aunt and Uncle. We already have that with Aquilla and we just have a lot of fun together and do a lot of family gatherings or babysit when they need us. We love being involved in their life and their family. They will make absolutely fantastic parents because they’ve already shown that with Quill.
James & Rebecka
Joel and James are brothers and Alex is our sister-in-law.
"Creative" is a badge that both Joel and Alex wear. Alex is very crafty and Joel creates works of art with wood, as well as many other materials. The care they put into their art is also seen in their personalities: colorful, attentive, and able to see the world in a brighter shade than most. Being artful goes hand in hand with a belief that God has made a beautiful world. A strong faith has made them both wonderful parents already. They are both calm, caring individuals. They are both very focused on family and provide a great life for Quill, and any child they are blessed with next.
As we've grown up, all of us are very focused on family and the quality time we get, when we get it. Holiday game nights and meals together are some of our favorite times - when all of the brothers and their children are home together.
Whenever Joel and Alex adopt a second child, the roles we play will be the same as they are now. We love all of our nephews. We love spending time with them in general but our big family get togethers make our time that much more fun. A full house of crazy kids and the aunts and uncles that try to keep up. Any addition to Joel and Alex's family will be a welcome addition to our big family.
Jacob and Annette
Joel and Jacob are brothers and Alex is our sister-in-law.
Joel is a reserved, caring individual with many crafting abilities. Alex is more outgoing and shares many of the same traits that Joel has.
We have fond memories of family reunions and playing board games together.
Joel and Alex are kind, compassionate parents. They would fill a child’s life with love and make them feel like one of their own from the very beginning.