We have two sons, who are 12 and 15 years old. It has been our honor and tremendous pleasure to have been raising them and sharing times with them. We are very much looking forward to welcoming a new child to our family. As parents, we try our best to keep them feeling safe and loved. We try our best to lead them into the right direction, but we also believe that it is important for them to be able to lead their own lives happily on their own feet eventually. Parenting has not always been straightforward, and we do not believe that in parenting there are right answers that apply to everybody. All children are different, and each of them is a unique and precious individual. The core priority that we keep in our minds is to let a child know he/she is loved so much, under any circumstance.

We believe that being a parent means receiving the role of being someone who accepts, appreciates, and loves the child for who he/she is. We help them grow to their full potential and help them prepare themselves to eventually become a contributor to the society with the talents they have to offer. The process has been full of joy and with countless fun times. We are very proud of how kind, intelligent and energetic individuals our sons are growing to be. It will be our honor and joy to receive this role for the child who will be joining us in this family.

We are a very active family. We always like to plan some kind of fun activities on the weekends. We like to bike to parks nearby to play basketball. We like to visit and walk along a trail at the local park. We enjoy spotting different animals and birds there. We also like to drive to a lake about 30 minutes from our home and walk along a trail and play baseball in a field there. Under normal circumstances, we like visiting facilities such as museums and the zoo. We love going to sports games, especially baseball games and basketball games (we root for the New York Yankees and the Washington Wizards). Our dog, Tama, a 3-year-old labradoodle, often joins us for outdoor activities.

In the summers, we like to plan bigger trips. In the summer of 2019, we organized a trip to the Southwest visiting national parks such as Arches, Zion, and the Grand Canyon. We hiked all the way down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon by foot. The trip was a great reminder of how beautiful and magnificent this country is. At home, we like to play board games, card games, and our sons also enjoy playing Nintendo Switch. Miwako is deeply appreciative about how food can simply bring happiness and peaceful minds to people, especially when it's shared with others. For these reasons, meals are an important element in our family and Miwako likes to cook for family and friends. Stephan likes to cook barbeques on our deck when the weather is nice.

Stephan and Miwako met at a graduate school in Massachusetts. We both lived in a dormitory for graduate students, and a mutual friend introduced us to each other when we were gathering in a group at a school cafeteria. We became friends in the group, then later developed our relationship.

Miwako admires how genuinely kind a person Stephan is. He is a devoted, wonderful father to their sons. He is playful with the sons, patient with them, and is a great role model to them. Miwako is very thankful and feels fortunate to have been raising the boys with him. Miwako feels certain that Stephan will be a wonderful and loving father to the child that we are welcoming in the future.

Stephan admires how caring a person Miwako is. Stephan appreciates how much time and effort Miwako puts into preparing wonderful meals for our family. Miwako always prepares delicious and healthy meals that we enjoy together.

We have two biological sons, who are 12 and 15. They are both kind and full of positive energy. They are looking forward to welcoming a new sibling. We are certain that they will be loving, playful, and protective brothers for the child.

Miwako's sister and her family with three children live across the street from us. Miwako and her sister are very close, and the children visit each other freely. We get together to celebrate birthdays, Halloween, Christmas and New Year's. Our cousins like to play board games, hide and seek, and card games. On snow days, they have snowball fights and go sledding. It is also our tradition for New Year's Day that we go hiking together during the day and have Sukiyaki dinner, one of the traditional dishes from Japan, at home.

Stephan's parents live in New Jersey, where Stephan grew up, which is about a four hour drive from where we live. They also live in Hawaii half of the year. We visit them for Thanksgiving and other occasions in New Jersey, and usually once a year in Hawaii. Miwako's parents live in Tokyo, Japan. Miwako's sisters and their families are also in Tokyo. We are close to the families in Tokyo as well and visit them every summer.

We live in a diverse and liberal town in Maryland, in the suburbs of Washington DC. The area offers abundant nature, parks and trails with lots of trees, as well as convenient access to the culture and entertainment of Washington DC such as the Smithsonian museums, the Washington Nationals baseball stadium, and the National Zoo, which we frequently visit. Our county is known for the high standards of its public school education with rigorous programs that could meet a variety of interests of students at different grade levels.

We own a home which we keep comfortable, safe and clean all the time. The common area of the home is an open space so that we can feel and know where the family members are, yet we also have private spaces as well. The heart of our home is the large kitchen area where we cook, eat, study, or just hang out.

Miwako's sister and her family with three children live on the same block. The cousins like to hang out on birthdays, holidays, snow days, or just any day. There is a large park with a big field and a playground less than a block away.

Hello, this is Miwako and Stephan. We are glad and thankful that you are reading our letter to you. It is difficult to imagine what you are going through now. We deeply respect and admire your strength and courage to take this path of adoption. We hope that you find peace in your mind and feel that everything is going to be ok.

We are a family with two boys, who are 12 and 15 years old. We met at a graduate school in Massachusetts and have been married for 21 years. We are an active family who enjoy playing sports, hiking, swimming, running, cooking, playing board games, and much more. We have a 3 year-old labradoodle. She is so sweet and adorable that no one can stay sad or angry when she is around you.

Let us share with you our belief in parenting. It has been our honor and tremendous joy to have been raising our boys and sharing times with them. We are very much looking forward to welcoming a new child to our family. We are experienced parents. Being experienced may not automatically entitle you to be good parents, but it certainly has taught us to be a more patient, and more understanding.

As parents, we try our best to keep our children feeling safe and loved. We also try our best to lead them into the right direction, but we also believe that it is important for them to be able to lead their own lives happily and on their own feet eventually. Parenting has not always been straightforward, and we do not believe that in parenting there are right answers that apply to everybody. All children are different, and each of them is a unique and precious individual.

The core priority that we keep in our minds is to let a child know and feel that he/she is loved so much, under any circumstance, for who he/she is. It is our strong promise that the child will join our family with love and respect, from all of our hearts. We promise that we will provide the child with a stable and healthy environment to grow in. We will nourish the child with a good education, so that he/she can expand his/her talents and stay confident.

We will be always open and straightforward about our adoption with the child and with you. We will love the child for who he/she is. His/her background is a significant part of who he/she is and something he/she should be deeply proud of. We will respect how you would like to develop the relationship with the child. We will send you letters and pictures to keep you informed of how the child is doing. If you would like, we can exchange email information as well and plan possible future visits.

It will be our honor and tremendous joy if you find us to be the family you can trust the future of your child with. We look forward to hearing from you.

Stephan & Miwako