Hello!

We're Dan, Kirsten and Alina Knode from Kennesaw, Georgia. Thank you for reading our letter. Your strength and courage in considering open adoption is amazing. Our daughter Alina was adopted in 2007 from Kirov, Russia. We are so excited about becoming a family of four and are grateful that you would consider us as parents for your child. We know we can give him or huer a wonderful home.

Open Adoption/Parenting Thoughts

Open adoption, to us, means raising a child with their very best interest at heart. Every child deserves to know his or her whole history. They deserve to see first hand that their birth family loves them and has their best interest at heart too. We are interested in as much openness as is comfortable for you now and in the future. We want you to be able to know them as they grow and for them to know you as well.> > We are a very close family. We gain our strength from our faith in God, love and respect for each other, consistant discipline, and having FUN! We believe that children need to be able to predict what will happen in their environment in order to feel safe, secure, and loved. We do not believe in spanking. We discipline by taking away toys, tv, and other fun things. We give lots of hugs and kisses and say, "I love you" every day.

Our Careers

Dan is a Production Supervisor for a major news network and Kirsten is a Stay-at-home Mom. Dan gets a lot of time off and has a flexible schedule. He loves his job and the company he works for really takes care of their employees families with great benefits and flexibility. Kirsten enjoys being a Stay-at-home Mom and we both value having a parent available at all times for anything our children might need. We feel very blessed that we are able to provide that for our children.

Our Neighborhood

We live in Kennesaw, Georgia which is a suburb of Atlanta. Kennesaw offers a small hometown feel with the added benefit of access to big city activities. It was actually voted one of the top 10 cities in America to raise a family! We live on a cul-de-sac in which several neighborhood kids gather to ride scooters, blow bubbles, and play hide and seek. Our children will only have to step outside the door to find an instant play group. We belong to a close-knit church which feels like a second family. Alina attends preschool at our church and it is wonderful. She is more than prepared for Kindergarten and loves school.