Meet Brian & Clare

A video message from Brian & Clare

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A Letter from Brian & Clare

Hi from Illinois! Thank you so much for considering us to provide a nurturing home for your child. We have a lot of love to give and a happy home to share! We look forward to getting to know you and honoring your hopes and dreams for your child. We’ll embrace any level of relationship you are comfortable having with us, whether that be e-mails, social media, phone calls, and/or visits. Welcoming your child into our home would be the greatest blessing for us!

About Us

We are both elementary school teachers and love spending our days helping children learn and grow! We met 13 years ago through a friend, and knew it was meant to be when we closed the restaurant down after talking and laughing for 8 hours straight! We are truly each other’s best friend, and look forward to our daily walks and evening dinners with a child one day.

We both LOVE traveling and spending our time and money on life experiences to make memories together. We value learning about and experiencing other cultures. Our date nights are typically spent eating at ethnic restaurants, visiting museums, attending cultural festivals, or going to concerts or theater performances.

Why we want to adopt: We have been married for 7 years and have been trying to grow our family ever since. We have always dreamt of becoming parents, and have 2 guardian angel baby boys. Our journey has led us to adoption and we have felt God’s presence throughout every aspect so far. We’d be beyond blessed to be chosen as parents for your child!

About Brian

According to Clare: I admire Brian’s positive energy, kind heart, intelligence, and passion for life. He is a sensitive soul and cares deeply for others. I know I can count on him to cry with me during sappy romance movies! He has an eternally youthful spirit; I’m pretty sure he’ll be the only grandfather still longboarding and playing drums when he’s older!

Brian looks forward to sharing these hobbies as a dad:

  • playing music
  • traveling
  • longboarding/skateboarding
  • surfing
  • working on cars
  • going to museums

About Clare

According to Brian: Clare has a smile that will brighten up the room and her laughter is pure and adorable.  She is honestly the kindest soul that I have ever met and I feel incredibly lucky to be her lifelong partner. She is a fiercely devoted teacher who is loved by students, parents, staff and administration alike.

Clare looks forward to sharing these hobbies as a mom:

  • dancing
  • reading
  • cooking
  • going for hikes in the nearby forest preserve
  • gardening
  • attending concerts and cultural events
  • participating in mission projects

Our Family

We have 2 sweet and playful dogs who are a sweet part of our family! Marley is a black lab mix who loves snuggling, sunbathing on the deck, and going for long walks. Diva is an energetic chocolate lab mix who enjoys watching the neighborhood dogs from our front bay window, meeting people, and giving kisses.

We have a close-knit immediate family that lives nearby. We love our family game nights filled with love and laughter! Everyone has been so supportive during our adoption journey and they can’t wait to welcome the child we adopt.

Our Home in Illinois

We own a 4-bedroom home in a diverse suburban community about 20 minutes outside of Chicago. We have a fenced-in backyard with space to run around and play fetch with our dogs, a hammock for reading outside, a chimenea for bundling up by the fire and making s’mores, and a tree perfect for climbing! The finished basement is Brian’s favorite room because he has his longboard collection on display, 7 drum sets to practice on, and a video game corner to play with friends. Clare’s favorite room in the house is the “reading room” which has bookshelves filled with all of our favorite books and a cozy reading nook.

We live a few blocks away from a public pool, playground, and athletic fields. The park district in our town offers a variety of classes for youth such as foreign language, dance, arts and crafts, theater, and STEAM, as well as athletics such as baseball, soccer, and basketball. This is a great area to raise a child to become a well-rounded and cultured individual with many opportunities to learn and try new things!

Our Promise to You

We promise to love your child unconditionally, and to teach them about God’s unconditional love for them. We promise to provide a nurturing home environment in which they feel safe, adored, and supported.  We promise to help them grow into well-rounded individuals by providing them with opportunities to explore a variety of extracurricular activities, as well as exposing them to different cultures through travel and cultural experiences such as theater performances and museums. We promise to always keep you in our hearts, and include you in our lives, if you’d like an ongoing connection.

We’d love to talk or answer any of your questions. To learn more about us, please call or text Lifetime at 1.800.923.6784.

Learn More About Brian & Clare

  Brian Clare
Our EducationBachelor's Degree: Music EducationBachelor's Degree: Elementary Education and Spanish. Master's Degree: Reading and Learning Disabilities
Our Professions4th and 5th Grade Band Teacher2nd Grade Teacher
Stay-At-HomeNoNo
Our Racial BackgroundCaucasianCaucasian
Some of Brian & Clare's Favorites
Children's BookGreen Eggs and Ham by Dr. SeussI'll Love You Forever by Robert Munsch
Memory with SpouseGetting married at the Grand CanyonGoing to Disney World and channeling our inner children : )
VacationHawaii- My family went twice a year growing up. Surfing in the ocean was an unforgettable experience!Thailand- Being immersed in another culture while exploring the country's beautiful beaches, mountains, and jungles was incredible!
HolidayThanksgivingChristmas
MovieStar Wars and GooniesElf and Amelie
SeasonSummerSpring
ConcertSteely Dan, Snarky PuppyChris Stapleton, Elton John
More About Our Family
Fun Facts About Us

Brian is a professional percussionist and has about 7 different drum sets in our basement! He also loves reading about science.

Clare grew up Irish dancing, and her claim to fame is that she appeared in the movie “The Fugitive” for 2 seconds during the St. Patrick’s Day parade scene!

Both of us speak Spanish (Brian is fluent!).

Our Faith

We attend a Presbyterian church every Sunday. Brian plays drums in the church band, and Clare serves as a Session Elder and is head of the Faith Formation Committee. We believe in a church that is open and accepting of all people. Participating in mission events is a priority for us because we think it is so important to give back to our community and help others in need.

Favorite Family Traditions

Thanksgiving: Pilgrim Pie 5k, feasting, and spending time with our extended family

Christmas Eve: church service, Secret Santa exchange, and silly games

Christmas Day: pajama party watching holiday movies (usually Elf or Christmas Vacation), family dinner, and more games! : )

Anniversary: We look through our wedding photo album to reminisce about our favorite day, listen to our first dance song ("The Very Thought of You"), and eat chocolate cake like we had at our wedding.

Testimonials from Kids in Our Lives

"Brian and Clare will be good parents because they are both funny. Uncle Brian is really good at music and Aunt Clare makes good cookies and is pretty." -Finn, age 6 (cousin)

"They play fun games with us." -Cal, age 3 (cousin, Brian's Godson)

"Clare is very sweet and patient and Brian is very kind. They are both compassionate and very supportive of me and I believe they would make great parents." -Rose, age 17 (niece)

We Prefer a Child Who Is...
Age of Child

Newborn-2 years

Twins

Yes

Gender

Either boy or girl

Sibling Group

Yes, with the oldest up to 2-years-old

In Closing

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about us! We would be absolutely honored to be chosen to provide a home for your child. We have so much love to share with your child, and a close-knit support system of family and friends who will embrace him/her with open hearts as well. We look forward to getting to know you and maintain an open relationship with you based on your comfort level. Your child will grow up knowing how much you love them and admiring your bravery in making this decision.

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