Meet Our Village
... our loving, supportive friends and family.
The Drapers
Aunt Paige & Uncle Scott,
Hannah, and Lindsay
The Drapers live about 25 minutes away from us here in Tucson, Arizona!
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"Blake and Matt are two of the best people I know. They are genuine and loving people who care about those around them. Blake is my Uncle, whom I’ve known my whole life. There is never a dull moment with him. When he brought Matt into our lives, I knew they were meant to be. Adoption had been brought up numerous times in family conversation, and I never doubted for a second
that they would make great dads."
- Hannah Draper,
Cousin / Future Babysitter
Grandma & Papa
Bonnie & Mario Coelho
Grandma & Papa live a short 25 minute drive away in Oro Valley, Arizona.
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Papa is known for his "insightful" stories and lectures filled with wisdom and life advice.
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Grandma loves to shop and has taken all the grandkids to see their first movie!
Nana & Papa
Ron & Denyce Fernando
Nana and Papa live in Port Richey, Florida.
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Nana loves to be crafty and bake cookies with her grandson, Jayden. She also loves to sew, so we'll have lots of homemade costumes and keepsakes!
Papa loves weekend morning drives, stopping for a breakfast treat, and discovering hidden treasures rummaging through garage sales!
The Coelhos
Josh & Sasha, Teddy, Leo, and Jude
The Coelhos live in San Diego, California.
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Josh is Blake's older brother, is a Marine, and coaches Teddy's baseball team! Sasha is a nurse who loves to teach the kids how to help out in the kitchen and in the garden!
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The Coelhos love spending time at the beach, taking the kids snowboarding and skiing, and spending lots of time outdoors.
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“Uncle Blake and Matt always play with me, I have fun with them, they care for me, they are generous with their time and they deserve a baby!” - Teddy (6)
“Uncle Blake and Matt should get a baby because they love each other and family, they love babies, they take care of me when we visit and they will take great care of a baby too!” - Leo (4)
The Fernandos
Ronnie & Jessie
Ronnie and Jessie live in Los Angeles, California.
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Ronnie is Matthew's older brother. He enjoys playing & coaching lacrosse and loves watching the Dallas Cowboys play football.
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Jessie is an english teacher who enjoys writing poetry and discovering new music.
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Ronnie & Jessie love going to concerts and spending time with their dog, Elliott!
Jayden
Jayden is our nephew from Matt's side!
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Jayden lives in Salem, Oregon with his mom and extended family.​
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Our baby/babies will have so much fun learning about sports, video games, and Pokemon from their older cousin! Jayden is also following in his uncles' footsteps by singing in his school's recent Christmas production!
The McElroy-Kleins
Juan, Tyler, and Kent
Juan, Tyler, and Kent live just 7 minutes away from us in Oro Valley, Arizona! Juan is a nurse and Tyler manages a local bank branch. They are incredible friends and even more incredible people!
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"Blake and Matthew quickly became great friends with us and are highly requested hangouts from our 3 year old son! We trust them completely with the care and well being of our son. Blake and Matthew show kindness and patience and are quick to play a game with him and help him with anything he needs or asks for. From observing the way they interact with our child we know in our bones that they would both be excellent parents. Not only are they caring and positive individuals, but they are even better together and have a very loving marriage.”
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- Juan & Tyler,
Friends, Husbands, Fathers of 1
Anne Stewart
Anne is one of Blake's oldest friends, having known each other since they were 13. Blake also went to high school with her husband, Eric! Anne is a practicing attorney in Los Angeles and Eric runs a media company. They visit Tucson often as both of them still have family here, including us!
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"I am an attorney licensed in the state of California. I have known Blake personally for over 20 years, and Matt for around 7 years. I would unequivocally recommend Blake and Matt as parents. Blake and Matt are a loving couple who have made careful efforts to establish their home together and are at the point in their lives when they are ready to welcome a child into their home. There is no doubt in my mind that Blake and Matt will care and provide for their child for the rest of the child's life. Blake and Matt also have the support of family and friends who live nearby, most of whom have children of their own. I am confident that Blake and Matt's child will grow up with that same family and community support, myself included. Any child would be fortunate to have Blake and Matt as parents."
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- Annew Stewart,
Friend
The Cordovas
Melissa, Negin, and Laylay
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The Cordovas live just 5 minutes away from us here in Marana, Arizona! Mellissa and Negin are amazing moms and have helped us build a community of LGBTQ families here!
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“We met Blake and Matthew in 2021 and became such great friends instantly. The energy they give off is just so welcoming and easy to be around. They also met our little girl when she was about 6 months and fell in love.
Cute story… we were all having a “kumbaya” at our house - Matthew was playing the guitar and Blake singing - while our little one was in the middle dancing and suddenly we both started crying because of the overwhelming love we felt from them in that moment. It’s a precious moment that we will never forget. The day these two become dads will be another precious moment that we will never forget because of how loving and deserving they are to have a little family of their own. We hope that 2023 is the year for them! We love them both so much and are so grateful for them!”
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- Melissa & Negin,
Friends, Wives, Mothers of 1
