Michael and Brandy

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From Us to You

We are sitting in our living room, listening to one of our favorite singers, Brandi Carlile, while our fireplace warms the room. And we are thinking of you and wondering how you are doing and hoping to hear from you soon.

Since we began our adoption journey, we have spent a lot of time praying for you and for each person who reads this letter. We are praying that your heart and mind are filled with peace in making the best decision for you and your child.

Our love story began a bit awkwardly, when we first met on a coffee date. I went in for a hug, and Mike awkwardly went in for a handshake. From that moment on, we haven’t stopped laughing! It quickly became clear to us that every twist in our paths and every scar our hearts healed from, were the very things that made us who we are today and brought us together and for that we are thankful for and love each other deeply.

I, (Brandy) have long wanted to be a mother, and when Mike and I met, he had two children who he loved raising and being a father to, so early on in our relationship we talked about what our family would look like. Having a biological child would be difficult for us and from the beginning we knew adoption was the best way to grow our family. We are blessed to have many friends who have adopted and can’t wait to welcome your child into our wonderful and loving circle of family and friends.

Our home is filled with laughter and smiles and, currently, the smell of pumpkin bread! There will be no lack of snuggles and tickles and playing with blocks and reading bedtime stories. Your child will be loved unconditionally and there will be nothing they could do that could change that.

We don’t want to ramble. The album we’ve been listening to is almost over, and the pumpkin bread needs to come out of the oven. But we leave you with one last thought.

Finding each other was a journey and becoming parents has been a journey. We believe we are all made stronger by life’s journeys and your child will always know how much you love them, and how, to us, you are so brave and so strong and that your journey intersected with ours in the most beautiful way that you can be imagined.

Much Love,
Brandy and Mike

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About Brandy

Brandy fascinates me! When I first met her, I was struck by the kindness and sincerity I saw in her-and her ability to tell funny stories! I just want to listen to her all the time. She is brilliant, kind and so very talented. As a writer and an advocate, she has traveled the world, Africa, Asia, South America, and Central America, to tell the stories of children in poverty. Brandy cares. Brandy will be a great mother and will teach your child how to love unconditionally, to stand up to injustice with grace, and to treat all people with dignity and respect. I am a better man because of Brandy because she just brings out the very best in all of us. She will be such an amazing mom to your child. She’s waited a long time to become a mom and I can’t wait to raise a child together with her.

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About Mike

From the moment I met Mike, I saw in him kindness and gentleness. I saw in him a place where I could grow and be myself — silly and sometimes a little sensitive. When Mike and I first started talking about adopting and growing our family, I wanted him to understand that I didn’t just want to be a mom. I wanted to be a mom with him as the dad. Mike is one of the most loving and kind people I’ve ever met. I’m constantly amazed at his ability to love difficult people. At his ability to fix ANYTHING I break in our home (it certainly helps that he was a helicopter mechanic for many years). He fills our home with dad jokes and silly dances, and I can’t wait to love and raise a child with him. I’ve seen how proud he is of his two adult children, and how much they love him, and I’m excited to see his love stretch to another child!

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Letters from Bradley and Miranda

Bradley and Miranda are Mike’s children from a previous marriage – and Brandy got to become their bonus mom when she and Mike got married. We are so proud of them – Bradley is a high school English teacher, and Miranda is a program manager who is married to an Air Force pilot. They will be an important part of your child’s life! They were both eager to share their excitement about getting a new brother or sister in their notes below.

From Miranda:
The thing I’m most excited about with my dad and Brandy adopting is that I know personally just how adored any child of theirs will be and feel daily. My dad has this amazing ability to both teach and empower, while also making you laugh along the way. He still tells me regularly how proud he is of me, and I could go to him with anything. Together, my dad and Brandy have unmatched warmth and kindness. Their house feels like a home to all who enter. As an adult, I call them daily and consider our relationship invaluable. I’m excited for any new addition to our family and to be a part of the “village” in their corner!

From Bradley:
Regardless of where I have been in my own life, regardless of my interests, hobbies, goals, etc., my dad has always been right behind me, doing his best to understand and rooting for me all the way and providing me support, both emotional and financial. Without this support, I don’t think I would be where I am today. I’m happy my dad married Brandy because she is an incredibly loving, caring woman, and the lives of everyone in our family are better for having her in them. Whenever I visit, she goes out of her way to accommodate and ensure that I feel welcomed and loved. Whether it’s through her acts of kindness or her great cooking, Brandy is always spreading her love. My dad and Brandy will show an enormous amount of love to any child in their home. I can think of no better pair of parents. They are full of love and compassion, and they would love nothing more than an opportunity to share it with someone.

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Our Home

We often talk about how our home has so much room for love. We love hospitality, and we look forward to hosting a big Thanksgiving dinner every November — and a Super Bowl party in February! We can see the mountains from our front door, and we can’t wait to take your child on walks on the trails in our neighborhood and introduce him or her to our neighbors! We are also blessed to literally share a fence with Mike’s best friend, and we know that your child will grow up playing with his three children!

There’s lots of room in our home for your child to play and grow. Our backyard has plenty of space for a playground, and we even have a play area set up in our basement that your child will get to make his or her own! The nursery is just down the hall from our room, with a big window that faces the street…we know that your child will get lots of friendly waves from all of the neighbors who are excited to meet him or her!

Just before we were married, Mike built Brandy an amazing bookshelf as a wedding gift, and we can’t wait to fill it up with children’s books. We already have so many that we have collected, as we prepare for your child to join us in our home. We have a big open kitchen and living room area, so we know that dinnertime will be fun and loud and filled with laughter as we often cook together. We can’t wait for living room picnics with your child, sitting together and talking over a homecooked meal.

Our neighborhood will be such a fun place for your child to grow up. All summer long we have gatherings, with kids running and playing together, drawing pictures on sidewalks with chalk and riding bikes and scooters in the cul-de-sac around the corner. One of our favorite nights of the year is Halloween, when we spend the evening sipping hot cocoa on the front porch and passing out candy to all the neighborhood kids. We can’t wait for the day when we get to join that group with your child.

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Our Family and Friends

While your child’s future grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins may all live across the United States — Florida, Virginia, Alabama, Oklahoma and California — there will be many fun, family road trips in our future!

We have an amazing community of friends who have become like family. It’s rare to find unconditional love with people who are not related to you, and we feel very blessed to have found that in our friends.

We gather together in each other’s homes and enjoy many dinners together, game nights and evenings making s’mores in the backyard. Your child will have no shortage of surrogate cousins, grandparents and aunties and uncles — in addition to grandmas, grandpas and aunts and uncles who can’t wait to come to visit!

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Family Traditions

Our traditions tend to have themes more than rules. For example, our Thanksgiving traditions are all about delicious food (Brandy LOVES to cook!) and welcoming people into our home for Our year is filled with fun traditions that we can’t wait to share with your child. We usually start the year out with a big Super Bowl party in February. Our basement is filled with friends and tons of food. Mike is a big football fan, so he always wears a referee jersey (since his favorite team, the Dolphins, haven’t made it to the Super Bowl in a while). Brandy loves hosting and cooking, so she puts on her sweatshirt that says “I Just Hope Both Teams Have Fun,” and she makes sure everyone is fed and happy. We have a fun corner for the kiddos, and yours will be right there, playing with toy footballs and dancing around during the halftime show!

Another big family tradition is celebrating birthdays. Throughout the year we have birthday cookouts, birthday dinners and birthday trips. In the summer we host a summer birthday party for a group of friends, where everyone feels celebrated and loved. Every birthday is filled with homemade birthday cakes, confetti and balloons, and the special joy of getting your own, personal birthday. We can’t wait to celebrate your child’s birthday – to make his or her favorite meal, their favorite cake, and remember the day they were born – and to remember you!

We love taking a road trip in the fall. We’ve traveled across Colorado, California, South Dakota and New Mexico, taking in the beautiful autumn colors. We can’t wait to buckle your child in the backseat and explore together, visiting national parks and museums, camping when we visit a warm spot and exploring new restaurants and cultures across the country.

Every year we host a big Thanksgiving celebration. We love having a table crowded with family and friends, and we invite all the family to come in and celebrate. Mike has his specialties – greens, smoked turkey and macaroni and cheese, and Brandy loves making some old family favorites, like her aunt’s famous yeast rolls and her mom’s favorite chocolate pie. We like to blend our southern roots with new favorites. Each year we have a busy group of kids running around, and we can’t wait for your child to join in, taking bites of their favorite foods and playing with their friends.

Finally, Christmas is all about celebrating the gifts we’ve been given. We love going out to cut down a Christmas tree in the woods an hour from our home, and we can’t wait for your child to help us pick out the perfect tree. We decorate while blasting our favorite Christmas music, and for the entire month of December we watch Christmas movies and shows together. On Christmas eve we host brunch for our friends, and the kids decorate gingerbread men. Later, we attend the candlelight service at our church, a beautiful night of remembering how loved we are while we sing carols together. Christmas morning tends to be a quieter family time, and we can’t wait to bring a child into this beautiful time of the year.

a few hours of laughter and relaxing. Our yearly road trip is all about quality time, and hopefully, some fall leaves. And Christmas is all about celebrating the gifts we’ve been given, whether that’s at home for a quiet morning or looking at Christmas lights with our friends.

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Our Lifestyle

We love to spend time outdoors hiking and mountain biking. We are especially excited to bring your child camping with us one day! We have lots of friends whom we camp with who also have young children, and we just know that your child will have such a fun group of friends around them as they play and explore in the mountains near our home.

Mike does lots of DIY projects around the house and is excited thinking about having a child to putter around in the garage with him, putting all the tools in the wrong places so he can put them back after bedtime. He has so many things to teach a child, and he is so patient with our friends’ children.

Brandy loves reading and writing, and she is already excited to read your child bedtime stories and come up with stories together. She also loves baking and can’t wait to have a special little helper to scoop cookies and decorate with a ton of sprinkles.

Together, we love to travel. Brandy has traveled a lot with work, and we can’t wait to take international trips together as a family, one day showing your child the richness of the world as we introduce them to a variety of people and cultures.

And when we aren’t hiking, traveling and exploring, we just love spending time in our home together. Brandy works from home and Mike is just a few minutes away, and we both have pretty flexible work schedules. A day in our life looks like lots of snuggling on the couch, watching a favorite movie and spending time on our back porch where we like to host barbecues with our friends.

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Our Faith

We both grew up with a foundation of faith, and over the past few years, we have found an amazing church that will be perfect to raise your child in. Every Sunday, we hear the Bible brought to life, and we spend the rest of the week doing our best to release that Gospel, the love of Christ, to all we encounter. We don’t do it perfectly, but we do our best. And our church will come alongside us in raising a child, and will support us and love your child with the deep, deep love of Jesus.

Just this Sunday, our church had a baby dedication, and we imagined our own baby there, surrounded by a church that commits to love them, walk alongside them, and raise them to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God.

I guess you could describe our faith as loving. We want those around us to know how much we love them and care about them. For us, that looks like loving our friends by preparing them a meal. Loving our neighbors by striking up a conversation on a walk. Loving our church family by serving them. And loving each other through kind words and deeds. We can’t wait to show our future child how to love and be loved.

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Racial and Cultural Diversity

We want you to know that cultural diversity is not something we take lightly. We have both been on a journey of understanding our role as advocates and how best to use our voices. We strongly believe, as human beings, and as potential parents to a child of a different ethnicity, that we there are things we will intentionally need to do in raising them, educating ourselves on what that looks like and how we will connect them to their ethnicity and culture, and to act on what we learn.

If we do end up being a multi-cultural family, we will celebrate that culture no matter what it is. We understand the importance of promoting diversity and celebrating culture in our household, and we have already been seeking out role models that will look like your child. We have begun researching diversity within preschools, daycares and schools, and even in pediatricians’ offices. Within an hour of us there are rich, diverse communities that we would plug into. We are committed to learning and helping drive change while doing everything in our power to protect your child from those who do not believe in equality and justice for all.

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As Parents

We believe a parent’s role is to first, make sure that their child has a happy childhood filled with wonderful memories and second, to prepare their child to become an adult, and to help them achieve their dreams.

We will also teach your child to always stand up for what they believe in, with love and kindness. We will encourage them to use their mind and explore ideas, even if that means we may lose some arguments with them! Oh, and we’ll definitely have silly dance parties!

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Our Relationship with You

In our relationship with you, we will first and foremost honor your desires. We are very open to communication and visits with you. We know that our relationship with you will be a journey, but what we want you to truly know is that we see that relationship extending far after your child’s birth. You are important to that child, and therefore you are important to us.

We will be here, ready for whatever relationship makes you feel comfortable and loved. That may change from year to year, but we will always be here. Your hopes for what that relationship looks like can change over time.

We commit to protect your child, and one of the things we’ll protect them from is wondering who you are. We believe that no child can be loved by too many people, and we will seek to ensure that your child feels loved by everyone – but you get to own how that looks for you.

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In Your Honor

We will always speak highly of you to your child, and they will know how much we love you.

Your child will have a special baby book that celebrates their story of adoption. We will make sure they feel connected to where they were born and the culture they were born into, and we will include in that book as much information as you would love to share. We want your child to know about you and your family, as much as you do. This will be one of our favorite books to read together as a family.

We will speak your name with love. We will celebrate you on Mother’s Day and make you a card on your birthday. You will be real – with a real name, a real story and real love.

Your child will always go to bed with hugs and kisses from Mommy and Daddy, bedtime prayers being said and our hearts filled with thankfulness for making this dream come true.