James and Magen

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From Us to You

Dear Expectant Mother,

We would like to start out by saying how thankful we are that you are taking the time to read our profile. If you select us to raise your baby this will be our first child. We will be new parents, but we have a huge community of family and friends around us who can help and guide us along this journey.

In our lovely home your baby will have a room all their own and a nice fenced backyard that they can have fun and play in. We have two sweet, playful dogs that love to cuddle and give hand kisses. There are a multitude of parks around our town that offer opportunities for children of all ages to get together and build friendships. The children’s museum, a few short minutes away, provides kids a place to learn and explore. Your child’s home with us will be a stable, loving one and we can also provide financial security for them.

Your baby will have the opportunity to grow up in one of the most beautiful places in the world. They will be surrounded by lush, green forests and towering, snow-capped mountains. We love the outdoors and are excited to take your child camping. We want to expose them to the things that we love to do and places we love to go, but we will not force them to do something they don’t enjoy. We look forward to helping them find what they love. If they love music, we will encourage them to learn more about it and support them if they want to play an instrument. If they have a sport they love to play, we will drive them to every practice and attend every game. If they love art or reading, we will provide them with what they need to enjoy those activities. If it turns out that they love to spell and want to compete in spelling bees, neither of us will be much help since we are terrible spellers, but we will always be there to cheer for them, win or lose.

When we met, we were both at a point in our lives where we were looking for a devoted relationship. We found each other on an online dating site. After exchanging messages for a few weeks, we decided to meet in person and have been inseparable ever since. We had been together for six years when James proposed and we started trying to grow our family. A year and a half later, we were married at an intimate ceremony, surrounded by our closest family and friends. After two and a half years of trying for a pregnancy, with no luck, we both agreed we were meant to adopt.

As your baby grows up in our home, we want to be able to share the milestones with you through letters, emails, and photos. We would love to have a picture of you, one of your choosing, that we could frame and display in our home. When your child gets older, we will encourage them to write to you themselves. If you wish to have less contact, you need only to let us know. We want you to know how eternally grateful we are that you are considering us for this most precious gift.

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Why We Are Choosing to Adopt

When we first met, we both expressed a desire to start a family.  We love each other so much, but still have much more love to give.  We’ve built a wonderful home together, but right now it’s missing a piece.  Unfortunately both of us have fertility issues.  It would be very unlikely that we could conceive naturally.  Early in our relationship, we discussed our openness to adoption.  Both of us possess a longing to become parents.  We look forward to the memories we’ll make, the lessons we’ll teach, and the love that we’ll share.  Raising a child will make our lives complete.

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About Magen, by James

Magen is an extremely sweet and caring person.  She has an incredible capacity for love and is a fiercely loyal friend.  I love her so much, I look forward to the years to come that we will spend with each other raising a child.  She is amazingly affectionate and very nurturing.  Magen is fantastic at planning crafting days that she hosts for the kids of her friends and younger cousins.  Whenever I go over to my buddy Brian’s place, his boys always ask where Magen is if she’s not with me.  When the both of us visit, the boys steal her away so they can show her their newest toys or the latest crafts they made in school. They compete for her attention and insist she builds legos with them.  She has a goofy sense of humor and loves to laugh.  We spend a lot of our time together just joking with each other.  She’s really fun and puts up with a lot of nonsense from me. We have a great time together and I know deep in my heart what a phenomenal mother she will be.

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About James, by Magen

James is such a caring and loving husband.  I couldn’t imagine a better companion in life. When he and I first met there was such an instant connection, I knew there was going to be something amazing between us. I love the relationship he has with his family; they are all so kind and supportive of each other. His parents raised a great man and I can’t wait for us to add to our family. Our niece Ariah, is such an artsy kiddo and it just so happens so is her Uncle James. One thing they like to do in the summertime is draw cute little chalk figures on our back patio. You will be sure to see many colors of flowers, fluffy clouds, and a cute kitty or two; I think her favorite part is telling Uncle James what to draw. I know by the way he is with our niece and our friends’ children that he will make a great father.

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Our Lifestyle

Some of our favorite days together have been spent at home, playing with our dogs, watching movies, and doing crafts and we are super excited to share that. We love the outdoors and enjoy going on hikes. At least once a year we go camping together. Occasionally we have friends and family over for dinner parties. Magen is the office manager for a dental practice. She has been with her employer for nearly ten years. Her office is open from 9 am to 5:30 pm Tuesday through Thursday.  Magen likes to try new things with her cooking and baking; testing different recipes and new dishes, and even makes homemade dog treats for our dogs, Kali and Stella. In the summer Magen enjoys water activities like floating and swimming at lakes and rivers. She likes to go to local farmers markets in the fall and she takes every opportunity to throw snowballs at James in the winter and is excited to have an accomplice to help ambush him. James is a meat cutter at a couple of family owned grocery stores. He’s been in the industry for two decades. He works five days a week, starting as early as 7:30 am and working until as late as 7 pm, though his most frequent shift is 8:30 to 5.  In his free time he likes to draw, paint, read, and occasionally play some video games.  Most of his favorite games are very kid-friendly; classic franchises like Sonic the Hedgehog, Mario, the Legend of Zelda.  James’ parents are both artistic and nurtured his interest in the arts.  James looks forward to doing the same with your child.  In the spring, summer, and fall he enjoys playing golf and going surfing.  Come winter, James goes snowboarding when conditions and free time allow.  Throughout the year he always likes to local concerts and sporting events.  We both eagerly anticipate having a son and/or daughter to share our adventures with.

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Home & Neighborhood

We live in a two-story, four-bedroom house in Washington with our two dogs, Kali and Stella.  When James and his family first moved to Washington from California, this was the house he and his brother grew up in.  Magen has worked hard to turn James’ old bedroom into the future nursery for your child.  A sliding glass door in our living room leads to our patio and privacy-fenced backyard. When the weather is nice, we like to sit on our outdoor loveseat for breakfast or dinner.  In the near corner of our backyard, we have a modest fire pit where we cook s’mores and stargaze. On the far side of our yard, we have a vacant stretch of grass that would be perfect for a swing set and/or jungle gym.  Our neighborhood consists of mostly families; it’s quiet and removed from any main roads or through traffic, but still close to schools and major shopping areas.  Up the road from the entrance to our neighborhood is the same elementary school where James attended fifth and sixth grade.  A block away from our house is a community college campus that is home to fields, creeks, covered bridges, and nature trails.  There is a parking lot for the college at the end of our street.  On the weekends and during school breaks it is completely empty and, James can attest, is great for inline skating, skateboarding, biking, and most recently, where James helped Magen learn to ride a manual quad.  We live in a beautiful town with many excellent schools, parks, and playgrounds.  We’re close to the beach, mountains, and even a rainforest.  There are many amazing places to visit and explore.

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Our Dogs, Kali and Stella

Growing up, dogs were always a part of our lives. After being together for two years we decided it was time to bring a dog into our relationship. We ended up getting a Boston Terrier as a Christmas gift to each other. On Christmas Eve we picked up our Kali girl. She was named after the Hindu goddess of destruction knowing that Boston Terriers can be a handful when they’re puppies.  Kali is our sweet, goofy girl.  She gets very excited to meet new dogs and people, but tends to be very lazy when she’s alone with us at home.  She is very loving and affectionate, but she likes to have her own space too. She is a big fan of her dog beds and cocoons herself in the blankets.  Kali likes playing with kids, but her specialty is cuddling.  In January of 2020, we got our mini dachshund, Stella. Stella is happy, playful, and has tons of energy.  Kids love her because she’s so small and looks like a puppy.  She has a big personality and play-argues with Magen when she wants attention; she stamps her little front paws and growl-talks back and forth.  It’s adorable!  Kali and Stella have grown quite attached to each other and spend lots of time snuggling, playing, and laying in sunspots on nice days. We love our life and home with our girls, and can’t wait to add to it.

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Our Families & Friends

We have a lot of family all over the state. James’ immediate family all live in town with us, as well as one of his aunts. Magen has two cousins that live in the area and more family that live out towards the coast. James’ mom, Denise, and dad, Steve, are both retired and looking forward to having grandparent time to spend with your child. Denise loves to share recipes and always has something she just cooked or baked to have us try when we stop by. James’ younger brother Aaron, and his wife Ninee are both professional musicians and teach private lessons for middle school and high school students. Magen was ten years old when her brother was born and was very excited to have a little brother. Steven and she developed a really special bond despite the large age gap. Currently, Steven lives about 20 minutes away with his girlfriend Lexi and their two-year-old daughter, Ariah. He makes a living doing finishing work and home renovation. Growing up, Magen was very close with her grandparents; they both taught her many life skills and they spent a lot of time together. Recently they moved back to the town where they bought their first house. Kelsey is Magen’s closest friend and was her maid of honor at our wedding. Every year they try to take a weekend girls’ trip. Kelsey has a ten-year-old daughter named Ana; the three of them enjoy doing crafts, playing board games, and doing things outside. James has been best friends with Brian since they were in middle school together. Brian lives near our town with his wife Megan and their two boys Raylan and Wesley.

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Family Traditions

Every Easter, James’ mom likes to fill personalized baskets for us; and always makes them very special with our favorite treats. James and Aaron have even had the same baskets since they were very young.  Throughout the spring and summer, we attend lots of little get-togethers with family and friends.  Potlucks are plentiful and celebrations can run into the late evening; listening to music, singing, laughing, and telling stories.  As the weather heats up, kiddos are given water balloons to pelt adults and each other with. The Fourth of July is like most of these events, but bigger and with more fireworks. It’s become a tradition for many of our friends and family to meet at Brian and Megan’s house for a big party.  The last few years we have burnt our old Christmas tree in the bonfire to end the night.  Christmas is definitely our favorite holiday. You can find James cutting paper snowflakes to stick in our windows and hang from our ceiling, the sound of Christmas movies in the background, and the smell of the holidays filling the house. The last several years, we’ve gone to a you-cut, a you-cut tree farm. They have wagon rides, a petting zoo area for children to feed and pet animals, and a great variety of trees to choose from. Christmas Morning we open our presents to each other before going to James’ parents’ house. Magen and Ninee are usually the ones to bring the desserts. Magen always makes some sort of tasty pie and Ninee is a pro at making Christmas themed cookies, and Thai treats to share with everyone. Our family loves to keep long-lasting traditions going, and this is something we are all looking forward to sharing with your child.

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Racial & Cultural Diversity

In our own personal lives, through our jobs, our friends, and our family, we have people of varying cultural backgrounds.  Magen’s brother, Steven, is in a relationship with his long-time partner, Lexi who is Black and Caucasian. Together they raise and care for Ariah, their beautiful three-year-old daughter.  On numerous occasions Lexi has expressed how excited she is to plan playdates with Ariah’s future cousin.  James’ brother, Aaron, met his wife, Ninee, when they were in college together.  Ninee and her sister Nina were both born and raised in Thailand.  While they both live in the Pacific Northwest, their mother and father both still live in Thailand.  James’ dad is of Hebrew descent.  Most of the people on his side of the family observe Jewish traditions, though he no longer practices.  We plan on discussing your cultural background with you and how best to integrate your child’s heritage into their upbringing.  We would love to include home décor, music, cuisine, and yearly celebrations that reflect your child’s background in their lives.  As your child grows, we plan on encouraging them to do their own research with help from us and anything you are willing to provide.  We are committed to respecting your child’s cultural identity, whatever that may be.

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Our Promise to You

Words cannot express how grateful we are that you are considering us for such a generous gift. We can guarantee that your child will receive unconditional love from the both of us.  Strong family values are something that we both hold in high regard and we plan on providing stability and support to your child. There are so many things we are looking forward to sharing with your baby.  Magen is excited for a lot of “firsts,” like the first trip to the zoo, the first time camping, and the first Christmas.  James is eager to help your child with school projects, to take them on new adventures, and help build their imagination.  We promise to help your baby learn and grow in a safe, loving environment.