Montie and Heidi

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From Us to You

Dear Expectant Mother,

We want you to know that we are praying for you daily. We can’t imagine how difficult and unselfish this decision has been for you. We don’t pretend to understand all that you are going through but we would consider it a privilege to walk beside you along this journey. Our prayer is that God will give you abundant grace and the confirmation that you have made the right decision. May God bless you for choosing life and we will do our best to raise your sweet baby in a home full of love.

We have been married for 16 years. It hasn’t always been easy, but we have grown closer and more committed to each other over the years. We have a biological daughter and son, and we had the privilege of adopting our two youngest daughters. We treasure our relationship with our daughters’ birth mothers and they will forever have a special place in our hearts. Our youngest is African American and we would love for her to have another sibling with the same color as her beautiful skin. We appreciate diversity and what each culture has to offer.

Our family has a lot of love for your child. Hannah, Isaiah, Naviana, and Aleah are so excited about a new little one to care for and nurture. We promise to love your child unconditionally and encourage his/her talents and goals in life. We will do our best to fill his/her needs and give them many opportunities.

We were both fortunate to come from very loving and supportive families. Most of Heidi’s family lives within 10 minutes from us and Montie’s family is a little more spread out over the US. Both families are very supportive in our journey and they help us pray for you as well. Although we are far from perfect, we believe that raising our children to know God is very important. We are very thankful for our Church family and the encouragement they are to our family.

Montie works in Sales and Heidi is a stay-at-home mom. We have a small farm with cattle and other animals for the kids. Mont keeps very busy, but takes time to be involved and invested in the kids’ lives. Heidi loves nurturing the children and spending quality time with them. Family time is a high priority and we believe family bonding is the glue that helps us through hard times in life.

We look forward to many happy moments in your precious baby’s life. Bike rides, swinging, horseback riding, boating on the lake, family amusement parks, camping, and visiting the zoo are a few of the many things our family enjoys doing together. We will read books and sing to your child very often. Hannah will teach them about music, art, and how to love gardening. Isaiah is the best big brother and will teach them about sports, animals, and how to appreciate good food. Naviana looks forward to reading aloud, playing dress up with him/her, and teaching them all about horses. Aleah can’t wait to be a big sister and is a little mommy herself. She will teach your child how to love kittens, dance to her favorite songs, and also how to make a delicious fruit snack. We simply can’t wait to hold your baby in our arms and we can’t express our gratitude enough for you. We know that our gain is your loss and we don’t ever want to take that lightly. You will always be a part of our family and we hope you can feel the love and admiration that we have for you.

We truly wish God’s blessing and guidance on your life and your precious and perfect baby! May you be blessed with abundant peace and happiness today!

With love and respect,
Montie and Heidi

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Why We are Choosing to Adopt

We both feel blessed to come from larger families and our siblings are now our best friends. We know children are such a blessing and we love a big family. After our second child was born, we found out we would not be able to have more biological children due to a high risk pregnancy. We felt like God closed that door and opened up a way for us to be able to adopt. Heidi remembers loving children, and especially babies, even as a very young girl and all she ever wanted to be was a mom. Heidi always dreamed of being able to adopt someday. We have had foster children in and out of our home in the last 10 years. We were able to adopt our very first foster baby, Navi. She is a pretty special gift to our family, as well as each of our other children. In 2017 we were matched with a beautiful, courageous birth mom who gave us a bright and healthy daughter. We feel so blessed to have some diversity in our family and we pray that God will bless us again in that way.

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About Montie

Montie and I met in Northern Minnesota where we worked together in a small, private school. Very quickly I became pretty crazy about this kind, handsome guy who all the kids loved and respected. He has a great sense of humor and a contagious laugh. Montie loves to sing and we love to teach our children to appreciate good music. He always takes time every day to show his love for his kids. Our children love to help him around the farm and in return he will usually end the day with a 4-wheeler ride or something fun. They all look up to him as their hero and Dad time is always a good time. He does really well with taking them on dates and spending quality one-on-one time with them. I love to see how he always makes it a point to read the younger ones a story and tuck each child into bed every night. Our kids are so blessed to have a dad who puts so much into them and makes sure they all feel loved and secure. Not only does he put a lot into our kids but he also invests in the kids of the community as well. He is involved with kids’ ministry and VBS at church. He has a gentle, firm way with the rowdy ones and they really do love him. He is also a fun uncle to all his nieces and nephews. Working with his cows is therapeutic for him and he enjoys working around the farm and including the kids when he can. He is an extrovert and enjoys being with his friends in a crowd. He enjoys watching sports to unwind and relax. Mont is competitive and not afraid of hard work. He always does his best to make sure our needs are met. I’m very lucky to be his wife.

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About Heidi

I first met Heidi when she moved to Minnesota to help work at the Christian school I was teaching at. I didn’t immediately fall in love with her, but after several weeks of working closely together, that began to change. She was beautiful inside and out, and the more I got to know her, the more I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. We got married in the fall of 2004, and decided to live in Missouri, where Heidi is from. We have been married now for almost 17 years, and I can honestly say I love her more now than I ever have. I am amazed at her love and care for all children. We felt led to start fostering children over 10 years ago, and I have seen over and over where little babies thrive after being in her care for a little while. Heidi is truly blessed with the gift of being a “mommy,” and I have seen the proof in our own children. She is very patient, and takes time for each member of the family, no matter how busy she is. Our family is so very blessed by her amazing ability to cook, and supper together each night is a highlight. Heidi is so excited to start caring for your child, and we are looking forward to adding to our family!

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Our Home

We live just outside of town on a small farm with 40+ acres. We have the best neighbors and all the kids love to play in the creek and woods. We love to go on 4-wheeler or bike rides as a family. We have ponds and a river within walking distance where we can go fishing and blackberry picking. We have a big yard where we can ride RipStiks and play soccer, spike ball, Frisbee, football, and basketball, jump on the trampoline, play in the sandbox or swing. We frequently go on quick picnics and enjoy nature walks. We really do live the good, country life and we feel blessed to be able to raise our children with plenty of space to run and enjoy being a kid. We enjoy board and card games, doing crafts, Legos, puzzles, reading, watching movies, and playing music. We love our cozy home and we are thankful for all the good memories we have made together.

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Our Pets

Animals are definitely a big part of our family’s lives. We have cows, chickens, ducks, bunnies, Sandy the pony, a horse (Blaze), a Golden Retriever dog (Prince), Isaiah’s hunting dog (Maggie), and 3 barn cats. Our children enjoy feeding and taking care of the animals, especially the baby animals, and gathering the eggs. It helps them to learn ownership and responsibility. Navi loves horses and we have noticed that it is therapeutic for her to spend time with them. We have plans for a female golden puppy to join our family this summer.

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Our Families

We live in a small community where most people know each other. Heidi’s parents, sister, and two brothers live in the same area. Heidi has one sister who lives out of state. She has a very close family and we help each other out when there is a need. The kids love having cousins close and when we all get together it is quite a party. Heidi’s Dad (Papa) is a big kid at heart and loves every one of his 14 grand kids. Dirt bikes, go-carts and a pond with a diving board are just a few of the many things we get to enjoy together. Hayrides and bonfires are pretty common in the fall. Montie’s parents and five siblings live in four different states. We all get together at least once a year and have a great time making good memories. Mont’s family is super competitive and are always up for a good game whether it be sports or a board game. They also love to sing together. Family is very important to us both and even though we live a distance apart, we do our best to keep up with the family connections. Montie and his family are very close and are a great support to each other. We have an amazing church family as well. We enjoy having friends over for BBQs and sitting around the fire eating s’mores.

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Our Lifestyle

We love farm life. Montie works from home most days with occasional overnight trips away. Heidi is a stay-at-home mom and homeschools the children. Heidi truly feels like this is her dream job. The children are involved in extracurricular activities such as music and sports. We take field trips several times a year with cousins and other friends. We make it a priority to gather around the table for a good, home-cooked meal and connect with each other. Everyone is involved in the menu planning for the week. Heidi loves to be in the kitchen and enjoys trying new foods. Mont does the grilling and is getting pretty good at it. We have a garden in the summer and Heidi and Hannah enjoy canning and freezing food. We try to teach our kids the value of hard work and a job well done. Sometimes it is the simple things in life that spark the most joy.

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Our Relationships with Our Daughters' Birth Moms

We feel very thankful for both of our daughters’ birth mothers. They have made hard but courageous choices. We appreciate their sacrificial love. We have open communication and send updates and pictures via text and mail. They are free to message or call when they need to check in. One of our daughters has frequent visits from her paternal grandparents and they continue to have an active part of her life.

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Family Traditions

We celebrate the kids’ birthdays with donuts or pastries in the morning and they get to pick all their favorite foods for each meal that day. Of course the party includes family and friends with cake, ice cream, and presents. On their 10th birthday Montie gives them their own calf to raise and start earning money from their own little herd. On Valentine’s Day Montie usually brings the kids a sweet treat or balloon and Heidi cooks a special meal. Most holidays are spent with Heidi’s immediate family except Thanksgiving which includes Heidi’s sweet grandma, aunts, uncles, and more cousins. Sometimes we spend Christmas or July 4th in Minnesota with Montie’s family. At Christmas we have a family shopping day where everyone can buy each other a little gift. We like to go out for Chinese food afterward and everyone looks forward to trying to keep everyone’s gifts a secret. We celebrate Christmas with Mont’s or Heidi’s family as well as having our own family Christmas, which includes special foods, opening presents, and usually watching a Christmas movie. Once a year, the carnival comes to our small town. The kids always enjoy the rides and of course corndogs and funnel cakes. Our favorite weekly tradition is Friday night pizza, popcorn, and movie night.

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Our Vacations

One of our favorite family vacations is spending a weekend camping by the lake. We hike, swim, fish, bike and cook delicious food (including homemade donuts) over the fire. It seems like all of our traditions and vacations involve good food and plenty of it! During the summer we spend a lot of time boating on the lake. It is a great way to relax and enjoy tubing and swimming. We go about once a year to a family amusement park, and/or waterpark in the Ozark Mountains. We have beautiful rivers to canoe in our area which we enjoy. We travel to see Montie’s family a couple times a year and we try to make it into a family getaway. We have enjoyed trips to the Colorado Mountains, the Florida beaches and look forward to many more family vacation memories.

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Our Faith

We are both believers in Jesus and we want to raise our children to follow God as well. We attend church regularly and our whole family is very involved. Our church tries to reach out to the kids in the community and we love to participate when we can. We took our 2 oldest kids on a mission trip to Mexico earlier this summer with a group from our church. We had an amazing time. Hannah, Heidi, and Isaiah volunteer in the toddler nursery. Hannah enjoys being a part of the youth worship band. Heidi and Hannah started to serve in the coffee shop and they are really enjoying connecting with people while learning to be baristas. Montie leads a Sunday school class and Navi and Aleah love being a part of kids church. More than just attending church and doing good things, we feel like the most important thing in life is a relationship with Jesus. Our faith is very important to our family.

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Diversity

We love diversity and feel so blessed to have Aleah part of our family. We continue to read and learn ways to be aware and find new ways to bring diversity in our lives. We continue to attend training, read, and find movies to enrich our understanding and build cultural awareness that our family may need. We have a large network of friends and family who have adopted children of different ethnic backgrounds and we are thankful our kids can grow up together. Montie has a sister and we have friends in NYC where we visit and encounter a lot of diversity. We have learned many things from our black friends, (and YouTube) like teaching us about African American hair, skin care, and other things of importance. Heidi enjoys the challenge of learning those new skills and looks forward to continuing to educate herself. Our church, community, and family welcome diversity and we want to bring more to our own neighborhood. We live within a couple hours from large metropolitan cities where we like to shop and visit family amusement parks. When the children are older we like to include them in traveling to other countries to learn from other cultures and help obtain a broad worldview.

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Our Promise to You

We promise to do everything we can to nurture and raise your child with love and patience. We are willing to stay in touch with you and give you updates if that is what you are comfortable with. Visits are welcome as well. We will teach your child about God and how much he loves him/her. We, with God’s help, promise to stay committed to each other and with that the security it brings to our children. We promise to guide your child to be able to fulfill their dreams, use their talents, and live up to their full potential.