Keith and Jennifer

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From Us to You

Hello!

Thank you so much for giving us this time to introduce ourselves and tell you about our family. We are grateful that you love your unborn child so much that you are willing to consider an adoption plan for him or her. We cannot even imagine what a difficult and emotional time you are experiencing. We want you to know that we will be here as a support to you and your child.

We are already parents, so we know that words cannot express the love between parents and their children. We adopted both of our sons. Kurt was adopted a few years ago and we adopted Lincoln last year. We have open adoptions with both of their birth families. We see them several times throughout the year. We love staying connected as much as possible, so they will grow up with and get to know any siblings and family.

We live a very active and busy life. We spend many weekends finding things to do. Our favorites are going to the park, zoo, or visiting family. Grandma (Jen’s mom) lives with us, so the kids have a lot of quality grandma time while we work. We visit very frequently with family and friends that are close by. We have started a new tradition of weekly dinners; it allows us to keep in touch with everyone. Our friends and family that live a long distance away, are seen at least once or twice a year in person. We FaceTime them to stay connected until our next visit.

Our home is in a beautiful neighborhood near many parks, beaches, and hiking trails. We are within one of the top school districts in Wisconsin. We enjoy watching Kurt as he plays some of his favorite sports in school (soccer, basketball). The teachers and staff have been phenomenal and are always very helpful, even through this crazy pandemic. We love watching Lincoln explore and learn as he is growing.

If we are the family that you are looking for your child, we will encourage them to explore to find their true interests. Whatever their interests are (music, sports, education, etc) we will foster and provide opportunities for them to grow in their passion. We would love and cherish your child completely. We would be able to give your child a life full of love, support, and opportunities. If you choose an open adoption, we already have some experience with that and are more than willing to work with you.

Sincerely,
Jen and Keith (and Kurt and Lincoln too!)

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Why We are Choosing to Adopt

We are choosing to adopt for many reasons. We feel that we have more love to give to a child. We would love to be able to grow our family through adoption while at that same time assisting another birth family get through a scary and trying time. We are in a very stable position to be able to adopt another child and can comfortably support all of our children. We would love to be able to share what we have with another child. Jen was brought up with 5 siblings, Keith was an only child. We currently have two sons, Kurt, whom we adopted in 2013, and Lincoln, who was adopted in 2021.

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Our Relationship with You

We have an open relationship with Kurt’s birth mother and Lincoln’s birth parents. It has been working very well for all of us. We would love to be able to have an open relationship with you and your family, too. We believe that if an adoption is kept a secret from a child, it has the potential to mentally and emotionally harm them in the long run. We want to be able to talk freely about our children’s birth families. We want them to know that they are well-loved by both their birth family and our family.

We are willing to be as open as you are comfortable with. If you prefer to have minimal contact (pictures/texts) that is ok also. If you would like in-person meetings and be a bigger part of their life, that is great as well.

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About Jen, by Keith

My wife and I attended the same high school, but did not meet each other until after we graduated. We met through mutual friends. Jen is fun-loving and a great mother. She is very organized and keeps our family running smoothly. This comes in very handy with her career as a nurse. She works in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) where she enjoys working with the babies and their families.

Jen’s favorite thing to do is hang out with family and friends. Grilling meats is her specialty and she loves to share by having family over for meals. She enjoys playing games (dice, card games, and board games). For vacations or time away from home Jen insists that we either go to one place that we have never been to before or experience a new activity we have never done. Her favorite places are the zoo, Disney World, or any road trip. Her passion for new experiences is one of the ways that our children will have many opportunities to explore the world and pursue their interests.

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About Keith, by Jen

I met Keith through a mutual high school friend while on a night out. We have been together ever since. Keith is an amazing person and is always there when you need him. He is a wonderful father and spends a lot of his time playing and supporting Kurt and Lincoln. He has finally been able to fulfill his dream of becoming an Executive Chef. He loves cooking and likes to spend time teaching Kurt (and eventually Lincoln) how to cook.

Keith enjoys spending his downtime with family and friends. We try to find random, different restaurants to go to with him. He loves sports and enjoys baseball and football (Go Cubs! Go Bears!). He loves to go with us to the various zoos and aquariums we love to explore. His favorite movie series is “Star Wars” and our next goal is to visit Walt Disney World to see the new “Star Wars” area. He loves to travel and we try to make sure we complete at least one road trip a year.

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Lifestyle

We have a very relaxed lifestyle and work hard to get what we have. Keith has been able to work up to becoming an Executive Chef. Jen works hard and is currently enjoying her work in the hospital. We work the way we do in order to spend as much time with family and friends as possible.

We enjoy spending all our free time with our family. We try to find at least one new experience to try a year (some are local, and some are saved for a vacation). During the pandemic we grew plants from seeds, this year we have started fishing. Next year … maybe swim in the ocean? We also have many favorite hobbies and activities that we do together. We enjoy learning about everything like going to the zoo to learn about animals. We enjoy going to different fairs throughout the year. We go to the Renaissance Faire, State fairs, and music festivals.

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Vacations & Leisure Time

We try to be very well traveled as a family. We love to go on road trips to see places and things that we have never seen before. We bring Kurt and Lincoln everywhere with us and would bring any other children as well. Some of our favorite long-distance locations to go to are Disney World, Las Vegas, and Texas. We have also been to many of the eastern and southern states. Our next goal is to drive to California and explore the Pacific coast. We can’t wait to swim in the ocean!

We have some places that are closer to home that we frequent as much as possible. We go to several different zoos, parks, and beaches. We love to try all the different children’s museums. Especially the ones that have interactive exhibits for the kids to play and learn from. We also love to go to aquariums where you can see and learn about different animals that live in the water.

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Home & Neighborhood

We currently live in a beautiful suburban subdivision. There are a lot of trees and there are always people out for walks. Everyone is very friendly and has an easy smile. We have numerous playgrounds that Grandma enjoys bringing the boys to. We have several beaches within close proximity to our home. This makes it easy to go play in the sand and swim in the lake.

We chose this neighborhood for the school. The school district that we currently reside in is one of the top districts in Wisconsin. Kurt loves his school, and he has made many friends. Our experience with his school has proven that all of the teaching and support staff have been phenomenal.

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Racial & Cultural Diversity

We truly believe that everyone is equal and treat everyone as such. If we are chosen to adopt a child of a different race, we are prepared to support them in every way. We would want your child to be knowledgeable about their cultural background. We will educate ourselves so we can educate them. We will make sure that they are aware of any holidays celebrated in their culture and add them to our celebrations throughout the year. We would become knowledgeable of any important figures within their culture and make your child aware of who they are and what they have done.  If there are any physical differences within our family, we will strive to make sure all members feel and have the knowledge that they are equal.

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Our Children's Birth Families

We were able to adopt Kurt through our family. We were approached by Jen’s niece and she asked if we would adopt her unborn child. We had no pause before saying yes. We have a very open adoption. We don’t want Kurt, or his siblings, to be hurt or shocked to learn he is adopted at a later time. We want to make sure that Kurt knows that he is loved by both his birth mom and his adoptive parents.  She lives a couple of hours away from us but that does not stop us from seeing her often. We usually visit her family a couple of times a year. She also comes to us a couple of times a year. We want the kids to grow up together and have a good relationship.

For our younger son’s adoption, we were fortunate enough to be paired with a lovely couple that lives about 2 hours away from us. We have been staying in contact with them both by text/pictures and meeting in person. They have truly become as much of our family as Lincoln has. We enjoy doing many different activities with them as often as all our schedules allow. We have been able to go to pumpkin, tree, and flower farms together. We have also met for game nights and been out for meals.

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Our Families & Friends

Keith is an only child. His parents live outside of Dallas, Texas. We see them frequently by using FaceTime and strive to see them at least once or twice a year in person. Jen is one of 6 siblings. Most of her family is fairly local and we see them frequently. We have started meeting once a week for “family dinners” and checking in with Sharon, Wayne, and Brian (Jen’s sister and 2 brothers). Jen’s mom, Dyann, lives with us and is an integral part of the family. She has been a blessing and is able to watch Kurt and Lincoln while we work.

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Family Traditions

There are many holiday and yearly traditions that we love.  For us, they always involve our family in some manner.  One example is cutting down our Christmas tree after Thanksgiving.  It allows us to spend time with Kurt’s cousins who live in Northern Wisconsin!  The kids love to decorate the tree and bake cookies.  On Christmas Eve, we have family over at our house for a nice relaxing, food-filled evening while enjoying the holiday. Jen’s brother (Wayne) and nephew (John) always sleep overnight to wait for Santa to visit our household. We leave cookies and milk out with Kurt and Lincoln for Santa to have a snack.

Every year, we visit Devil’s Lake State Park in Wisconsin. It is a beautiful lake with many hiking trails. This has been a long-standing tradition and we go there to remember family members who have passed on.

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Our Promise to You

If you choose us to care for and raise your child, we promise to love and cherish them. We will always respect him or her. We will provide them with encouragement in all that they do. Your child will be a priority within our family. We will provide them with everything they need for both their physical and emotional support. We will help them to discover who they are and who they want to be. We will help them grow into the best adult possible. We will teach them to live a happy, positive, and affectionate life. We will always be there to support them no matter what transpires throughout their lives.