Chad and Melissa

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From Us to You

You are pretty amazing! We know this because you are considering the courageous decision to go on this journey of adoption for you and your child. We cannot wait to get to know you! Thank you for taking the time to get to know us, too. As we sit to write this letter, our hearts are pounding with excitement and emotion. Our names are Chad, Melissa, and Lucas. Our little family is ready to grow, and it is a privilege to have a chance at being a part of this journey with you. Chad was adopted as an infant and having had a positive adoption experience, he has always wanted to adopt and honor the great sacrifice his mother made for him. As soon as Melissa heard his story, her heart deeply longed for the same. We are so excited that our dreams are finally coming true! We hope that this letter will give you a glimpse of our fun-loving family and what your child’s future would look like.

We have a tremendous amount of love to share with another child who would complete our family. Both of us grew up in loving homes that have left us with fun childhood memories, and we want nothing more than to create the same experience for our children. Our home has plenty of room for our family to grow and there are bedrooms waiting to be filled with love and laughter. Our son, Lucas was born in 2017 and he is going to be the best big brother! He is taking his new role very seriously and is already making plans for all of the things he wants to show his new sibling.

We feel it is important for one of us to be at home full-time because we want to be there for all of the firsts, provide our children with the love and care they deserve, and establish a solid family foundation together. It is a huge blessing to us that we are able to provide a financially stable environment while also being able to give the best source of care with Chad being a stay-at-home dad.

Our faith is very important to our family. We promise to raise your child knowing the love of Christ while also allowing them the space to make their own personal decision on their beliefs. On Sundays, we go to church and then come home to relax and enjoy the rest of the day together. We make a yummy Sunday dinner, and it is common for us to invite our extended family over to join us. We are active members of our church and enjoy the community of people that it surrounds us with.

Summers are our favorite!!! We have a cozy home nestled on a large lake that we enjoy year-round. The warm summer days are spent enjoying time the sunshine, fishing, and taking long boat rides around the lake. We are closely knit with our families that live nearby and spend time with them often. We take a family vacation during the summer to go camping with our parents, siblings, and their children. Family and friends are really important to us, and we value the relationships we have with them. Your child would have an incredible support system that loves them unconditionally.

We are here to support you however we can and are completely open to you being a part of your child’s life if that is something that you desire. We want your baby to grow up knowing all about his or her birth mother. You are a very important piece of your child’s life and that will continue for their lifetime. We promise that your child will always know their story, where they came from, and how incredibly loved they are by all the people in their life.

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Why We are Choosing to Adopt

Chad was adopted as an infant and has an immense amount of gratitude for his birth mom for doing what she felt was best for him. He knew that the decision that she made was an extremely hard one and it was not easy for her. He grew up in a loving home and was blessed with a lot of opportunities through his school, sports programs, and the church he attended. He is now a very successful adult. Even before we were married, we knew that adoption was part of the future God had for us. Chad wants to give a child the same positive experience that his parents gave him. We have seen the amazing impact that adoption can have on a life and deeply desire to give that same blessing. Another child would greatly enrich our lives and complete our family.

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How We Met

We met in high school in 2004. Melissa’s best friend and Chad’s best friend were dating each other and introduced us. We connected instantly. We enjoyed going snowboarding together, going bowling, and just being in each other’s company. Our relationship was built on trust, fun, and the foundation of Christ. After high school, we both went off to college pursing our degrees and in 2012, Chad proposed. We were married in 2013 and have grown to love each other even more each day.

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About Melissa, by Chad

Melissa is simply the best mother to Lucas.  I knew she’d be an amazing mom years before we had our son, which is one of the many reasons I asked her hand in marriage.  She’s always prepared for any circumstance when it comes to small children and I remember her always being ready with extra wipes, pacifiers, clothing, and burp cloths. She always schedules well in advance for our family’s doctor appointments, checkups, trips, school functions, church events, and family events. She keeps our family on the right track and prioritizes our well-being.  

Melissa’s children will always come first and Lucas and I are blessed to have her. Since our son came into our lives, she has been a provider, nurturer, teacher, and friend to Lucas, all while working full-time and being a better wife than I deserve.  She finds great satisfaction in cooking and feeding us healthy, clean, organic, and nutritious meals every day.  Melissa is always one step ahead of everyone when it comes to safety. We have an active lifestyle and live on a lake, and she is always equipped with helmets, life jackets, car seats, seatbelts, and shoestrings. I don’t know anyone in the world who loves harder and cares more than Melissa.  She is passionate and excited to grow our family.

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About Chad, by Melissa

Chad is a kind, loving and hard-working man. I have never met someone so dedicated to his family. He is the best person I know. He is an incredibly patient man. I always knew this about him, but it really shined with our son, Lucas, as he has taught him how to ride a bike, wakeboard, skateboard, snowboard, as well as many other different sports and activities. Chad is also an amazing cook. Having spent his college years as a chef at several restaurants, his cooking skills are absolutely amazing, and I prefer his cooking to anywhere else. The doors to our home are always open to guests and there is never a hungry stomach when they leave. Chad will whip up a monstrous meal, no matter how big the crowd, and everyone leaves happy. His favorite thing to do is spend time with his family and friends on the lake, enjoying each other’s company and having a good time. Chad is the backbone of our family, my partner, and my best friend. I know he will be an attentive, loving father to your child, as he is with Lucas.

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Lifestyle

As you can see from our pictures, a big part of our lifestyle has to do with living on a lake. Our home has been such a blessing to us and to others as well. During the summers, we have guests over often to go fishing, play on our beach, go swimming, and take rides on the boat. One of the reasons why we bought this home in the first place was because we believe that memories with our loved ones are so precious. We didn’t want life to pass us by without committing ourselves to create a place where people could come to relax and enjoy fellowship with one another. Our time together as a family is very important to us and we make sure every night, no matter how busy our schedules, that we take the time to have dinner together as a family. Our faith is also a very large part of our lifestyle. God is the firm foundation that our home sits on.

When we welcome your baby to our family, our lifestyle will change, but in a beautiful way. We imagine our family in the shade of our yard, under the large trees, laying on a picnic blanket together in the summertime. Dinner will still be spent together as a family, followed by a bedtime routine that will end with us all reading a book together. One of our favorite books to read is “Oh The Places You Will Go!” By Dr. Suess. We cannot wait to start making new memories with your child. The firm foundation of our faith will continue to lead us and guide us through this remarkable adventure.

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Home & Neighborhood

We live in a small and quiet town. Our town has a carnival every summer that the kiddos get to enjoy as well as several parades. Our house is located at the end of a cul-de-sac on a 25 mph road where there is little to no traffic making it the perfect area for children to safely play outside. That is another reason why we chose this place as our home. Our neighborhood is tree-filled and very close to good schools. We purchased our home in 2020 and have done a full restoration with a brand-new kitchen, bathrooms, plumbing, and HVAC. We have a nice size yard with plenty of room for all kinds of activities. The driveway is large and perfect for riding a bike, coloring with chalk, and playing basketball.

Our home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. We already have the nursery picked out. It is currently a playroom for Lucas, but he is more than excited for us to upgrade it to your baby’s room. There are a lot of homes in our neighborhood but because most of them are summer vacation homes the winters are very quiet and peaceful. In the summertime, the neighborhood comes to life when lake activities start. Both of our neighbors have children of all ages and everyone plays together. The houses around the area have family-friendly concerts and we also have lake association activities such as boat parades and kayak races!

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Racial & Cultural Diversity

Love doesn’t have a color, an ethnic background, a heritage, or a culture. Love is love. We are all children of God, and we all deserve unconditional love. We celebrate and embrace the differences in cultures around the world. We love traveling and experiencing all the different ways of life. We enjoy bringing different foods from around the world into our homes. Melissa is on a culture committee and gets to meet people from around the globe and coordinates programs where crowds can learn, experience, and celebrate these cultures in her workplace. Your child will not only know their own culture and background but will also get to experience the diversity that we have on this wonderful planet we live on.

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Our Families & Friends

We are fortunate to be surrounded by an amazing group of family and friends! We are blessed that they all live so close to us. Our parents are only a 30-minute drive away, so we see them often. They are involved grandparents and love taking Lucas on adventures, helping with school pick-ups, and having him over just because. We are also spoiled because both Grandmas are photographers, so we always have an abundance of pictures. Melissa has one sister, who lives nearby with her husband and their two children. Chad has one brother, who also lives close by with his wife and their two small children. We both have close relationships with our siblings and are looking forward to our own children having a close relationship with each other as well. We also have several cousins with children of all ages, so holidays are always full of the sound of children’s laughter. Our friends are very important to our family as well. We love spending time with them, and our kids love playing together. We consider our friends to be part of our extended family.

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Family Traditions

We love our family traditions! Every year we look forward to them. Here are some of our favorites:

• Birthdays are always celebrated in our family. Everyone deserves a celebration!
• On Easter, we go to church and then get together with our families to have a meal and go on easter egg hunts!
• For Thanksgiving, we get together with both sides of our family. We host Melissa’s side of the family at our home and her dad brings a delicious, moist turkey! Chad is always in charge of the mashed potatoes because he makes the best potatoes in the world. Melissa is in charge of making desserts, mostly because desserts are her favorite part of the entire meal. When we meet with Chad’s side of the family, his dad smokes a turkey which is a delectable treat.
• One of our favorite traditions that occur on Christmas Eve after church is a prime rib dinner that Melissa’s dad hosts. We look forward to it every single year. Before bed, we set out the traditional cookies and milk for Santa. On Christmas morning, we have a quiet Christmas together with just the three of us, videotaping the whole thing so we can capture the magic of Christmas as the years go by. Chad’s side of the family adopts a family from church, and we all get together for a yummy meal and wrap the gifts that we have all purchased for the family. It is important for us to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ, and the spirit of giving. It is always a wonderful time getting together and spending time with our loved ones.

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Our Promise to You

We promise that your child will know their story from the start. We promise that your child will grow up knowing what a brave person you are, and what a positive impact your sacrifice made on our lives. You will be spoken of in honor and celebrated in our family. Having two photographers in our family, we promise to capture every precious moment to share with you. We promise to teach your child to be curious about the world and all the people who live in it. They will know their heritage and their culture. We promise to teach your child to be respectful of other people but also stand up for what they believe in. We will always stand behind them and support them. We promise to raise your child knowing the love of Christ. We will teach your child the importance of bringing goodness to this world. And lastly, we promise to be your child’s biggest advocates, cheerleaders, mentors, and safe space.