Nick and Shanin

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From Us to You

First, we want to thank you for taking the time to read this as a way of getting to know us a little. While we can’t know exactly what you are going through, we know the decision you will make is very difficult. We have been praying for you every day and we look forward to the day when we can pray for you by name. We appreciate the amount of trust it would take to allow us to raise your child, and we would be forever grateful for this most precious gift.

We (Nick & Shanin) met in the spring of 2007 and fell in love. By that fall, Nick moved to where Shanin was living, and the following year, in August of 2008, we got married! Now we are living in Nebraska near Nick’s new job.

We each have multiple educational degrees and treasure the life experience those years of learning brought to us. Because of the great friendships we still have from our time in school, at all levels of learning, we want to give your child those same opportunities for lifelong friends. We both have large extended families with which we still spend time with, so your child will have a great family life. We plan to encourage a mindset of lifelong learning, making sure to help them discover their likes and dislikes in pursuit of finding their own calling in this world. We believe Christian education offers many benefits and we hope your child will follow in our footsteps toward higher education. On a more personal level, we will share the light and love of Jesus as a natural part of our daily family life.

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About Shanin

After being married to Shanin for over 15 years, her character traits are just as impressive as they were when we first met. I’m so grateful that she is always so open and available to people. The girls she has nannied still like to visit her. Kids like asking her to teach them things like how to cook tasty treats, play piano, or do arts and crafts. Most of all, the kids love it when she takes the time to sit down and read to them.

I love that Shanin’s strong understanding of biblical principles supplies such strength and peace to all who are around her. Shanin is the type of person who sticks by a close friend no matter what struggle or drama they may be going through. She still has a friend from 3rd grade whom time and distance cannot separate. Whenever she is anywhere within driving distance, she will try to connect with a friend or family member in person as often as she can. I really admire that. She does not let her friendships drift away as easily as most people. Her close friends from high school and college remain in contact with her. I think this kind of loyalty that comes from the heart and truly cares for others, always wanting the best for them, is why I call myself so blessed to have her as a friend and as my wife. I can hardly wait to watch her be a mom. She brings out the best in everyone she knows.

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About Nick

Nick’s faith is the solid base that helps him to be an amazing leader of our family. It is one of the first things I noticed about him when we met. He has a caring heart and loves to discuss life with Jesus as an expression of his love and concern for others.

He is also a hard worker, always doing everything he can to supply a wonderful life for our family. He even went back to school a few years ago, leading to his new passion – computer science. He excels in database management, and I am so proud of him.

His parents and mine are very happy that he is so quick to be handy and helpful with their tech questions and computer issues. Nick will be a wonderful father, helping them to grow to be amazing people. He is great with children. Our niece and nephews and all our cousins’ kids love him. They are all excited when he walks into the room because they know he will be getting down on the floor to play with them on their own level. I can’t wait to see him get to be a daddy! I know he will teach our son or daughter how to do so many fun things. He imagines teaching them to ride a bike or play games.

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Why We Are Choosing to Adopt

We have always talked about adoption as part of building a large family, but since we have not become pregnant, our dream of being parents by adoption is even more dear to our hearts. As part of a large extended family and a close community of friends, your baby will be so very loved and cared for. Dare we say “spoiled?” Shanin is looking forward to leaving her full-time drafting work to be a stay-at-home mom. This has always been our dream and we believe it is the ideal way to raise the happiest, healthiest children who can live productive and happy lives. Nick looks forward to teaching your little one things like how to ride a bike, maybe to play chess (if they like), and taking vacations to interesting destinations as much as we can. We will tell your child how they came to be a part of our family from day one as a sweet bedtime story, so that they know it is a story of love, and that your decision was made purely out of love.

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Our Home and Neighborhood

We’re excited to say we’ve just moved into a new place, a nice house with a fenced backyard and room to grow. Our home is situated in a newer part of the community with schools close-by and all the amenities of a small town. We love the library! We also look forward to having picnics, gardening, and playing with pets. Maybe we’ll even raise a few chickens or plant some fruit trees. The possibilities are endless, and we are really looking forward to the future.

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Our Lifestyle

As much as Shanin enjoys exploring the world outside, she finds immense joy in the heart of our home: the kitchen. Cooking is not merely a chore but a creative outlet for her. She loves experimenting with new recipes and treating her loved ones to delightful goodies that leave lasting impressions on their taste buds. She loves to share her cooking skills with others. Though Nick is not a cook he enjoys taking Shanin out to eat on special occasions.

Spending time with family and friends is at the core of who we are. Whether it’s organizing family get-togethers, hosting friends for meals, or planning outings, we thrive on the love and laughter that fill these gatherings. We love spending quality time with our friends and family, engaging in playful and competitive games that foster laughter and togetherness. Whether it’s board games on a cozy night in, friendly sports matches in the park, or going camping, we value the bonds we share with our loved ones.

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Our Vacations and Leisure Time

Vacations are something that we look forward to each time we have the opportunity to plan one. We like to adventure to new and old destinations and experience new places, people, and cultures. We enjoy camping at the lake, or in the mountains and visiting the ocean when we can. We envision taking your child on road trips and plane trips to experience fun and exciting places around the world. Family reunions are one of the trips we take almost every year and that is a tradition and a vacation rolled into one.
 
In her leisure time, Shanin likes to spend time reading a variety of books on different topics. She also enjoys crocheting and art projects that include painting, drawing, and photography. Nick likes to spend time reading too and enjoys playing video games or chatting with friends on the phone. Even though Nick does not currently have the space or equipment, he enjoys woodworking and shop activities which can be a creative outlet. Working on computers is a hobby that also extends to what we call “recreational spreadsheets” (number crunching and data analysis for fun). Together we enjoy going on walks around our neighborhood or at the park. We also like going swimming either at the lake or pool when we have the chance.  

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Our Careers, Passions, and Callings

Shanin currently works full-time as a computer-aided drafter but eagerly awaits with anticipation the chance to be a full-time mom. Instead of releasing her creative juices in a drafting program, she will enjoy arts & crafts, music classes, and library story times with your child. She can’t wait to share her love of reading with your child. While Nick has complained in the past about her large and always-growing personal library, he will just have to get used to a new generation of books entering the house. Shanin was a nanny for 24 kids, from 10 different families, over many years. She has always felt called to nurture children to be their best. Because of the bonds that she made with all these children, many of them are still in contact with her. They write, text/call, and sometimes even make the trip to come visit in person.

Nick currently works as a database developer for a large multinational company. This is a newer development in his career path since he just recently graduated with his degree in 2021. Needless to say, he is the computer genius of the family and is passionate about everything computer-related or helping those who have computers that are misbehaving. Although he finds computers to be interesting, he strongly feels that helping others to know Jesus as their personal friend and Savior is his ultimate calling in life. This calling has led him to be a church leader, working in small groups, or having personal one-on-one conversations to challenge and uplift those around him.

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Our Friends and Family

Several families in our circle of friends have children ranging in age from 2 to 11 years old, and our siblings have kids aged from 8 to 16. For those who live out of state, we always get together at least yearly. They are all happy to hear about our plan to adopt and are super excited about having a new cousin in the family. Our parents are especially thrilled to become grandparents again. Shanin’s parents have recently moved closer to us just because of the adoption we are hoping for. Nick’s parents are retired and live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. They plan to make many visits to Nebraska, and we will also make trips to visit them.

Generally, our family and friends are generous, kind, and willing to help each other in everyday life. If we need help, they are willing to stop what they are doing and come to our rescue. They share in the bounty of their gardens, their talents of photography, and hospitality, all to live life to the fullest.

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Our Traditions

Our favorite holiday is Christmas. We split our time between each side of the family. Nick’s side gets even years and Shanin’s gets the odd years when it comes to traveling to our parents’ homes or them visiting us. Our traditions around this time of year are a big Christmas tree, large family sit-down meals, and lots of time for puzzles and games.  

Our family also has something that many do not; that is the Birthday season. Everyone gets 2 weeks around their birthday to be guaranteed to have at least one good day. That might include getting cards and presents on different days throughout those two weeks. 
Outings or parties can be planned in that time frame as well. It all goes to extend the fun and celebration of the person being celebrated.
         
Broadly speaking we celebrate most major holidays by getting together with family and friends just sitting around visiting, eating good food, playing games, or watching our favorite movies. Sometimes the holiday determines the activity that we are doing together such as in years past we have done a Turkey Trot 5k on Thanksgiving morning and then spent the afternoon eating and playing games.

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Our Faith

For us Jesus is first and foremost, the head of our lives, marriage, and family. To keep Him there we work to know and understand what He taught as outlined in the Bible. There are many great lessons about how we should be living our lives, especially treating others as we would like to be treated. Of course, we attend church and bible studies with several other families and share our commitment to raising children who will seek to know God for themselves; to know who Jesus is and what He has done for each one of us

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Racial and Cultural Diversity

We want your child to feel happy and loved in our home, but to also know where they came from. We will make sure that we include learning all about their culture and heritage by reading books, watching videos, singing songs, and talking to people from their culture to understand their traditions and way of life. We want them to feel proud of their roots. We’ll explore all the yummy foods from their culture as well. Cooking special dishes together, like traditional meals and when it’s time for festivals, we’ll celebrate them together and learn about their customs. We’ll take trips to other countries to help broaden their knowledge of the world and cultures. We would plan to visit landmarks, meet new people, and try new things to teach them that the world is a very diverse place.

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Our Promise to You

We promise to love and care for your child to the best of our ability, and we will ensure they know how much you love them, and that you made this decision purely out of love for them. We will honestly answer any questions your child has about you as we want to be as open as possible with your child. We plan to do what’s best for your child in all situations.