You are looking for a wonderful home and future for your
child and we’re looking to share our love and lives with a child in our family.
Perhaps we are looking for each other?
Thank you for taking the time to get to know our family. We
admire your strength and courage as you make this loving decision. We are not
even sure how to start this letter. Normally when you first meet someone, small
talk covers the weather and maybe weekend plans. Instead, we are jumping in with
both feet. We can’t imagine what it is like to be you during this chapter of
your life as you make this difficult decision. We pray that whatever your
decision may be, that it fills your heart with peace. Please know we do want
the best for you and for your child, whatever that may be.
What we can do is tell you a little about us. We met seven
years ago and quickly bonded over our love for the outdoors and our hopes for
creating a family. We have spent a lot of time hiking, gardening, and doing
numerous projects around our home. Almost as much time as we have spent talking
and dreaming about what we would like to pass along to our children, adoption
has always been a part of our family plan. After experiencing miscarriages, we
understood why we have always felt drawn to adopt.
Family means the world to us. Our family currently includes
one snuggle-loving dog, three curious, playful cats, and five funny chickens. We
don’t know your little one yet but, we do know we already love them
unconditionally. We look forward to introducing them to their cousins, aunts,
uncles, and grandparents.
We are lifelong learners and are looking forward to helping
your child explore whatever sparks their imagination. We want to show them how
all good things in life begin with a choice: The choice to be kind in the face
of unkindness; the choice to take a chance to find common ground leading to
friendship and love; the choice to look for the good in the world; and so many
more choices. We want to go camping with s’mores over the fire, teach them to
ride a bike, tuck them in at night after reading a story or two, and so much
more. We will always be in their corner as they learn to trust themselves and
as they realize that everyone has a different story or path in life. Every
story is worthwhile and adds so much to our world. It is our different
experiences that make us who we are and our sharing of them that binds us
together.
Thank you for taking the time to read our story. We hope in
time we will hear your story.
With love,
Matthew and Heather
Matthew is my
best friend. From the first time we talked, his quiet, warm, supportive nature
has made me feel truly cherished. He has a generous, loving heart. He is smart,
hardworking, and funny. His patience and kindness are on display every day. I
love to hear his laugh as he plays with our furry family members, his joy and
advice as he helps our nephew figure out the newest level of his game or his
patient manner as he listens to our niece’s newest adventure. Our friends’
children seek him out whenever we visit. He loves music, gardening and figuring
out how things work. The look he gets on his face when he figures it out, can
light up a room. I’m so proud to be his wife. My heart swells whenever I think
of him. He is truly one of the good ones and if given the chance will make an
amazing father.
I am blessed to
have Heather as my partner for this journey through life, and she is truly a
partner in every sense of the word. It took a while to find her, but now I
cannot imagine my life without her. When we first met, she saw past my
introverted and quiet nature and made the effort to know me and love me on a
deeper level for who I really am. Heather is patient with me and supportive of
my endeavors. She is incredibly smart, fun, and genuine. She is fiercely loyal
to her friends and family. I love the passion she has to be a mom, and her
strength and determination through all of the obstacles trying to get there. I
know she will be a great mom, not only because of who she is, but also by how
she interacts with our nieces and nephews and friends' children, and I could
not ask for a better partner for that next chapter of our lives when it comes.
When describing our daily life, it is all about creating a
life we truly love. Our home is a fun, loving, comfortable, and stable
environment. Our lifestyle is one of balance, whether this is relaxation to
activity, home to work, traditional to modern, or the many other contrasting
forces throughout life. We are just as likely to spend our free time relaxing
snuggling on the couch as we are to be out hiking in the woods. Our cats are
fond of snuggling while our puppy is all about exploring outside. We both
have careers based in logic so we like to be creative in our time away from
work. This could include our latest do-it-yourself project, gardening,
woodworking, or another type of craft. We enjoy dancing, going out to see one of
our favorite bands, or watching a new movie in the theaters.
From our very first conversations about family when we were
dating, adoption has always been part of our family plan. When we married our
families joined together. Our mothers quickly joined forces to make sure
our wedding was everything we could hope for. They now have a strong bond and regularly talk to each other. Matthew’s side of our family is more
traditional with a large extended family. Heather’s side has been blessed with
the addition of family members through marriages that gave her bonus parents,
step-siblings, and friends that quickly became family. Our experiences have
taught us that there is no one way to form a family. Family is about writing
your story and living life with those you love. After experiencing
miscarriages, we understood why we have always felt drawn to adopt. We have so
much love to share and room in our hearts for family. We are drawn to adoption
for the simple reason that it builds families that have their own unique makeup
of members and histories. We are excited and hopeful for the opportunity to raise
and cherish a child.
Our family includes Carlie, Wiley, Gary, and Murdock. They
all have loving personalities, quirky characteristics, and fur. Carlie, Wiley, and Gary are cats and Murdock is a dog. Carlie loves to cuddle as well as paw
at anything that rolls. Any spare cardboard box or empty lap is a magnet for
Wiley. The only thing better for Wiley is the thrill of watching a squirrel
play in the yard. Gary came to our family after he took shelter in our garage
during a snow storm. He is always on time for all meals and is either curled up
on the couch or following Murdock’s every move. Murdock loves to be involved in
everything we do. He especially likes to toss his toys in the air and catch
them. He expects applause for each successful catch. We also have five funny chickens
named Olive, Astrid, Lucy, Pepper, and Penny. In addition to supplying eggs,
they help maintain our vegetable gardens by removing weeds and eating bugs.
Our home is a
2,100-square-foot, split-level on 2.3 acres of land, which is partially wooded
with oaks, poplars, and pine. It has 4 bedrooms and 2.5 baths. Outside, there
is also a greenhouse, two large vegetable gardens, a firewood shed, and a large
chicken coop with five lively chickens giving us fresh eggs daily. Inside,
there is a large, newly remodeled kitchen and two recently remodeled bathrooms.
The interior has a warm and cozy cottage feel with natural elements of wood and
stone. The living room surrounds a wood-burning fireplace for those cold winter
evenings. Your little one's room will be upstairs next to our master bedroom and
overlooks the large backyard and future swing set.
Our community is growing. We live on the outskirts of town, with houses more spread out, but new houses and new developments continue to be built. New malls, shops, and restaurants continue to pop up. In addition, not far away is horse country, where the landscape is filled with grazing fields for many beautiful horses. Our area is home to many public and private schools and we are close to multiple public libraries. We have access to playgrounds, and the zoo, aquarium, and science center are just a short drive.
Matthew was
born and raised in Minnesota in a traditional nuclear family setting and has
one brother who is married and has two kids, ages 3 (girl) and 1 (boy). Heather
was born and raised on the eastern shore of Maryland in a setting where new
family members were introduced and accepted with loving hearts after her
parents’ divorce. Heather has one sister that is married and has two kids, ages
17 (girl) and 12 (boy). Heather also has two step-sisters and one step-brother.
Your child’s aunts and uncles live close enough for frequent visits with them
and their new cousins. We travel to Minnesota frequently to visit Matthew's
parents and his large extended family (9 aunts and uncles and 9 first cousins).
While there, we also spend some time hiking in Minnesota's north woods.
Matthew's parents visit during Christmas and send many care packages during the
year to make everyone feel loved and special. Heather's mother and stepfather
live close by for many visits and assist on many do-it-yourself projects
around the house. Heather's stepmother also calls and visits often, and is very
supportive of us.
We are planning on Heather being the stay-at-home parent.
Each day will hopefully go something like the following: Wake up and have some
quiet time until little one wakes up. Read a couple pages of a book, do a mini
exercise session, or write in the journal. Little one awakens and morning
snuggles with Matt. Breakfast! Clean up from breakfast, shower, and send Matt
off to work. Next, Heather has some quiet activities time with little one. Read
a book, or maybe even watch a little TV. Snack time! Time to interact through
play such as going over shapes, color, letters, or numbers with little ones. As
they get older add some arts and crafts. Prepare and eat lunch. Naptime with a
wind-down routine for little one. Laundry, dinner prep, and other simple chores
for Heather. Snack and weather permitting outdoor playtime. Dinner time!
Heather finishes prepping dinner while Matt spends time with little one. Sit
down at the table and enjoy this time together to talk about the day. Dinner
clean up. Wind-down time with a nightly routine in place that includes bath
time, brushing teeth, pajamas, and some reading time. Sleep and repeat. While
having a schedule is nice, kids will be kids. Flexibility is a key factor and
if things go off course, we will just adjust and keep moving forward.
We will share both holiday and daily traditions
that we had growing up as well as create new ones. Most of our memories involve
music, whether it is dancing in the living room or playing instruments. We also
have a tradition of watching our favorite holiday movies including, Muppets
Christmas Carol and It’s a Wonderful Life to name a few. We have collected
books and stories from our childhood that are just waiting to be shared with
the next generation. We will continue the family traditions of sharing the
days adventures over dinner time, followed by bath time and bedtime stories. We
will nurture a lifetime of curiosity, just as our parents did for us,
through vacations to new places that spark their interests whether that be to a
museum, a zoo, a concert, or a city view. We also plan to continue the family
weekend visits with cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. We look forward
to cheering them on whether it would be sporting events, science fairs, plays
or wherever their interests lead them. We hope to continue a family history of
painting, building, crafting, baking (especially Christmas cookies) and
whatever else may bring joy.
When we find ourselves with an extended weekend or vacation
it can lead us down multiple roads. Sometimes we take a road trip to concerts,
historical sites, hiking areas, or cabins. Other times we visit family or work
on a do-it-yourself project for ourselves, family or friends. If the weather is
not the best for traveling, we will have a family snuggle vacation with movies,
books or board games.
If you choose our family for your baby, we will be overcome
with gratitude that our dreams of being parents have come true. We promise to only
have overwhelming love and respect for you and their Birth Father for
entrusting your little one into our care.
