We hope you feel our love and concern for you. Thank you so much for taking the time to get to know us. You are always in our hearts and our thoughts. We pray often that you will be comforted and that you will feel the love God has for you.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
How We Feel About Adoption
The easiest and most important decision we have ever made was to adopt. We know that God intended for our little family to grow through the beautiful gift of adoption and we look forward to welcoming another little one into our home. Love, courage, faith and sacrifice are the means by which adoption is possible. We have found peace and joy in pursuing the path that God intended for us to follow. We pray that you too may feel such peace and joy.
How we feel about our children.
http://michaelandkristenblog.blogspot.com/search?q=gold
How we feel about our children.
http://michaelandkristenblog.blogspot.com/search?q=gold
How We Feel About OPEN Adoption
We have an open adoption with Jayla, Jessa, Mikey, Kellan and Quinton's Birthfamilies.
We absolutely adore our
children. They are our world. All 5 of
them were adopted and we are grateful to have open adoptions with their birth
families. Our kids have very different adoption stories, but we love and
cherish them all. They also have varying degrees of openness because we have
let their birthmothers choose the level and type of contact that is most
comfortable for them. We are flexible as these comfort levels change and have
been willing to accommodate their desires.
We also continue to find joy
in strengthening these relationships through emails, pictures, visits and phone
calls. Even though we have birth families in many different states the distance
has not been a barrier to having openness with their birthfamilies - including
visits.
Our family is possible because
of our childrens’ courageous birthmothers. Our kids have no doubt of their
love. Their birth mothers will always be dear to our hearts and our children
can see how much we love and respect their birthfamilies. We look forward to
sharing the achievements and experiences of our future adopted child with their
birthmother and birthfamily. We will teach them how unique they are and help
them know about the great sacrifice and selfless act that brought them into our
lives.
Hanging out at the zoo with Jayla's birthmom and family.
We talk to our children about their birth-moms and we tell them the story of their adoption. We want each of them to feel comfortable talking about this subject throughout their lives. We want them to always know that their birth mothers love them very much, as do we. We feel that having an open adoption has blessed our lives along with the lives of our children and we hope that it has blessed their birth families as well.
Kellan, his Birthmom, Birth Grandma, Birth Grandpa, and Birth Aunt during Kellan's last birthday.
Visiting with Mikey's Nana and Birth Aunt.
Visiting with Quinton's birthmom and biological half brother after he was discharged from the NICU.
Mikey's Adoption Day 2016
Visiting with Mikey's Nana and Birth Aunt.
We also celebrate the Adoption Day of each child! It's a day we focus on family and let each child know how grateful we are they are part of our family. We give them gifts and celebrate the unique qualities they bring to our household dynamic.
Kellan's Adoption Day 2015
Jessa's Adoption Story
The day we brought Jessa home.
Life had become like a dream ever since we welcomed little Jayla and her birthfamily into our lives. They all brought us such joy that we couldn’t wait to do it all again. We both felt that there was another baby that needed to come to our home, so we got busy. When Jayla turned one year old we were approved with LDSFS.
Over the next 6 months we had the opportunity to meet many wonderful birthmothers, but none felt like they should place their baby with our family. We still knew that there was a baby out there who needed to come to our home. Around the end of October we decided to sign up with Parent Profiles. Nearly one month later we were contacted by Jelisa (Jessa’s Birthmother). We continued to e-mail each other over the next month. She shared with us her hopes and dreams for her little one and we couldn’t help but “fall in love” with Jelisa and her baby.
In mid-December we got a call from Jelisa’s friend telling us that Jelisa was in labor and was at the hospital. We started packing only to find out that Jelisa had been sent home. Since Jelisa was 2 weeks over due we decided to fly out to North Carolina anyway, assuming that the baby would be born during the next couple of days. We wanted to be there for Jelisa and her baby. The thought of the two of them being alone in the hospital was very daunting to us. At the time we had no idea that we would be in North Carolina for nearly 1 month before baby Jessa would arrive.
During that time we were blessed to meet Jelisa face to face. With a bright smile on her face she joked with us while describing her family life and how she had mastered the “pregnancy waddle.” She explained to us that she had just told her family about her pregnancy and that they were supportive of her decision. Throughout the entire meeting Jelisa showed such genuine concern for us and we were so excited to be able to finally meet her. We will always cherish the short time that we were able to spend with her.
Jessa was finally born on Jan. 2nd 2010. Jelisa’s mom called us on the phone so that we could hear Jessa cry. It was surreal. We were able to see Jessa for the first time immediately after her birth for only a second before the nurse wheeled her to the nursery. Unfortunately, they would not let Michael in to see Jessa the entire time she was in the hospital. That nearly killed Michael. A couple hours later I was led to Jessa’s own private room where I was alone with her for the very first time. As I held Baby Jessa in my arms I thought of the amount of love Jelisa has for her and how blessed I was. It was then that I couldn’t contain my emotions anymore. Later Michael confessed to me that while I was crying holding Jessa, he was crying in the waiting room.
Jessa when she was 10 months old during one of my photo shoots.
The next day we drove back to the hospital and spent the day with Jelisa and her mom in the hospital room. Jelisa’s mom told us “Jelisa stories” that made us laugh while she rolled her eyes at her mom. Between stories Jelisa would ask me to go check on Jessa and to take some pictures for her. Jelisa wanted to make sure that baby Jessa was alright and that she wasn’t getting lonely. While we were at the hospital we asked Jelisa what her hopes were for Jessa. Tears started to well up her eyes as she told us that she wanted Jessa to be happy, to know Jesus, and to play sports. We smiled and told her that we could definitely do that.
The next day we arrived to sign papers and to take our sweet Jessa home. We were disappointed to find out that Jelisa had already gone home. It was sad that we didn’t get to see her and we only pray that it won’t be the last time.
We continue to email Jelisa often and every once in a while she will reply to us, “ Thank you for your sacrifice.” Michael and I just smile at each other as we think to ourselves, “Our Sacrifice?” You see, this is the type of person Jelisa is. We only hope that we can raise Jessa to be strong, faithful, and full of love, just like her birthmom.
We know that the Lord wanted little Jessa to come to our home and we can’t imagine life without her.
Jayla's Adoption Story
Showing Jayla off to the family the first day we brought her home.At first it didn't really sink in, at least not until we went to the agency to read the beautiful letter and package Chauntel had sent us. We read of her faith, love, hope, and dreams for this little girl. We felt a strong love for this Angel and her baby. We were so humbled that we would have a chance to become parents. We met Chauntel and her family one week later. The instant connection that we had with her and her family was unexpected and amazing. They made us feel at home as we laughed and cried together. We continued to e-mail until we got a long awaited phone call announcing that Jayla had been born.
We excitedly drove to the hospital and sat down in the waiting room. That was when it hit us. How do we show Chauntel the love that we feel inside for her and her baby? We became nervous because we wanted this to be perfect for her. We were then invited into the hospital room where we saw Jayla for the first time in her birth mother’s arms. The first thing Jayla’s birth mom said to us was, “Do you want to hold her?” She gently placed the sleeping baby in Kristen’s arms and our hearts melted as we inspected Jayla’s tiny fingers and toes never wanting to look away. Michael then got his chance to hold Jayla. He couldn’t get over how beautiful she was. We stayed for an hour longer. Although we knew that we would miss that perfect little baby girl, we wanted Chauntel to spend as much time as possible with Jayla.
A day later we traveled back to the hospital with our carseat in the back for the first time. How do you describe such an event of deep feelings and anticipation? The atmosphere in the hospital room was solemn and reverent. We expressed our love for Chauntel and her family as she caressed Jayla with a tear streaked face. We felt such strong emotions for this brave young woman. Kristen reassured them that we would always love that baby girl and they stated: “we know, that is why we choose you.” We cried with them as they said their goodbyes one by one by kissing the top of Jayla’s forehead. Then, we were alone with our baby for the very first time. We will forever be grateful for Jayla’s birth mother. She truly is our angel. Adoption has blessed us in so many ways. It has brought our families together all because of the love we all have for a certain little girl!
Jayla's BirthMother's Story
Jayla and Chauntel at her wedding years ago.My name is Chauntel and I wanted to share a little bit of my story with you. In March of 2008 I found out I was pregnant because of circumstances I could not control. As you can imagine the news at that time was devastating but I never knew such wonderful things would come from it. Not being at fault helped me to know that adoption might be the best option for my child.
When you start to consider adoption you seek to find comfort that it is the right decision. After many tears and deliberation I started to look at adoption profiles of many couples. There were so many wonderful couples and it was hard to know which couple would be the best for me and my child. Michael and Kristen were one of the first couples I picked and I always felt a close connection with them. Through many tears, prayers, and fasting I couldn’t ignore the connection I had with them even though I hadn’t decided on a couple yet. I finally followed my heart and decided on adoption even though I was still struggling with knowing if that was the right choice.
I felt the love and compassion that Michael and Kristen had for me as the birth mother and through their kind responses to my e-mails I knew they would be the best parents for my baby. I then set up a time to meet with them and the minute they walked in the door there was tears and hugs and I knew they loved and respected me and would help me through my hardships. Never once did I feel they would judge or be critical of me and through these past years I have never felt anything but love from them.
From the beginning Michael and Kristen have made it very clear that my little girl would know of me and my story and how much I love and care for her, they also have always been concerned with my well-being. Those two days at the hospital were the happiest days of my life and I would do anything to go back to spend that time again with my little girl. During and after placement I was still struggling with my decision but I followed through with it because in my heart I knew Michael and Kristen were right for me and my baby.
Now looking back over the past years many things have confirmed to me that the decision I made was right. Michael and Kristen and their family have helped me to heal and have been better parents than I could have ever imagined for my child. I wouldn’t have been able to make this journey with out them. They are my angels and I will always be grateful unto them for this. I want them to know I love and appreciate them and all they do for Jayla and for me. I will always admire them for the sacrifices they have made for us. From the bottom of my heart …
Love, Chauntel
Parenting
We both have
close relationships with our families. Our grandparents, parents, brothers,
sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins all get together every chance we get. They
love our children deeply and are so
excited for us to adopt again. When we get together there is always a fun
activity planned, whether it
is rolling Easter eggs, sledding, going ATV
riding, boating, playing games, or just hanging out and laughing. Most of all,
we love playing with our beautiful children Jayla, Jessa, Mikey, Kellan and
Quinton. We truly love being their Mom and Dad and these fabulous five are so
incredibly excited to adopt a baby brother or sister.
Being
parents is second nature to us and we enjoy every minute of it. We love that our house is usually loud, that
there is always a cheek to kiss, a small hand to hold, or a soccer game to
cheer at. We have found so much joy in
spending time with each of our children one-on-one, truly getting to know who
they are, and celebrating their uniqueness.
We do this with weekly individual date night, teaching piano, coaching
our children in sports, and making sure we connect with each child daily. The thrills we get from hearing our baby
giggle for the first time, holding them close when they are sick, watching them
master something difficult, or see them run up to us after being at school are
unlike anything else in this world. That is
why we want to adopt one more time.
We have always dreamed
of having a big family and we made plans for it from the very beginning. We worked hard to get Michael a good job to
support a large family and a stay-at-home mom.
We have room in our schedule to spend time with each child. We have space in our home for another chair
around the dinner table. We have time in our life to shuttle kids to various
activities. Most of all, we have room in
our hearts to love and dedicate everything we have to another child, to
lovingly guide them, and to help them reach their full potential.
We believe it is important that children are
taught values and principles with love and patience. This is done when parents put their children
first. We as parents feel that it is important to be “present” emotionally and
physically for our children so we can give them what they need and not just
what they want. It is also important to
take the time to help each child develop their own talents and interests, even
if they are different than our own. We
look forward to outings as a family, coaching our children in sports, attending
recitals and enjoying various other activities as we help them grow. We believe that education is also
important. We make sure that our
children are given many different opportunities to succeed academically as well
as individually. We teach our children to embrace their birth cultures and
their adoption stories, but most importantly we make sure our children know how
much we love them and how grateful we are to be their parents.
Burying the kids in some leaves outback.
Snuggling with daddy after a business trip.
Adoption Collages
These are the picture collages we put together for the adoption process. We enjoyed putting these together. It was fun to look through the good times we've had together over the years and with the girls!
Click to Enlarge
Click to Enlarge
Wedding Video
This is our Wedding Video. We had to break it up into sections because it was too big to upload the whole thing at once. It's kind of corny in parts but it shows a bunch of pictures of when we were kids and when we were dating so everyone can get a glimpse into our past.
Dating
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Bridals
_________________________________________________________
Wedding Day
Growing Up
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Dating
_________________________________________________________
Bridals
_________________________________________________________
Wedding Day
About Kristen
Age: 36
Occupation: Stay at home mom (chauffeur, cook, doctor, psychologist, soccer coach, teacher, maid, activities coordinator, photographer, decorator and party planner) and a retired Newborn Intensive Care Registered Nurse
Education: A.S. (Snow College 2004), B.S. in Nursing (UVU 2006)
Ancestry: Caucasian-Great Britain
Interests and Hobbies:
Sports: Soccer, Running, Snowboarding, Wake boarding, Softball, Racquetball, Dancing
Outdoors: Boating, Hiking, Camping, ATV riding, Fishing, Going for Walks, Traveling/Site Seeing
Occupation: Stay at home mom (chauffeur, cook, doctor, psychologist, soccer coach, teacher, maid, activities coordinator, photographer, decorator and party planner) and a retired Newborn Intensive Care Registered Nurse
Education: A.S. (Snow College 2004), B.S. in Nursing (UVU 2006)
Ancestry: Caucasian-Great Britain
Interests and Hobbies:
Sports: Soccer, Running, Snowboarding, Wake boarding, Softball, Racquetball, Dancing
Outdoors: Boating, Hiking, Camping, ATV riding, Fishing, Going for Walks, Traveling/Site Seeing
Crafts: Sewing, Cross-Stitching, Quilting, Cooking, Photography
Miscellaneous: Reading, Animals, Movies, Singing, Listening to Music, Blogging, Shopping, Having Fun With Family and my favorite is playing with the kids.
Background
I grew up on a dairy farm in Mapleton, Utah. We had a dog, some chickens, the occasional pig and about 200 cows. When growing up one of my favorite things to do was to play on the farm. My brothers, sister and I would build huts in the hay and cotton seed. I would play house in them with my little sister. I also played a lot of sports since I had two older brothers and two boy cousins who lived across the street from us. We had so much fun. I also remember going fishing a lot with my dad, his favorite past time. As a kid I did it all. Piano, dance, choir, softball, basketball, swimming, and soccer. My mom was good to let me try new things. She even coached me in most of those sports even though she never really played any of them. Those are some of my fondest memories. I plan on doing this with our own kids.
Miscellaneous: Reading, Animals, Movies, Singing, Listening to Music, Blogging, Shopping, Having Fun With Family and my favorite is playing with the kids.
Background
I grew up on a dairy farm in Mapleton, Utah. We had a dog, some chickens, the occasional pig and about 200 cows. When growing up one of my favorite things to do was to play on the farm. My brothers, sister and I would build huts in the hay and cotton seed. I would play house in them with my little sister. I also played a lot of sports since I had two older brothers and two boy cousins who lived across the street from us. We had so much fun. I also remember going fishing a lot with my dad, his favorite past time. As a kid I did it all. Piano, dance, choir, softball, basketball, swimming, and soccer. My mom was good to let me try new things. She even coached me in most of those sports even though she never really played any of them. Those are some of my fondest memories. I plan on doing this with our own kids.
In high school I focused mainly on soccer, track, grades and having fun with my friends. I was never one to sit home on a Friday night. I didn't want to miss out on any of the fun. We always came up with something crazy to do.
I am the third child of four. I have 2 older brothers. Nathan, the oldest, has a little boy and a little girl. Lincoln also has a boy and a girl just younger than Nathan's kids. My younger sister Brittany is attending college right now waiting for the perfect man to catch her eye. We all live within 1 hour of each other so we are able to get together often. My parents, Clark and Cindy, still live in the same house that I grew up in.
My dad is intelligent and loves working with his hands. In his spare time he builds furniture, and canoes. His favorite things to do include: going fishing, boating, ATVing, and playing with his grandchildren. The whole time growing up I only saw my father loose his temper a couple of times. He is humble and is a hard worker who loves to joke around with family members and he has been a good example to me throughout my life.
My mom Cindy grew up in Iowa where she joined the church and then came to BYU where she found my dad. After they got married she quite school to raise her family. Now that she has an empty nest she works at a hospital on the orthopedic floor. Her personality is very much like mine. She is a hard worker, driven, organized, very service oriented and loves to make people happy. She is a very respected nurse at the hospital because she goes above and beyond what is required of her. She likes to go to movies, shop, decorate her home, go walking in the mountains, boating, ATVing, traveling and playing with the grandkids.
My family is very excited that Jayla, Jessa and Kellan are a part of our lives and they are excited that we would like to adopt again. Especially since we know the real reason why they started visiting us more often since our kids joined our family.
Michael talking about Kristen...
Let me tell you a little bit about my beautiful wife Kristen. Kristen is simply a wonderful person. She cares about others and is constantly looking for ways to help others or include those left out of any situation. This loving and caring attitude made her an instant hit with my brothers and sisters. She is also very intelligent. My family often calls her for help with sicknesses since she is an excellent nurse. This really comes in handy with the kids. If they are ever feeling a little under the weather "nurse mommy" comes to the rescue. I could not ask for a better caregiver for our children (or myself, for that matter). She is always working very hard to make our household run like a finely tuned machine. Kristen is a very active person. She loves sports, working out, or going for a run. I often have a hard time keeping up. She makes me laugh like no one else can. I often find myself laughing about something she did or said days or weeks ago. She has made my life better in every way and I don't know what I would do without her.
Kristen grew up with her 2 older brothers and her younger sister on a dairy farm just outside of the city. She was one of the few lucky girls that got a taste of both country and city life, so she feels very comfortable no matter where she finds herself. From what I've been told she was quite the little terror growing up. She tried her best to run the farm. As she got older she was very active in the community, school, and athletics. She excelled at soccer and started varsity in high school as a Junior and Senior. I loved watching her play for the Snow College Badgers when we were dating. She definitely has a feisty side when she gets out on the field.
Kristen is an excellent mother. She loves finding new activities for the kids to keep them entertained. She is always reading and singing primary songs to our kids or taking them somewhere for an afternoon of fun. She is always trying to teach them new skills, words, or tricks. She loves being a mom! Her favorite thing to do is to play with Jayla, Jessa, Mikey, Kellan and Quinton.
My dad is intelligent and loves working with his hands. In his spare time he builds furniture, and canoes. His favorite things to do include: going fishing, boating, ATVing, and playing with his grandchildren. The whole time growing up I only saw my father loose his temper a couple of times. He is humble and is a hard worker who loves to joke around with family members and he has been a good example to me throughout my life.
My mom Cindy grew up in Iowa where she joined the church and then came to BYU where she found my dad. After they got married she quite school to raise her family. Now that she has an empty nest she works at a hospital on the orthopedic floor. Her personality is very much like mine. She is a hard worker, driven, organized, very service oriented and loves to make people happy. She is a very respected nurse at the hospital because she goes above and beyond what is required of her. She likes to go to movies, shop, decorate her home, go walking in the mountains, boating, ATVing, traveling and playing with the grandkids.
My family is very excited that Jayla, Jessa and Kellan are a part of our lives and they are excited that we would like to adopt again. Especially since we know the real reason why they started visiting us more often since our kids joined our family.
Michael talking about Kristen...
Let me tell you a little bit about my beautiful wife Kristen. Kristen is simply a wonderful person. She cares about others and is constantly looking for ways to help others or include those left out of any situation. This loving and caring attitude made her an instant hit with my brothers and sisters. She is also very intelligent. My family often calls her for help with sicknesses since she is an excellent nurse. This really comes in handy with the kids. If they are ever feeling a little under the weather "nurse mommy" comes to the rescue. I could not ask for a better caregiver for our children (or myself, for that matter). She is always working very hard to make our household run like a finely tuned machine. Kristen is a very active person. She loves sports, working out, or going for a run. I often have a hard time keeping up. She makes me laugh like no one else can. I often find myself laughing about something she did or said days or weeks ago. She has made my life better in every way and I don't know what I would do without her.
Kristen grew up with her 2 older brothers and her younger sister on a dairy farm just outside of the city. She was one of the few lucky girls that got a taste of both country and city life, so she feels very comfortable no matter where she finds herself. From what I've been told she was quite the little terror growing up. She tried her best to run the farm. As she got older she was very active in the community, school, and athletics. She excelled at soccer and started varsity in high school as a Junior and Senior. I loved watching her play for the Snow College Badgers when we were dating. She definitely has a feisty side when she gets out on the field.
About Michael
Age: 38
Occupation: Systems Engineer and Full Time Dad (professional barbequer, sports announcer, Jungle Gym, Taste-Tester, Barber, Cheerleader, Piano Teacher, Math Teacher, Coach, Mechanic, and Tech Support)
Education: A.S. (Snow College, 2004), B.S. in Electrical & Computer Engineering (BYU, 2006), PhD in Electrical Engineering (BYU, 2011), MBA (NMSU, 2015)
Ancestry: Caucasian-Western European
Interests and Hobbies
Sports:Basketball, Baseball, Softball, Racquetball, Snowboarding, Swimming, Working out, Wake boarding
Outdoors: Boating, Hiking, Camping, ATV riding, Fishing, Hunting/Clay Pigeon, Traveling/Site Seeing
Repair and Maintenance: Computers, Cars, Home,etc.
Miscellaneous: Playing with the kids (my all time favorite), Reading
Background:
I grew up most of my life in a big family in a small town. My dad (Nolan) was the high school science (chemistry, physics, biology) teacher and my beautiful mother (Sharon) was the perfect home-maker. I had awesome parents who cared about us more than I will ever know. They spent so much time with all of us it amazes me when I look back on my childhood. These two wonderful people taught me to work, play, and love the Lord.
I am the third of ten children. My beautiful sister Deanne is the oldest and cute little Jamie is the youngest. All of the boys in between are Dane, Me, Brian, Jared, Brent, Tyson, Jason, and Justin.
Michael's Family
I loved growing up in a big family. I was never bored and always had someone to hang out with. My brothers and I did everything together as kids (and we still get together as often as possible). We invented games, played sports, went exploring all over the countryside, build forts, and did just about anything we could talk our parents into letting us do (and a few things we couldn't). We had so much fun together as a family.
As a child I was somewhat of an instigator. I was frequently in trouble and taking down anyone I could with me. As I grew up I became less of a pest and began focusing my energy on athletics and education. I was on the baseball, basketball, cross country, and track teams in high school (one of the many benefits of a small town).
When I was in my early adolescence I worked my summers in the melon fields hoeing and picking watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, and other varieties of melon. My Junior year in high school I got a job working at Hatt's Ranch (Hatt's Ranch is a family owned pheasant ranch just outside of Green River). I loved working there. It was so interesting to see all that went into breeding, gathering and incubating eggs, and raising pheasants. During the peak hatch times we would hatch upwards of 40,000+ chicks in one day. It's kind of interesting that a country boy growing up working in the fields would end up as an Electrical Engineer.
After high school I spent two years studying at Snow College where I met my wonderful wife Kristen and life has been good ever since.
Kristen talking about Michael...
Michael is always smiling, laughing or telling me one of his stories. He is a huge tease! Many people are drawn to him because of his natural happiness and sincere concern for others. Friends and family members often confide in Michael because he is good listener, is trustworthy and he likes to just sit down to talk to you for hours. Sometimes I tease him that he is the girl in our relationship because he likes to talk so much. Michael is a hard worker and a good provider. I am so thankful for that because it allows me to be able to be a stay-at-home mom. I think that some of Michael's most valuable traits are that he is unspoiled, unselfish and is always willing to try harder to change his weaknesses. Oh and did I mention that he likes to talk…all the time.
Because Michael grew up in such a large family he has had a lot of experience with children. When we first adopted our sweet Jayla it was so fun to see how easily he fell into the role of dad. I’ve never seen him happier than when he holds our girls. Michael always seemed to know how to get Jessa and Kellan to smile and magically he can kiss Jayla's "owies" better so she can return to her happy little self again. My favorite thing to do is to watch Michael play with our kids. They have him wrapped around their tiny little fingers. The first thing that he says when he comes home from work is, “Where are the kids?” Then he literally mauls them with hugs and kisses…poor kids, although I think they are finally getting used to it.
My all time favorite character trait about Michael is his love for the gospel. He is always trying to set goals for our family and setting goals for himself so that he can aid in making family life more comfortable for me. I never told Michael this, but when we were dating I remember thinking to myself that if I married this guy I knew that he would make my role as a wife and a mother easier because of how supportive, hardworking, and unselfish he is. Well, I was right.
About Jayla
Age: 15 years old
Occupation: Girl Boss
Education: Taking 9th grade by storm!
Ancestry: Caucasian-Great Britain, Scandinavia, Greek
Interests and Hobbies
Outdoors: Riding her bike, hanging with friends, soccer, swimming, hiking, and dancing.
Indoors: Doing crafts, doing nails with mom and Jessa, playing with Jessa and her brothers, playing the piano, reading books, listening to music, playing computer games, doing math with dad just for fun.
Sports: Soccer. swimming, hiking and dance
Miscellaneous: Going on dates with mom and dad. Playing with friends. Playing with her sister and mothering her little brothers.
Personality
Jayla is the sweetest. She is ambitious and very proud of her hard work. She is very responsible and wise beyond her years. She knows how to be goofy and she is a great friend. She is sensitive to others and their feelings. She is a great helper around the house. She is pretty much amazing!
Mikey's Adoption Story
When Kellan was about a year old we decided to sign up with
a local agency with hopes of adopting a baby.
We were matched with an expectant mother 6 months later. We met with her in Carlsbad and we were
excited to meet her. While meeting with
her she said that she wanted us to be the parents of her little baby girl. We were really excited, but there was just
something about this situation that didn’t quit seem right. We really wanted another baby so we
ultimately just ignored those feelings and pressed forward with this
situation. Fast forward 2 months and
despite the optimism of the agency we still had this nagging feeling that
something wasn’t right. Her due date
came and went and that was the last we heard of this situation. Looking back it was easy to see that what we
were feeling was that this was not our baby.
A few months went by when the bishop in our area called us into his office to speak with us. We were confused as to what this was all about. We followed the bishop into his office where he proceeded to tell us about a 3 year old boy who was being raised by his grandma and grandpa, but within the last year his grandpa, who was this little boy’s main caregiver, had passed away. This put this little boy’s grandma in a very undesirable situation where she became the main breadwinner working long hours and was unable to be with her grandson as much as she wanted to. She loved this little boy, but she didn’t want him to just grow up in daycare. She wanted more for him, so she was seeking out an adoptive family.
We had never considered adopting a child before, so we surprised ourselves with how excited we instantly were. After leaving the
bishop’s office Michael and I both confessed that we had often times dreamed
about having the bishop call us into his office to tell us about an adoption
opportunity. We immediately started
corresponding with a friend of the little boy’s grandma. Things were taking too long so we decided to
just call her up ourselves. Nobody
answered so Kristen just left a message.
We waited to hear back and we never heard anything. We moved on and figured she had changed her
mind.
Then, in August Kristen got a text on a Friday from Denise
asking us if we were still interested in adopting her grandson. We said yes and that we wanted to meet with
her that Sunday. We met at a park and
loved Denise right away. She was so sweet and personable to us. She expressed her love for her grandson and that she wanted more for him. We were a
little nervous at how Mikey would respond to us. Our first impression of him was that he was so dang cute, so happy and we were pleasantly surprised at how he warmed up to us so quickly. We played with Mikey at the
park and talked more about his situation with Denise. We then made plans to take Mikey during the
week while Denise was at work.
Over the next 2 weeks our family became more acquainted with
Mikey and it became more apparent that this was right. After the 2 weeks were up we had a frank
conversation with Denise telling her that we wanted to be Mikey’s parents and she
said that she wanted that too. Denise
also told us that she asked Mikey if he wanted to live with us. Mikey said,
“Yes. Sorry Nana but I gots to go.” We were a little overcome by Mikey’s words
and we were so excited! Mikey started living with us while all the paperwork was finished and the rest is history.
We feel so lucky to have this little boy in our family and we can't imagine life without him! We are so excited to experience new things with him and watch him grow.
Visiting with Mikey's Birth Aunt and Birth Grandma at our house.
We feel so lucky to have this little boy in our family and we can't imagine life without him! We are so excited to experience new things with him and watch him grow.
Mikey's finalization. Denise was able to come. She said she wouldn't miss it for the world.
About Jessa
Age: 10 Years Old
Occupation: Giggling, Acrobatics, Baker
Education: 3rd Grade. And LOVES it!
Ancestry: Black/African American/Caucasian-Cameroon, Ivory Coast ,Western European
Interests and Hobbies
Outdoors: Playing at the park, jumping on the trampoline, hiking, riding her bike
Indoors: Wrestling with Jayla and the boys, playing games on her tablet, doing handstands
Sports: Running, swimming, soccer, dancing
Miscellaneous: Cracking jokes and making fun of mom and dad.
Personality
Jessa is a very happy girl. Jessa has energy to spare! She runs, jumps and plays non-stop. Most of the time she is content to make her own fun. She likes to tease her siblings on occasion but you'll usually find her trying to make everyone laugh or making fun of mom and dad. We love this girl!
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