Dear Birthparent(s):

Hi, we are Jeff and Kari and we want you to know how much we admire you for your courage and commitment in considering adoption for your child. We also admire you for considering your child’s best interest. We have deep respect for birthmothers to have to make such a difficult decision. We know that you love your baby and are putting your baby’s needs above your heart’s desire. We believe God plays a big role in putting people together at the right place and time for a reason. 

We went through some very difficult and emotional times four years ago, being excited about becoming parents then devastated when we lost our pregnancies. Our dreams came true in October 2005 when we adopted our daughter from Sunny Ridge Family Center. She has been the most wonderful gift anyone can give, she is our little blessing. We have been dreaming of the day when we will unite with our 2nd daughter or son. Our daughter would love to have a baby sister or brother to play with. We are and will be very dedicated to our children, providing love, stability and offering every opportunity for a successful, safe, happy and fulfilling life.

We are also very familiar with adoption not only have we adopted a child, some of Kari’s relatives were adopted or have adopted. Jeff also has a relative who adopted two children along with his godparents (who are very much a part of our lives) adopted two children that Jeff has grown up with.  We were lucky to have met a wonderful couple from our first adoption class that we became friends with, they were also fortunate to have adopted a little boy the same time we adopted our little girl. The kids get along so well. On occasion we get together for play dates or dinner and talk or e-mail every week. We also know many other friends, neighbors and co-workers who have adopted.

How We Met
Our Story begins eight years ago when Jeff and I met through mutual acquaintances. My friends went on a vacation to Mexico and one of my friends from high school, who knew Jeff from work, invited Jeff to go. I was earlier invited to go, but decided not to. When they got back from vacation my girlfriend told me he was single and she told him I was single and that we should all go out sometime.  Our first night out we went to a casino charity at a church with a group of friends. Jeff and I talked for hours and found that we had a lot in common. We went out a few weeks later for pizza, not as a date, but just together with a group of friends and fell head over heels with each other. We started e-mailing and learned a lot about each others lives and found we had similar experiences. We felt so comfortable together from the beginning and both enjoyed the same things. We started dating in March 2000.  In January 2001, we went on a vacation to the Riviera Maya in Mexico and the first night we were there Jeff got down on one knee and proposed to me. Little did I know he had this all planned out and even asked my dad for my hand in marriage which made my heart melt. It was also nice that we had a group of friends there to celebrate with us, they also knew weeks before we left for Mexico. We were engaged for two years, then we were married March of 2003.  

What Jeff says about Kari
Kari is a kind, caring, energetic, responsible and loving wife and mother. She always listens and helps people when they are in need. I love watching her be a mom, she is awesome at it. She enjoys spending time with her family as well as mine and enjoys playing with her nieces, nephews and neighborhood kids. Kari loves baking and cooking and sometimes likes to experiment in the kitchen which is great for me! She can’t wait till our children are old enough to help bake cookies and have lemonade stands as she did when she was little. She also has many hobbies. Kari enjoys decorating our house, planting flowers, site seeing, working in the yard, taking pictures, crafts, antiques, shopping, bike riding, sports, walking, play dates with the kids and of course playing on the swing set with our daughter. She is always looking for new projects to do in our house or finds pictures of something that I can build for her. In her free time she likes to read. She is also very anxious to decorate another nursery.

Many times when we go to our friend’s or relative’s houses Kari is playing with the kids instead of talking to the adults or when her and Rian are out playing in the yard all the neighbor kids come over. Sometimes when I come home from work there are eight or so kids playing in the yard.  

After our first outing together she had this caring about her that blew me away, I am so lucky to have her in my life. She is laid back and happy. We have not been apart for more than two days in the past eight years. She can’t wait to have another child to read to, snuggle and play with and all the other things that come with raising a child. I can’t wait to experience this amazing time with her again.

Kari talks about Jeff
When I first met Jeff, I knew there was something about him that was special. There are so many wonderful things I can say. He makes me feel like I am his #1 at all times. He can make a bad day turn into a great day just by his humor and smile. He is so genuine, easy going, patient and funny. 

Jeff’s hobbies are occasional golf, working in the yard, bike riding, designing, building and remodeling houses and watching sports on television or going to a ball game. He loves tinkering out in the garage whether it is building something for me, Rian or himself. He has always been a hard worker and someone you can always depend on. He can also cook which is a bonus and enjoys making me dinner on special occasions.

I always knew Jeff would make a good father and he proves it every day. His mother said when Jeff was little he was the little helper, affectionate and a loving kid. He just never changed! I also love seeing Jeff interact with other kids. He is always making funny faces that make them laugh. He even dressed up as Santa when he was younger for children of a friend of his. Jeff is always the hero with my nieces and nephews in the pool since he can throw them up in the air. He can’t wait to have another child!

I always compliment and thank his mom and dad for raising Jeff in such a way that I feel like I am the luckiest person in the world. It‘s a rarity not to see Jeff smiling or laughing. He is always joking around and loves life. I love knowing that I can look across a room and say that he is mine.

Our daughter Rian Lily
Our daughter was born on September 28, 2005 in Indiana. She is a blessing for both Jeff and I. There aren’t big enough words to say how much we love her and love being parents. Rian enjoys the outdoors, reading (10+ books a night), running, dancing, the animals at the zoo, aquariums, boating, swing sets and playing with her cousins and neighborhood kids. She also like playing princess and I truly believe she thinks she is a princess sometimes. She goes to tumbling classes with her dad once a week and absolutely loves it. She makes everyone laugh, she is smart, full of energy, and a very happy little girl. Rian is also a talker, she learned to talk very young and was able to put words together by 15 months, now she doesn’t stop talking! She knows her alphabet and can count to twenty. She goes to daycare/pre-school two days a week and she would probably like to go five days. She just loves her teachers and little friends. She is also in a dancercise class one day a week at school. We recently turned her bed into a daybed and she has adjusted well. She is almost through potty training, we just have “accidents now“.

Rian went through a little rough time in the first year of her life, after her nine month visit to the doctor I asked the doctor to really check her hips, I just felt there was something wrong, we discovered she had pretty severe hip dysplasia and had to be put in a body cast from her stomach to her toes for one and a half months and then a removable cast at night for another two months. We were told it would be much harder on us than her and that was the truth. By three weeks she was army crawling around and then able to stand up soon after. It was amazing the things she could do. Her hips are back to normal now and she is running around like crazy.

Rian has taken two trips to Florida one after she had her cast removed which we went on a trip to St. Pete’s Beach in 2006 then we went to Florida in October 2007 to Disney for a couple days then to Clearwater Beach. We also took her to visit her great grandma, grandma and great aunt both times. She loves the ocean and pool so much that we had a hard time getting her away.

Kari’s Life
I was born in Oklahoma City and lived in the country where I loved horseback riding, vaulting, swimming, 4H, softball and basketball. I was a cheerleader in 3rd grade, in the girl scouts, showed horses and spent most of my time outside catching spiders, snakes, turtles and lizards. I was pretty much a tomboy until the age of eight when we moved to Evansville, Indiana.  My dad’s job then moved us to Northern Illinois when I was a freshman in high school.  I was very active in volleyball, basketball, snow skiing and boating.  My fondest memories as a child were our family vacations to Disney World, Padre Island, Myrtle Beach and Nags Head Beach in the Carolina’s and camping.  Both sides of my family have cabins on lakes in Minnesota. I spent many summers at the cabins with my grandparents and other relatives. We fished, sailed and went on lots of pontoon boat rides. I used to feel so grown up when we went to “The Rock” restaurant in town and I got to order my Shirley Temple drinks.  I especially remember going to my grandma’s neighbors house and playing cards with the “grandma’s” or wearing my grandma’s nurse uniform and playing doctor. My grandpa’s favorite thing was to make us his special chocolate malts. Memories are the best....

I am the youngest of three children, with one older brother and one older sister. I come from a very large close family. My parents divorced when I was eight, but they still are together for holidays and other special occasions. My dad is a retired PhD and lives five minutes from us on a creek that leads out into the chain of lakes. We often go there for boat rides, barbecues or to watch the fireworks. My mom lives in Sarasota, Florida on the ocean and is nearing retirement as an anesthetist. We see my mom a few times a year and we talk very often. My brother and his wife have three boys and live in Indiana about one hour from us.  I am the godmother of their youngest boy. We also enjoy going to our nephews ball games.

My sister developed Multiple Sclerosis at the age of 21 and lives in a nursing home close by. It was very hard on her and our family knowing that she had everything going for her, she was athletic, only one semester away from graduating from college, very outgoing and had a nice future ahead and now she has to suffer through this miserable disease. It has been 20 years since she developed the disease and has been somewhat stable the last 10 years.  She mainly uses a wheelchair, but is also able to get around with a walker. I visit my sister almost every week and often take her out for breakfast, lunch or shopping to give her a break from the nursing home. She loves playing with and seeing Rian and sometimes has a hard time giving up her stuffed animals when Rian confiscates them all. Rian also likes riding in her wheelchair around the nursing home, the residents sure do get a kick out of her! Jeff, Rian and I take her to Bennigans on occasions for her favorite hamburgers.

My dad brings my sister home every other weekend and as a family we enjoy taking her to fairs, baseball games, out in the boat and to air and water shows to give her as normal as a life as we can. We know she has a hard time knowing that she will never have the lives that we have with the husband or the kids. We treat her as we would want to be treated if we were sick and we also treat her as an adult and try not to make her feel helpless.

After High School I attended our community college in an Associate of Applied Science Degree program for one and a half years. During that time, I received a call from a friend who worked for a Pediatric Dentist who was in need of help. I started working there part time, I enjoyed working with the kids so much that I started working full time soon after. I didn’t finish college, but was very happy where I was in life. I now work for a Periodontist as an office manager and have been there for 13 years and have been in the dental field for 18 years. As a parent, I work four days a week Monday through Thursday, three are half days. When we are lucky enough to adopt again, I will be working three days a week. I have a flexible schedule and I am almost always home before two or three o‘clock.

My family is very active in sports, fishing, hunting, boating, camping and skiing. Kari’s extended family includes lots of aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews who mostly live in Minnesota. We see our extended family for weddings, reunions, etc.

Jeff’s Life
I was born in Chicago then moved to the northern suburbs when I was five years old.  I have so many wonderful memories of my childhood. I enjoyed hockey, Tae Kwon Do, baseball and swimming in our pool. In the winter my friends and I would play ice hockey on the lake and set up a light and play till all hours of the night. I also spent a lot of time with my grandparents. My favorite time was playing word search with my grandpa. My dad coached many of my brother and my baseball leagues. I also enjoyed vacations with my family to Disney World in California, Disney Land in Florida, Hawaii (where my grandparents lived for 13 years) and camping trips to Jelly Stone Park.

I come from a smaller family, I have one older brother along with his wife and their two daughters ages two and four. We just adore both of them and are the godparents of their youngest. My brother and I have always been very close and spend a lot of time together. We were inseparable when we were younger. My parents have been married for 40 years and have always been supportive of my decisions. I have a very strong bond with my family. My mom is a retired hair dresser and now is a stay at home mom and watches her granddaughters on occasions when Kari is at work or my sister-in-law is teaching. My mom and Kari also enjoy going out either to breakfast, shopping, garage sales or just wandering around. My dad served in the Marines for four years and is now computer programmer. He enjoys babysitting the girls on occasions and playing with his granddaughters. My father and I are very much alike with our humor, we never have any worries and are just free spirited.

I attended a Catholic grammar school before going to High School. I then attended Northern Michigan University for architectural, drafting and construction classes. I thought about being an architect, but decided that I wanted to be hands on so I took four years of Trade School for carpentry. I started working for a construction company and have been at the same company for 15 years. I started building houses and custom homes for the first 13 years, but for the last two years I have been building condo’s, retirement homes and some stores.  I especially enjoy the smiles that people have when they see their home for the first time after I have built it. I have always taken pride in what I have built. The best is that I get home by 4-4:30 every night.

After I had bought my first house which was a townhouse, my parents moved in with me for a half a year because they were having their house built and thought it would be more convenient. My brother also lived across the street from me in a condo. So much for moving out!!!!! It was nice having my parents around for company and because my mom was doing my laundry, dishes and making dinner every night, but it was also nice when they left so I could enjoy my new place on my own.

My family enjoys barbecues, sports, being outdoors and getting together for no particular reason, just to be together. We are very fortunate to have my parents and brother close by. My extended family includes my grandma, aunt’s, uncle, nephews and cousins who mostly live in Chicago or Florida.

Our lives together
Jeff and I are an active couple who particularly enjoy the outdoors.  For fun we enjoy miniature golf, golf, volleyball, bike riding, camping, going to fairs, taking walks, going out in our pontoon boat and having barbecues with friends, neighbors and family. I (Kari) continued to play on volleyball leagues after high school until three years ago. Jeff joined me for two years. That took up too much of our time so we decided it was time to quit. We like to have an occasional bon fire in the backyard. Kari loves making s’mores and we all tell stories from the past.  We also enjoy our weekends when we have no plans so we can relax or just play in the yard with our daughter.

As a tradition we take two to three vacations a year, one to Mexico, one to Florida (to visit my mom and Jeff’s aunt and grandma) and in the summer either to a water park or camping. We still have our date night on Friday’s which involves movies (sometimes kid movies) and ordering or making homemade pizza’s, and yes, we still hold hands while sitting in the living room even though our daughter doesn‘t like it. We have a strong relationship that is based on love, laughs and a strong sense of respect for each other. We are compassionate, committed and very much in love. We think it is important to have a partner to lean and to balance each other. We value education, faith and the closeness of our family.

Jeff and I started out living in his Townhouse then decided to move to the northern suburbs. We found an older house on an acre lot that needed a lot of work and decided to tear it down and re-build in 2003. A couple years later we were driving around in the winter and saw a few lots for sale in this subdivision that was just beautiful, so we decided to buy the lot and put our house on the market and build a house. In September 2006 Jeff finished building our dream house for our families future. Over that summer we met most of our neighbors whom are our ages and most have three to four children that are between newborn and 15 year’s old. We live on an acre lot in a 4-bedroom ranch house. Our home is set back in a safe and secure subdivision and away from traffic. We both agree that we made the best move ever. We also live within a mile of the schools, library, lakes, parks and a nice nature preserve.

Our town has fun things to do all year round that includes parades, festivals, fire department water fights, spectacular fireworks on the 4th of July, stories at the library and concerts in the park. In August during our towns festival has fireworks that we are able to watch from our own back yard. All the neighbors get together with their lawn chairs and cookout while the kids play together.

The holidays are a big deal for us especially me (Kari) with gift buying, decorating and baking ten or so different kind of cookies, bars or pies or decorating the Christmas tree. For Christmas Eve we celebrate with my (Kari’s) family and on Christmas Day we go Jeff’s parents house. As for all the other holidays we always see both families, but every year we switch which house is for dinner and which house is for dessert, it gets kind of hectic, but that‘s how it is supposed to be.

We also consider our friends as part of our family. Most of them are just starting their families or adding on, so our little ones will never be lonely with all the family, friends and neighbor kids.

Growing up our parents provided us with strong morals and values that we want to pass on to our children. We believe in respect and honesty. We are very lucky to have such supportive families and friends. We enjoy spending a lot of time with our families and think it is important for them to be in our lives.

Religion
Jeff and I were both raised in Christian homes. Jeff was brought up Catholic and I was brought up Lutheran. We both went to church every Sunday and were involved in the activities and Sunday School. We both stopped going around the same time around the age of 14. After that we mainly went on the holidays. For the last fours years we have belonged to a Lutheran Church and try to attend weekly. We have enjoyed meeting and becoming friends with the other Christians. Our church is very loving and reaches out when someone is sick, has a baby or has special needs which has made us feel comfortable there. They have a wonderful program for kids of all ages with lots of activities, concerts and outings. Our faith in God has given us the strength to overcome all of our obstacles with trying to have a baby on our own.  

Thank you
Jeff and I are honored that you have read our story. We hope that reading this letter you will be able to learn a little about us and how important family and love is to us.  We know you are a special person to consider making an adoptive decision. We hope through this, we can get to know each other and decide together if we would be the right family to raise your child. We are willing to have an open adoption as we did with our first adopted daughter if that is what you desire. We promise, every day to love a child unconditionally and he or she will grow up with lots of hugs and kisses.  Jeff and I cannot wait to be a mom and dad for the second time and will give a child a loving family and friends along with a good education and the support a child deserves throughout life. We want to create a nurturing environment where a child can grow to his or her greatest potential and let them know that anything is possible. We will tell your child about you if we are chosen and let he or she know how special you are, he or she deserves to know. You will remain in our thoughts and prayers. Thank you for reading our profile.

If you would like more information please contact Sunny Ridge Family Center.

Jeff, Kari and Rian

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