ParentProfiles.com

Jon & Lisa are hopeful adoptive parents from Kansas waiting to adopt a baby.

If you are pregnant and considering placing your child for adoption, please read the following Dear Birthmother Letter.

Dear Birth Family Hello! Our names are Lisa and Jon. Thank you for spending some time to get to know our family. As we think about you and what you could be going through at this time, we can hardly imagine all the emotions you're feeling. We write this letter with great respect for you and your family. Considering adoption for your child is a loving choice -we admire your love for your child, in thinking of his/her needs and future, ahead of your own desires to love and raise your baby. We hope that our heartfelt story and pictures will give you a good introduction to our family. It's often difficult to get to know a family through letters and pictures. As such, please feel free to Send us a message with any questions you may have. We look forward to getting to know you.

Jon and I have been married for 11 wonderful years. We believe that one of the best gifts we can give our children is a strong marriage. Children feel secure and loved when they see that their parents love and care for each other. That's why we still go out on dates! A month ago we went Salsa dancing - a band played music and we had a romantic evening looking into one another's eyes as we danced the night away.

It was our love of learning and sense of adventure that brought us half way around the world to Russia, where Jon and I first met 15 years ago! When each of us signed up for the same humanitarian program to teach English to children in Russia, neither would have guessed that our new found friendship would lead to a family. In a way it was a love for children that brought us together. It is that same love for children that brings us to you, in our hope to adopt.

With each passing day, the love between Jon and I grows stronger. Jon is honest, kind, sensitive, romantic, has a great sense of humor and truly cares about others. When he makes mistakes, he is quick to apologize - that's important because we all make mistakes and an important part of being in a family is learning to trust, love and forgive each other. I also love him as the father of our children. He nurtures and patiently teaches our children good values, such as respect and compassion for one's self and others, honesty, trying one's best and not giving up, and faith in God.

Jon says about Lisa, "Lisa's energy is one thing that attracted me to her. She has the determination of a retriever and the heart of a kitten. She learns from her mistakes but doesn't let them get her down. She picks us up when we stumble, and comforts us in our sorrows and celebrates our successes. That's what Mom does. Lisa also has a ZEST for life. She thrives on trying new things, seeks new experiences and impressions. In fact, if it wasn't for Lisa, my life would not be full of all the fun things that we do. But all that doesn't mean that we don't have time to rest. In fact, we often enjoy resting in the evening or just relaxing in front of a movie. Sometimes we just lay on the ground, look up at the stars and talk about all the wonders that God has placed in this world. He has given us so many gifts, and Lisa is the most wonderful gift that he has given me."

Our adoption story Adopting our two children, Raluca and Addison has brought us so much joy! Adoption is a wonderful way to create a family. Early in our marriage, it became clear that we would have difficulty conceiving on our own. When faced with the choice of continuing infertility treatment or starting the process of adoption, we felt peace and excitement about adopting. Several of our cousins have adopted children. It has been wonderful to watch these children grow in their parents' love.

We truly felt God's hand in our lives, as he guided us to the children who would become a part of our family. It was truly a miracle that brought the four of us together. After we moved to Indiana to attend graduate school, we heard of a group of orphans, who needed a temporary home. We opened our home to two girls. After living with us for 18 months, our daughter Raluca became available for adoption. Our daughter Raluca is originally from Romania and brings a lot of laughter and love to our family. She is spunky, outgoing and cares about others. We are so blessed to have her as a daughter! And Raluca's prayers for a forever family were finally answered.

During this same year, we received a call about a newborn baby boy. His parents decided together to place him for adoption through LDS Family Services. From the letter they wrote Addison, we can tell that they love Addison very much. When I read their letter, it moves me to tears. I realize what a sacrifice and how painful it was for them to place Addison for adoption. Even though it was a very hard decision for them, their decision has blessed Addison's life and our lives so much. We admire his birth parents and keep in touch with them. We can't express in words how amazing it's been to hold, teach and love him.

Our children mean the world to us The every day moments with our children matter the most. As a mother, I'm grateful that I can be home full-time with my children - to teach, love and guide them. In the past, I have worked as a teacher with special needs children and as a social worker (helping refugees adjust to life in the United States). I have also worked with the homeless and troubled children. These experiences have prepared me to be a more patient and loving mother.

As a father, Jon's greatest desire is to invest his time and energy into our children's future -- like his parents did for him. Jon works at the university as a librarian and has a flexible schedule. This allows both of us to spend a lot of time with our children.

We love to go on adventures (such as bike rides, hikes, trips to the ice cream shop). Many of our most meaningful times together are spent at home. You'll often find us reading together, snuggling, joking around, sharing a treat, and talking at dinnertime. A friend recently stayed with our family for a week. The kids put on some music and we started dancing to the steps we recently learned in an African dance and drum workshop. The kids and I were soon twirling, spinning and laughing. My friend asked me, "Is this a nightly ritual?" When I thought about the past week, I realized that we spend a lot of time together as a family...our kids have a lot of fun and more importantly, they know that their parents love them.

With hugs and kisses and a listening ear, our kids know that we love them and that we're there for them. We teach and discipline our children in love. We give our children a chance to work out a problem on their own. Then, if they would like some help in solving the problem we guide them. Jon says, "Lisa is a nurturing Mom. She spends a lot of time holding and teaching Addison and talking with Raluca. She spends time with them doing the things they like to do."

We live in a midwestern, family-friendly community with many opportunities to learn and receive an excellent education. Jon plays the violin and is teaching Raluca and Addison a love for music. With our encouragement, our children try new things - Raluca took piano lessons and now plays the clarinet. Addison gets so excited when he hits the tennis ball with the small racquet that Jon made for him. In all these activities, the most important thing is to be supportive, have fun and learn new skills.

As a family we also enjoy praying, attending church, and helping others. Sometimes we provide a meal for those, who are homeless. At other times, we visit the sick, or an elderly friend. These moments of service teach our children to have compassion and respect for others and to give of one's self. It also teaches them that the relationships we have with others are far more important than material things.

Speaking of relationships...We are fortunate to see grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins throughout the year. Both of our families have family reunions with extended family. This is such a FUN event for us and our children. We play games, go hiking, swim, have picnics, do arts and crafts, and spend time visiting with each other.

Every summer we take a family vacation. This August 2007 we went to Rocky Mountain National Park for our first family backpacking trip. Living in the mountains for six days can be challenging...especially when some critters ran off with our only bar of soap! We have so many laughs and great memories - the kids were so excited to catch their own fish, to drink hot chocolate and to sleep in a tent with their flashlights. After a beautiful morning hike it started to rain. As we hiked down in the rain, we had to help each other over slippery rocks and trail, returning safely to our campsite. We were drenched! Raluca was a great helper, holding Addison when he would get too tired to walk any further. I can't think of a better "big sister."

Our hope to adopt Our hearts yearn to adopt another child. It's difficult to express in words...we feel that we are missing an important member of our family. Our children also look forward to the close relationship that they will have with another brother or sister, playing together, sharing joys and sorrows, and supporting each other. Addison often tells me all the things he is going to teach his "baby brother or sister."

Both Jon and I have grown up in a family with other siblings (Jon is the youngest of five kids and I am the oldest of three), where we and our siblings were very close. Being the youngest, Jon looked up to his brothers and sisters and wanted to be like them. They shared many traditions together, making gingerbread houses, building igloos, playing in the snow, going to each other's music concerts and sporting events, and working in the garden.

Adoption is a gift of love. We are grateful for the opportunity we have had to create a family through adoption. We speak openly with our children about adoption and their roots. We share with our children that their birth parents placed them for adoption out of LOVE. We honor Addison's birth mother and regularly send her letters and pictures. Likewise, we would gladly stay in touch with the birth family of any other child, who would become a part of our family.

Both of our families have been supportive of our decision to adopt and our families join us in our hopes for another child. Our children enjoy close relationships with their extended family. Your child would be greatly loved not only by us, but by a large family of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

Thank you for spending some time to get to know our family. We would love to visit with you. Please feel free to Send us a message with any questions you may have.

With love and respect, Lisa and Jon