ParentProfiles.com

Michael & Janelle are hopeful adoptive parents from Washington waiting to adopt a baby.

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

WE ARE SO EXCITED TO MEET YOU! Thank you for taking the time to get to know us better. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this overwhelming time. We truly admire your selfless sacrifice. Your unconditional love will bless your child and many generations to come.

We are Janelle & Mike and our family has been touched by adoption several times. Both of our children have been adopted, so we understand first hand the intense love you have for your child and how much you want them to grow up happy and cared for. We have tried very hard to reassure our birthmothers through photos, letters and emails. We want them to see what an amazing choice they made and how happy their child is in life, as well as how happy we are as a family.

Please know that if we were chosen as your adoptive family, your child would be showered with hugs, kisses, and lots of love. That love is for you and your baby! It isn’t about placing a child; it is about gaining a family, our family. We hope that through these pages we can share a small part of us with You!

It is hard to communicate all we would like to share in a few paragraphs, so please Send us a message. We can't wait to get to know YOU better!

A LITTLE ABOUT US
We have been married for about 13 1/2 years. Mike was working in a biotech company and Janelle was attending college in Utah. We met at a church dance during spring break and were inseparable after that. A few months after meeting, Mike left for medical school and about six months later he proposed. We were married during his summer break, June 10, 1994.

After finishing medical school he joined a medical group in Washington. It worked out perfect since Janelle’s family is from there. It was then that circumstances led us to the adoption process. In October 2001 we were blessed with a little boy from a wonderful birth family in Ohio. And almost exactly two years after, in September 2003, we were blessed with a baby girl from another birth family in Ohio. It is funny because everyone thinks that they are blood related because they look so alike, but really they are not. They were just meant to be in our family. Our children are our lives. We love being parents and are dedicated to raising our children.

NOT JUST YOUR ORDINARY BUNCH! Don't let our looks deceive you; we are not just your average family. Hidden beneath our daily exterior are people bursting with fun and spontaneous adventures. We have sailed the high seas as pirates searching for hidden treasures, dived to the depths of the oceans to visit underwater cities, swam with mermaids, flown on the backs of Unicorns and fought fire-breathing dragons to save our fair princess.

When our family isn't saving the world or searching for treasure, we like to shop, clean, work and play together. We love watching movies, playing outside, hiking, doing yard work and riding bikes together. On the weekends after the chores are done we usually pile in the car and head for Jamba Juice, which happens to be the kids' favorite. We love to go camping and traveling. Our exotic plans have taken us to places like: Utah, Canada, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Wyoming, Ohio or Canada. Mike has spent time in South America and Janelle spent several years in Europe. So we plan to take the kids there when they are a little older.

MIKE OUR “RINGLEADER”
Mike is a busy podiatrist (foot & ankle surgeon) with a private medical practice. He serves as a 1st counselor in our church leadership (this he considers as his second job since it keeps him pretty busy). He enjoys spending any free time he has with us. We will go to the mountains, out to dinner, have movie night or just play games with us.

Mikes loves to ski! Now that the kids are older he has been teaching the whole family how to ski. If he has any extra time he also likes to play basketball, run at the gym or read a good book. He is a very dedicated loving father and works so hard to provide a comfortable life for us. Family is very important to him and, although he is very busy, he always manages to give each child his time. That usually includes a quick game of Pokemon with Alex before leaving for the office, or playing Barbie’s with Coleyn while eating breakfast. He is the most unselfish person and is extremely dedicated to our family. Janelle couldn’t imagine life without her best friend.

JANELLE OUR “GO-TO-GIRL”
Janelle is a full-time mommy and she makes sure everything is running smoothly at home and that every one gets to where they need to be. She also does the accounts payable for Mike’s office, manages the family finances, maintains the house and always has some kind of project she is working on (usually it is a home improvement or decorating project). She also teaches the church youth group on Sundays and helps with their weekly activities as well. She enjoys working on the computer and is always learning a new program. She just started learning digital photography, but her favorite hobby is sewing. She always says that it is her way to relax (although it looks like work to Mike)!

She enjoys reading, swimming, Aerobics, hiking, walking and watching movies. Her favorite movie is “Pride and Prejudice”. She collects Disney movies and has taught the kids to love anything Disney. She is a loving mother who always puts her family first. She is a very hard worker, but most of all she is Mike’s best fried and he loves being with her.

ALEX OUR “DENNIS THE MENNACE”
Alex is our six year-old. He loves to play soccer and Tae Kwon Doe. He loves games, such as: Chess, checkers, monopoly and any other game he can find. His new favorite is Pokemon card game.

COLEYN OUR “PRINCESS”
Coleyn is our little four year-old. She has a strong will and tries to play mommy to her older brother (Alex doesn't like that much). She loves to sing and dance (she is enrolled in a ballet class and loves it). She loves animals and her absolute favorite is puppies!!

HOME AND FAMILY OUR HOME
Currently we live in a two-story castle in a typical suburban neighborhood. Well maybe not a castle, but it is a nice home. Our home has four bedrooms, plenty of room for our growing family. It's hard to tell in the picture but there really are windows in the front of our house. We have a fenced in back yard with a basketball court and a large swing set where the kids play. The name plaque reads, "Pirates and Princesses Treasure Cove". This is where many of our adventures take place.

We have a fun little neighborhood and there are many young children in our cul-de-sac that Alex & Coleyn play with. There are also many activities nearby: lake, parks, recreational center, the zoo, and a public library. We really enjoy the small concerts they hold in the park during the summer months. We feel so lucky to have found such a great neighborhood to live in.

OUR FAMILIES
We are lucky enough to live close to Janelle’s family. Family is so important to us and we want our children to be close to their relatives. We are both the oldest in our families. Mike is the oldest of six kids, five boys and one girl. He is very close to each of his siblings, especially his brothers. He still enjoys roughhousing at family get-togethers (just like he did when they were kids). He is also very close to his extended family. Fortunately most of them live close to Mike’s family so they attend all the family activities. The strong relationship he has with his extended family is truly impressive. They are very supportive of each other and welcome anyone into the family openheartedly.

Janelle is the oldest of five kids, three boys and two girls. Her father was in the military so they moved frequently when she was growing up. They are strong and would do anything to help each other.

FAMILY VALUES FAMILY VALUES
We were raised in very religious families and plan to raise our family the same way. We are very active in our church and hold positions of leadership and teaching. We love serving others and have learned so much from these stewardships. Coleyn and Alex love going to church and learning about Jesus, the best part is when you catch them singing the church hymns while they are playing.

Every Monday night we have family night, which we call Family Home Evening. We have prayer, sing songs, read a lesson (on ways we can grow closer to Christ or bettering ourselves), play games and eat refreshments. The kids look forward to this night, as do we. It is a great way for us to grow closer together as a family.

OUR BIRTH FAMILIES
The only thing to say is that we love our birth families. We were lucky enough to meet each of them and share in the special moments at the hospitals. Both Alex & Coleyn understand that they have birth families. Coleyn frequently asks, "What do you think my Birthmodder Sarah is doing right now?" We feel it is so important that we are open with them and tell them how special they truly are. Of course we are respectful to the depth of openness a birth family might wish to have.

We have started scrapbooks for each of our children that contain all the pictures and letters we have exchanged with their birthparents. We are determined to be completely honest and up front with our children; only then will we be able to develop relationships of trust with them. We truly love both of our birth families and think of them as an extension to our family. We continually try to share photos, letters, emails. We want them to be reassured of their decision to be a part of our family. This is something we would continue to do for you. We want you to see how happy your child is.

TO YOU
There are no words to express the feelings of love and respect we have for you and your decision to place your child for adoption. There is no doubt in our minds that Heavenly Father brought us all together and that we might find joy together. We cannot even begin to understand what you are feeling, and how difficult this decision is for you. But what we do know is that you can never have enough family. We want you to feel like a part of ours. We will strive to always give your child a home full of love and happiness. We will raise them to understand the depth of love and of selfless sacrifice that you made for them.

We can't wait to meet YOU and share our family with you! Please Send us a message us

Or call our case worker:
Nikki Wood
LDS Family Services
800-537-5468


Love and Respect,
Mike and Janelle