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Brian & Erin are hopeful adoptive parents from Utah waiting to adopt a baby.

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

Dear Birthparents, We are grateful that you are taking this time to learn about us and are excited to share a little about our family with you. Our hearts go out to you as you are faced with probably one of the most difficult decisions you will ever make. Know that you are in our thoughts and that we pray for you often. May you find peace and comfort as you seek guidance in deciding what is best for you and your child. Our lives have been richly blessed by a loving birth mother who placed Ellie in our family. We know that you love your child and we want the best for both of you. Know that we pray that you may find the comfort and answers you seek at this time. We admire you for your courage and strength.

Our Family First of all, we want to give you a little background on us. We met each other while attending college and ended up dating for a few years before deciding it was right for us to get married. It was a blessing for us to have been able to get to know each other so well before getting married because it has helped us through difficult times and has made us stronger and more committed to each other in our relationship. We both enjoy spending time outdoors. Hiking, camping, fishing, and river rafting are a few of the activities that we enjoy. We live fairly close to both of our families so we are able to get together with them often. Since our daughter Ellie was placed with us, we have enjoyed sharing our lives with her. From trips to the pool with Ellie splashing around in the water to weeding in the yard with Ellie helping by pouring dirt on the plants, there doesn’t seem to be a dull moment. We feel very blessed to be able to watch her learn, grow and develop on a daily basis. Ellie has brought so much joy and happiness into our lives.

BRIAN

I feel very fortunate to have Brian as my husband. He is a very kind, loving and patient person. It has been an amazing experience to see him take on his responsibilities as a father with so much enthusiasm and joy starting the day we brought Ellie home. He changed his first messy diaper that night with no complaints and has always been willing to give 110% when it comes to helping out with Ellie. Brian truly cherishes every moment as a father and it puts a smile on my face to listen to him read to Ellie in a funny voice or to hear Ellie’s squeals of delight filling the air as the two of them chase our dog around the house. I also appreciate his willingness to work hard and provide for our family so that I can be home with our children. Brian has always been someone that many of the young men in our neighborhood have turned to for help in many aspects of life: scouting, homework, dating, etc. He has great insight and wisdom when it comes to problem solving and working through life’s challenges. I know that he will be able to guide our children in the future as they look to him for advice with problems/issues that they are faced with.

ERIN

Let me tell you about my wonderful wife Erin. Erin is my best friend and companion throughout the twists and turns that life presents us with. From the moment I met her I fell in love with her enthusiasm for life. She has a great ability to selflessly love and serve others. I have seen this ability magnified as she nurtures our daughter Ellie in her role as a mother. I often find her reading books to Ellie, or soothing Ellie when she isn’t feeling well by singing songs to her. Erin may not admit to it, but she has a rather silly side and it’s not uncommon to find her and Ellie dancing around the house with the stereo turned up. I love that Erin is willing to do all kinds of crazy things together as a couple. One of my favorite memories of her is from a 45-mile backpacking trip through Buckskin Gulch that we took a few years ago with Erin’s family. The slot canyon was beautiful and I got to know her backpack very well as I could barely keep up with her. I am grateful to walk hand-in-hand with Erin as my companion through life’s adventures.

ELLIE

Ellie has so much enthusiasm for life. She is so much fun to be around and is always up for trying something new or exciting whether it is going down the biggest slide at the park or touching a fish Daddy just caught. She has a tender heart and if she hears someone crying she wants to know why and tries to make them feel better. We know she will be a great big sister and that she is excited to have a baby in our home (she talks about it often). Ellie loves animals, especially dogs. She and our dog Tracker are best friends and love to play and tease each other. There is nothing we enjoy more than the sound of Ellie's laughter filling our home as she spins and dances around or her sweet voice singing one of her many favorite songs. Ellie is also a social butterfly. She is constantly asking to play with her friends or wants to head outside to see if the kids are out playing.

More About Us! Most of the activities we share in common involve the outdoors. One of our favorite family activities is river rafting. Shortly after we met, we had the opportunity to go on a river rafting trip down Cataract Canyon with Erin's mom and some friends. After that, we were hooked and have enjoyed dozens of rafting trips together with members of both of our families. Actually, one of the requirements for being a son-in-law in Erin's family is to pass the river trip test, which Brian did with an A+. We even spent three weeks rafting down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon for our honeymoon and enjoyed it so much that two years later we were able to take the same trip with most of Erin's family. These experiences have helped us grow closer together as a couple and a family. We look forward with anticipation to the time when we can take Ellie and our other children on family river trips where we will grow together and share experiences that we wouldn’t be able to otherwise.

Although we realize there are some outdoor activities we won’t be able to do with our children until they are a little older, we have found plenty of ways to share our love and enthusiasm for this beautiful world with Ellie even at a young age. In the fall of 2006, we went on a family camping trip to Zion National Park with Erin’s family. The highlight of the trip was our hike up Angel’s Landing as a family. We made it to the top just in time for Ellie to get a peek of the view before falling asleep. While basking in the view, We both felt fortunate to be able to share this experience together as a family. In the past, we had often talked about hikes we would take as a family and it was fulfilling to have these dreams begin to take place.

Aside from our trips, a typical week for us usually includes trips to the park, walks with our dog, swimming at the pool, and visiting neighbors. We also enjoy eating meals together, reading stories, watching movies, and chasing our dog Tracker around the house. Having a young child in our home turns most ordinary days into days filled with fun, laughter and memories to cherish.

BRIAN'S FAMILY

I am the youngest of four children with one brother and two sisters. Being the youngest I benefited from my parents learning their parenting skills on my other siblings.

I was blessed with a stay at home Mom. Some of my best memories as a small child were my Mom reading with me. We would take turns reading a page each. This instilled in me a lifelong habit of learning and I still read almost every night. My Mom also instilled a strong work ethic in me. I learned to help cook Sunday dinner, clean bathrooms, and pull weeds in the garden. While I didn’t enjoy it at the time, I now find myself on a quest to eliminate every week from our yard. It’s funny what things rub off on you when you don’t even realize it!

My Dad also is a great blessing in our lives. He is a semi-retired General Contractor that can often be found in the homes of his children helping with finishing our basements, fixing our vehicles, or playing with our pets. My Dad loves dogs and serves as a volunteer sitter for our dog Tracker. He is also kind of quirky and recently has commandeered my Mom’s sewing machine from her. If you arrive at their house with a hole in your clothes you will hear, “Do you need me to patch that for you?” This behavior has earned him the nickname of “The seamstress”.

We enjoy having my parents live close and often spend time in their home. We often have family birthday parties or celebrate holidays at their house. They also enjoy spending time with Ellie while we go to the temple or out on a date.

My brother and his family also live close by and Ellie enjoys visits with her cousins. Our families share many of our outdoor interests together. We jointly own a whitewater raft and an 18-foot sailboat. We try to get out together on the river or lake several times a year.

ERIN'S FAMILY

I am the second oldest in a family of six children. I have 4 sisters and one brother. We enjoy spending time together and we try to go on at least one family vacation each year. I have four nieces and one nephew and Ellie loves spending time with her cousins whenever she can.

My mom is very active and loves doing things outdoors. As a result of this, I have been able to experience many activities that other people only dream about doing. We started white water rafting as a family when I was a teenager and now Brian and I own a raft that we can’t wait to fill with our own crew. Brian and I have been fortunate enough to be able to go down the Grand Canyon twice and loved all the amazing sights we were able to see on both of our 18 day trips. My mom also teaches ski lessons at a local ski resort so we plan at least one family ski trip a year. I was able to take Ellie skiing for the first time this past winter and can’t wait to get her back out on the slopes this upcoming season.

My dad and his wife like to travel. When Ellie was 10 months old, the two of us were able to go on a trip up to Montana with them. My brother joined us and we spent the week in a cabin next to a lake. We enjoyed playing games together and it was fun for Ellie to spend some alone time with her grandparents. My dad enjoyed taking her for walks in the mornings and singing songs to her. We also try to spend some time with my dad and his wife usually for a few days in the summer when the have their time-share condo, as well as getting together for holidays and other occasions throughout the year.

I have a good relationship with my siblings. We had a fun time growing up together, and although we had our fair share of disagreements, we all get along great and enjoy seeing each other often. We were able to take a sibling trip to San Diego a few years ago and hope to be able to go on a similar trip together again soon.

Our Adoption Journey After being married for a few years we decided it was time for our family to expand. At the time, we didn't realize we would have difficulty getting pregnant. After a year of trying and no success, we started seeking medical help. We prayerfully considered all the treatments suggested to us along the way and did as much as we felt we should until we were strongly prompted to apply for adoption. After much prayer and paperwork and a nine month wait we were blessed with our beautiful daughter Ellie. Before Ellie's placement with us it was difficult for us to understand what God’s plan was for us and our family. Now looking back from where we are right now, we can see His hand guiding us and those around us as we have reached out to Him and accepted His will. Through our adoption experience we have come to know that God loves each one of us and knows what is best for us and our happiness.

We feel truly blessed to share an open relationship with Ellie's wonderful birth mother. When we first talked about opening up our adoption relationship, we all maintained that we should always approach contact by considering what is in the best interest of Ellie and then also consider what is healthy for everyone else involved. We continue to use this as a guideline in our future opportunities for contact with Ellie's birth family. We have come to find out how wonderful it is to be surrounded by people who love our daughter and want what is best for her in her life as she continues to grow.

As we find ourselves once again on the journey to finding our next family member(s), we continually pray for guidance, faith and patience throughout this process. We have truly been blessed through adoption and look forward to adding to the love in our home in a way that only children can.

Thank you for taking the time to get to know us. We look forward to getting to know you, if given the opportunity.

Love,
Brian, Erin & Ellie