Dear Reader,

We appreciate you taking the time to get to know our family. We understand that you have a difficult choice to make and that your decision will greatly affect your life and the life of the sweet baby that you carry. We have hope that through the Savior’s love and understanding you may feel the peace, comfort, and guidance you desire. Please know our thoughts and prayers are with you. We send our love and look forward to meeting you.

We have been married almost 13 years. We met while attending church with a young adults group at Utah State University and were introduced though a mutual friend. I knew Jared was the one the moment I saw him but Jared needed some convincing since he was “through with girls.” It didn’t take long for me to change his mind. Through our first years of marriage we attended school. I majored in nursing and Jared in economics and finance. Later he started his own construction business.

We have two children. Kaleb is nine and Emma is almost five. They are both very close to their grandparents and are able to spend a lot of time with them. We are blessed to have our extended family close by and enjoy their company for birthday and holiday celebrations. We have regular Sunday dinners and take turns hosting and have started a new tradition of watching old family movies and looking at pictures.

We love and support each other in all of our endeavors. Katie loves to play soccer and Jared and the kids will often come and watch her play. Jared loves to camp, hunt, fish and go horseback riding. Although this is not Katie's favorite thing she is supportive and will either tag along or go shopping instead. Katie has also had the opportunity to coach both Kaleb and Emma’s soccer teams. Jared has had the opportunity to coach Kaleb in wrestling and basketball. The kids love to go with Jared horse back riding and fishing. One of our most favorite activities to do together is snow skiing. We try to go at least once a week, occasionally grilling burgers and making a day of it. We love going out together to dinner at Texas Roadhouse or Firehouse Pizzeria and catching a movie, most recently Puss in Boots.

As a mother, parenting is an ongoing learning experience for me. My children challenge me everyday to be a better parent and I find support through friends, family, and educational materials. One parenting style is not going to work for every child. I have found that I need to be creative, patient, loving, and teach by example. Parenting does bring its challenges but when Jared and I tuck them in at night and they put their arms around us and kiss us on the cheek it is all worth it.

Jared is a very patient and loving father. He is so good to play with our children when he comes home from work, they scream daddy’s home and run to give him a big hug. Jared is my best friend. He listens to me and I feel so safe and assured with him around. He makes time for his family. He is very talented at designing and building whatever project he takes on. He works hard to be able to provide for his family.

As a father I believe there is no greater honor than to be responsible for the precious little spirits sent from the presence of our Heavenly Father. I have always and will forever consider my role as father the single most important work that I shall ever do. I strive to provide for the physical needs of my family, and though I know these needs are of great importance there are other needs and responsibilities that I consider to be paramount. It is my greatest desire to enjoy as much time as possible with my children so that they will grow to be good, honest, hard working, happy, and righteous individuals. When raising children, I feel, it is important to be loving and patient. As Kaleb and Emma’s father I treat them as small adults giving them choices to let them make decisions for themselves. Quite often they are not happy about something that they have been asked to do, a simple explanation of the request makes all the difference. When it does not I try to be patient and loving but firm. Watching them learn and grow is the most rewarding experience I have ever had. I learn as much from them as they do from me.

We recently enjoyed a family vacation to Disneyland. Emma loved eating breakfast with the princesses while Kaleb enjoyed the big thriller rides like Screamin’. We were also fortunate to be able to go on a Disney cruise together. We snorkeled in the ocean, went sailing, and even saw dolphins and whales. The kids were big fans of "all you can eat" ice cream, pizza, and hot dogs. We also enjoy short local trips just to swim in the pool at the hotel and go to the zoo.

We love spending time with our kids and watching them learn and grow. Kaleb has had the opportunity to participate in soccer, skiing, basketball, swimming, gymnastics, and wrestling which is his favorite. He loves to draw and is an excellent reader. Emma started skiing at just 18 months and loves it. She also participates in gymnastics, soccer, and swimming. She is very smart and likes to learn at preschool.

While spending time with our kids is our top priority, taking time to strengthen our relationship is very important to us.  We enjoy sharing conversation over dinner, taking in a movie, and retreating to secluded mountain destinations.  We make a extra effort to do special things for each other such as cooking a favorite dish, rubbing tired feet, sending flowers, or even a "spur of the moment" surprise overnight trip.

Emma enjoys telling others her adoption story and about her birthparents. We are fortunate to be able to talk to her birthparents frequently, as well as share texts, pictures and gifts. We are very open with her about her adoption and respond to her questions with age appropriate answers. We are also very active in Families Supporting Adoption. This group allows us to get together with other adopted children, share stories, and experiences. We are currently forming a multicultural group to better support and educate our children.

Five years ago we were blessed by adoption when Emma came into our home. We will forever be grateful to Emma’s birthparents. We consider them to be part of our extended family and they are in our thoughts daily. We are excited once again to go through the journey of adoption. Our hearts are so full of gratitude and love towards birth parents.

We have great admiration for you and realize you have a very important decision to make. We hope that you will be comforted in this difficult time. We love and pray for you.

Jared and Katie