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State We Live in: Missouri
Our Religion: Christian
Stay At Home Parent: No
Our Age Preferences: Newborn-3 Months
Our Gender Preferences: Either Gender
Our Race Preferences: Any Race, African American, African American/Hispanic, Asian, Caucasian, Caucasian/African American, Caucasian/Asian, Caucasian/Hispanic, East Indian, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, Native American
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Call or text Lifetime Adoption at 1-800-923-6784.
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Hello! Adoption has been something we’ve both thought of for a while now. It’s exciting to be in this process to adopt our first child! As a couple we spend as much time in nature as possible, which is pretty easy because we live inside a state park. We have fun whether we’re on a family float trip, going camping, having game nights with friends and family, traveling, silly dances in the kitchen, or hiking a trail with our dogs. We try to live our life grounded in gratitude, looking for bright spots in each day. Laughter is a huge part of our household too!
We first bonded over our love for family and have always hoped to raise children together. While we waited to grow our family, we were foster parents for a time. Now we are ready and hopeful to become adoptive parents. We’d love to learn more about you and your child!
Our Story
We met online and our first date was the Monday before Thanksgiving. We went to a little diner and we knew from the start that we had found the relationship we had each been waiting for. It was a little like a Hallmark movie to fall in love at Christmas time, but we wouldn’t change a thing! Our wedding was just 6 months later and we have now been married about 5 years.
Things we enjoy together:
• Traveling to historical places or with lots of nature to explore
• Hiking trails at Missouri State Parks (it’s our goal to visit all 93 parks and historic sites!)
• Camping and floating or kayaking
• Jeep rides
• Cooking fresh meals
• Helping with our church’s English as a Second Language Program
• Volunteering with Meals on Wheels
• Serving international students visiting the U.S.
• Participating in our church board or study groups
This is Jennifer
According to Daniel: Jennifer is one in a million and always up for an adventure with me. I love her willingness to try new things outside of her comfort zone and how she challenges me to do the same. Jennifer will be a wonderful mother with her caring, loving personality. She’s always one of the first people to offer to babysit little kids in our family! I love seeing her comfort the little ones to sleep or get into a Nerf battle with the older kids.
Jennifer’s interests:
• Walking our dogs
• Reading
• Crocheting & fiber arts
• Tending our herb garden
• Cooking and baking
• Speaking at events for mental health awareness
• Making natural self-care products
• Studying to complete my Bachelor’s Degree in business
• Helping people find affordable ways to travel on any budget
This is Daniel
According to Jennifer: Daniel makes me laugh like no one else can and is giving and sacrificial with his time and care for those he loves. He’s a laid-back country boy who loves to be outdoors and his work managing a state park is a perfect fit (he’s the reason I love nature now too!). Daniel is a man of faith who prays often. He’s an early riser and makes me breakfast most mornings. He can be quiet, yet silly too. Daniel will be an amazing dad! The children in our lives are drawn to him, I think because he is a big kid at heart. He will be at every sports game, school play, or donuts-with-dad event because Daniel is family-first. He has a tender heart and loves with all of it.
Daniel’s interests:
• Gardening
• Woodworking projects
• Restoring my 1979 Jeep (or taking it out on gravel roads with the radio on high!)
• Visiting other state parks on my days off from the park where I work
• Presenting to school groups who come to my state park on field trips
• Teaching people to kayak
• Fishing or hunting
• Reading at home on rainy days
Our Home in Missouri
We live in the middle of Missouri in a house that’s in a small state park where Daniel works. We’re close to the park’s hiking trails, campground, and playground. It’s a quiet place to live and surrounded by large family farms and a lot of wide-open spaces. Town is just 15 minutes away where we run errands and go to church. We also like trips to Kansas City or St. Louis to explore the culture and city life. It’s fun to go to antique or consignment stores to look for furniture we can flip.
Our home has three bedrooms and a large fenced-in back yard with a patio area. From the front yard we get the best views of sunsets over the fields. (We like to say we have a whole state park for our extended back yard!) We’re waiting to decorate the room we’ve chosen to become our future child’s nursery and are planning for it to have a neutral mountain theme that we can personalize for a boy or a girl after we adopt.
Our Family
We both come from close-knit families, most of whom live relatively close. Jennifer’s older brother and his wife adopted two of their children as babies, so we’ve already seen what a blessing adoption can be. One of our nephews is African American and our family is fully supportive of us adopting a boy or girl of any racial background. Her brother’s family lives in Minnesota and we love taking turns visiting each other throughout the year. The rest of our family lives within 90 minutes of us, so we get to see each other often. And we love pool days at Jennifer’s parents’ house!
From Our Hearts to Yours...
Thank you for this chance to be considered as your child’s adoptive parents. When we picture life with a child, we imagine lots of days exploring outside with friends or family, game nights, cooking together, keeping things simple and focused on quality time with each other. We will be there for everything, from homework, school plays, sports, or the little things in between. We will encourage them to make the most of their education and to learn from anything they experience. We’ll support his or her interests or goals and provide the direction and tools for our child to pursue them.
We promise your child will always know you and how much you love them. We plan to talk positively about their adoption from the beginning. We are committed to always keep the line of communication open with you. If you’re comfortable, we hope to have a friendship with you and welcome ongoing contact after the adoption. We’d love to know what you picture for that relationship, and if you’d like future visits, phone calls, sharing photos, or updates. To us, open adoption has the potential to create an extended family connection between you and us, if you’d like that.
We’d love to talk or answer any of your questions. To learn more about us, please call or text Lifetime at 1.800.923.6784.
More About Daniel
Education: Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology
Profession: Superintendent of a State Park
Stay-At-Home: No
Racial Background: Caucasian
His Favorites:
Thing About Christmas: Family traditions
Dream Vacation: Southwest U.S.
Hobby: Woodworking or restoring my 1979 CJ-7 Jeep
Way to Spend a Weekend: Camping and hiking
Subject in School: Science
Recipe to Cook: Loaded Scrambled Eggs
Outdoor Activity: Kayaking and hiking
More About Jennifer
Education: Currently in college as a Business Major
Profession: Part-time Travel Agent at home & part-time seasonal work at a State Park
Stay-At-Home: Primarily stay-home & working part-time
Racial Background: Caucasian
Her Favorites:
Thing About Christmas: Looking at lights & baking cookies
Dream Vacation: Greece
Hobby: Tending my herb garden
Way to Spend a Weekend: Camping and kayaking
Subject in School: English & K-12 math
Recipe to Cook: My Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Cheesecake
Outdoor Activity: Kayaking and playing with our dogs outside
Gallery
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More About Our Family
Fun Facts About Us
• Jennifer considers herself an amateur baker and loves to learn something new in the kitchen (her newest skill is cheesecake!). Baking something she's never made before and sharing it with loved ones is one of her absolute favorite things.
• Daniel is known as the bug or snake identification guy in our circle. His family likes to send him pictures and ask “what kind of snake is this?” He has worked for Missouri State Parks since he graduated high school, so he's learned a lot and loves helping others enjoy the great outdoors.
• Both of our sisters-in-law are nurses!
• Both of our dads work or worked in careers involving motor vehicles. Daniel’s dad still owns an auto parts store in his hometown.
• We have two nieces and two nephews (and two of them were adopted!).
• Jennifer’s parents have been married 41 years and Daniel’s have been married 37 years!
Plans for Childcare
Jennifer is a part-time travel agent and student from home, so she will primarily be home with our child after we adopt. Two days a week she also works in the state park near our home, so we are planning to work our schedules so that if Jennifer is away from home, Daniel is off work to care for our child. We even have 3 grandparents who are retired and happy about babysitting when needed! Our plan is to avoid daycare and be our child’s primary caregivers.
Our Pets
We have two dogs and two cats. Check is our Border Collie who loves chasing a ball in the yard or playing soccer with his big red ball. Daisy is our long-haired Dachshund who loves to sun herself in sunbeams on the floor (almost like a cat!). Patches is a big ginger kitty who is half-blind, yet he will follow us on long walks with us and the dogs. Smokey is a Russian Blue cat who loves sitting in the windows, is besties with our dog, Daisy, and enjoys surprising our other dog, Check. Our pets are a great part of our little family!
Family Traditions We Love
• Daniel’s family has an annual reunion river floating trip with around 40 of his relatives.
• Every summer Jennifer’s brother’s family visits for a week and we love taking our nieces and nephew to the zoo, Science city, and the park.
• Get-togethers with Jennifer’s family always has wonderful food, which is usually followed by a movie or game.
• Daniel’s brother’s family have a camper that they like to bring over to camp in our park a couple times each summer. Usually his parents will join us all for the weekend and we all sit around the fire, chatting while the kids play.
In Closing
Thank you for learning a bit about us and the life we'd love to share with your baby through adoption! Being chosen as your child's future adoptive parents would truly be an honor we would always be grateful for. We've hoped and prayed to raise a family together for a long time and we're excited to be in this process to adopt our first baby. We would love to get to know you and the hopes you have for your baby's life. Just know that we're praying for you and your baby, from the bottom of our hearts. To talk with us, just ask Lifetime to set up a call or video chat. It would be great to hear from you!