Our names are Darrel and Jenifer. We want to thank you so much for taking the time to read about us. We admire your strength and courage as you make this important decision for your baby. We want to assure you that we are warm, loving, capable parents who will give your child the absolute best care and provide him or her with a safe, nurturing and happy family environment.

Darrel Jenifer Job Description Self-Employed, Air Conditioning Technician Dentist Education 1 Year College Vocational Training Doctor of Dental Surgery Degree (DDS) Favorites Childhood Memory Bike Rides with Parents Childhood Memory Camping Trips with Family Hobby Dirt Track Racing Hobby Swimming & Camping TV Show Amazing Race TV Show Grey’s Anatomy Memory with a Child Trip to Disney World with Our Children Memory with a Child Trip to Disney World with Our Children Tradition Snow Skiing in the Mountains Tradition Snow Skiing in the Mountains Children Meghan-8 years old, Ava-3 years old

We were both fortunate to have wonderful childhoods, raised in stable, loving homes by both a mother and father. We had brothers and sisters to play with and formed strong bonds with them that have given us support and friendship throughout our lives.

After high school we moved around a lot from city to city while Jenifer attended college, dental school and served in the Air Force. We'd make new friends and enjoy the different attractions each place had to offer. The bond between us became stronger as we would experience new things in our lives. We had many great times. Along with these, we also had some rough times. We went through a miscarriage before becoming pregnant with Meghan. Then the night Meghan was born there were complications and Jenifer almost died. We were so happy to have Meghan. We had waited so long for her, but would not be able to have any more biological children. They say God has a plan for each of us and we believe that is true. We are now thankful for the events that occurred when Meghan was born. It gave us true appreciation for our lives and it gave us Ava, through adoption. We tend to look on the bright side of things and live each day to the fullest. We are hopeful that we will get to share our lives and our happiness with another child.

Two years ago we were blessed by the miracle of adoption. We got "the call" two days after Ava was born. We were so happy and so excited. We couldn't stop smiling. We called everyone we knew. The first time we saw Ava, we instantly fell in love with her. It was the most awesome feeling. The morning we were to bring her home to join our family, our older daughter, Meghan, jumps into bed with us shouting, "Today's the day! Today's the day!". She was more excited to bring home her baby sister, than she is on Christmas morning opening presents. Since Ava has become a part of our lives, it feels like Christmas every day to us. She has brought us so much happiness. We love her more than words can express. We chose the name "Ava", because it means "life". That is what her birthmother gave her. She chose to have her even though she could not raise her, and that gift of life is the greatest love of all. We have so much respect and admiration for Ava's birthmother and are so grateful to her. We talk about adoption openly and positively to everyone. Ava is learning about adoption through books we read to her and stories we tell. Ava, and any other child we adopt, will always know their adoption story.

Hanging Out at the Campsite

As a family, we spend most of our time together. At home, on a nice day we are usually outdoors playing in the yard, riding 4-wheelers and bikes, and swimming in our pool. We enjoy having three days off every week. We often go to a nearby amusement and water park during the summer. In the winter months, we like to take the girls to the children's museum and play areas in the city. Darrel has a race car and races occasionally on the weekend. Both Meghan and Ava love cheering him on, "Go Daddy, Go!", they shout. We love camping together and go in our camper a lot during the summer and fall. It is one of our favorite things to do. We like to vacation whenever possible. We take a yearly trip to the mountains to snow ski for a week. We started teaching Meghan to snow ski when she was 4 years old. She's actually pretty good now. We have traveled to many states vacationing. It doesn't matter where we go or what we do, we always have a great time.