Dear Birth Parent(s),

We feel so privileged that you have chosen to read our profile, as we realize you are making a very important and difficult decision in your life. We admire you so much for what you are deciding, as we can only imagine how much courage it takes. We want you to feel comfortable with your decision and to ensure you that your child will be loved and provided for in a safe, loving, and nurturing environment. Your child will always know he or she is adopted and you will always have a special place in our hearts. Thank you for taking time to learn about us and trust us as adoptive parents for your child. We look so forward to adding a second child to our family, as we truly believe it is God's plan for completing our family.

Our names are Richard and Muriel. We have been married for thirteen years. As we look back on these years it seems like we met only yesterday. Our love for one another is still so much alive. We feel we are also the best of friends.

We met in one of those meant to be scenarios. Rich owned his own business and Muriel walked into his facility one evening to consider taking a class. At the time Muriel was teaching elementary school. Later, little did she know, she would be part owner in a successful business with Richard. Fortunately, the part time office work Muriel presently does for the business allows her to be a stay at home mom. Her experience teaching school has been an added benefit for raising our child. Rich also has flexibility in his work to sometimes be a stay at home dad. He enjoys so much taking play breaks with Chase. We often wonder how many children are fortunate enough to have both parents around such as this while growing up.

When we met we found we had so much in common. We quickly agreed on wanting to have children and raise a family. After several medical procedures for Muriel we were able to conceive our son. During that time we had seriously been considering adoption, as well. We then realized adoption was still in God's plans for us.

Each year we traditionally involve our extended families in our family. We visit Muriel's family for one major holiday, such as Christmas or Thanksgiving, and Rich's for the other. In addition, we visit each family a minimum of two more times during the year. Each of our families visits us throughout the year. We feel it is important for our children to know his/her extended family and cherish the holiday traditions of spending time together. As a family, we enjoy driving thru the nearby neighborhoods on Christmas Eve to see the beautiful lighted homes. During Easter, we enjoy Easter egg hunts with Chase and his cousins. Fall is another time we traditionally pick our pumpkins from the fields and spring is a time we pick fresh strawberries. Again, all of these activities are traditionally done as a family unit.

We have three shepherd dogs and one cat. We began as foster parents for our dogs thru a local shelter, however, we became so attached to them we decided to give them a permanent home. The type of shepherd dog is absolutely wonderful with children. They are gentle and always watching over Chase when we are inside or outside our home. Our kitty, Miss Petunia, also came from a local shelter. She, too, is so sweet and gentle with our son. We feel having pets in our home adds to our family in a positive way. Chase has learned to show kindness and caring for each of them.

We have been blessed in many ways, having a son, having support of our extended families, and having each other. Having all of these things we feel we want to be able to give something back and feel adoption is part of the plan for our future. We would love to have the opportunity to give your child a loving, safe, and nurturing environment. If you decide you would like us to raise your child, we want to reassure you we will remain in contact with pictures and letters if you chose, so you will know how much your child is loved and cared for. This is only one of the ways we can give something back to you for making such a courageous decision. Your child will know from a very early age he or she is adopted and the tremendous decision you made out of complete love for he or she.

Again, we admire your courage and personal strength.

With all our hearts,

Rich & Muriel