Dear Birth Parent(s),

We sincerely wish to thank you for viewing our profile and for considering adoption. Our hearts go out to you in making what must be one of the most difficult decisions of your life. We understand that this is not an easy choice to make and praise you for having enough courage and love for your baby to make whatever decision is best for your child, even if it is the hardest on you!

Our names are Merlin and Angela. We met over ten years ago while we were both in college. We became best friends first, then spouses and have been married for seven years. We feel that we compliment each other; meaning that each of us can be either a leader or a supporter depending on the situation at hand. Being a military family, we truly realize the value & preciousness of family time and do not take one moment for granted. We have a very happy, loving marriage and pride ourselves in always working out disagreements before they develop into arguments. A definite strength of ours is how kindly and respectfully we treat each other. We will provide a happy, healthy home for your child! We will model how to express their feelings or disappointment without angry yelling or hurtful words. The music of kids' voices, laughter, and excitement is always welcome! We always look on the bright side of life! Merlin is the playful, funny, out-going one in our relationship. Angela is the quiet, nurturing, thoughtful spouse. Children in our lives turn to Merlin when they want to be active and play, and then turn to Angela when they are tired, hungry, or are looking for quiet or cuddle time!

In our leisure time we love to have fun! We enjoy a wide variety of activities such as golf, mini-golf, bowling, horseback riding, fishing, bocce, croquet, horse shoes, water games, team sports, and learning new games. We also really enjoy getting together with friends on the weekends for food and fun! An added bonus is that most of our friends have kids who we really look forward to playing with. On rainy or relaxing days we play board games, cards, our Nintendo Wii, or watch movies together. For individual quiet time, Angela most often crochets, quilts, does crafts, or watches TLC. Merlin usually reads as he is an avid reader. When time allows we really enjoy day trips.

We chose to build our family through adoption following three heart-breaking, unexplainable miscarriages in the second and third trimesters. We have always wanted to have a family of our own and we feel that we have so much love to offer. We have discovered through our endless and unconditional love for our nieces and nephews, that our love for a child is not limited to children that are ours biologically. We will view any child in our lives as a gift from God, and will provide that child with an endless supply of love and affection. We truly love and treasure being an aunt and uncle, however, we can not wait to be a mommy and daddy!

We want to whole-heartedly reassure you that if you decide to bless us with the greatest gift of all; raising your precious baby as our own, you will not truly be saying goodbye to your child! There is a saying that "When God closes a door, He opens a window." Through this "window", you will still be able to watch your child grow every step of the way and be a special part of your child's life through letters and pictures at least twice each year.. This precious child will know how selfless and loving his/ her birthparents are and how much strength and love it took for them to make the decision to give him/ her to us. We will ensure the child feels most positive towards his/ her birthparents and we will encourage the child to participate in and look forward to sending letters and pictures at least twice each year. We will read books about adoption and discuss it freely. We will ensure the child has other adopted individuals to talk to for support. Most importantly, we feel that actions speak louder than words, so we will always demonstrate love and gratitude toward his/ her birthparents for giving us the greatest gift imaginable; a child!

Angela plans to be a stay-at-home mom when the child is young. As an elementary school teacher, she plans to return to teaching when the child goes to school. Merlin looks forward to breakfasts and dinners -and lunch as often as possible - spent together, as well as playtime, story time, and bed time. Weekend family time is a top priority for us! We both thoroughly enjoy playing games and a multitude of outdoor activities. We are young, healthy, and active and will expose your child to a wide variety of activities!

Education is very important to us, and we will ensure that your child always attends excellent schools. Education, however, also extends beyond classroom walls and includes trips to zoos, museums, parks, different cities, towns, and states. We both value Sunday school and church as an important part of childhood development.

Again, we thank you, so much, for your time and consideration. Our thoughts and prayers are with you in whatever decision you make. If you choose us to parent your baby, we can promise you that we will be the very best parents that we can possibly be. We will always place the needs of your child above our own and aid them in becoming a well-educated, thoughtful, loving, confident, and independent person that we all can be proud of!

Warmest Wishes,

Merlin & Angela