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1-800-ADOPTION

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If you would like to learn more about us, please call 1-800-ADOPTION (2367846), fill out the form at the bottom of our on-line profile page, or email us at bp_information@americanadoptions.com.

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Mike & Ashley

We are so excited to grow our family, and we are grateful to you for considering us! We are cheerful parents who have chosen adoption as our path for creating a family. We thank you for making this loving decision and we hope to join you on this journey. As parents of an adopted son, we know that your child may not have our eyes, or hair, but they will certainly have all of our love.

About Us

Mike
Ashley
Job
System Administrator
3rd Grade Teacher
Education
Bachelor's Degree in Meteorology
Master's Degree in Library Sciences
Children
Leo
Relationship
Legally Married

Adoption in Our Lives

We Are So Excited to Grow Our Family!

We always knew that adoption would be our plan for starting a family. Ashley found out in her teen years that she would not be able to have biological children. Instead of dwelling on the news, she instead focused on the positives of building a family through adoption. When we grew serious in our dating relationship, we discussed building a family. Mike was enthusiastic about the adoption journey and we both knew that it was meant to be.

We adopted Leo at birth and we have an open adoption with his birth parents. We are so lucky that they made us a family! Leo is a thriving toddler who giggles, jumps, and dances through the day. He loves trucks and pretending to cook in his play kitchen. Last Christmas he received a sled and enjoys playing in the snow with our Golden Retriever, Sophie! Leo's middle name is Timothy, which is in honor of his biological father and his late grandfather. We think it was pretty special that they had that name in common!

Becoming parents has been the best adventure of our lives. We love him with our whole hearts and we are so excited to grow our family through adoption again. Adoption is respected and openly embraced within our families. We know that our journey is only possible with your selfless decision. We hope to take that journey together.

Our Pup, Sophie

Sophie Is Ready for Duty!

We have an adorable Golden Retriever named Sophie. She is our furry family member! Sophie loves to be pet and cuddled. She goes with us on walks to the park and loves to play fetch in our backyard. Her loving personality makes her the most wonderful family dog. She lets Leo cover her with blankets and chase her around the house with toy trucks without breaking her sweet disposition. Sophie even comes with us on the boat! We get quite the laugh seeing her floppy ears blowing in the wind, but she looks so happy out on the water! We know that Sophie will lovingly sit next to a new baby and welcome them to our family!

Fun Facts About Us:

About Ashley:

  • Ashley was recently voted Teacher of the Year for her school district.
  • She has traveled to 48 out of the 50 states.
  • Ashley spent a summer in Europe learning about other country's education programs.
  • Ashley loves the water and has been on a speed boat, ferry, cruise ship, gondola, yacht, jet ski, sailboat, and even a submarine!
  • She visits the local library every week with Leo to pick out new books and attend story time!
  • About Mike:

  • Mike has bowled 5 perfect games in bowling (strikes in every frame) and is teaching Leo to bowl too!
  • He makes homemade pastas and even brought back flour from a trip to Italy. He learned all of his recipes from his Italian grandmother.
  • Mike went to a World Series play-off game when the Cubs finally won after 108 years.
  • He's so "techy" that he can take apart and rebuild a computer.
  • Mike trained our Golden Retriever, Sophie, to catch treats off her nose!
  • Photos

    Attending Ashley's Brother's Wedding
    Attending Ashley's Brother's Wedding
    A Day at the Farm With Friends
    A Day at the Farm With Friends
    Fun at a Truck Museum
    Fun at a Truck Museum
    Hot Air Ballooning Over Arizona
    Hot Air Ballooning Over Arizona
    Bowling With Leo
    Bowling With Leo
    Cozy on Christmas Eve
    Cozy on Christmas Eve
    Aloha!
    Aloha!
    Enjoying a Local Trail
    Enjoying a Local Trail
    Attending a 1920's Party
    Attending a 1920's Party
    Enjoying Sunny Aruba!
    Enjoying Sunny Aruba!
    Gorgeous Spain
    Gorgeous Spain
    Exploring the Zoo Together
    Exploring the Zoo Together
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    Attending Ashley's Brother's Wedding
    Attending Ashley's Brother's Wedding
    2 / 12
    A Day at the Farm With Friends
    A Day at the Farm With Friends
    3 / 12
    Fun at a Truck Museum
    Fun at a Truck Museum
    4 / 12
    Hot Air Ballooning Over Arizona
    Hot Air Ballooning Over Arizona
    5 / 12
    Bowling With Leo
    Bowling With Leo
    6 / 12
    Cozy on Christmas Eve
    Cozy on Christmas Eve
    7 / 12
    Aloha!
    Aloha!
    8 / 12
    Enjoying a Local Trail
    Enjoying a Local Trail
    9 / 12
    Attending a 1920's Party
    Attending a 1920's Party
    10 / 12
    Enjoying Sunny Aruba!
    Enjoying Sunny Aruba!
    11 / 12
    Gorgeous Spain
    Gorgeous Spain
    12 / 12
    Exploring the Zoo Together
    Exploring the Zoo Together

    Our House and Neighborhood

    We Love Our Home!

    We live in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. Our community is very safe and welcoming. Our neighborhood has lots of young families, and is very close-knit. We have food truck events, summer block parties, and even Halloween Boo-grams! We have a neighborhood park and field for kids to play and walking/bike paths nearby. Our local elementary school is right down the street, and since Ashley teaches there, she knows many families and students in the neighborhood. Our town has a historical downtown, lots of restaurants, and hosts old car show nights throughout the summer. We also have highly rated schools and many community events!

    Leo Loves Riding Around Our Neighborhood!

    We love our home! We recently built our two-story home that sits on a beautiful meadow and overlooks the neighborhood park. Our home has 4 bedrooms, so we have plenty of room to grow our family! We even picked out our nursery - a cozy, sunny room that faces a beautiful maple tree in the backyard - right down the hall from big brother Leo! Our favorite room in the house is our kitchen. Mike is always making something delicious, and we have an open floor plan so that you can still socialize when in our spacious family room. Leo loves having a loft playroom for all of his toys. We love to relax downstairs with a fire crackling in our fireplace and spend family time together. Even our dog, Sophie, loves our home - she is always taking warm naps in the sunroom!

    Our Extended Families

    Ashley's Family

    We are both so fortunate to come from wonderfully fun-loving families and friends.

    Ashley's brother and sister-in-law live in Florida, turning frequent visits into fun vacations. Ashley's mother lives in Alabama, but often travels for long visits and stays for all holidays. As a retired music teacher, she loves to teach Leo about musical instruments. We spend most of the summer at the family lake house in Alabama swimming and boating together! Ashley's late father passed from cancer, but his legacy lives on with the whole family vacationing and traveling together multiple times a year in his honor. From Aruba and Hawaii to Italy and Michigan...we love to see and experience new things together and live life to the fullest.

    Mike's Family

    Mike's parents live locally. Being Italian, Mike's family loves to cook pasta and enjoys eating big meals together. Mike also has a younger sister who lives nearby. We love to attend Chicago Cubs baseball games together. Leo loves spending time with his grandparents and playing with his Auntie. We recently attended a local holiday festival together to try out Belgium hot chocolate and pick out holiday ornaments.

    We come from a close-knit group of friends. All of us grew up together and we have cookouts, birthday parties, and love watching our kids grow up together.

    Adoption runs in both of our families and everyone has embraced our adopted son with open arms. Our family and friends are so excited to see our family grow!

    From Us to You

    Hello there! We are Mike and Ashley, and we are so happy that you are taking the time to learn more about us! It is clear that you are already making a hard, but beautiful, decision to consider adoption. We know that you must already have so much love for your child, and we are honored to know that you would consider sharing that love with our family.

    Speaking of love, it is exactly that which brought us together as a couple. We met over 13 years ago, and had our first date over coffee. Mike was smitten with Ashley right away, but Ashley was won over while watching Mike interact with her young cousins - his childish excitement and sweet attitude showed her that he was going to be a wonderful father someday. Our wedding was such an exciting day, and we are proud to say that we've been happily married for over ten years. We celebrated our milestone with a trip to Seattle where we toured coffee shops just like the one on our first date. We truly are best friends, and we both feel that adoption was always the path meant for us. Unlike other couples who travel the long road of infertility, we knew before getting married that adoption was going to be our way of building a family. Adoption is even a big part of both of our families!

    A few years ago we knew we were ready to begin our family and started the adoption process. We were chosen by amazing birth parents who made our dreams a reality. When we met at the hospital during our son's birth, our hearts were opened with unmeasurable love. Parenting truly has been our very best adventure. Our son Leo is now a thriving toddler and we are ready to grow our family. Our hearts are ready for another child and Leo is ready to be a big brother! Knowing that both our children will have the bond of adoption makes us so proud and happy. We believe we are loving parents who had a lot to offer a child. Ashley is a teacher, who has great hours, summers off, and works close to home. She is such a loving mother who is the rock of our family. Mike is completely family oriented - making dinner each night and spending time making us all laugh.

    Our families and friends have been so supportive about our adoption journey. They were thrilled when our son was born and they are excited for us to add another member to our family. Our family and friends provide us with a strong support system so that our child will feel connected, welcomed, and part of our circle. Adoption is something to be embraced, and we are so excited to raise our children alongside a huge network of people that already love them.

    ,p>We often think about what you may want to know when you first read about our family. What type of parents will they be? Will they guide my child to success? Will they be kind? Will they be patient and understanding? Will they be fun and take them on adventures? Will they teach responsibility? Will they be open and honest? The answer is "yes." We plan on helping our child embrace their adoption right from the very beginning. We want to share letters and pictures with you. We want you to know how loved your child is and how important you are to their story. While we may be different people, and have never met before, we already feel connected to you. Because the truth is, we already have one very important thing in common. We both want the very best for your child.

    With love, hope, and respect,

    Mike & Ashley

    Favorites

    Mike
    Ashley
    Actor
    Chris Pratt
    Tom Hanks
    Actress
    Jennifer Aniston
    Kate Winslet
    Animal
    Dog
    Elephant
    Author
    Scott Sigler
    Tana French
    Book
    The Giver by Louis Lowry
    Harry Potter
    Candy Bar
    Milky Way
    Reese's
    Cartoon
    The Simpsons
    The Flintstones
    Childhood Memory
    Going to Cubs games with my family
    Swimming with my family
    Childhood Toy
    Yo-Yo
    Polly Pocket
    Children's Book
    Goosebumps Series
    Charlotte's Web
    City
    Positano
    Paris
    Classic Movie
    Twister
    Sabrina
    Color
    Green
    Yellow
    Day of Week
    Saturday
    Saturday
    Dessert
    Ice cream
    Ice cream
    Disney Movie
    Aladdin
    Toy Story
    Dream Car
    Tesla
    Volkswagen Beetle
    Dream Job
    Weather Man
    Travel Blogger
    Dream Vacation
    Greece
    Swiss Alps
    Family Activity
    Boating
    Boating
    Flower / Plant
    Parsley
    Sunflowers
    Food
    Pizza
    Mashed Potatoes
    Form of Exercise
    Hiking
    Swimming
    Fruit
    Banana
    Strawberries
    Game
    Life
    Uno
    Hobby
    Bowling
    Travel
    Holiday
    Christmas
    Christmas
    Holiday Song
    Dominic the Donkey (Italian Christmas Song)
    White Christmas by Bing Crosby
    Holiday Tradition
    Going to The Walnut Room downtown Chicago after Thanksgiving
    Watching Home Alone on Christmas Eve
    Ice Cream
    Mint
    Butter Pecan
    Junk Food
    Doritos
    Oreos
    Leisure Activity
    Cooking
    Watching Movies
    Magazine
    Wired
    Vogue
    Memory with a Child
    Meeting my son for the first time
    Watching my son go on the boat for the first time!
    Memory with Spouse
    Our wedding day
    Our ten year anniversary trip to Seattle
    Movie
    Fifth Element
    Hook
    Movie Munchie
    Popcorn
    Popcorn
    Movie Quote
    "Cow. Another cow. I think it was the same cow." - Twister
    "I used only the good notes..." from Jack Black in The Holiday.
    Movie Type
    Comedy
    Thriller
    Musical
    Hamilton
    Annie
    Musical Group
    Fitz and the Tantrums
    Queen
    Nursery Rhyme
    Itsy Bitsy Spider
    Humpty Dumpty
    Olympic Event
    Curling
    Ice Skating
    Personal Hero
    My father-in-law
    My Dad
    Play
    The Cursed Child
    The Cursed Child
    Poet
    Shel Silverstein
    e. e. cummings
    Quality about my Spouse
    Her kindness
    His sense of humor
    Quote
    "The weather forecast for tonight: dark." - George Carlin
    "Scatter joy." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
    Restaurant
    Pequods Pizza
    Outback Steakhouse
    Sandwich
    Ham and Cheese
    B.L.T.
    Scripture
    1 Corinthians 16:13-14 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.
    Matthew 17:20 Our faith can move mountains.
    Shopping Store
    Caputo's
    Target
    Song
    American Pie by Don McLean
    Pennies from Heaven
    Sport to Play
    Bowling
    Basketball
    Sport to Watch
    Baseball
    Baseball
    Sports Star
    Walter Payton
    Michael Jordan
    Sports Team
    Chicago Cubs
    Chicago Cubs
    Subject in School
    Math
    Writing
    Superhero
    Superman
    Wonder Woman
    Thing to Cook
    Pasta
    Ordering Takeout!
    Time of Day
    Morning
    Late Night
    Tradition
    Deep frying the Thanksgiving turkey
    Italian feast on New Year's Eve
    TV Show
    Expedition Unknown
    Abbott Elementary
    TV Show Character
    Teal'c from Stargate SG-1
    Jeff Probst from Survivor
    Type of Music
    Alternative
    Oldies
    Vacation Spot
    Aruba
    Aruba
    Video Game
    Doom
    The Sims

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