Jamie was unofficially adopted in her mid-teens by a couple who had mentored her for years. Her family had been going through a lot of turmoil and they had decided to move to a place far from her friends and school. Being welcomed into another family ended up being a wonderful springboard that launched her successfully into her early twenties, and her "adoptive" parents are some of the most important people in our lives to this day.

Between that incredibly beneficial experience for Jamie and the great examples of adoption we have been able to witness among our friends over the last several years, we had planned to adopt since the beginning of our marriage. After our struggles with infertility, it became obvious that we were going to be adopting a bit sooner than we had even anticipated and we ended up having the most amazing adoption possible! Our little Cora has been such a huge blessing since the moment we met her. We prayed and prayed for a child and God used adoption to give her to us. We are so excited to welcome another child into our family through adoption!

One of our favorite things to do is play games together - card games, board games, whatever is at hand, we'll enjoy! We also like watching movies and TV together, playing sports, and watching sports together. Pete loves football, golf, and basketball, while Jamie loves baseball, softball, and hockey. Sports are something we've both always been into - we love playing, but also cheering on our favorite teams in person and on TV. Jamie also enjoys music - she plays the guitar, as well as the piano. Pete enjoys a little bit of XBox as well as reading books. Both of us also enjoy cooking and you can often find us in the kitchen making dinner together. Of course, the vast majority of our leisure time is spent playing with our daughter Cora and we prefer that to any and all of our hobbies. Going on a daily walk with her is the absolute highlight of each day!

Pete About Jamie: Jamie has an uncommon level of determination to do what is right. She has persevered through more hardship than almost anyone I know and has done what it takes to be an incredible person despite all of that. She loves her friends and family genuinely, with little regard for surface level discussions, because she wants to use her time with them to truly get to know what's going on with them. It's refreshing and challenging! She's as smart as they come, more modest than most, selflessly serves others, and loves to laugh. She makes me want to be a better person. She is a loving mom who is as intentional as she is nurturing and fun!

Jamie About Pete: Pete's name means "rock" and that's exactly what he is - a very steady, stable, and strong support no matter what is going on in life. He loves with a deep love, he is incredibly smart, and he's extremely gifted with people. It is one of my greatest joys in life to watch him in his element of teaching young people, whether that's teenagers at church or his pre-school aged nieces and nephews, or our precious daughter. He's fun and easygoing, loves being goofy, and parenting with him is one of my heart's greatest fulfillments.

We absolutely love our home and community! Everywhere you look, there's a beautiful view - from the relaxing golf course in the backyard, to the beautiful lakes that surround us, to the wonderful rolling farm fields. It's a breath-taking and relaxing place to live. Our house is spacious with plenty of room to play and for each child to have their own bedroom. The yard is gigantic and perfect for playing and running around! There are parks all over the area, a swimming pool nearby, nice basketball courts, and a big lake for boating and fishing. We also love that the weather is gorgeous and while it's a small town, we have everything we need, and family isn't too far away! It's really the perfect backyard for playing catch, riding your bike, or just being outside all day; while the inside of our home is perfect for building blanket forts in the wide-open basement, watching Sesame Street, or reading a book together!

Family is very important to us! We always look forward to our family time because we know we will laugh a lot, eat great food, and be surrounded by people who truly love us. Often times when we're together, we break out board games, yard games, or watch whatever sports happen to be on TV that day. We just love being together!

Grandparents on both sides are amazing with kids and can't wait for the chance to spoil more children with love and attention.

Our siblings are also very good with kids. We have three teachers and one volunteer tutor in the family, and most of them are already fantastic parents, as well. They are all very excited to add another niece or nephew to the family!

This child will absolutely love their extended family time and have a blast playing with their cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents! We truly consider our family to be one of our greatest assets.

We know that if you're reading this, you're probably in a very stressful season of life. Please know that we are praying for you. We have been for some time now. We've had our share of stresses and heartbreak too and hate that you are having to make such tough decisions right now. Hopefully reading a little bit about us has comforted you and let you know that we genuinely would love to be able to care for a child and make them a full member of our family.

We've been married for almost 10 years now and we've dreamt of having kids even while we were still dating. To us, there is nothing more fulfilling in life than to be in a loving family and that's what we are eager to provide. We laugh, cry, talk, sing, and dance together because we always say that we'd rather go through the worst of situations together than to have an easy life and be alone. Family is vitally important to us and even though there are plenty of hobbies and events we enjoy, our favorite place in the world is in the company of family.

There are so many things we look forward to as parents, but our main goal isn't to simply reap joy from our children. Our purpose in becoming parents is to raise children who are confident in who they are and prepare them for the challenges of adulthood. We know that they won't be in our home forever, so it's important to us that we make the most of the time that we have with them and make it abundantly clear that they are loved unconditionally and supported wholeheartedly. We want to be intentional about teaching our children to be aware of those around them and to have compassion for those that are suffering.

While that is our end goal, we also plan on enjoying our family time to the fullest. Our home is already filled with laughter and we don't plan on ever changing that. We will play catch in the yard, eat at the dinner table together every night, do homework together, go on fun vacations, celebrate holidays, and end each day with bedside prayer. It is our hope that our children will look back on their childhood as a magical time filled with happy memories.

We also want you to know that we will teach them that God loves them. We believe that each and every person is created by God and that He loves them just as they are. Of course, whether or not they believe that will be entirely their decision, but we hope that they will develop an understanding that they are loved by a gracious and faithful God who cared for them before they were ever born. That has been an undeniable truth in our lives and we wouldn't dream of hiding that from them.

Know that we will be honest and open about their adoption and that we will mention you as the person who God used to answer years' worth of prayers for us. To consider adoption is courageous, loving, and selfless. How could we have anything but respect and admiration for such a person? That's what we hope to convey to them as they grow. For post-placement contact, we'd be happy to provide an in-person visit within 1-5 years of birth, as well as pictures, email updates, and/or phone calls. We're hoping to keep the majority of the long-term communication between the adults, if possible.

God bless you for caring for their life and trying to do what is best for them. We are grateful for you (even if you should choose another couple) and that will never change.

Pete & Jamie