Welcome

We started this blog hoping that it will give you an inside look into who we are and why we want to adopt. Enjoy our message and click on the tabs above to get to know a little more about all of the members of our family. Thank you for taking the time to get to know us better.
We are grateful that you are considering adoption, and we are amazed by selfless birth mothers who sacrifice because of their great love for their child.
Our sons, Hunter and Cameron are adopted and we are grateful everyday for the choice their birth mothers made to place them in our family.
Adoption has allowed us to experience the joys and dreams of being parents and given us hope that we can continue to grow our family. If you have any questions for us you can email us.

Who We Are

We are a fun family of four.  We are a family that loves being together.  Patrick and Heather fell in love in high school when we were just kids and we grew up together.  We feel like we have always known each other and absolutely love being together.  We are best friends and are each others support systems.  We are always laughing together, playing together, and still drive our siblings crazy with how affectionate we are with each other.  We are a strong partnership and just love being together. 

Each of our boys has a huge and amazing personality.  They are so dynamic and are a perfect addition to our family.  With each of our adoption experiences we knew that our boys were meant to be in our family and have loved them from the moment that we knew about them.  They are so fun and the fulfillment of all of our dreams and hopes.  Every night after the boys go to sleep, we will sit up and talk about all of the cute and funny things they say and do.  We adore our boys and love spending time with them.  We want to create a beautiful world for them full of creativity, exploration, and fun.  If you want to see some of our daily adventures check out our family blog.

Our boys are best friend brothers.  A few times a day while they are playing will just tell each other how much they love each other.  These two absolutely were meant to be brothers and are so cute and sweet with each other.  When one of them wakes up in the morning they are so eager for their sibling to wake up, sometimes it feels like a wrestling match to keep them out of the others room so they can sleep.  They are always giggling and laughing together and it is the soundtrack of our lives.  Our two crazy boys are so much crazy fun, it is intense keeping up with these two but worth all of the effort.

We always talk about our family as a team and act like a team.  We have a family cheer and are fiercely loyal to each other.  We are always on the go, whether we are going to the park, library, museum, or anywhere else we are always together exploring as a family.  We love to travel; if Patrick ever has a business trip the three of us usually tag along for the fun.  We are always planning a trip to visit our friends, family, and birth family all over.  Also, we love creating and doing projects at home.  Every holiday is filled with holiday fun: carving pumpkins, decorating cookies, dyeing Easter eggs, creating gingerbread houses.  We are always making something at our house. Hunter thinks pinterest is a game and loves finding fun crafts to make.  Cameron is always talking about our recent project and the boys love to talk about how they are artists and scientists.  We love being at home together.  Our home is a place of peace and fun.  We love making forts and having movie picnics.  We are real, we are crazy, and we love each other so much.  Our lives aren't clean and perfect.  They are messy and busy and we love every minute.  In our family messy is fun and we love the fun we are having.

Our Thoughts on Adoption and Openness

As we have become a part of the adoption world, we have come to better know the great love that is involved in the adoption process. We feel blessed to be a part of adoption and feel that it is an amazing miracle.
The choice to adopt was easy for us to make. We look back on our lives and we realize that the experiences we have gone through have prepared us to adopt. Infertility has been hard but the blessing of having Hunter and Cameron in our family have made us feel whole and complete and excited to adopt again.
We love the openness in Hunter's and Cameron's adoptions.  Both of our sons names were chosen by their birth mom's and we love the connections that this forges with their birth families. We were contacted early in Hunter's birth mom's pregnancy.  We were able to email, call, and text her throughout her pregnancy.  It was amazing to get to know her better this way and before Hunter was born we visited her and met both her and the birth father.  Hunter's birth mom asked us to be at his birth and it was an amazing experience to share with her.  After placement we have continued to email and send pictures.  We have had visits with her throughout Hunter's life and have more visits planned in the future.  Now that Hunter is older he calls his birth mom and talks to her.  Seeing Hunter with his birth mom is fantastic.  Knowing that Hunter will have these connections his whole life is so beautiful and we love her willingness to be a part of our family.

 We were contacted by Cameron's birth mom after he was born and have loved getting to know her and all of her family.  Cameron was placed in our family when he was six weeks old.  We were able to meet his birth mom, her family and his birth father at placement.  Since placement, we email his birth mom, Cameron's birth grandma and his birth father often.  We text and send pictures often and have had visits with both of his birth parents and their families.  Cameron has called his birth mom and we have been able to create relationships with many of the members of Cameron's birth family.  We love the connections that we have with our birth families and are so grateful that both of our sons will know their biological families throughout their lives.

We love sharing with their birth families all of the things Hunter and Cameron are doing and their adorable cuteness. We treasure the moments that we have had with all of their birth families and know that these will mean so much to our boys throughout their lives.
Our sons know that they are adopted and understand adoption at their level.  They know that they are special to their birth moms and birth families.  We talk about their birth families often.  The other day we were talking to Hunter about a family member and told him they were special and he asked if they were adopted.  I told him no and he said "mom if they aren't adopted then they aren't special".  It was really funny.  He has told others that "some kids are so special and loved that they have a birth mom and a mom".  Cameron talks about how he wants a baby and we need a birth mom.  Open adoption is a part of our lives it is who we are.
Open adoption is a blessing to everyone involved in adoption.  Each of our birth moms is different and unique and have wanted different things in their open adoption.  Sometimes we don't hear much from a birth mom and other times we will hear a lot.  We know that adoption is a personal and unique experience and we don't expect any of our adoptions to be the same.  We know that everyone is trying to deal with the adoption experience in their own way and we are open to the needs and wants of each birth parent. We look forward to getting to know you and creating a relationship that will benefit all of our lives.

Our Story

Our story begins over a decade ago when we were teenagers in Arizona. We met in a class in high school. Patrick was the cute, funny, older boy and Heather was the outgoing, pretty, younger girl. We flirted and had fun together and Patrick took Heather out on her first date on her 16th birthday.

Throughout high school we enjoyed spending time together and getting to know each other. After high school, Patrick left on his mission to Oregon and Heather went to school at BYU.

Patrick enjoying beautiful Oregon. Heather in Romania on an Internship working with developmentally delayed children.
We both had fun and exciting adventures during those two years and kept in touch with each other through letters. We were able to see how each of us was growing and changing.

When Patrick finished his mission, Heather was in Arizona for the summer and we caught up with each other. We realized that we were best friends and very much in love. We had a great summer together laughing, playing, growing, and learning. By the end of the summer we were engaged and were married in December 2003.

It was a blissful beginning to a wonderful marriage. Our 10 years of marriage have been spectacular.

In those years we have both graduated from college. Heather graduated with her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Patrick graduated with his bachelor’s degree in Technology Management.

Patrick enjoys his job as an estimator and is able to provide for our family very well.

In April of 2009, we adopted our beautiful son Hunter.

In October of 2010, we adopted our beautiful son Cameron.

Our courtship and marriage have created a special bond between us. We love spending time together and having fun.

All about Patrick

(Written by Heather)

I met Patrick in a high school class and I remember seeing him at the front of the class and thinking he was so cute. Along with being cute he was funny and interesting. You could tell just by looking at him that he was optimistic, fun, and living life fully. I was drawn to him and loved being around him; he made my life so much more amazing. Patrick has always loved surprising me. On our first date Patrick had to surprise me so he would not tell me what we were doing. He took me to dinner and ice skating. Because he had not told me, I was wearing sandals and Patrick had to run to a store near by and buy me a pair of socks. Also, He would always leave little notes and gifts for me to find. He loved surprising me with really fun and different dates rock climbing, bungee jumping, and wild animal parks.

He still keeps me on my toes with little surprises and a lot of fun. Patrick loves bringing a smile to my face and brings me complete and total joy. Patrick radiates happiness and is so optimistic and supportive. I am so glad that I get to go through life with him by my side.

 

 Patrick has continued to surprise me with his loving kind nature. He always finds little ways to reach out to others and help them. He always looks out for me and I know that all I have to do is ask and he will always be there for me. Patrick works so hard at his job so I can play with Hunter and Cameron full-time. He also drops anything to play with our boys. Anytime the doorbell rings or the garage opens, the boys are sure it is daddy coming to play with him and they get so excited. Hunter and Cameron light up when they see their dad. I think the sweetest sounds of my day are when Hunter, Cameron and Patrick are playing and laughing together. Patrick is an amazing man, husband, and father. I want to be better because I know him. Patrick is the love of my life.

 

(written by Patrick)

On Being a Dad

I feel like being a dad is the greatest role I can have. I never realized how wonderful being a father would be. From the first time that I saw each of my boys, I fell in love with him and knew that my life would never be the same.

Now rather than going to the movies, sporting events or hanging out with friends, I prefer my evenings with Hunter and Cameron playing and making them laugh. The sound of their laughter and their hugs mean more to me than anything else I could be doing.

 

 

I always want to be a very active and involved father. I want my children to be able to come to me and be their friend and a support to them. My children will always be the highest priority in my life. Whether it is a baseball game or a dance recital I want to be a part of all of the big events. Time is a very precious thing, and I want to make sure that I am always there for them.