We are Kimberly and Steve and we are so grateful you have taken the time to read our letter. Although this must be the most difficult decision you have ever faced, we believe there is no greater act of love than the one you’re considering. We stand in admiration of your strength and courage and hope that you find a sense of peace as you consider the best placement for your baby. Please rest in the knowledge that in placing your child with an adoptive couple you are placing him or her into an environment where they are very, very wanted and planned for. Steve and I feel that we are prepared emotionally, physically, and financially to provide an ideal home and family life for your baby.
Us
Steve and I played in the same circle of friends for several years before meeting on a mountain bike ride. Sweaty and covered with dirt, it was not quite how I imagined I would look when I met “the one”. It was nearly love at first sight. On our first date, we found that the other cleaned up nicely and we were inseparable from then on.
Seven months later, in July 2002, he surprised me by taking me up to Big Sur in central California where he proposed and then up to San Francisco to celebrate our engagement. I felt like Cinderella and the fairy tale has continued.
Our wedding ceremony took place on the sand and tide pool rocks on a beautiful Laguna Beach cove near our home. Our marriage grows stronger every day because it is built on love, friendship, trust, and commitment. We balance each other’s strengths and weaknesses so well that one of us is always able to lead or lean on the other. The best part is the never-ending playfulness that keeps our marriage fun and our home filled with laughter.
As a tremendous act of love, Kelli’s birthmother placed her with us as a newborn in August 2005. She is a beautiful, happy little girl who has taken our love to a whole new level. She is smart and confident at her young age, which means she challenges us but she also fills our house with the beautiful sounds of baby babble and shrieks of joy. The world is so interesting through her eyes. I also learned just how funny and goofy my husband could be when given the right playmate. It all makes my heart overflow.
We love to travel and have been fortunate to do a lot of it. We honeymooned in Italy and have also been to Puerto Rico, Ireland, Spain, British Columbia, Hawaii, and many places throughout the States. Since Kelli entered our lives we now travel as a family. The exotic travel has slowed for the time but she has already been hiking in Sedona, RVing in Yosemite, boating on Lake Tahoe, and snowshoeing in Mammoth. Although she is young, we think Kelli has already been enriched by the variety of experiences we have provided and we are so excited to share a lifetime of travel experiences with our kids. They will grow up with a broad knowledge of the world and other cultures.
Our social life is very full with a large circle of friends and a host of physical activities. We are avid mountain bikers with a co-ed group of friends who share our enthusiasm. Like us, most of our friends have become parents in recent years and are now towing their little ones in trailers behind their bikes or are hiking with them on their backs. It’s been a nice evolution and Kelli has an extra seat in her bike trailer for a brother or sister to ride with her. It’s a good thing Daddy is strong!
Kimberly has continued to volunteer for the Nature Conservancy leading guided mountain bike rides and teaching the public about the native plants and animals. She is so excited about sharing the beauty and joy of nature with our children.
Other activities that keep us busy are, kayaking, working out, walking with our dog, Niko, snowboarding, and water skiing. We really believe in health and fitness and feel that with us as a model, our children will grow to be strong and healthy with a love for the outdoors.
Kimberly
I am on my third and most treasured career as a stay at home mom but I have to credit to my prior jobs as they prepared me for motherhood. My first career was as a physical therapist working with everything from sports injuries to helping elderly people learn how to walk after a stroke. I have such a soft spot for elderly people and truly loved working with them but my volunteer work with inner-city kids developed a second passion...teaching! I went back to school and received my master’s degree in special education and then combined my physical therapy and teaching skills to teach children with disabilities. My years as a Special Ed teacher taught me compassion, patience, and the ability to look within an individual to understand their strengths and weaknesses (it also afforded me a fantastic library of children’s books). Being able to unlock my students’ hidden strengths was very rewarding but it couldn’t compete with staying home to raise a family.
My days are now filled with nap schedules, trips to the park, the community pool, the beach as well as mommy-and-me music and activity classes. Kelli and I are having so much fun that we want to share our love and joy with a new baby brother or sister.
Steve
Steve has a really cool job. He owns a marketing and event production company and it’s his job to know what’s fun and relevant to kids and teens. For the past six years he has produced events that are similar to the X-Games with professional BMX bikes, skateboarding, rollerblading, motocross, and rock concerts. Needless to say, ALL the kids think he is just the coolest.
On the softer side of things, he helped launch a line of girls clothing designed by Barbie and a kids soccer challenge for Parenting Magazine. We are fortunate that he is doing something he loves; one that allows for a lot of flexibility in his schedule.
Home
In looking for a home we had three primary criteria. We wanted a home that had room to grow a family in, was close to the ocean, and near a place to mountain bike. Fortunately, that location happened to also be in a great neighborhood with plenty of kids, pets and good schools. The added perk is the regional park and lake that is walking distance from our door. It’s full of many bird species including migratory birds. It feels very rural yet has all the facilities for picnics, kids camps, fishing, places for dogs to run, and tennis courts.
Both Steve and I have a life long passion for the beach and we have introduced Kelli to this as well. We spend a lot of time there, whether it’s fun in the surf, looking at the tide pools or dinner on the sand. Once again, we have many friends join us with their kids making it a fantastic play day.
Family
Both of our families live within a one-hour drive from us. Kimberly has one sibling, a younger brother named Dave who is engaged to his beautiful bride-to-be, Jody. Both he and my parents live nearby. The man we call Dad is our step-dad who entered our lives when I was 7 and then adopted us when I was 9. He and my mom have been married for 30 years and I am forever grateful that my mother took great care in choosing a man who would be as good of a father as he was a husband. It gave Dave and me a second chance at a full life.
Uniquely, my family grew in the later years to include three foreign exchange students (all girls) who lived with my parents after my brother and I moved out. We now feel like a family of seven not including boyfriends and spouses. It has been great fun to have sisters to help smear my brother with whip cream every Christmas and Thanksgiving.
My parents have become “Nana” and “Papa” and, since they are retired, they see Kelli several times a week. It’s tough to tell who has more joy, Kelli or them. She is clearly Papa’s girl and his chest is her favorite place in the world to sleep. I believe grandparents are such a treasure for children and I love that Kelli and our future children will experience that special love so fully.
On Steve’s side he has a sister, Kathy, who is married with two kids, Cory, 12, and Taylor, 10. The bond between Steve and his sister is very tight. She worked his events when his business was small and was his greatest source of support before I came along. She is now a wonderful friend to both of us. Cory and Taylor are great kids who love being the big cousins.
Like myself, Steve also has a wonderful step-father. Steve’s mother, Judy, married Bert 26 years ago when Steve was ten. Bert is a gentleman who showed Steve how to be a good husband and a patient father. They only live an hour away so we are able to see “Grandie” and “Grandad” regularly.
Steve was blessed to have two men in his life to teach him different skills. His father, who lives nearby, is a professional handyman who taught Steve the skills he needs to fix most anything. Steve Senior is a quiet, gentle man who really values family, never missing an invitation to visit.
Since Steve and I were both so blessed with adoptive parents is our greatest pleasure to carry that torch and grow our family through adoption. Kelli has richly blessed our lives, as we have hers, but our dream is not complete. We wish for a larger family so that Kelli can have a brother or sister to grow up with and share all the normal sibling experiences as well as the adoption experience.
For your baby, we offer you a secure loving home, a strong commitment to education with a future of diverse life experiences plus fun and happiness. They will grow to feel incredibly loved, have a strong sense of self worth, and the empowerment to reach their full potential.
If you would like to speak with us further, please contact one of our adoption advisors at AdoptHelp toll free at (800) 637-7999.
God Bless You and good luck with your pregnancy.
Kimberly and Steve
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