Dale and Kathy Spencer

Dear Expecting Mother,
A friend once said to us that “Life is what happens while we are making other plans”. We cannot always plan what happens to us, but we believe everything in life happens for a reason. Your baby will be the special miracle that will always connect us and we are praying that you will be the reason that we will be blessed with the privilege of loving, nurturing, and parenting your child.

We are grateful that you have chosen the path of adoption and humbled that you have taken the time to get to know us a little through our profile. We can only begin to imagine how difficult this decision has been for you but we are praying that you find inner peace with the decision you ultimately make for you and your baby.

We have experienced the overwhelming love and joy that adoption has brought into our lives and we are excited and hopeful to share our love with a brother or sister for our son. We want to thank you for the gift of life that you have given your child and for your selfless act of love.

Over the years
We have been together for 19 years and celebrated our 15 year wedding anniversary in July. We went to the same middle school and high school but did not actually look twice at each other until we were in our early twenties. During a super bowl party (held at Dale’s apartment) we talked for hours and barely watched the game. We have been together ever since and we still host a super bowl party every year to celebrate our years together. We have been through good times and bad times during our years together and could not imagine being without each other. We still enjoy each other’s company over anyone else and love being at home together. We feel it is a wonderful thing to be married to your best friend. We have also found over the years that respect, communication, active listening, and above all laughter have been the keys to our success.

About Dale
I was born and raised in Southern California and I am the youngest of four children. I think that being the youngest of four siblings has made me resilient and has also given me a great sense of humor (you can’t be tricked into a eating a dirt sandwich, tied to a stake, or share a room with 3 siblings and not come out of it laughing). I grew up playing sports (especially baseball) and it is still my favorite sport although golf has become the sport I now play the most. Camping, hiking, and traveling have always been a large part of my life and I enjoy sharing this passion with my family.

I am also an avid music fan. I enjoy any kind of live music but love blues and rock in particular. I prefer playing guitar to watching T.V. when I am at home. I also enjoy cooking (which is a good thing since I eat meat and Kathy is vegan). It has inspired me to be very creative!

I have always had a love for cars and mechanics especially in high school which led me to work in the automotive industry. I have worked with Jaguar and Land Rover dealerships in particular throughout my twenty five year career mainly in the Parts Department of large companies. The past fifteen years I have managed the Parts department and have really enjoyed the challenge.

Of all the things I am and of all the things I enjoy doing, I cherish being a husband and father the most.

About Kathy
I was born and raised in California along with my two sisters. My parents were married for over 40 years (my father passed away 3 years ago but we still celebrate their anniversary). My mother was a Swedish immigrant and I was fortunate to be able to visit Sweden many times as a child.

I grew up loving animals and our house was always filled with pets. My love for animals led me to become a vegetarian at age ten and a vegan in my twenties. (I am married to a carnivore and we are raising our son to make his own choices but our crazy diets all work for us!)

My love for sewing my own clothes as a teenager turned into a 20 year career in the fashion design industry where I worked with designers as a patternmaker and a manager. I loved the people and the creative outlet but something was missing.

I have always loved people and wanted to help others which led to a career change five years ago to become a Registered Nurse. I graduate in May! This career will also allow me to spend more time with family and less time working and to give back to others in the process.

More than anything I have enjoyed being a wife and mother. The challenges I have faced in order to become a mom has also made me more appreciative of the importance of this gift and nothing is more important to me than being the best mom that I can be (I tell myself this especially on those days when I am still in my pj’s until 11:00 as I am rolling trucks on the floor with my son). Most of the things I enjoy (reading, movies, baking, cooking, hiking, & traveling) are all things that I can incorporate into motherhood and I am happy each day to be able to share this with my family.

About Dale and Kathy
We have many similar interests. We love to travel! We have been to 41 of the 50 states and we have also been to Greece and Sweden together. There are so many beautiful places that we plan to visit one day. We both love to cook, entertain friends, and take our dogs on long walks. We love music and concerts (especially outdoor concerts), and enjoy going to movies and out to dinner. We both love to laugh (which is good since Dale is funny) and we both love to explore new places. We love to be outdoors and enjoy hiking and camping. Above all, we love being parents and truly value each other and our family life together.

About Ethan (by Ethan )
Hi! My name is Ethan and I turned 2 in October. I feel so lucky to have a Mom and Dad that love me so much. I have been with them since the day I was born. Mom and Dad are fun! They love to spend time with me and we go to fun places like Disneyland, the zoo, parks, Gymboree, Art class, and the Ice Cream shop (my favorite). We do lots of fun stuff together like finger-painting, play-doh, reading, swimming, and playing with all my fun toys. They let me help them bake cakes and cookies, make pancakes, and I just made my first gingerbread house this year. Mom always has my friends over to play and I get to play at their houses too!

I can’t wait to have a little brother or sister (I have been asking Jesus to bring us one) and I have practiced holding babies that belong to my good friends. I am careful and Mom always helps me.

Fun things my parents do:
Mom and Dad dress up in costumes with me at Halloween!
Mom and Dad let me walk Hobo when we are at the park and I get to give both my dogs snacks each day.
Mom and Dad talk to me about adoption and show me pictures of my “birth family”.
Mom and Dad read to me every night and sing special songs to me before I go to bed.
Mom and Dad tell me every day how much they love me and how special I am to them.

Family and Friends
We both have small families that we love very much. Dale’s brother Scott, sister Vicky, and stepdad John all live in cities close to our home. We always spend holidays and birthdays together and try to get together as often as we can. The last few years we have hosted a big Easter egg decorating extravaganza. Our family and close friends come over to decorate dozens of Easter eggs and have special treats. It has become our new yearly tradition in addition to a big Easter egg hunt and family dinner on Easter.

Kathy’s mom Margaret (known to most as Mormor which is Swedish for mother’s mother), and her two sisters (Kirsten and Karen) all live in Vancouver, Washington. She also has a nephew Mike who lives in Southern California around an hour’s drive away. Mike is expecting his first child this summer and we are all very excited about the new addition to our family. Mormor flies down often and spends weeks with us when she visits (we love having her with us!) Kathy’s sisters also fly down a few times a year and we always make the most of our time together.

We have to include two very important members of our family. Our dogs are named Ginger and Hobo. They are a huge part of our lives and will always be our “furry children”. Hobo is a border collie/terrier mix that Kathy found on the streets of Los Angeles. She has been in our home since the day she was found and will never know another cold night on the streets. Ginger is our Golden Retriever and a softer, sweeter soul could not be found. Although she has a pedigree she has never held this over Hobo and the two have always been best friends.

We have a great network of close friends that have always seemed like part of our families. Many of our close friends we have known since middle school! We are a loyal bunch. We also have wonderful neighbors that have young kids and we are often playing, barbecuing, swimming, and hanging out at each other’s homes. Our kids play like brothers and sisters and we love having this special connection for them. Many of our friends have adopted children, so in addition to our son Ethan, your child will know many kids that he or she can relate to.

Our Home and Community
We live in a small foothill mountain community in Southern California. We own a modest home in a safe neighborhood with great schools. We have a pretty backyard with a fenced pool and we love having people over. Our home has always been a place that everyone feels comfortable and seems to be the “go to house” for our friends and neighbors. We eat, we play, we make a huge fun mess, and we clean up and start all over again. We are close to Los Angeles, Hollywood, and beaches but far enough removed that our day to day life is peaceful and slow paced. Our town has a weekly farmer’s market, Christmas parade, and fun local family activities. There are always fun things to do in Southern California. We love going to Griffith Park to ride the train, ride the ponies, and ride the carousel. We love going to the L.A zoo and kids museums. We are also only an hour drive to Disneyland (Kathy’s favorite). We have beautiful beaches to the South and stunning mountains to the North. We have always felt very fortunate to live among a diverse and varied culture especially since we love to try new restaurants and experience new and exciting food!

Thoughts on Parenting
We have a loving relationship and have dreamed of being able to share our love with a growing family. We are patient, easygoing, caring, and nurturing. Your baby would be an extension of the love we have for each other and all the love we have in our hearts to share with him or her. We believe in education (both scholastic and from traveling and learning about new places). We believe in honesty, integrity, communication, hard work, and trust. We were both brought up Christian and believe in Christian values. We would love the opportunity to share our lives and all the amazing gifts God has given us with our children. There is so much we would love to teach and show them. The things we want most for our family are health, happiness, and above all, love. We have always felt that as long as we have each other and God that we can handle any situation that life presents us with.

Spencer’s Top 10
Dale’s Favorites:
Music - Rock & Blues
Movie - The Great Escape
Food - Italian
Dessert - Cheesecake
TV show - Anything on the History Channel
Color - Blue
Book - Grapes of Wrath
Cartoon - Bugs Bunny
Hobbies – Golf & Playing Guitar
Vacation spot - Mountains

Kathy’s Favorites:
Music - Rock, Blues, Country, Classical
Movie - Grease
Food - Italian
Dessert - Anything Chocolate
TV show - Grey’s Anatomy
Color - Green
Book - Pride & Prejudice
Cartoon - Childhood: Kimba the White Lion, Current: Curious George
Hobbies - Reading, Movies & Yoga
Vacation spot - Sweden

Final Thoughts
We appreciate you taking the time to learn about our family.

With Respect,
Dale & Kathy

If you have any questions for us, or would like to talk to us about adopting your child, please contact an AdoptHelp advisor by Calling 1-800-637-7999 or clicking the "Contact Us" button below.

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