Choose A Family : Parent Profile
Karen & Kevin
Hello!
We are Kevin and Karen from Northern California. We are so grateful to have this opportunity to share a part of our life with you over these pages. We are happily married with two energetic, sweet sons, Jake and Tanner. The boys are so excited to have a little sister to teach, play with and love. As Tanner was adopted at birth, the boys are already familiar with adoption and are prepared to welcome your baby into their hearts. Our home is full of love, activity and laughter. We spend most of our time together as a family and there's always something new going on— vacations, sports, games, music lessons...you name it! As you page through our profile, we hope you can picture your baby as a part of our tightknit crew. If so, we'd love to speak with you and learn more about your dreams for your daughter's future.
On Adoption...
We have been actively involved in adoption for many years. After adopting our son Tanner, we began volunteering to help other families (both birth families and adoptive couples in waiting) learn about adoption and the benefits it can bring. Originally, Tanner's birth mom was reluctant to consider us as an adoptive family since we already had a son and hers would not be our only child. She wanted to make sure Tanner would be loved and showered with attention and was not certain that would occur as a younger brother. During our first meeting, our oldest son Jake ran up to her and asked if his little brother was in her tummy (completely unplanned, by the way)! Not only did we adopt Tanner, but we have also developed a wonderful relationship with his birth mom. (Please keep reading for a special letter she wrote to you...) None of us knew what to expect through adoption; we were hopeful that someone would select us and she wanted to get on with her life. What started as occasional notes and photos of how Tanner was growing has developed into his birth mom becoming part of our extended family. We now talk to her regularly and even meet up for vacations occasionally.
Meet Karen
Karen, Through Kevin's Eyes: Karen is my best friend—we do just about everything together. She is beautiful, loving and caring. She continually prioritizes the needs of the boys and me in front of her own. Karen has always wanted to be a stayat- home mom and does a great job keeping our home in order and running smoothly while also entertaining the boys. She's our social coordinator; arranges play dates, drives carpool for school, swim team, games, lessons, you name it. There's never a dull moment in our home thanks to Karen! She's just the right balance of patient and feisty; Karen won't put up with anything from me! As an attorney, my job is to convince people that white is black, but it doesn't work with her. She keeps me honest and on my toes. After being together for more than 15 years Karen still continues to keep things fun and new. She has a few weird habits, like making strange decorations for the house, but we keep her around anyway. :)
About Me, by Karen: I love being with Kevin and the boys—I always wanted to be a stay at home mom so just being home is all I want. I love to cook, garden, sew and decorate our home… and I actually enjoy doing laundry and putting clothes away! Being organized is very important to me and also being on time for everything. I am rarely late for anything. Before having children I worked as a personal trainer, so I enjoy going to the gym and staying active. I love hiking,playing on the beach, going for walks, shopping and trying good food. I also look forward to our yearly visits to England to see my family. My mother and father also visit us annually for extended vacations.
Meet Kevin
Kevin, Through Karen's Eyes: Kevin is the best husband anyone could ask for. I'm sure Kevin was hand picked for me by his father, who passed away when Kevin was 13. I feel Kevin is not just a perfect husband but also my best friend who I can talk to about anything. Kevin calls me from work every day just to tell me he loves me—and he can't wait to get home each day to play with the boys and me. I always feel loved with Kevin by my side. Kevin is a great dad and a big kid at heart. He's often found playing baseball with the boys or doing little pranks to make us all laugh. He's also so considerate. On my last birthday he finished work early so that I could go to lunch and shopping with a friend. We enjoy going out to dinner on the weekend with the boys and just spending family time together. After 15 years of marriage, Kevin still wants to hold my hand and kiss me on the cheek. He is one of the kindest people I know and would do anything for anyone.
About Me, by Kevin: I love spending time with my family—whether it's just sitting at home relaxing, playing ball outside with the kids, or going for a bike ride. I spend most of my workday interacting and entertaining others, so it is nice to be able to have quiet evenings following a hectic day at work. I enjoy playing just about any sport (not that I am any good any more, but it's still fun). I also water and snow ski. We are teaching the boys to snow ski, so I suspect we will make it to Tahoe much more often. We have a cabin there that we try to get to often. I also really enjoy going to the gym and trying my hand in the kitchen.
The Boys
We have two sons, Jake (age 9) and Tanner (age 6). Jake was an IVF baby & Tanner adopted—but we joke with them that we picked one up at 7-11 and the other at Circle-K; they were the gifts when we bought a Slurpee and nachos. :) Our boys are very playful and fun—they do very well in just about everything they try (current activities include piano, guitar, football, soccer, baseball, swim team, lacrosse, basketball, horseback riding, riding quads and dumping out all their toys on the floor repeatedly). We are very involved in just about everything our kids do. Kevin helps coach most of the sports teams, and Karen volunteers for the swim team as well as in the boys' classrooms. Our house is pretty much the local hangout for all of the boy's friends.
Our Work
By Kevin: I am an attorney specializing in representation of public entities (i.e. cities, counties, police, fire) in messy litigation cases. My dad was an attorney and I wanted to be one for as long as I can remember. I have been with my current firm for more than seven years and love it—they let me have my choice of cases and give me a lot of freedom to "do my thing." Plus, I make it home for dinner with my family just about every night.
By Karen: I absolutely love being a stay-at-home mom. Being there for my family is important to me, and it's invaluable to know that anytime my children need to talk to someone, I'm there.
Our Loved Ones
We have a large extended family spread around the world. Karen's family all lives in England, which gives us a good excuse to visit there annually. Most of the family also comes to us for extended visits every year. Kevin's family is spread throughout California & Utah. Kevin's parents typically visit every few months and stay for a few weeks at a time. We also try to have at least one family reunion every year—this year everyone met at the cabin in Tahoe. We are very close to all of our family and talk either on the phone or video chat several times each week.
On Parenting
We have enjoyed every moment since becoming parents. We have a saying in our family that when things aren't going smoothly and everything seems to be going wrong, you're making memories. It is comforting to look back after some chaotic event (yes, young boys can wreak havoc at any given moment!) and be able to laugh about it later—like the time one of our boys decided to draw a picture for us on the hardwood floors using a permanent marker. After hours of scrubbing, the marks are gone, but the memory still makes us chuckle. Our parenting philosophies seem to change as we learn more every day, but a few principles remain constant. We believe that our children must be allowed to grow and learn, which occasionally requires us as parents to stand back and allow them to fall down. Though it is difficult to watch as a parent, it is so rewarding to see our children learn to pick themselves up and learn from an experience. We also believe it's important for us to be friends with our children so they are comfortable talking with us about any concerns or questions they may have. We want to always know where our children are and what they are doing. Because of that, we have tried to always be the “cool” parents and make sure we have a variety of “toys” that appeal to all ages so our boys' friends want to hang out at our home. They're too busy having fun to realize we're keeping a sharp eye on their shenanigans! Ultimately, we want to ensure that our children understand and learn the valuable things in life and grow up happy and content with their choices. We hope to instill the value of learning and hard work as well as the gratification that comes from personal accomplishment. It is also important that our children learn humility and charity for those around them and are always willing to help a friend or family member in need.
Where we live
We live in a small, very family-friendly community in Northern California. Almost all of the activities are focused on children and youth, ranging from everything from sports to various academic programs. We also have the benefit of being close to the ocean, mountains, snow and lakes which provides a never-ending selection of activities for our family.
Right now, we live in a quaint home but are planning to build a new home very soon. We bought our home because of its neighborhood and locale. We have a large lot where the kids can play and are next to a recreation trail that connects to many parks and playgrounds, all within a ten-minute walk. The area is a perfect mix of ‘burbs and country—we’re just five minutes away from downtown and across the street from the countryside with horses and cattle. Almost every home on our block has children of all ages. Our school system is among the best in the country. Not only do they have fantastic academic and social programs, but they are also very kid friendly. The programs balance academics with social development to assure the children are well-rounded. Some of the elementary and high school programs are even developed and taught in conjunction with the local colleges, with well over 90% of the students transferring from high school directly to a four year college.
A special note to you...
Dear potential birth mom,
Being just 17 I knew it would be almost impossible to keep my son and provide for him the way I wanted to. While considering adoption I searched through thousands of profiles and none seemed to put my mind at ease, until I came across Kevin and Karen's profile. It was like a calm came over me and I knew they were the perfect family to raise my son. I could have never asked for a better family to raise my son. They are so loving and overall just amazing people. They also have the stability of a two parent home that I couldn't provide, not to mention the financial ability to allow for a life without those kinds of struggles. I know my son is being raised with the love, morals, and the push to succeed in life that I wanted him to be raised with. I was worried about what would happen after placement. After they had my child, would they then have what they want and then would their attitude towards me change? I can say with Karen and Kevin that answer is a definite no. They have told me repeatedly, when they adopted Tanner they didn't just adopt him they adopted me too as their daughter. And I can honestly tell you I feel the same way. I know they truly do love me. They are my family. I know what you are going through is incredibly difficult. But I hope my story can shed some light on your situation. I could never be happier with the decision I made. My son has everything I ever wanted for him that I couldn't provide and I know he is in the best place possible with the most amazing family. While nothing makes this decision “easy” or any less painful, I am at peace with my decision, which you will come to find out, is essential to heal after this process. I wish you the best during this difficult time. And if you ever need someone to talk to that has been where you are or if you have any questions for me, please feel free to contact me through AdoptHelp.
Best wishes-- M.N.
Thank You
We realize it is difficult to choose a family for your baby girl to join from looking at a few pictures and stories. However, we promise that in our family, she will be loved, cared for and encouraged forever. She will never want; anything she could possibly need—whether temporal, physical, emotional or spiritual—will always be provided for her. Your daughter will be given every advantage a parent would ever want their child to have. She will also be taught how to be strong and hardworking and will have the love and support of a large family both here and abroad. We would love the opportunity to either speak or meet with you in hopes of your better getting to know our family.
If you have an 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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