Dear Birth Parent
Thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to introduce ourselves to you. We also want to thank you for considering adoption as an option as you make the very best choice for your baby. Please know that you are loved and prayed for each day in our home. We admire the courage, selflessness and love you possess. If you choose to place your child in our care, please be assured that your child will have unconditional love, emotional and financial support, a safe and stable home and a good education. Although we cannot promise a life free from pain or hurt, what we can promise is to be by your child's side and any obstacles they may encounter in their life's journey. We will love this child unconditionally and do our best every day for them. Thank you for considering us as your child’s adoptive parents. We are eternally grateful to you. We will continue to pray for you on your journey.
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About Us
We met in 2015 after a mutual friend introduced us to each other. After making a connection through similar interests, we started dating and married in 2017. We love to go on walks, spend time in our yard, exercise together and watch movies. Teaching is not only our profession but our passions. Currently Mike teaches junior high school science and wellness. Outside of teaching Mike also coaches football, basketball, wrestling, and, track and field. Kayla teaches kindergarten. Along with teaching, Kayla coaches high school cheerleading. Sports are a major hobby in our lives, so we have an active lifestyle. This includes playing recreational sports, such as disc golf, golf, swimming and yard games. We enjoy spending time with our families, playing board games and spending holidays together. We love snowy days, with a blanket watching movies. Sundays in the fall consist of going to church and watching football.
About Kayla
Growing up my mom, dad, sister and myself spent a lot of time together. Everything was about family. We would run errands together, tag along with my dad to the lumber yard, and take family vacations. My dad taught me how to build things and use power tools and my mom taught me how to sew, bake and cook. In the fall my grandparents would come to visit and we would pick corn and spend a day putting it in the freezer for the winter. My grandparents would always come visit for my birthday. If it wasn’t on the day we would celebrate on the weekend when they could be there. We always had a home baked cake of our choice that my mom would make. I grew up playing summer and recreational sports that I was interested in. I was on the swim team, and played summer softball. In high school I had a knee injury and couldn’t play volleyball past my freshman year so I switched to golf. One year my team was state champions which was an awesome experience. I also played basketball and softball in high school. My sister played tennis, basketball and softball. My dad usually coached our summer softball team of either my sister or I. My mom always made sure we had plenty of snacks and drinks for all our ballgames.
My mom has a large family with 8 siblings so I have lots of aunts, uncles and cousins. One of my aunts adopted a child who was only a few years younger than me. Growing up he was like a brother to me. I am so proud of the man he has become. Having an adopted cousin has made me appreciate and respect birth parents and the decision they make.
My grandparents meant the world to me and I learned so much from them. We would travel to their house for holidays and they always made sure that we made the most of our time together. They were role models for love and taking care of each other. I always knew my grandparents' love for me, especially in all the little things they would do. My parents will do the same and will be amazing grandparents.
Education has been my life. My father was a teacher, principal and now superintendent. I inherited his love of education. I grew up following him around the school, riding the bus on trips with him to debate and forensic meets and playing school in his classroom. My dad coached baseball and I would ride my bike to practice so I could chase balls and get spoiled by his baseball players.
About Mike
I was born in Phoenix, Arizona and lived there until I was seven years old. My family faced tragedy when our house burnt completely down when I was six years old. We lost everything and that was when my family decided to move to Kansas. This was just one of several times that forced our family to rally around each other. Many of our family members followed us to Kansas making the transition easier. I am so grateful for my immediate and extended families because they have helped shape me into the person I am today.
I had a great childhood that was filled with love and fun. We were always outside playing on the trampoline, swimming or finding something to do together. When we weren't outside we spent time together playing board games and watching movies. My favorite memory is going to drive in movies when we lived in Arizona. We got to stay up late which was fun and we were all together. Another fond memory is going to watch my older siblings football games because I looked forward to it all week. I looked up to my older brothers so much so it was cool to watch them succeed at anything they were doing. Spending quality family time as a child definitely had a positive impact on my life and I value those memories greatly.
One of the things that has always brought my family together was sports, specifically football. My brother Nathon played college football and all of us played growing up. We all have played fantasy football together and I still play with my family to this day. My family is very supportive of my coaching career which means a lot to me. I still talk to my brothers and Dad about football quite often as it is still something that brings us together.
My parents are divorced but my family remains close. We took in two cousins when they needed a home as teenagers and I love and care for them as siblings. I also have four step siblings that I have grown close to. Family means so much more than blood to me because of my upbringing. I carry the idea of family with me today.
Words from Friends
Our Wedding
Our wedding was a magical day. Our families put in lots of work and love into making this day the most perfect day. We started our day by the girls doing their hair and my cousin Amber doing our makeup and the guys hanging out in the church rectory getting ready. The girls then went to the church hall to get dressed. Our parents made sure we were fed by providing us Subway for lunch. After we were all dressed and ready to go we exchanged letters and small gifts to each other. We did not see each other yet so one of our groomsmen and bridesmaids brought these gifts and letters to us. Kayla and her dad did a first look together in the church chapel. It was finally time for the bride and groom to see each other. We did a first look in the church chapel where Kayla walked up and tapped Mike on the shoulder. It was the most magical moment. We were both full of emotion and tears but when we saw each other for the first time it was like nothing else mattered. The one mishap of the day that we will always remember is that one of Kayla's orange Gerber daises opened up between the flower shop and the ceremony. With 10 minutes left until we walked down the aisle, Kayla looked down at the front of her dress and noticed she had big Orange spots on her dress from them. She was crying and stressed but Kayla's mom came to save the day by cutting a piece of lace from the very bottom of her dress and stitching it over the orange spots. This is something we both can laugh about till this day. Before heading to the reception we of course stopped to take picture at the football field. Then, we went to the reception where we danced, laughed and made more memories with all of our family and close friends.
Our Home and Pets
In 2021 we purchased our first home together. We put lots of love and hard work into the house to make it our home, including new flooring and painting in each room. The backyard is our favorite thing about our home because it is fenced in and has tons of shade. During the fall and spring we enjoy our time outside working on our yard and flowers. We like to decorate for the holidays and seasons, which gives our home a warm lived-in feeling. We eat dinner together at the table as many nights a week as we can. We also cook dinner together and divide up chores around the house. Close to our home we have a fenced in park that includes a sectioned off area for toddlers. We have two loving, friendly pets in our home. Our dog ESPN is a six year old Shih Tzu that enjoys playing with his toys and taking naps. Our cat Niner is one year old and he loves to cuddle up on the couch with us. Each of our pets are very friendly to each other and any visitors that come into our home.
Extended Family and Traditions
We are extremely blessed to have an amazing support system full of family and friends. Mike has 5 biological siblings and 4 step siblings. Mike also has 2 cousins in which his family took in when they were little. Kayla has one sister and several aunts and uncles and first cousins. Together we have 12 nieces and nephews that we enjoy spending time with while reading stories, cooking and playing outside. When we can't be with them, we often spend time on Face Time or texting them. We also have a God daughter who we love spending time with on a regular basis. Holidays are extra special and each holiday has its own traditions. Kayla always has the home decorated for each holiday. On Easter, we dye Easter eggs and have an Easter egg hunt in the backyard of Kayla’s parents house. Every Halloween we carve pumpkins and make delicious pumpkin seeds from the pumpkins we carve. We like to make this a contest. After our pumpkin carving competition we each make a soup and have a soup party together as a family. Soups in the fall and winter are one of our favorite meals and things to cook together. On the first Sunday of the NFL season we wake up early, go to church and then put a big pot of Chili on and watch football all day. During Christmas we love to decorate our home with many trees, we also decorate the porch with lights and drive around and look at Christmas lights in different towns close by. We go to Christmas Eve Mass and then come home and open gifts from each other. On Christmas day we eat a nice meal in which we all have prepared and play lots of games such as dominoes, darts, table tennis, and several different board games. To celebrate the 4th of July, we make homemade ice cream and enjoy the fireworks together. We are especially excited to share all of these activities and traditions with our children.
What Led Us to Adoption
For the past 3 years we have struggled with infertility. Because of this we feel God has spoken to our heart, through prayer and many hope filled conversations, to create a family through adoption. After many years of struggle, heartache and prayer two amazing ladies reached out to us about their amazing experiences with adoption and offered to help us get started. These women are from two families whom we look up too. One family has 5 adopted children and the other has 3 adopted children. Kayla babysat both of their kids and Mike coached and mentored both of their children. We have many neighbors, friends and relatives who have been blessed with adoption which has helped us see the beauty in adoption for everyone involved. Ever since making the decision to adopt, we have spent many nights together praying for you and your child. As teachers, we have chosen a career path to give our lives to children. Being parents and having a child is what will make our family complete. We promise to give our whole hearts and lives to make sure this child is brought up with the utmost love.
Our Favorites
Kayla's Favorites'
- Favorite Color: Purple
- Favorite Food: Tacos
- Favorite Sports Team: Oklahoma State Cowboys
- Favorite Children's Book: Be You by Peter H. Reynolds
- Favorite Sport: Softball
- Favorite Hobby: Crocheting
- Favorite Music Genre: Country
- Favorite Tradition: Decorating the house for Fall or Christmas
- Favorite Thing About Mike: His ability to build relationships and his loyalty towards everyone.
- Favorite Bible Verse: I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. Philippians 4:13
Mike's Favorites
- Favorite Color: Red
- Favorite Food: Pizza
- Favorite Sports Team: San Francisco 49ers
- Favorite Children's Book: The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak
- Favorite Sport: Football
- Favorite Hobby: Playing Disc Golf
- Favorite Music Genre: Classic Rock
- Favorite Tradition: Christmas Eve Mass
- Favorite Thing About Kayla: Her smile and her laugh
- Favorite Bible Verse: For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope- Jeremiah 29:11
Thank you for taking the time to view our portfolio. We hope that it has given you a glimpse of who we are and shown you the love that we have to share with children. Becoming parents has always been a dream of ours. We are so excited to open our hearts and our home to a child through adoption, and cannot wait for this day to come. We have so much respect for your decision to consider adoption for your child. We wish you the best as you journey through the adoption process and decide what is best for you and your child. You will continue to be in our prayers and we hope to meet you someday soon!
Love, Mike and Kayla