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Dear Birthparents,
Our names are Bethany and Matthew, thank you for reading
our letter.
We are very excited to be taking this step in our
family’s journey.
We hope, whatever your feelings are at this time,
that we can give you peace of mind, and heart, in
knowing that your child would have a wonderful and
loving home with our family.
We hope that as
you learn a little about our lives and our hearts that
you will feel that we are exactly the family you are
looking for to provide your child with all the things
you hope he or she will have.
Bethany grew up in Idaho with four brothers and two
sisters.
Her father was an officer in the military and her mother
became the Middle school librarian once all her kids
were in school. Bethany
was a very energetic girl and was involved in many
extracurricular activities growing up, but her real
passion was sports: basketball, volleyball, softball and
track.
Matthew grew up in California with 5 brothers and 6
sisters.
His father was a dentist and his mother stayed home with
her kids.
Matthew loved playing soccer and other sports, swimming
in the summers and camping in the mountains and at the
ocean with his family.
We met at college and became friends playing soccer and
volleyball.
That friendship turned into a 3 year courtship.
We got married
in 2002 and have had 7 years full of fun and adventures.
We both
graduated shortly after we were married. Bethany
received a B.S. in Marriage, Family & Human Development
with an emphasis in Child and Family Services.
After graduation
she became a Preschool Teacher and daycare worker.
Matthew
graduated with a B.S. in Zoology with an emphasis in
Human Biology. He
continued on to Dental School and after graduating in
the top of his class he is now a practicing dentist.
We live in a
beautiful and safe neighborhood in the Portland area
where we are surrounded by great friends and live within
walking distance of excellent schools, parks and walking
trails. We
have two busy boys, Evan (6) and Dallin (3) who bring us
so much joy.
They love that we live on a private street where
they can ride their bikes, jump in puddles and play tag
with their friends.
Bethany on Matthew: I think Matthew is an amazing man,
husband and father.
As a man, Matthew has a brilliant mind.
He is extremely intellectual as well as creative
with talents in drawing, photography and writing.
He is a man of great integrity and a very genuine
individual.
He has a love and appreciation for nature and the great
outdoors and enjoys hiking and camping.
As a husband he
is very loving and supportive.
He encourages me
to pursue my interests and develop my talents.
He makes me
laugh every day. He
is my very best friend and I still enjoy dating and
spending time with him.
As a father he’s #1 dad.
Our boys think
he is Superman and love going on treasure seeking
adventures with him.
They always beg to have daddy tell them one of
his amazing stories. He
has a way of making every day moments a learning
opportunity for our boys. He works hard to provide a
safe and comfortable life for us all and yet makes sure
he has plenty of time to play and enjoy life with us.
It is because of him that I get to be a
stay-at-home mom which is my most favorite job in the
world. We are so
lucky to have such a great man for a husband and father.
Matthew on Bethany: as Bethany mentioned, she loves
being home with our children.
It is her full time job and she is definitely a
professional at it.
She is always finding fun things to do with the
boys. She
is a very loving person and has made relationships one
of her top priorities in life.
Wherever we live she is quick to find friends and
more importantly, to be a friend.
She is genuinely concerned with the welfare of
everyone in her life and works very hard to make people
feel loved and happy.
She works the hardest at this with her own family
and has done an exceptional job.
She has a special talent for making people feel
special and helping them to be the best that they can
be. She
also works hard to keep our home comfortable and
enjoyable.
Bethany is constantly trying new projects with sewing,
scrapbooking, home décor and crafts.
She enjoys cooking and baking and trying new
recipes.
Holidays are her specialty with fancy birthday cakes and
Christmas treats. She stays active by running,
practicing yoga and playing basketball with her
girlfriends.
Her major goal in life is to be a great mother,
and I feel that she has achieved this goal and will
continue to do so in the future.
Life in our home: We do play dough, paint, go on picnics
and play at the park. We
ride bikes, read stories and run through the sprinklers.
We love spending time together as a family and
often have family movie nights with popcorn and pillows;
day trips to the beach or elsewhere for hikes and to
soak up the beauty; visits to the zoo, children’s museum
and art museum. We
are very active and love to play but we also love
relaxing together as we all cuddle up on the couch and
make up silly stories as a family or dance to our
favorite tunes. It
is important to us that our children have a life full of
fun and happiness, but we also want them to be kind,
generous, honest, hard working and respectful members of
society.
We put a lot of value on personal integrity.
We take many
opportunities to participate in community outreach and
humanitarian programs and serve others as a family.
We try to teach our children to be aware of the
needs and feelings of others around us.
Above everything we try and help our children to
have a positive self-image, great self-esteem and to
treat others like they would like to be treated.
Our Families: The love is abundant in our large
families. Despite
our size we are all very close.
The boys have the best grandparents and wonderful
aunts, uncles and cousins who love spending time with
them. Most
of Bethany’s family still lives in Idaho and most of
Matthew’s family still live in California.
We travel to visit them frequently for holidays
and family gatherings.
We have both been blessed with wonderful, loving
and supportive families.
They are all very excited about our decision to
adopt. Matthew’s
mother was adopted and his sister placed a baby for
adoption, two of Bethany’s cousins have also placed
children for adoption.
Through these experiences we have come to
understand in small part some of the sorrows and joys
associated with adoption.
We think adoption is a beautiful thing, and are excited
for the opportunity to grow our family in this way.
Please know that your child will always know how
grateful we are for your strength and courage and know
of the love you have for them.
We welcome you into our hearts and will respect
the amount of contact you wish to have. We thank you for
considering us and wish you peace.
Yours truly,
Bethany and Matthew
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