Stephen & Maria

Greetings from our Family!
We’re Stephen, Maria and Jadon.  We’d like to give you a little snapshot of our family life so that you can get to know us better.  We understand how stressful this time is for you as you make plans for your child’s future.  We pray that we can help you with this difficult decision.  We have written this letter together, combining our words into one voice.  Yet there are points where we want to speak to you as individuals.  In those cases Maria’s words will be in red and Stephen’s words will be in Blue.

Why We Chose Adoption
We chose adoption for one simple reason: we truly believe that is how God wanted us to become parents.  We consulted with doctors and were told that we were very good candidates for fertility treatments.  However, after much prayer and consideration, we truly felt led toward adoption.  We both agree that having a family and sharing our love with children is much more important than how we became parents.  After all, we weren’t related until we were married, yet we love each other dearly.

About Us
We are both in our early 30’s and Jadon is 4 1/2 (the 1/2 is VERY important to him).  We have been married for almost 10 years which is crazy because it seems like we just met yesterday!  Stephen has lived in the Dallas area his whole life and Maria got there as fast as she could!  She was born in Canada but grew up in Michigan.  We love to travel so we are very fortunate to have family all over the U.S. and Canada which makes us frequent travelers!  Jadon is a high energy little boy who LOVES monster trucks.  We had the privilege of adopting him at birth and he brings us never ending entertainment!  Jadon is very excited to become a big brother and is already talking about how he will help feed the new baby so that he or she can grow big just like him.

Stephen is a very easy going, caring and down to earth person.  He has a quick wit and can draw laughter in any situation.  His patience and integrity are among his greatest attributes.  Stephen is a firefighter/ paramedic and we are fortunate that his schedule allows him to be home a lot.  I love the fact that I have a   paramedic in the house as it just gives me that extra security and feeling of safety.  Jadon loves the fact that he can go to a fire station any time he wants to see his daddy and of course the fire trucks.  He also loves bringing the firefighters ice cream and chocolate chip cookies . . . I am pretty sure they love that too! 

Watching Stephen be a father to Jadon has been amazing.  Stephen is pretty much a big kid himself so being silly comes as second nature!  Kicking the soccer ball around, playing football, playing tag (most of which all occur in the living room) to making cinnamon rolls, sneaking secret bowls of ice cream, or taking Jadon to the donut shop are a few of the ways he spends quality time with him.  Stephen is a 100% hands on daddy.  He takes his role seriously and puts his whole heart into it.  If given the choice of things to do in his free time . . . he would always choose doing something fun with his family.

I was first attracted to my wife because she is fun loving and adventurous.  On our first date she took me on a hiking trip to play in some waterfalls.  However, I fell in love with her when I realized how much love and compassion she has for people.  She has a way of being open and real with people which endears her to most everyone.  Maria currently works as a recreation therapist for kids and teenagers with disabilities.  This job is perfect for her as she gets to help her clients learn to become successful in life.  Maria is also very creative and has a little side business designing graduation announcements and cards for people.  She creates her own part time schedule around family events so she never has to miss any memorable moments.  Fortunately we both have flexible schedules which allow one of us to always be home with Jadon.

The qualities that make Maria a great wife also make her an extraordinary mother.  Her fun loving and adventurous spirit always keeps Jadon happy and smiling.  She is never too busy to sing silly songs or play fun games.  She continues to impress me with how she finds teachable moments with Jadon.  One of my favorites is when they make cookies that spell Jadon’s name.  Maria is a one of a kind mom and wife.  She is a provider, caregiver, educator, and friend.  I trust her and have complete confidence in her.

Home Sweet Home
Kids riding their bikes up and down the sidewalk while parents sit outside and chat, weekend barbeques with friends, and watching Fourth of July fireworks from the front yard are just a couple of things that you will find in our neighborhood.  We live in a three bedroom house in a small suburb of Dallas.  Even though we only live thirty minutes outside of the city, we still have that small town feel.  A local Easter egg hunt, our yearly small town parade, or a pond to go fishing are all just a few minutes walk from our front door.  The elementary, middle, and high school are also just a few blocks away.  We both really look forward to the day when we can walk the kids to school in the mornings.

Family Fun
Our fun ranges from playing in the park, going to the zoo, to big road trips.  We LOVE to camp and enjoy the family time it gives us.  There is nothing like sitting under the stars around a fire roasting marshmallows, enjoying an ocean view and watching dolphins jump, or throwing rocks into waterfalls of a Colorado mountain.  Words cannot express the joy we feel when we watch a little one’s face light up when playing in waterfalls, finding wild flowers, watching chipmunks play, and yelling “Hello” into a canyon.  We travel all over the country and we love the freedom our little camper (home away from home) gives us. 

At home we love to have cookouts, play in the sprinklers, read books, go for walks, play the Wii (Jadon usually beats us), play with the dogs (Mattie and Allie) and spending time with friends and family.  Sometimes the best days just consist of making forts out of tables and blankets in the living room.  We cherish the time we get to spend together and cannot wait to share it with another child. 

Our Prayer for You
Our prayer for you is that you feel God’s peace and confidence as you make your decision.  It is important that our children grow up knowing it was an act of love that placed them in our family.  Jadon knows who his birthparents are and that he is adopted.  We talk about it frequently.  It is an important part of his story and we would not have it any other way.

In closing we would like to thank you for your time and consideration.  It takes a very courageous person to make this choice for their child and we admire you for that.  If chosen we will provide a loving, nurturing and safe environment where your child will be treasured.  We have an abundance of love to give and eagerly look forward to the day when we will have the honor of bringing another child into our home.

With Love and Prayers,