Dear Expectant Parents-

Thank you for taking the time to learn about us and consider us as adoptive parents for your child. The further we move into the adoption process the more excited and dedicated we are to adoption and specifically open adoption. We hope that you too are encouraged and empowered with the option. We know that this must be a very difficult decision for you. We hope that after you look over our book you will feel that we can provide the type of home and future you want for your child.

Open adoption offers benefits we would want for any child: security, support, and answers to their questions. We truly think it is best for everyone involved if we build a lifelong open relationship. We want to embrace you and the people you care about into our family. To us this includes continued meetings and correspondence. We hope to establish special traditions with you; places we visit, holidays were we all get together and a traveling journal that we can send back and forth through the years with photos and notes.

We are Josh and Michelle. Our relationship started over 10 years ago when we were in college. Michelle saw Josh playing in a band and went up to talk with him at the set break. We found we have a lot in common, we love music and the outdoors, and we will both work hard to make a positive change in our world.

Michelle grew up in Ohio with an older brother, younger sister and a family that still does not cease to amaze her in their support, honesty, and love. She was a champion hurdler on the track team in high school and still stays active through hiking, biking, and yoga. She has scoliosis (a curved spine) and wore a back brace for a year in middle school. Talk about tough! From this experience, she learned that what other people think does not matter that much and beauty is truly on the inside.

She has always had a crafty side and developed her art skills through school and on the advice of her brother became a landscape architect. She now designs outdoor spaces like parks and learning gardens at schools. She wakes up energized to go to work and loves what she does. She is excited and ready to be a mother and is looking forward to visiting natural playgrounds and teaching a child the wonders of a garden.

Josh says, “I know Michelle will be a good mother because she is made for it. She's always been a caregiver and a strong role model. In college, she volunteered at the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization and afterward led a group of Girl Scouts. She's still a big kid at heart with a warm sense of play that will help her be a joyful parent.”    ~ Josh

Josh's father was a minister, so Josh grew up in the church. He learned at an early age that your daily actions define who you will become as a person. This realization opened his eyes to what true friendship is, opened his heart to helping people, and opened his mind to finding ways that he can be a force of positive change in the world. Today he is still working toward that goal by attending a business program at Portland State with a focus on leadership and an interest in social empowerment of disadvantaged people. He has been a musician all of his life and can make Michelle's heart melt by singing to her. He works for a wind energy developer finding new sites to install wind turbines. This job is perfect for him because he is a good planner and great with people.

Michelle says, “I know Josh will be a good father because he is infinitely patient, fun to be with, and has an amazing ability to see things from another viewpoint before making a decision.  He is great with kids and always seems to know just how to delight them.  ~Michelle

We love living in Portland. It offers us the lifestyle and neighborhood we have always hopped for; walkable, friendly, and safe. But, most of our family lives in Ohio. While this can be tough, we make a point to see them a few times a year and we are sure with a new addition to our family that the grandparents will be around much more often! We have an amazing group of friends that we have known for almost 15 years, but we are always open to meeting new people and adding to our circle. Our friends are important to us because on a day to day basis they act as our family. They are our immediate support group.

Education is also very important to us. We understand it to be the key to becoming a well-rounded person and to finding your life's work. We will offer your child every opportunity to learn, try, fail, succeed and grow. We just truly want them to be happy which we know is a lifelong process.

Adding a child to our family will be one of the most important things that we ever do. We are prepared to be there to support and raise the child. Michelle will be working part time with the company she currently works for. Their flexibility will help her be a full time parent while helping support that family.

We feel honored that you are taking the time to look at our information and we wish you the best in whatever your decision might be. We look forward to the journey ahead and connecting with you. We offer you our hearts, our hands and our home.

With all our Love,

Josh and Michelle