Welcome!

Hello!  We are Alan, Kristin and Spencer.  Thank you for taking the time to get to know us better.  We already think highly of you for your strength of character in contemplating adoption and commend you for showing your love for your baby by considering your options.  We pray that you will find the answer you need.

We would love to tell you more about our lives.  You can click on different topics to learn more about us on the right side of this page.

Why we want to adopt

Applying for adoption is not a decision we take lightly and we know that you don’t consider this option casually either.  Our story is somewhat unique in that after 4 years of dealing with infertility, we were blessed with a beautiful biological son.  However, trying for a second baby led to another five years of infertility struggles and failed treatments.  So over time, we carefully and prayerfully made the decision to apply for adoption.  We believe that our loving Heavenly Father has an individual plan for every person and every family.  We don’t know what that plan includes for our family, but feel good about applying for adoption.  It is possible that both of our plans are meant to be connected and we look forward to creating a warm and open relationship with you if that is the case.  

We want our child to always know that he/she was placed for adoption out of love and we would love to have an open adoption with you.  We know the special connection you have with your child will last forever.  And, we view open adoptions as just creating a bigger circle of people to love the child who was placed.  Blogs and Facebook make it very easy to keep in touch now and we'd be happy with occasional phone calls and visits.  

Of course, we would respect your wishes if you prefer a closed adoption.  Our child would still know he/she was adopted and we would share as much information about you as you were comfortable with sharing.

Our Beginning

We met when we both moved into the same apartment building while we were going to college at Brigham Young University in Provo, UT.  We were friends and running partners for a few months before all of the time we spent together began to turn into more than just running.

Alan set me up on a "blind date" with himself for our first official date!

 After nine months of dating, we were married for time and all eternity on May 30, 2003.

We stayed in Utah Valley for a few more years to finish up school and to work before moving to Alan's home state of Oregon for a new job opportunity.

Plus One

After several years of infertility treatments and a heartbreaking miscarriage, a miracle happened and we conceived naturally.  Spencer joined our family in the spring of 2008.  Words cannot express how happy we were to have him in our home.  Becoming a parent was over-whelming at first, but the sacrifices seemed trivial compared to the love and happiness we felt.  We adored our baby and loved watching every milestone he reached.

The only problem with babies is that they grow up!  We have truly loved figuring out parenting together and watching Spencer learn and grow.  Each new stage has been so fun.  He brings so much happiness to our lives.

About Alan

Here are a few things you should know about Alan:

•  Alan is an AWESOME dad!  He never gets tired of playing with Spencer.  They have a special play time after dinner each night when Alan puts aside his work and just focuses on having fun with Spencer.  They have all kinds of silly games they play together and they laugh and laugh until bedtime.  Alan has no problem being funny and silly with kids.  They are drawn to him where ever we go.

• Alan has a passion for running.  He has run 11 marathons and countless other shorter races in the last 11 years.  He runs outside 4-5 times/week rain or shine.  He's addicted!  In addition to doing his own running, Alan owns a business that puts on running races.  Starting your own business is hard work, but Alan's passion for the sport (and for not having a desk job anymore!) fuels him. 

• Alan is laid-back and non-judgmental.  Even though Alan's work schedule is pretty stressful with starting his own business and still working his "day job," he never gets stressed out.  He tackles one problem at a time and doesn't worry or lose sleep over anything.  In addition, he never says anything judgmental and is super patient with others.  He is so easy to get along with and live with!

About Kristin

• Kristin loves to teach.  She taught elementary school special education for four years before Spencer was born.  Now, most of her teaching is done at home.  She has loved every minute of being a mom and helping Spencer learn and grow.  Kristin has a passion for reading and has tried to instill that passion in Spencer by reading to him from the time he was only a few weeks old.  In addition, Kristin volunteers in Spencer's classroom once a week, has taught children's classes at church, and teaches a class of teens and adults with disabilities at the YMCA for two-hours a week.  She even co-coached Spencer's soccer team this year, which was a big stretch for her since she never played soccer!

• Kristin has loved running since she took it up after her freshman year of college, but in recent years, she has also developed a passion for healthy living all around.  She grows a vegetable garden every summer and preserves a lot of fruits and vegetables.  She makes most of their food from scratch to avoid eating processed foods as much as possible.  In addition to running, Kristin also enjoys attending yoga and barre classes when she can.

• Kristin loves the outdoors.  The fact that running gave her an excuse to be outside was one of the main reasons she took it up in college.  She loves working in yard and seeing things grow.  Going to the coast, having picnics, and hiking are some of her favorite things to do.  Even though the rain in Oregon gets old sometimes, she loves to live here because of the beauty that surrounds her.