Describe your childhood:
Adoptive Mom? I had the best childhood anyone could have. Both of my parents were very involved in my upbringing, and they provided a loving home full of support, encouragement and love. I grew up in a very stable home; my parents were in their 30’s when I was born which means that they were more established and in a better position financially. I never wanted for anything; my home was filled with love. My parent always told me (and still do) that they love me and showed it with hugs and kisses (or tickles from my dad).
Adoptive Dad? When I was growing up we lived a few blocks away from my grandparents’ ranch. A lot of my childhood was spent there. I had a great time running around on the ranch, fishing in the pond, riding horses, and playing with my dog. My parents also worked on the ranch so my whole family was always together. One of the things I remember most about my childhood is how we would always sit down to a big family dinner every night and talk about our day.
Tell us about your home?
We live on a quiet cul-de-sac street, with 8 homes on it. We had our house built in 2005. It has three bedrooms and a large back yard where we like to barbeque and have fires in our fire pit. The inside of our home is painted with many bright colors, and decorated with paintings, quilts and other things that I have made. One extra bedroom in our home is set up as a guest bedroom and the other one I am working on turning it into a nursery.
When you have a 3-day weekend, what do you like to do?
When we have a three day weekend during the winter we like to go to the mountains and go snowboarding. We take our trailer and spend the whole weekend on the slopes. In the summer we would go to the lake where we camp and wakeboard. We take our camper and boat and spend all day on the water wakeboarding, tubing and just having fun. If we are not doing these two things then we would probably be at the coast at Mindy’s Mom and Dad’s house enjoying the beach and going fishing.
Do you have pets? If so tell us about them?
We have two very spoiled Chihuahuas who go everywhere with us. Their names are Peanut and Jelly. We also have two chickens that live in a very cute chicken house in the back yard. Their names are Harriet and Ethel. Peanut and Jelly love to chase Harriet and Ethel around the back yard. It is very funny to see two Chihuahuas chasing chickens.
What do you hope to teach your children?
We hope to teacher our child many things. The most important thing that we can teach a child is how to love and respect others. We will also teach them how to be thankful for what they have in life. How to work hard and succeed, how to have confidence in themselves and how to enjoy the little things in life. We will install in them a strong sense of family and commitment. We are also looking forward to teaching them how to do the many activities that we enjoy such as snowboarding and wakeboarding.
Describe your neighborhood?
Our neighborhood is full of kids. We live only a few blocks away from a great school that was just built a few years ago. Everyone on our street has children; there are six kids under the age of 3, and three school age children. Everyone on our street knows each other and are very friendly. It is a very quiet and safe neighborhood.
What will you tell your child about their birthmother?
It is important that we let our child know what an amazing person their birthmother is, and that she loved him or her so much she wanted them to have the best possible family that they could, and that is why she picked us to be his or her Mommy and Daddy.
It's Daddy's day - what activity do you want to share with your child?
I would start daddy’s day with making breakfast (I make a great breakfast) then we could go fishing at the lake not far from our house. We could take a picnic and have lunch there. It would be a great time because even if the fish are not biting we could always just throw rocks at the water because that is fun too. On the way home we would stop for ice-cream.
What kind of education are you hoping to provide for your child - Private or Public?
Our child will go to a public school. We have great public schools in our town that I have even taught at. Hopefully our child will be attending the same school that I will work at, however no matter what school they attend I will be very involved in their education. I will always help with homework, and it will be important that our child do well in school.
How did you come to the decision of adoption?
We were told that the only way we would become pregnant was with the help of extreme fertility treatments. These treatments were farther than we wanted to go just to get pregnant. This made us reevaluate the situation and look at the ultimate goal; to have a family. Through adoption we will be able to reach that goal. Mindy’s sister has adopted three children and we have seen how happy adoption has made her and her family. Her children are not her adopted kids they are just her kids, it doesn’t matter that they do not have the same genetic makeup as our family; they are loved just the same. Adoption has made Mindy’s sister’s family complete and we want to make our family complete too.
What faith will you raise your child?
Our child will be raised Christian.
What kind of a relationship do you hope to build with your birthmom through her pregnancy?
We will be willing to build any kind of relationship with our birth mom that she needs. I feel that the extent of our relationship should be based on her needs and desires. If she wants a lot of contact and support we will be willing to provide that. However, if she would be more comfortable with little contact that would be ok too. I understand that pregnancy is a hard time and hers will be made all the harder because of all the emotions of adoption, so it is our hope that we can do whatever we can to make this time for her a little easier.
How did you meet?
Russell and I met in 1996, I was a junior in high school and Russell was a senior. We met at a Rodeo. I was a rodeo princess and Russell rode bulls. We did not live in the same town. Our homes were about two hours away from each other, so we would only see each other at rodeos or when Russell would drive down to see me. We started dating and fell in love right away. We have pretty much been inseparable ever since.
What was your relationship with your parents like?
Adoptive Mom? MOM I have a very good relationship with my parents. As I was growing up I spent a lot of time with both my mom and my dad because I was the only child left in the house. I would do my horse stuff with my dad, and crafty things like painting class with my mom. I still spend a lot of time with my parents and family; spending time together is important to me. I love everyone in my family very much.
Adoptive Dad? When I was younger I had a really good relationship with my parents. My whole family spent a lot of time together. When I was in my twenties my mom and dad got a divorce. I stayed very close to my mom until she passed way a year ago.
What attracted you to each other?
What attracted me to Russell, and still does, is how he is so strong yet, so caring. I love the way that he can take care of anything. I know that everything will be ok as long as I have Russell by my side.
The first thing that attracted me to Mindy was her pretty smile. Then after getting to know her I fell in love with her caring personality, her sense of humor, and the way that she makes me feel special.
Please describe your personalities:
Adoptive Mom? MOM I feel that others see me as kind of a quite reserved person. I think that they see me as friendly but kind of hard to get to know. I am not the type of person who is extremely outgoing and makes friends easy; I am quite and kind of shy. But after I get to know people and feel comfortable I open up. I then become more outgoing and energetic. I like to joke around, laugh and have a good time. I am pretty easy going and laid back.
Adoptive Dad? I am outgoing, dedicated and hard working. I like to relax but I am also very energetic. I am always welling to help others. I love to have a good time, and am very talkative. I have no problems talking to anyone at any time. I make friends very easily.
What are your hobbies (please share those you enjoy as individuals and those you enjoy as a couple):
Adoptive Mom? With Russell I love to go snowboarding, wakeboarding, camping and boating. I also have many hobbies I enjoy on my own. I love to sew and quilt, and do many other crafty things like painting and making wreaths. I also love to read, and ride horses. I enjoy going shopping, gardening, cooking, and taking Zumba and other classes.
Adoptive Dad? I love to go fishing and hunting. When I’m at home and don’t have anything else to do I enjoy playing video games. I enjoy shooting my bow, and spending time outdoors. I also like to watch sports, and in the fall Mindy and I love going to watch our favorite college team play football. With Mindy I love to go camping and boating we also love to snowboard and wakeboard.
When you close your eyes and see yourself holding your precious baby in your arms what are your thoughts regarding the birthmother?
I imagine that that when I am holding my baby in my arms I am going to be the happiest I have ever been in my life. I am going to be extremely grateful to the woman that made my biggest dreams come true. In my eyes she is going to be an angel that brought me a miracle straight from heaven. I am going to be eternally grateful to her for completing my family.
How will a child enrich your life?
We have prayed and prayed to have a child. For eight years we have been hoping to become parents and when we finally do it will be a dream come true. We will both be so happy to finally have a family and a child to love.
Why did you each choose the career path you decided on?
Adoptive Mom? I chose to be a teacher for many different reasons. Most importantly I chose to teach because I love children. I also chose teaching because I love to learn and want to instill a love for learning in others as well. Teaching allows me the freedom to be creative (which I love), and provides me with a schedule that will be conducive to raising a family.
Adoptive Dad? When I was in high school I worked with one of my friend’s dad who was an electrician and really enjoyed it. When it was time for me to choose a career I decided to become an electrician because of this early job experience. I knew that being an electrician would be a good stable job, plus I really enjoy the work and find it rewarding.
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