HopeWe loved you before we knew you,

even when there was just hope for you

We Loved You

Thank you for taking the time to get to know us as potential adoptive parents. We know this cannot be an easy decision for you. We admire the love and strength that you have for your child in considering adoption.

We hope these pages will help you get to know a little about us. We hope you can see just how much love and support we have to give our future child and how excited we are to become the family of 4 we have always wanted!

Introducing Ourselves

Tyler &

Kate

Kate says: I worked as a Speech Language Pathologist before we adopted our daughter, but became a stay-at-home mom after Olivia was born…and I can’t imagine a more perfect way to spend my days! I love that I get to experience all of Olivia’s firsts right there with her! We keep busy when Daddy is at work, going on play dates, to the park, swimming, to library class, to gymnastics class, to visit family, and everything in between! I can’t imagine not spending all of my days with her. I will continue to stay at home after we adopt our second child, so that I can be there for all of his/her milestones, both big and small. When not chasing around an energetic toddler, I enjoy reading, running, shopping, doing crafts, cooking, organizing our home (organization is my middle name!), and hanging out with friends and family. More than anything, though, I love just being a mom. Tyler says: Kate is everything I could ever want in a wife. She is loving, caring, andthoughtful. Kate has always been there for me when I need her the most. Watching Kate and Olivia together brings me great joy because I know how happy they are to have each other. Kate has provided our daughter with so many wonderful experiences like going to the zoo, the park, and gymnastics. She is ready to share these experiences with another child. Being a mom is what Kate was meant to do.

About Kate

Tyler says: I work as a Child Life Specialist at a children’s hospital. I talk to children before they go into surgery, answering any questions they have and easing their worries and anxieties. Not only do I really enjoy my job, but I love my work schedule because I get to come home from work in the early afternoon to spend time with Kate and Olivia.

In my free time (although quite rare these days with a toddler :) I enjoy going to the movies, reading, riding my bike, playing tennis, doing Cross Fit, learning new languages, traveling, spending time with family and friends, and relaxing with our dog. My favorite thing by far is playing with our daughter!

Kate says: Tyler is as a loving, supportive, patient, and thoughtful husband. His personality, calm nature, and sense of humor are what continue to make me fall in love with him more every day. What melts my heart over and over again is watching Tyler be the incredible Daddy that he is – he makes Olivia laugh like nobody else can, kisses her boo-boo’s, reads her stories before bed, goes down the slides at the park with her, and loves just being with her. I can’t wait to see how wonderful Tyler will be with our next baby!

About Tyler

We both joined the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life in college (little did we know this would end up being one of the best decisions of our lives!). For the initial two years when we were both on the committee, we didn’t really interact with one other. During our final year on the committee, we were both on the Luminaria sub-committee (which Tyler had a slight hand in selecting). We hung out often during that final year. On the night of the Relay for Life event, Tyler bid on two tickets to a baseball game and told me that we were going to the game. I said, “Okay,” to which Tyler muttered something like “...good...” because he did not expect me to say yes and hadn’t prepared a response. (We refer to this as our “official” first date, although it was initially more of a one-sided decision on Tyler’s part :) On the days leading up to our “official” first date, we became very close and took every opportunity to hang out together and extend each encounter as long as possible.

How We Met

As we both graduated from college, we each had plans for graduate schools that, unfortunately, were hundreds of miles apart. We knew we had found something special in one another and were steadfast in making our long-distance relationship last. With daily phone calls, countless trips to visit each other, and weekends spent together, our relationship grew deeper and deeper. We each knew we had found “the one.” After we both finished graduate school, we got married in Kate’s hometown church. It was a perfect wedding, and we were so blessed to share it with so many of our close friends and family from near and far.

How We Met

Finding The One

Adoption has already blessed our lives tremendously! In 2013, we traveled to Idaho and adopted our baby girl at birth. We have an open adoption with Olivia’s birthmother and text her regularly and talk on the phone with her. We also send letters and picture updates. In May of 2014, we flew across the country to the birthmother’s home state and visited with her and her family - it was such a special visit for all of us! We know how important an open adoption is, especially for the child, and hope to have an open adoption (or at least semi-open adoption) with our next child’s birth family. Olivia is our social butterfly! She loves waving and saying ‘hi” to everyone we meet. She has lots of energy and enjoys playing with all of her toys, and especially our dog, Douglas. We know Olivia will be a great big sister!

Olivia

Our HomeA quote from Olivia’s birth mother:“In my experience with Kate and Tyler, they were nothing but loving, gracious, and caring towards me and the child I was carrying. They have been there for me through everything that I have gone through since meeting them. They are the most wonderful parents and the most amazing people I have ever met. If you choose them you will be amazed at how loving they are.”

We love our home, and it’s in a great location! We are less than a 10-minute drive to top-rated schools, the zoo, a beautiful park, the church we attend, a children’s museum, and so much more. We live on a fairly quiet street within walking distance to the beautiful park. At the park, you can always see people having picnics, dogs playing catch, teams playing sports, and children running around. Going to the park is one of our favorite things to do, whether it’s for a bike ride, a picnic, playing at the playground, or to watch our dog swim in the pond! Our nursery has been great for our daughter and is all set for when we bring our next baby home. We have all the necessities to make it a peaceful place, including a crib, dresser and changing table, rocker, and bookshelf (already filled with many books). Tyler’s granddad handmade the bookshelf, which makes it an extra-special gift. We can’t wait to sit in the rocker, read a book, and watch our baby fall asleep in our arms.

Our Home

Kate says: I grew up with loving parents and an older brother as role models. Some of my favorite childhood memories are my mom teaching computers at my grade school and my dad coaching my basketball team. Family gatherings, although small in size (my dad was an only child and my mom only had 1 brother), were always filled

with lots of laughter and love. Although my family has experienced many hardships, the most difficult one being losing my mother to breast cancer over 8 years ago, they have made us stronger and deepened our love and support for each other. Even though I wish with all my heart that my mom was still here with us, I am so blessed to have been given such a wonderful, caring, loving, and supportive mother. The relationship my mom and I had is exactly what I want with my children. One of my favorite family traditions is our big family vacation together. From jet skiing in Aruba to relaxing at the pool in Arizona, I love the time we get to spend together. No matter how busy our lives get, we always make time for these special trips.

A quote from Olivia’s birth family:“If you are reading Kate and Tyler’s profile, I know from the bottom of my heart what a loving decision you are making for your baby and would like to share my experiences with you. I know without hesitation that Kate and Tyler would be an excellent choice. They have proven themselves to have honor, integrity and loving arms. They embraced my granddaughter with love and an understanding heart. They know the sacrifice being made. They understand the generous gift of love in this decision and admire the courage this takes. They have done everything and more for Olivia and have kept every promise they made to Olivia’s birthmother. I know Olivia will have all the love she needs. I also know they will always let their children know how truly remarkable and loving their birth mother is. You will not find a more amazing, loving set of parents. If you are a parent reading this with your daughter and trying to help her make a decision, I leave you with one last thought. As difficult as a decision as this is, my heart is at peace because of Kate and Tyler.”

Family

Tyler says: My extended family is a bit larger than Kate’s. My mom is the oldest of seven and my dad is the middle of three. Holidays, weekends, and even family dinners are always a party! I grew up with my mom, dad, and younger sister. From teaching me to ride a bike to taking me on fishing trips, my dad made sure I was always more important than any job. My mom spent her time transporting my sister and me to practices, being actively involved in our schools, and making sure that our interests were important to her as well. The dedication and effort my parents put into my childhood is a model for great parenting; I strive to embody these same qualities as a parent. I am so blessed to come from such a loving and supportive family. One of my favorite family traditions is our yearly Christmas ornament exchange. Before the exchange, everyone buys an ornament (usually something wacky, like a sparkly, dancing frog) and wraps it. On Christmas Eve, we all come together, draw numbers, and then choose a wrapped ornament. It often turns into a fun competition where everyone tries to pick the wackiest one! Our parents, and whole families, were very supportive during our adoption journey with Olivia and cannot wait for us to again welcome a new baby into the family! Our next child will be the 3rd grandchild for Kate’s dad and for Tyler’s parents.

More than anything, we enjoy spending time together as a family, whether traveling to Florida with Tyler’s family for Olivia’s first beach vacation, taking swimming classes together, going on walks around our neighborhood, or just playing at home. No matter where we are, we always have a great time when we are together.

Hobbies & Adventures

Thank you for taking the time to get to know us as we open our lives and our hearts to you. Because we are physically unable to have biological children, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for considering us as potential adoptive parents. Having this opportunity means so much to us! We can’t imagine how incredibly difficult this decision must be for you, but this selfless act shows how much love and care you place on your child’s future. We, too, will put great love and care into the responsibility of raising your child. We will raise your child in a home where respect, love, and a strong value system are the focus. Your child will be the center of our lives forever.

From the start of this process, we have been praying for you and your child. We know this is not an easy decision for you. If you choose us to raise your child, we promise your selfless act of love will never be forgotten. We promise that we will be open and honest with our future child about their adoption story. We promise to love this child unconditionally and always support them throughout life. We promise to nurture and protect your baby and guide and encourage them through every step of life. We promise to be there for your child and face all of life’s challenges and celebrations right along with them. And, if you want to have an open adoption, we promise to honor that commitment to you. We hope that after learning about us, you can see how much love and support we have to give our future child and how excited we are to complete our family through a second adoption.

Love,

Dear Friends

Tyler &

Kate

2401 Bernadette Dr. Suite 209AColumbia, Missouri 65203

Phone 573-356-0025 Fax 573-445-9435Birthparent Line: 1-888-564-HOPE (4673)

Email: info@aGiftofHopeAdoptions.comWeb: www.aGiftofHopeAdoptions.com

a ofGift HopeA D O P T I O N S

®