About Me (Butch)

My name is Jeromy, but everyone calls me Butch. I am 36 years old. I grew up on the West side of Wichita and went to Goddard schools. I guess you would say I had a very typical childhood. I played baseball, football, basketball and my favorites were then and are today, playing golf and fishing. I made pretty good grades in school and didn’t get in to too much trouble. I went to college at Wichita State University for two years and finished my degree on line just a few years ago. I worked for my parents in their business in Wichita for quite a while until I came to Kansas City in 1997 to start my own business. After 4 years, I had to close my business and I currently work for General Electric. This is a very good job with wonderful benefits and a great deal of opportunity for future growth and security In 1992, I was 22 years old and was married to Cori. She wrote one of the letters of recommendation. We had 2 girls, Lindsey and Abby who are 2 years apart. Things obviously didn’t work out with Cori and I but we remain good friends and our mutual love for the girls keeps everything in perspective and very peaceful. Cori actually encouraged me to ask Billie out for the first time. In fact, Cori and Billie are actually very good friends as well, exchanging books with each other on a regular basis. We are all very flexible and help each other out with schedules, holidays, birthdays and such. We have been told by others that we have the best "divorce" situation they have ever seen.

About Me (Billie)

I am 33 years old. I grew up in the Johnson County area and went to Shawnee Mission schools. My childhood was spent playing outside, fighting with my sisters, watching sports, and spending time with family. I am very close with my family still. I did gymnastics for 14 years and the sport is still a big part of my life. I actually coach in and own a gymnastics club. I was a good student and loved school. I went to college at Oklahoma State University and loved every minute of it (except when we lost in the first round of the final four). I still bleed orange. I majored in child development. After college, I worked in a children’s unit at a mental hospital as a counselor until I came back to the gymnastics world. I love what I do and love working with children. I believe they teach me much more than I could ever teach them.

"The Girls" (Butch)

Lindsey now 13 and Abby now 11 are both wonderful girls. They are very excited at the prospect of having a baby brother or sister. Lindsey and Abby are really the best of friends. Sure, they have their sibling moments, but most of the time they do a lot of things together. They help each other with school, sports, and the occasional chore around the house. They are very loving, caring, mature, and intelligent young ladies. Lindsey already baby sets for neighbors and is very good with babies and small children. They are excellent sisters to each other and will be great big sisters as well. They both did gymnastics for about 10 years before deciding to move on. Abby now does ballet and this summer will begin playing softball. Lindsey runs track at school and plays on a competitive softball team. They are both very active and don’t spend a lot of time loafing.

"The Girls" (Billie)

We do not have the typical "wicked stepmother" / stepdaughter relationships. I absolutely adore the girls. My family and myself have opened our hearts to them. In November, my parents, and oldest sister (with her husband and son) took the girls for 2 weeks to Hawaii. What a wonderful time they had. The girls are great with their 4-year-old cousin and have helped to take care of him along the way. The girls are thrilled to add another sibling into the mix. Lindsey and Abby continue to amaze me with their open hearts and ability to roll with life’s little stumbling blocks. Their mother and I have a wonderful relationship and I believe that helps more than anything. I not only see Cori as the girls’ mother, but as a good friend. The girls look out for each other and for those they care about. Sure, they fight, but at the end of the day, they are the best of friends. I am very lucky they have come into my life.

Family & Values

We both grew up in Christian homes and those values formed who we are today. We are far from perfect and don’t pretend to be. But, we do try to live our lives by the principals taught in the Bible. We try to treat everyone we meet as friends. We are honest, hard working, and dependable. We love to joke and laugh. Our God and our family come first. We love kids with all our heart. We love to play with them and hear them laugh. Children’s laughter makes it all worthwhile. Butch used to work in the nursery at church and would go to the gym on open gym nights to play with the kids too. You might say he is still a kid at heart. Billie works with kids every day. Each one touch her life is some special way. We believe in discipline but we are fair. We teach the girls to respect others, especially their elders. We teach them to help those less fortunate and to be kind to everyone. We try to guide them to be leaders in life, not followers. We feel their self-esteem is very important and always try to build them up, not tear them down. Life lessons can be hard, but we do our best to help the girls through with support and understanding. We love sports. Every year we try to go to a different ball field to catch a game. The girls are active in sports so it is a big part of our life. Let’s face it. If we were real jerks, we probably wouldn’t write it down here. We are sure you have read many letters telling you how "wonderful we are and how great of parents we would be." We just hope God touches your heart and leads you to meet us and even the girls, so you can look in our eyes and see the sincerity in our hearts.

God bless you,
Butch, Billie, Lindsey & Abby