Dear Birthparents,

Hello!  Our names are Jon and Bettine and we are looking to create our family through adoption.  We can imagine that you are experiencing some of the same feelings we are… especially feeling a little nervous.  The process of having a baby or starting a family are both life experiences that neither of us has probably ever had before.  We believe that adoption is a process that creates a family – between the child, adoptive parents and birthparents – so it’s an adventure that we would take together.  We hope and believe that everyone involved in the process benefits and has a richer life as a result – so we are really excited about this!  We are looking forward to meeting you!

We have been married for 9 years.  Jon is 33 and Bettine is 34 (although only 6 months older, it continues to be a fun joke for Jon!).  We have a 7 year old Golden Retriever named Penny who loves people, especially kids.  We once saw her in our neighbor’s tree house, as the neighbor girls had “afternoon tea” with her.  It was hilarious!  We were both born and raised in the Kansas City area.  All of our family lives in the area including parents, siblings, niece and nephews.

We love to travel!  It is our absolute favorite thing to do.  We enjoy camping as well as the beach, so our vacations might be anything from weekend camping trips at a nearby campground to week-long visits to the Caribbean.  Bettine’s mom was born and raised in Brazil and still has family there, so we try to visit every other year or as often as possible. 

When we aren’t working we are most likely hanging out with friends or family.  We get a lot of enjoyment out of having people over to our house or going out to watch a game or get dinner. Anytime we can come up with an excuse, we have costume parties… these aren’t limited to Halloween, but could be for a birthday or going away party as well!  Fortunately, our family and friends think it is fun as well.  It would be fair to say that we hate to miss out on anything!

We have always dreamed about having a family.  We think it will be so fun!  We get so much joy out of spending time with our nephews, niece, neighbor kids and our close friend’s kids... how can we not believe it will be fun!  Playing, coaching, helping them to learn and being creative are all things that bring a smile to our face.  Of course there will be times that are trying and challenging, but that is what life is all about.  We believe we are ready for all the ups and downs.  We cannot have biological children, but we believe that growing our family through adoption will be equally wonderful.  We will be a proud and happy family!   

About Jon (written by Bettine)
Jon is an avid sports fan, an outdoorsman, a kind-hearted physician, and a world traveler, but more importantly, he is a wonderful husband, a thoughtful son, a great friend, a helpful brother and a fun uncle.  I am really excited at the idea of Jon becoming a dad!  He’s always dreamed of having children, coaching sports, playing with them and watching them grown up.  He is loved by every kid that comes into contact with him... nephews, niece, neighbors, friend’s kids.  I must also mention that Jon has a great sense of humor.  He comes by it honestly because his father was a great joker.  It is his sense of humor that has allowed our marriage to weather through tough times.  This is one of my favorite things about Jon, he loves to have fun.

About Bettine (written by Jon)
We’ve been married for almost ten years, but my wife still amazes me with her passion for all that is important in her life, most significantly her family, friends and home.  She is a loving and nurturing person that has anxiously been waiting for our greatest treasure of all, a child.   I’ve watched Bettine interact with our nephews and niece.  They adore her almost as much as she cherishes them.  Her smile is brighter, energy higher, and overall spirit greater when she is around children.  Bettine will be a loving, supportive, energetic, fun and organized mother.  Hugs and warm encouragement will be her motivation for our child as together we strive to provide the same wonderful environment our parent’s provided for us during our own childhood.

Bettine has had a very busy and challenging career since graduating college with a degree in engineering.  Her work has been very rewarding with multiple challenges and promotions, overseas travel and managerial experiences.  In my opinion however her greatest talent, motherhood, is yet to be fulfilled.  Bettine is currently not working; her efforts have been directed primarily towards adoption and getting settled into our new home for the past couple of months. 

With warmest regards and sincerest gratitude,

Jon and Bettine