Kevin is 37 and Deanna is 36. Their biological daughter Malia is 3.
They both earned Bachelor's degrees from Calvin College. Deanna obtained a
Master's degree from Grand Valley State University and Kevin obtained an
Associate’s degree from ITT Technical Institute.
Kevin works in the cellular phone industry and stays home with Malia two days
a week. Deanna works as an educator in School Improvement, and is home at
least one weekday with Malia. They are financially secure and stable.
They are Christian.
This family lives in Grand Rapids, MI.
This family is Caucasian and wishes to adopt an infant child or twins up to 12 months of age, male or female, of any race or ethnicity. They are willing to consider a child with some short-term or temporary health conditions. They would also consider adopting siblings of such a child on a case-by-case basis. They hope to have an open adoption but fully respect the boundaries requested by the placing parents.
About Kevin by Deanna: I was attracted to Kevin’s humor, sensitivity, honesty, openness, responsibility and reliability. His commitment to our family is extraordinary. When Malia was born, Kevin resigned his manager position so he could be home part-time to care for her. Kevin loves to play with Malia and is a patient teacher. He takes her to parks, makes crafts with her, and plays unending games of soccer and Frisbee. He is a do-it-yourselfer and can fix almost anything! Gardening is a passion; he plants hundreds of tiny flower and vegetable seeds every spring. Seeing him honestly deal with the challenges and joys of life with commitment and humor makes me thankful that we are experiencing life together.
About Deanna by Kevin:When I first met Deanna, I realized that we had similar tastes in things like movies and music and matching interests in hiking, camping, jogging and just hanging out. As we spent more time together, I noticed that we had similar interests and we really “worked†well together. We came from similar backgrounds, yet we have complimentary differences. Her spontaneity, openness, and sense of humor brought out the best in me. Her opinions on religion, family, school and life, really made me think. Deanna has an openness to question her surroundings and not to accept the way things are. These are all things that attracted me to her, and made me fall in love with her. They are also part of what makes her a great mother.
After thirteen years of marriage, we are still each other’s best friends. Having both grown up in small, stable, farming communities we recognized our shared values of the importance of friends, family, church and schools. After meeting in college, we got married and found fulfilling jobs, unique neighborhoods, a graceful church and friends which bless our lives immensely.
Family comes first for us; we share the role of primary care-giver to our three-year-old daughter, Malia, and any other children we may be blessed with. Kevin works part time in wireless communications. He is home with our daughter two week days. Deanna is an educator. She stays home at least one weekday and has a flexible schedule. Our fabulous child care provider nurtures Malia two days a week in her home. This flexible schedule is a blessing, making family our first priority.
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We are grateful that you are considering our family in your child’s adoption plan. Your strength, courage and selfless love are admirable. You will always be your child’s first parents, first protectors and caregivers. Your story of love will be celebrated in our family.
Adoption is not a second choice for us. We believe in the benefits of open adoption, while we fully respect your choice. We believe that the emotional well-being of all parties, the child, the birth parents and the adoptive parents, is nurtured through open adoption. Without pressure, we hope for a continuing relationship with you.
As you read more about us, we hope that you will glimpse our deep, unconditional love, values and beliefs. You have the greatest hopes for your child, and we hope to be a family you will be proud of.
As we anticipate our family growing, we are full of love and expectation. We will love your child unconditionally, as our own. We hope for ongoing interaction with you; but we respect your preference completely. We promise to teach your child about your undying love for him/her, and that you bravely chose a bright future for your child.
Our lives are filled with family activities that include trips to parks, museums, holiday parades, playing at the beach, biking and jogging – we love to be outside! You will often find us gardening or playing in our yard. In the evening we frequently invite friends over to laugh and share stories on the porch swing. We have precious holiday traditions such as making Christmas cookies & hunting for Easter eggs.
Faith is a primary part of our lives and includes modeling God’s grace, forgiveness and acceptance. Our diverse, supportive, faith community models God’s love. In tangible ways, in celebration or loss, we share each other’s pain and joy.
We value honest communication, commitment, faith and building community. We laugh at ourselves, A LOT! We act silly, and care for each other deeply and openly. Family decisions are made together. We are far from perfect, but we are accepting and honest.
We celebrate cultural diversity. Deanna studied in Spain, in college, and speaks some Spanish. Kevin grew up in the Toronto area, enjoying its diversity of culture, music and language. Many types of music interest us and we enjoy community concerts and festivals. We are committed to embracing our adopted child’s ethnic culture.
We both grew up in stable homes where education was highly valued. We have multiple college degrees and are always learning. Our commitment to providing the best education possible for our children includes a diverse and safe environment with high standards. We see eeducational opportunities everywhere: at home, on vacation, at the museum, the grocery store or a park.
Our Home & Neighborhood
We live in a historic neighborhood with unique, beautiful homes. Our lovely century-old home has lots of character with cozy nooks and crannies. We love spending time outside in our lush yard with trees, flowers and vegetable gardens alongside children’s swings, slides and climbing structures. The garage hardly has room for our cars because of all of the trikes, bikes, scooters, strollers and toys. We walk often with our sweet Great Dane, Keiser, in our neighborhood, downtown, to parks and coffee shops. We appreciate that all types of people, families and homes make up our community.
