Dear Birthparents,

Thank you for considering us to be your child’s adoptive parents.   This is a very brave and difficult decision that you have made.   We can only imagine what you must be feeling.

We have had many experiences in our lives that have shown us that families are developed in different ways.   I have cousins who were adopted at different ages.   They will provide a great resource for your child if he or she needs to talk to someone about his or her feelings.  

We will not cut you out of your child’s life.   You are an instrumental part of who your child is and we will make every effort to ensure that your child knows what a sacrifice you made.  

Please be secure in the knowledge that your child will be loved and be treated equally to Blake.   He is truly anxious to be a big brother.  

If you choose us to be your child’s adoptive parents, we will love your child unconditionally.   Your child will be given a good education, a strong faith in God, a wide range of experiences and the encouragement to be the best person that he or she can be.   Just as we have done with Blake, all of your child’s experiences will be kept in his or her own personal scrapbooks.

Again, we admire you for being able to make this decision and we realize that this is one of the hardest ones you will ever make.   You are in our prayers.

Tom and I met in 1991 when he was a senior in high school. We began dating in June of that year and went our separate ways the following year as he was in the Navy and I was still in high school.   Four years later he left the military and came back home.   I was a junior at Marshall University and the long distance relationship was rough, but we have been inseparable ever since.   In February 1999, we got married.  

We still live in the town I grew up in.   Tom is from New York.   He moved here in 1989 with his parents and one sister.   The other sister moved in 1997.   I love living in a small town; it is a comforting feeling knowing just about everyone in town.   Also, Tom's and my family is close; if anyone needs anything, the family is there to help out.

Tom is an officer at a local correctional facility.   I am a substitute teacher.   My certification is Kindergarten through eighth grade and I am currently working on my master's degree in elementary education.  

Soon after we were married, we decided we wanted to have children.   In December 2001, God gave us Blake Howard.   He was the perfect Christmas present.  

In 2006, we decided it was time to expand our family.   We knew we wanted to have three children and with the difficulties of getting pregnant with Blake, we knew we shouldn't wait any longer.  

Early this year, we discovered it would be impossible to have any more of our own children.   But, this is okay as God does not throw anything our way that we cannot handle and He knew we would adopt and perhaps be an inspiration for others.  

We love children so much that we cannot wait to be parents again and Blake is excited by the fact of having a brother or sister.

The family farm is where I grew up and where my heart and soul is.   My great grandparents lived on this farm.   Since Tom and I currently live in town, we cannot get there as much as I would like.   As much as possible, Blake and I do what we can to help out my mom.   Blake loves the open space and playing with the dogs and horses.   There is also a rabbit that Mom rescued in the hayfield one year.  

We do have future plans to build a house here.   There is truly nothing like living in the country.   Snows in the winter are so quiet and peaceful.  During the summer, the frogs put on a symphony in the evenings and the fireflies display a laser light show.   I also feel the country is a safer place for children to play and grow up.   

This is my family.   My dad is in heaven and he is sorely missed, but I know he is watching over us.   My mom lives on the family farm.   The rest of my family consists of my maternal grandmother, paternal grandparents, my brother, sister-in-law, nephew and several aunts, uncles and cousins.  

We are a family of traditions and I like it that way.   Every Thanksgiving, I go to my mom's in the morning and watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade while baking my pumpkin pie for dinner at my Aunt Frances'.  

Dinners at Aunt Frances' are a big to-do.   She cooks dinner to feed an army it seems on Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.   All of the aunts and cousins contribute to the feast also, but Aunt Frances does a bulk of the work.  

I have brought my love of animals from the farm with me.   They are like children to me. We have three dogs, two cats, a rabbit and fish.  

We adopted Teddi right before we moved into town in 2000.   He is so great with kids; my nephew actually fell asleep on him once and Teddi just laid there until Colin woke up.

My mom raises schnauzers and that is how we ended up with Ryan.   We thought he was just gorgeous when he was born and had to have him.  

Then came the cats.   We were just going to adopt one, but decided that two would be better.   Anyone who just has one cat does not know the fun they are missing.   Two cats are double the entertainment as they play with each other and chase each other throughout the house.   These guys, Cassie and Alex, sleep with Blake.  

The last addition to our zoo is Toffee.   He has recently joined us and we are doing our best to make him one of those affectionate bunnies that follow people around.   We shall see how that works out.

This is Tom's family.   His parents live a block away from us.   The rest of his family consists of two sisters, two brothers-in-law, two neices, a nephew, two half-sisters, two half-brothers and several aunts, uncles and cousins.   Most of his family lives close to us.  

Tom and his sisters are close.   They had a very tight knit relationship growing up.   To this day they can tell each other anything and treat each other like they are the best of friends.

Tom's parents are very involved in the local VFW.   They are very patriotic people as Tom's dad was in WWII and instrumental in capturing the U505.  

This is a very loving and loyal family.   They included me as one of their own before Tom and I ever considered getting married. They are willing to drop whatever they are doing to help out if we need something and we do the same for them.  

Our church family is very important to us.   I grew up in this church, but never really appreciated them until recent years. We take care of each other and pray for each other.  

We as a church are very dedicated to the children.   They are the future of the church.   There is a fenced in yard with a Noah's Ark playset for the kids to play on.   Also, there is youth group and Sunday School for about every age.  

Our neighborhood is pretty quiet.   There is not much car traffic and the most noise you can hear is the children playing outside in the summer.  

The theme for our nursery is Beatrix Potter.   My mom has painted a mural on the wall of several of the characters and there is a picket fence under it.   Also, there is a large wooden Peter Rabbit that attaches to the fence.   We also have a Peter Rabbit bassinet and Peter Rabbit bedding for the crib.  

We will be completely honest with our child about being adopted.   When our child is old enough, we will begin by explaining that he is a very special gift that God gave us.   We will explain that   his birth mommy and daddy were not ready to be parents and they chose us to be his parents.   If he wants to, we will support him in his efforts to meet his birth family.  

Please contact our social worker at the Children's Home Society:

Tracie Satterfield -

1-866-700-4292

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