Greg and Michelle

Greg, Michelle, Noah and Sam

We are excited to add to our family through adoption. Adoption has been the hugest blessing of our lives and we are ready to adopt again.

In our family, we honor birth mothers and birth fathers. Our boys' birth mothers are a huge part of our lives. We are proud of them and especially proud to raise our boys to respect them and love them. We welcome another open and loving relationship with a new birth family and hope you feel safe opening up to us. We promise you two things: we will love and protect your baby forever and that we will never stop loving you either.

Thank you for considering adoption. We respect you tremendously for considering it for your baby.

We hope you feel welcome to look around this blog to learn more about our family. You can contact us anytime by emailing us directly at: greg.michelle.noah@gmail.com. Or you can visit our online adoption profile HERE.

Please enjoy our adoption video!

Why Adoption?

Sam and Noah -- September 2009

A few years after getting married and after being unable to achieve pregnancy, we felt strongly that we should adopt our first child. It was a very spiritual decision and we were overjoyed to be chosen relatively quickly by a mature and amazing woman. We knew little about birth mothers before we met her -- besides they were brave and selfless. As soon as we met her we felt a connection to her so deep we could hardly explain how much we loved her to others. We thought we were so lucky to have an angel birth mother in our lives. When she placed her precious baby with us, the love we felt for Noah was overwhelming. The first night we had him we unwrapped his blanket to change his diaper and just stared in awe at our tiny and perfect little boy. We knew right then and there that adoption had changed us. We loved being parents and loved the friendship we had formed with Noah's birth mother. In those first few weeks and months we knew she was suffering, but her strength made us want to be better. We tried hard from the very beginning to be the kind of parents that would make her proud.

A year later we began infertility treatments again. After a few short months of doctor's visits, we weren't getting anywhere and we knew for certain that we had another baby boy that would come through adoption. We began the adoption process again and after a two-year wait, we were again chosen by a beautiful birth mother. We were so lonely for Sam before he came to our family that sometimes the sadness was unbearable. It was a miracle when his birth mother first emailed us and will be a day we will never forget. We spent several months getting to know her through her pregnancy. By the time Sam was born, we shared deep concern and love for her and all she had already endured to ensure his save arrival. We met Sam for the first time the day after he was born. He was laying on the hospital bed, curled up in a tiny ball. Our hearts immediately recognized his sweet spirit as the one we could feel here and there as we waited for him to come to us.

During the night when I would feed baby Sam, I would often feel overwhelming love and joy for my boys. I hoped and prayed during those late hours that more babies would come to us. We love adoption and know how wonderful it can be for the birth parents, their families, us as adoptive parents, our families who pray along with us for more babies, and especially for the children who will grow up knowing they are loved and adored by so many people.

One of the biggest joys of our lives has been the way Noah treats his little brother, Sam. Noah is totally obsessed with his brother and never once has shown any sort of jealousy or frustration about having to share his parents, his toys, or anything. Noah likes to share his room with Sam because Sam “protects him” during the night. And Noah often tells us how badly he wanted Sam and how the day Sam was born was the best day of his life. The boys have a very tight bond and we hope to continue to encourage that bond as they get older. Much of our motivation for adopting again was because of the amazing love Noah and Sam share. Another baby would be so lucky to be nurtured by these two older brothers.

We are passionate about adoption and are so thankful this is the way our family was meant to be created. We wouldn't have it any other way!

Why Do We Love Open Adoptions?

Noah wrote this letter to his birthmom. THIS is why we love having an open adoption. Click to enlarge.

We love this picture because it shows how perfect and handsome the boys are -- August 2009

First and foremost, you should know that in our home, birth mothers are special and revered. You will be talked about and prayed for. We are open and honest with our children about their adoption and who their birth mother is. We will be open and honest with you about all the things your baby is doing and learning and as your little one gets older, we will continue to share as many details as we can about their life. You will not be forgotten and your child will always know of your love and sacrifice for them. If you have any questions about this, we are open to discussing them. We would like you to know we are serious about this and we would love to share more about the absolute joy that has come to us, our children, and our boys' birth mothers because of our open adoptions.

Like all good and important things in life, open adoptions take work. Our two adoptions have been very, very different. But we have been so thankful to have loving and honest relationships with both boys' birth mothers. It was and is heart-wrenching to watch them grieve and certainly at times it was hard for them to watch us bond with the babies they love so dearly. But we have seen the tremendous benefits of sharing pictures and letters, emails, phone calls, and visits. We are open to discussing what feels right for your situation because we know that everyone is different.

Noah is old enough to understand adoption and he loves his birth mother. He asks a lot of questions and knows that she placed him for adoption because she loved him and wanted him to have the best and happiest life possible. He knows she wanted him to have a mom and a dad. He also knows that she was really sad when she placed him in our arms, but now she is proud of him and all of the things he is learning how to do. Sam is still too young to understand, but we are sure that between our openness with his birth mother and Noah's good example, he will grow to have a healthy understanding of his life story too.

We love having a birth mother to brag to about all the wonderful things the boys are doing. It's a unique situation to have someone else that thinks our children are the best/cutest/smartest/coolest/funniest boys in the whole world! Plus we love hearing about all the things they are doing and how their lives have been enriched because of adoption too. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about our hopes for an open adoption.

We explain our friendships with our boys' birthmothers in this article we wrote for another blog.

We Love Each Other

All four of us in Hawaii -- May 2008

We make each other a priority. Life gets hectic, no doubt, but we try to carve out as much time as possible to be all together as a family. We eat dinner together every night, we have Family Home Evening, and we pray together. We try to do something we all enjoy as a family on Saturday nights. Often it's a trip to a fast-food restaurant, the park, or even browsing at Home Depot. When Noah played soccer or started Kindergarten, we all supported him and tried to make that special for him. When Sam learns to say something new, we all say "YAY!!!" to encourage him.

We enjoy going to the beach, going to the zoo, swimming, working in the yard, shopping, and traveling. We spent our 10-year anniversary together in Hawaii with the boys and it was a vacation we'll always remember. Our boys are really good travelers and enjoy playing and seeing new things as much as we do. Nothing beats splashing in the warm waves or hiking to the top of a volcano as a family! Seriously, nothing.

How We Met

Our Wedding Day, April 25, 1998

One of Michelle's good friends lived in the same apartment complex as Greg at BYU. One Friday night Michelle went to a movie with a group of people from the apartment complex. We introduced ourselves, but didn't think much about it at the time, although Greg always thought Michelle was cute. The following semester Michelle moved into the same apartment complex and we started hanging out. We saw each other often since Greg was interested in Michelle's roommate. We became close friends and by spring we had tried "dating" a bit. We took a trip with a group of friends to Washington D.C. and New York right after finals that semester. Greg thought we had a relationship in the works, but Michelle thought differently.

That summer we went home to work. We emailed each other every day, sharing stories about our days. Greg and a few other friends came to visit Michelle in Oregon at the end of the summer. Greg was upset to discover Michelle was dating someone else. (After more than 11 years of marriage, I have still never seen Greg so dramatic as he was upon learning I had a different boyfriend.) This period of our history is still a very sore subject and Greg still maintains he was terribly uninformed.

After returning to BYU for fall semester, things were a little awkward between us at first. We still hung out every day but there was a little tension for awhile. In the meantime, Greg had formed a punk rock band and wrote a number of songs about our failed relationship. Eventually we started to date again. However, because Michelle was planning on leaving after the semester, we did not take it too seriously. A few weeks later Michelle had received her call to serve a mission for the Church in Poland. Michelle did spend the Thanksgiving holiday with Greg and his family in Reno. At the end of the semester we left school and then saw each other one last time in Arizona at our friends' wedding. After that trip, we parted ways not expecting to see each other for a long time.

Four months later we were married. They say absence makes a heart grow fonder, and we know that to be true. After going our separate ways we realized that we wanted to be with each other and felt like we were meant for each other. We wanted to be together and that was enough to change the entire course of our lives in a short period of time. It was the wisest (but hardest) decision we have ever made. But look at what that decision has given us! Two wonderful sons and a marriage built on a solid foundation of friendship.

Whale-watching in the San Juan Islands -- August 2009

Our Marriage

Greg and Michelle at the Killers concert -- September 2009

We love being together. We miss each other every day while Greg is at work. We are best friends and have a lot in common. We make an effort to spend as much time together as possible, just the two of us. It's obviously hard with children and with the demands of life, but every night when the boys go to bed we eat a treat, talk, and snuggle on the couch while watching a little TV. We also take a class together at the gym and have done that for three years now! We talk on the phone a lot during the day and instant message each other all day long too. It's the little things that make a big difference, and we have come to realize as long as we are together, it doesn't really matter what we do.

Nowadays we are chaperoned by two little boys on most of our dates (we don't mind at all!) But every once in awhile we get away alone and we enjoy going to concerts or going out to dinner or dessert. We also like to go the beach, hike, work in the yard, read books, take walks, listen to music, play games, and laugh together.

We love to travel as often as time and money permit. We have been to New York twice together before the boys were born. We especially love visiting our families in Utah and Nevada as a family. Greg travels around Oregon and to Utah and Idaho occasionally for work and Michelle and the boys try to go with him as often as possible. We also love to have friends over to our house and host dinners and BBQ’s as often as we have time.

We both have the same goals and perspective on life. We agree about family decisions -- big and small -- and try to handle all things in our marriage as unitedly as we can. We have good communication so if we have a disagreement we negotiate until we are on the same page. This has been a blessing to us and has helped us overcome many challenges and hard times. No marriage is perfect, but we are a good match and we are committed to constantly improving.

Greg (written by Michelle)

Greg and Sam at the beach -- February 2008

Here are some of my favorite things about Greg:

He loves me no matter what
He adores the boys and thinks they are as cute and funny as I do
He is an extremely hands-on father
He helps with the dishes and other housework
He is a great leader and teacher
He is super funny
He makes friends really easily
He likes to shop!
He is a good employee and works hard to support our family
He has great relationships with everyone in his family and mine
He is responsible
He is loyal
He rarely angers
He is respectful and complimentary of me
Greg loves to ski, snowboard, listen to music, mountain bike, watch movies, water-ski, camp, hike, travel, read, work out, play the guitar, and hang out with friends

Michelle (written by Greg)

Michelle with Sam and Noah on a ferry in Seattle -- May 2009

Here are some of my favorite things about Michelle:

She is a wonderful wife, mother, and my best friend

She is responsible and hard-working

She is loving, supportive, kind, and compassionate

She is religious and strong in her beliefs

She has a great sense of humor

She is smart and beautiful

She is financially savvy

She is a good listener

She has lots of friends who value her opinions

She is up-to-date on current events and what is going on in the community

She takes time to attend to each of our children individually to help them learn and grow

She is fun to be around

Michelle likes to write, garden, cook, hang out with friends, travel, read, play games, work out, watch TV, shop, and camp.

Noah

Noah loves whales so we took him on a killer whale watching cruise for his birthday -- August 2009

Noah was adopted and was born in November 2003. Both of us consider Noah our best friend. He is full of energy and joy. We love him and are so proud of everything he does. We can hardly wait to see what life brings him! (We're guessing FBI agent or Seaworld employee.)

Noah finest qualities:

Noah is a terrific friend. He has compassion for everyone.
He is outgoing and makes friends easily.
He treats his little brother like gold and rarely gets annoyed by having his "stuff" messed up by little hands and feet
He is independent and responsible and is wise way beyond his years
He is smart and loves to learn
He asks incessant questions
He loves to play outside and explore
He loves animals -- particularly sea animals and birds
He loves to ride his bike and swim
He loves popular music
He loves to be a good boy and loves praise
He is hilarious!

Sam

We think Sam is just the most darling little baby ever! July 2009

Samuel was adopted and was born in December 2007. He is a happy and calm little boy and has been a blessing to our family.

Sam at-a-glance:

Sam is super easy-going and goes with the flow
He likes to cuddle and loves to be wrapped up in a blanket
He is athletic and very coordinated and loves to go swimming
He can color really well already
He loves to eat large meals and begs for food constantly
He loves to climb on the kitchen table and counter (unfortunately)
He loves to play outside
He loves to do pretty much anything Noah is doing
He loves Legos, trains, trucks, and dogs, and rocks

Family Values

Every family has their own "culture" and we like to think we are mostly really funny. We also spend most of our time teaching our children to love the Lord, to be honest, grateful, respectful, and to work hard and to become educated. We think that if our children succeed at these things, they can do anything they want in life. And their life will be rich with blessings and happiness.

Our Home

We love the gorgeous view out our back windows. And we especially love the open field where the neighborhood kids can run and play.

We love our home and know we are incredibly blessed to live here. We were very strategic when we chose our community, our neighborhood, and our home. We wanted to live somewhere our kids would have plenty of neighbors to play with outside. We wanted to live somewhere safe and where the neighbors know each other and look out for each other. We wanted our children to go to great schools and to have opportunities to be their best selves at school and by participating in extracurricular activities. We wanted to be close to Greg's office and to be a part of an active religious community. And then of course, we wanted an open space behind the house so our children would have extra space to run and play and we wanted a big kitchen so we could cook in style. We bought this home in February 2009 and have enjoyed everything about living here!

Greg's Family

Greg's entire family -- December 2008

Greg's family is very supportive of our children and our adoptions. They love us and think that the more babies and grandchildren, the better!

My family has always been supportive of me in everything that I have done or wanted to accomplish. I have great memories growing up of all the activities that we did together. We spent lots of time together going on various trips, going snow skiing, and going water skiing. We all share a tight bond and I speak to my parents and siblings at least once a week -- usually much more. I feel blessed to have been born into such a wonderful family and strive to bring that love that I was raised with into my own family.

Greg's parents live in Nevada. They come to visit us a few times a year, so we see them regularly. His dad is a railroad engineer and his mom is a stay-at-home grandma.

His sister, Jennifer, lives with her husband and three children in Utah. Jennifer is a stay-at-home mom and her husband works at BYU. They have a 7-year old daughter, a 4-year old son, and a 1-year old son.

His other sister, Mandy, lives with her husband and 1-year old son in Utah as well. Mandy stays at home and works a few hours a month for Marriott. Her husband works in the family business as a welder.

Greg's family is also very close and they are also very involved with each other's lives. We are very thankful for them.

Michelle's Family

Michelle's family on vacation in Idaho. Since this picture we've had Sam join us and Michelle's sister had a baby and now her sister-in-law is pregnant with a baby boy -- October 2007

Michelle's family is ecstatic to have another baby join the family. They have been extremely supportive of our decisions to adopt and have loved both Noah and Sam completely.

My family is phenomenal. I was raised by good parents who taught me to work hard, serve others, and most importantly, to love the Lord. I am so thankful for the example each one of them has set for me all my life. I am the oldest, but I come from a family of leaders. Each one of us has a strong personality and has a drive to be good and to do good. I am proud of my siblings for marrying well and for upholding high standards. I hope I can one day become as smart, funny, and cool as they are.

Michelle's parents live about 30 minutes away from us. Michelle's dad, Randy, is a commercial real estate banker and her mom works as as a receptionist at an assisted living facility.

Her sister, Myndi, lives with her husband and one-year old son in Utah. She is a therapist and her husband is a nurse. Her husband will be starting graduate school soon to become an nurse anesthesiologist.

Her brother, Jordan, lives about 45 minutes away from us. He is in graduate school to become a chiropractor. His wife is a personal trainer and they are expecting a baby boy due in February 2010.

We get together as a family often and are very supportive of everything each other does. We are so lucky to have such wonderful family!