Getting to Know our Family

WELCOME TO OUR ADOPTION BLOG

We are so happy that you have come to visit our adoption blog. This blog is meant to help you to get to know us a little bit better. We believe that you, as a birth parent, should have as much information about us as possible! Feel free to contact us with any further questions! We hope you enjoy our blog and enjoy getting to know our family a little bit better!

*To view pictures a little bit larger just click on them. Some of the pictures, especially the collages, are small, and are easier to see if you click on them. Enjoy our Blog!*

Why Adoption?

We have prayed long and hard about our family. We know that there is someone missing, and possibly more than one "someones" missing. We have our two little miracle babies, and we feel so privileged to have them. But the Spirit has prompted us to adopt. When I was sixteen years old I was diagnosed with a kidney disease. When I reached twenty one I had gone into complete kidney failure. My amazing dad donated a kidney to me. My health has been excellent ever since. But when I got pregnant with each of my kids it was hard on my kidney. I developed extreme preeclampsia with both pregnancies and the babies had to be taken out very early in order to save the baby's lives, and mine as well. Our children both did miraculously, despite their extreme prematurity! They have grown into beautiful healthy little girls, and my health remains excellent as well! That leaves us with the extraordinary blessing of being able to adopt. It is a trying, yet exciting adventure for us. We feel strongly that this is something the Spirit has prompted us to do. We look forward to adding on to our family through adoption.

Pictures of my Transplant

A Letter to Birth Parents

Dear Birth Parents,
Thank you for taking the time to get to know us. We admire and are awe struck at the selfless decision you have made to place your child for adoption. In making that decision we urge you to pray and ponder on the right family for your baby. We may or may not be that couple, and we are okay with that. We only pray that the spirit that God has intended for our family will make it to us. All we can do is be open and willing to accept that special spirit. The courage you have to search for a loving family shows your love and concern for your child. There are many other options out there, and adoptions bring so many blessings to everyone involved. Please know that our thoughts and prayers are with you and your baby. We appreciate what you are doing for us and for your baby.
We feel that an open adoption is best for the child and would love for you to be involved in your baby's life. We hope to be able to share photos and letters and, where possible, visits with you. We will always let your child know that they have a mother that loved them enough to put them into a "forever family." Your child will know of the love that you have for them.
Thank you for considering us for the great privilege of being your child's parents.

Love, Josh, Necha, Tessa and Maggie

Getting to Know Josh

Favorites
Food: Sushi
Color: Metallic Grey
Movie: The Man From Snowy River
Dessert: Hot fudge Sunday
Music Genre: House Mix

Josh is an amazing person. He grew up in Wyoming, the fifth of six children. He wrestled and played football in high school, and graduated in 1999. He then served an honorable mission to Winnipeg, Canada. He is an amazing father to his children. I can't believe how much those little girls love their dad! They just "Oooo, and Ahhh" over him. He is fun loving and has no problem getting on the floor and playing with his kids! He is a hard worker and provides for his family. He works for the Uinta County of Wyoming, and has a job description that I can't even begin to describe! He just does everything! He has a testimony of the church and loves the gospel. He is involved in the young men's program and loves scouting! He enjoys hunting and camping, and even camps in the winter!

Josh's mother passed away in 2004 from Cancer. We were dating at the time. She was an amazing women who raised an amazing son. Josh is very close to his family, and enjoys doing things with them on a regular basis. We are very glad to have a lot of them live in town so that we can see them often.

Getting to know Necha

Favorites
Food: Sushi
Color: Green
Movie: The Unsinkable Molly Brown (and all Musicals!)
Dessert: Chocolate covered anything!
Music Genre: 90's alternative rock

I was born in Idaho, but moved to Wyoming when I was four years old. I was the fourth of eight kids, and I loved having a big family! I am the oldest girl so I was a little mother, playing dress up and "house" with my younger siblings. One of my younger brothers was born with mental and physical disabilities. He died when he was eleven years old from a heart condition. I was seventeen at the time. His example of a pure and Christlike love motivated me to start working with disabled people. I did in home rehabilitation from the time I was sixteen to the time I had kids, working during the summers and Christmas break when I was away to college. When I was in college my kidneys failed and I had to have a kidney transplant. My dad was my donor and it has made us amazingly close! My dad is an incredible man and I admire and respect him more than I can say! After my transplant I transferred to Utah State University. I married Josh, my childhood friend, and continued going to school, majoring in Special Education. I put a hold on school, after I had kids, so that I could be a full time mom. I hope to go back to school and finish my degree after my children are in school. But for now my place is with them!

I love the outdoors and anything that involves being outside. I like to hike and go camping. I love to read and play the piano, and I dabble in scrap booking, blogging and art. My mom is an artist and she gave her kids art lessons. I am not good, but I still enjoy it! My greatest joy comes from my children. I love watching them learn and play and grow. Being a stay at home mom lets me be very involved in my children's lives and I love it! I don't want to miss a single moment of their precious lives because they grow up so fast! So my days consist of reading books, doing puzzles, playing at the park, and other mommy type activities. "I love my life as a mommy and a wife!"

Getting to know Tessa

Tessa is a happy, outgoing little girl. She was born 9 weeks early and weighed 2 pounds 15 ounces when she was born. She hasn't had any problems from being premature, and is a healthy little girl! She loves to play outside, and she loves books! She even has to sleep with a book at night. Most kids need a teddy bear, but not Tessa! Her books are her comfort! She is funny, and will do anything to get you to laugh. She loves to sing and play with her little sister. She enjoys her life and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Getting to know Maggie

Maggie is a sweet and cuddly little girl. She was born 13 weeks early and weighed 1 pound 10 ounces. She also has done amazingly well, and has had no problems. We feel very lucky to have her! She can be pretty silly at times and cracks us up constantly! She loves to jump, and she loves music. She has a thing for baby dolls and carries a baby with her most of the time. She loves to watch her big sister and do what she is doing. She is always happy and brings our family a great deal of joy.

Our Dog Winston

I can't introduce our family without introducing Winston. He is a big part of our family. He is a very good dog, and he loves the kids. He is a major cuddler, and loves to play. We got Winston a year before we had kids, and so he was our first "baby." He is very sweet and everyone always tells us how funny he is. He really is a good boy and a huge part of our family.

Our Gooy Love Story!

*I copied this post from my other blog. I changed it just a little so I could explain things to people who don't know us.*

Josh and I have been married for 5 years, and they have been great! I am very much in love with my husband. He REALLY is my best friend. Josh and I were friends long before we ever started dating. I don't remember actually meeting him. Of course I was only four years old. My family moved in down the street from his family, and we all became close friends. I was (and still am) best friends with Josh's older sister. And he was best friends with my older brother. Also our older brothers and younger sisters were friends, and our parents were pretty close too. So I guess you could say that our entire family had a playmate in their entire family.

I hope Josh doesn't get mad at me for putting this picture on here! ha ha ha. But it's so cute! I am the little scrawny one, and Josh is the beefy one-hence his nickname "Beef." The other two are my brother Brandon, and Josh's sister Emily. We were just like the Butter Cream Gang! (Maybe that is an inside joke for 'feature films for families' watchers.) But we got into more mischief than the Butter Cream Gang ever did! We really were close friends and we (our little group pictured above) really did play together all the time. We had sleep overs and went toilet papering, and swam in the river in the summer! It was a good childhood!

This picture is a little blurry, but that is Josh in the background with the hose. If you can't tell he is laughing hysterically. I'd like to play innocent, but if you look closely, I have a cup of water in my hand. Let's just say it didn't quite do the job.

Eventually Josh didn't think hanging out with his sister and her nerdy little friend was so cool any more! But at least he still talked to me. I think this picture is at his seminary graduation. We were still friends, we just didn't have sleep overs and go toilet papering anymore! We graduated from High School, and Josh went on a mission and I went to college. I wrote him a little, and we kept in touch. Josh got off his mission and worked in Salt Lake City Utah.

On May 22, 2003 I had a kidney transplant. My dad donated a kidney to me. Josh came to see me in the hospital and he would stay for hours. Just his presence was a huge comfort to me, and I knew we were going to end up getting married. I don't know how I knew, I just did. It was kind of funny because at that point I kind of thought of Josh as my brother or cousin or something. But lets just say, my interest was peaked.

About a month after my transplant Emily (Josh's sister) MADE us go on a double date with her and her husband. We were kind of inseparable after that. We started dating and I moved to Logan, Utah to go to school. Josh was still in Salt Lake working, but we saw each other every chance we got...And we fell in love and all that mushy stuff. :) We got married a year later.

We lived in Logan while I went to school, and then moved to Ogden, Utah. When we started our family we decided to move back home to Wyoming to be close to our family, and raise our kids in a small, family oriented town. And here we are-still very much in love!

Our Temple Sealing

Josh and I were sealed in the Bountiful, Utah Temple in 2006. It was my 25th birthday, and we were expecting our first child. I know Josh would agree that it was the best day of our lives. There was nothing more wonderful than to look across the alter at my husband and know that we were making our marriage and our family an eternal one. It was a sacred and special day. It was also the best birthday gift I could have ever asked for. It has brought us a lot of peace to know that we are sealed as husband and wife, and that our children are sealed to us. Being sealed has brought us more blessings than we ever knew existed for our family. One month after we were sealed, our first child showed up nine weeks early. It was a huge comfort to us to be able to look at her, in her tiny fragile state, and know that we were a forever family. We are so grateful for the Gospel in our lives, and the opportunity we have to share in the blessings of the temple.

Our Christmas Traditions

We have a lot of Christmas traditions. That is part of the joy of having lots of family around! Every year we have a big Christmas bingo party! We make clam chowder (a MUST every year) and play bingo. We also do the nativity on Christmas Eve with the family. We have costumes that the kids dress up in. They can be a wise man, or a shepherd or an angel, or what ever they want, and we read the nativity story out of the bible and let the kids act it out on stage. The last few years we have been reserving the church building to use the stage for our nativity. We have a lot of fun! Sometimes there is even some karaoke going on! Throughout the Christmas season I like to do activities with the kids, like making gingerbread houses, and going sledding. And on Christmas Eve they can open one present. This year it was a home made blanket. The girls loved them! Christmases are always spent with family. We get up and do our thing, and then we go around town visiting family. But through all of the festivities we always remember why we celebrate Christmas. We try to teach our kids the true meaning of Christmas. Christmases are a joyous occasion around here!! We enjoy every snowy minute of it!

Holidays

I don't think holidays need to be big and over the top, but I do like them to be festive. I like to get the kids involved, and make it fun for them. Holidays can also be a great time for a crafty activity. This year I helped the girls make their own Valentines Day boxes.

For Easter we enjoy dying Easter eggs, and having an egg hunt. And of course the Easter Bunny finds us and leaves some goodies. Our kids are young and so it's hard for them to get past the idea of candy and fun activities, but we still try to teach them about Christ and the Atonement. As they get older those moments will sink in and be better remembered.

Halloween is probably my favorite holiday. Growing up it was a big occasion in our family because my sister's birthday is on Halloween. My husband and I grew up together as friends and neighbors, and so he was involved in much of the Halloween hype we had as children. So now as adults we like to keep up some of those traditions. We love to dress up, and every year we carve pumpkins. I must say-Josh is an amazing pumpkin carver! Last year he carved Jesus into a pumpkin, and the year before he did Harry Potter!

Vacations and Outings

Family time is very important to us and we cherish every moment that we get to spend together. We enjoy doing lots of things as a family. We love to go camping, and even went camping last year in the winter time! A lot of our family outings involve other relatives. We enjoy taking time to go visit relatives that we don't have the pleasure of living close to. Josh and I both enjoy hiking, and did a lot of hiking as kids. We look forward to taking our kids on hikes when they are older! Being together as a family is very important to us, and so we put a lot of emphasis on that when we are planning vacations and other outings.

Our Testimonies

Josh's Testimony

I have a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I have been very blessed to have been taught the gospel from a young age. I can't imagine what my life would be like with out it. I have a testimony of Jesus Christ and the Atonement. The Atonement is truly one of the greatest gifts we have ever been given.

I also have a strong testimony of families, and how important they are on the earth. The family unit is at the center of the gospel. I know that we have a prophet here on earth that guides this church through the teachings of our Heavenly Father.

I was blessed to be able to serve a two year mission and the things I learned there I will carry with me for the rest of eternity. I have a testimony of the temple and of temple marriages. What a wonderful thing it is to know that my family will be together forever!

I have a strong knowledge of the plan of salvation. I know that we have been sent to this earth for a purpose and that we will be together with our loved ones again after we leave our earthly bodies. I love my family. I have been blessed with a wonderful and caring wife, and two of the most beautiful and joyful little girls. They truly are walking miracles.

I have a testimony of adoption and the blessings it can bring into so many lives. I believe it to be truly inspired by our Heavenly Father, and that he plays more of a part in it then we will ever know in this life.

Necha's Testimony

I have been very blessed to grow up in a home centered around the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that not everyone has that opportunity, and I feel very privileged to have grown up the way that I did. The gospel has always been very close to my heart, even during times of trial. I have always held on to the knowledge that my Father in Heaven loves me, and knows me personally. I feel his hand in my life on a daily basis.

I have a testimony of the Savior. I have felt his sacrifice for me, and have come to know and love him on a deeply personal level. He truly is MY savior, and MY redeemer. I know that without the atonement I could never make it back to live with my Father in Heaven again. I love the Savior with all my heart.

I know that the scriptures are true. I have had my own personal witness as I have prayed about the scriptures. I know that the Book of Mormon was brought to us by the hand of God. I know that it is sacred scripture. My testimony of the Book of Mormon and my testimony of Joseph Smith go hand in hand. I know that the things that Joseph Smith taught were true. I know that he was a chosen prophet of God, and a man with divine inspiration from our Heavenly Father. I know that he DID see the Father and the Son in the grove of trees. I admire and love Joseph Smith.

I have a testimony of marriage and family. I don't think that I had a strong testimony of what a marriage really was, or what a family really meant until I had gone through the temple. Temples are centered around the family, and the teachings of the temple have brought so much understanding into my life of marriage and family. I rejoice in the temple! And I rejoice in family! I know that God intended families to be eternal. I know that through the temple we can be together as a family forever.

I have a testimony of this great latter day work! I know that the missionary program was set apart by God. I know that he leads and guides missionaries to do his work upon the earth. I know that the church is lead by a prophet of God. I know that the men that guide our church are truly inspired by God in all of their dealings. And what great men they are! I look to their examples to lead my family. I love to hear them speak to us in conference twice a year. I know that their words are true by the feelings of the spirit that enter into our home as we listen and watch the prophets speak.

My testimony of adoption is growing each and every day. In the back of my mind I think I have always known that I would adopt some day. Throughout my youth I never knew if I would be able to have my own children, and so the idea of adoption has played in my mind for years. I have enjoyed reading books about adoption, and in recent years the prophets have been speaking much more openly about the great blessing of adoption. I have read many articles in the Ensign about adoption, and it has always felt right to me. My testimony of adoption may be small since I have never adopted before, but it is ever growing as I watch this blessing coming into play in my husband's and my life. I know that God has made a way for these special little spirits to find their way into a family that they will be able to be sealed to, and enjoy a loving and nurturing environment. One thing I know for sure is that God has a spirit that he wants to be in our home. I don't know how or when, but I know that this child will make it to us.

I love the church. I love the Savior. I can't imagine my life without the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is something I will always hold on to, and work to keep strong in my life.

where do you live? We live in Evanston, Wyoming, about an hour away from Salt Lake City Utah.
how open do you want to be? We feel very strongly about open adoptions.We feel that open adoptions are best for everyone involved. It breaks my heart to think of a birth mother who wants to know who her baby is, where he is, what he looks like, and what his life is like. It also breaks my heart to think of a baby who wonders the same things about his birth mother, and why she placed him for adoption? In a perfect world I would hope that the birth mother and our family would be very close. I want to write letters, sent pictures, and have regular visits. I want the birth mother to be as involved as one of my sisters would be. I want to laugh with her, cry with her, and love this child with her. We would want her to be there for birthdays and special occasions, as well as "just because." I hope that she would be a big part of our family.
can i still visit the baby after placement? Yes Please!
what names do you like? This is a hard question because I think the name just has to sound right for that child. We named our daughters Tessa and Maggie. We tend to like more traditional names.
how do you feel about trans racial adoption? We are all for it. We don't see a problem with it at all. All children need to be loved, regardless of skin color.