John&Jill OUR STORY
Welcome! H
i! We're John and Jill! We begin this letter with great respect and appreciation. Thank you for considering us as adoptive parents to your child. Our greatest love in life is our role as parents. Being called Mama and Daddy brings smiles to our face every day. As you read our scrapbook, we want you to understand that our life is based on values of love and understanding. Our goal is to raise children that know that our family will forever be their foundation for love, understanding, and support in all of life's adventures. It would be our honor to share our love if you choose us as adoptive parents. Thank you for giving us a chance to share our story with you; hopefully something in it touches your heart. Warmly,
Jill and John
Our Beginning
O
ur story began with a blind date over breakfast on September 9, 2000. While Jill ate oatmeal and John had eggs, a friendship was born which turned into love that will last forever.
WE QUICKLY REALIZED THAT OUR PERSONALITIES, UPBRINGING, AND VALUES MADE US A PERFECT FIT FOR ONE ANOTHER. WE AGREED ON WHAT WAS IMPORTANT IN LIFE.
We always knew that we wanted children. Early on, we decided three children would be the right size family for us. Having children would not come easy for us but making the choice to adopt was natural. We feel blessed and lucky that the gift of adoption allows us to have the family we always dreamed about.
All About Us
"OUR FAMILY IS A BEAUTIFUL BLEND OF DIFFERENT SKIN COLORS & WE CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HOW OUR NEXT CHILD COMPLETES OUR RAINBOW!"
A
bove all else, we are each other's best friend. Being parents to two little girls means plenty of opportunity to enjoy life’s little moments and laugh together. We spend much of our free time outside: afternoon walks, long mountain hikes, and bike rides at the beach. AS SILLY IS IT SOUNDS, WE LOOK FORWARD TO GOING ON SUNDAY DRIVES AND GETTING "LOST". WE DON'T HAVE A DESTINATION IN MIND, RATHER WE DRIVE AND FIND A NEW NEIGHBORHOOD OR PARK TO EXPLORE. IT'S OUR WAY OF GETTING AWAY EVEN WHEN LIFE GETS BUSY.
We both enjoy sports. Jill grew up playing competitive volleyball and John loves baseball. As a hobby, we follow the professional baseball and college basketball team. John has season tickets to his college basketball team, and he often takes one of our girls with him to cheer on the team!
Jill
by John
J
ill is compassionate, strong, & most of all, understanding. She is the person that friends & family call when they need support or simply just someone to listen. It is her compassion for others which originally attracted me to her. She manages to see the best in situations & motivates others to see it too. Her consideration & caring for others shines as a mom. One of my favorite times of day with Jill is mealtime. Jill cooks most evenings (I get clean up duty!). Before dinner, we say a prayer & remember the good things of the day and we always remember to say a special prayer for the birth families of our two girls. We value small traditions like cooking together & family dinners & we look forward to bigger traditions like yearly trips to Disneyland & eventually introducing our children to all of our favorite travel destinations like Ireland & Italy.
Jill by Jill 10 THINGS ABOUT JILL: I dreamt of being a mom since I was a little girl. I was "that girl" who would drag her doll everywhere I went. I loved playing house and caring for my dolls. Being a mom has been bigger and better than my childhood dreams. It’s the little things that mean the world to me: rocking my girls to sleep at night… swinging them higher when their little voices plead “Up, mama” on our front yard swing…. Reading and then rereading their favorite books.
Reads lots of books. Loves to hand out Halloween candy. Makes up silly songs and dances to make my girls laugh. Always jumps in the Jump House at birthdays. Knows how to ice skate. Loves to make S'Mores over campfires. Bakes Christmas cookies. Likes to scrapbook. Sings out loud. Knits baby blankets for her friends babies.
I admire your courage to make an adoption plan. Adoption gave me the most precious gift in the world; the ability to be a mom and I will forever be grateful to the women that gave me this gift. When we had children, I made the decision to work less and work from home. My work is important to me; I liaison with cancer patients and their families. My work allows me to give back to others in n important way.
John T
here are so many things I admire about John. John is kind and optimistic. He always sees his root beer mug as half full. He is happy-golucky, and takes everything with ease. These traits all hold true as a dad! He is an easy-going dad that makes sure the mood of the house is upbeat and loving. There's no secret, John is a competitive sportsman. But no matter how much he likes to win or cheer his team to a victory, he always remembers that it's just a game. His ability to keep perspective is valuable as a husband, teacher, and a father.
JOHN’S FAVORITE THINGS: Color: Blue Season: Summer when I stay at home with my girls! Food: Hamburgers Book: Catch-22 Drink: Root beer Place: Ireland Sport: Baseball Activity: Bowling
by Jill
John’s personality makes him an excellent teacher. I love visiting his classroom and seeing him interact with the teens he inspires. Not to brag, but he's been voted favorite teacher several times :) As a dad, he practices patience and takes pride in teaching our girls new things. He takes time to pay attention and understand our girls. He is definitely at his very best as a dad. When he gets home in the afternoons, I often will catch him blowing bubbles in the back yard as our girls chase them and squeal in delight.
John by John As the youngest child, I enjoyed spending time with my parents while growing up. I loved it when my parents would take me for a Sunday drive, play cards with me after dinner or go jump in a cold swimming pool when we would go on vacation somewhere. These happy thoughts always remain in my mind when I think about my childhood. I want my children to look back and think of the fun we had together as a family. As a teacher, I have worked with hundreds of children, and in doing so I’ve really had the chance to see what’s important in their lives. My goal is to always make sure my children feel that they can do and be anything they want. I want my children to know that I am a source of security and love for them. I want my children to know that mom and dad will always be there for them no matter what challenges they face. For me to be a dad, I know that birth parents like you must make an adoption plan. Your bravery inspires me. I promise to raise children with the same commitment and bravery that you have shown this child.
Our Home W
e live on a tree-lined street in a suburb close to the ocean. We are close enough to the big city to enjoy museums and baseball games, but far enough away to have a quiet and peaceful neighborhood. Our home is very special to us. It is the same house John grew up in. Many of our neighbors knew John as a little boy. These same neighbors love seeing John as a dad and spoiling our little girls! We have a nursery ready for a baby decorated in baby safari animals, and we recently turned our den into a playroom with a chalkboard, easel, and lots of fun toys! As a family, we spend lots of time outside. On warm days, we ride our bikes to the beach. We build sand castles with our girls and listen to them giggle as their toes get splashed with water. Our favorite moments are often every day moments around our home. Grandpa hitched a swing on our front yard tree and we use it every day! We feel thankful that our work schedules are flexible and allow us to share in all the responsibilities and joys of raising children.
Our Furr y Friends Jill grew up in a farming community surrounded by all sorts of animals. She and her sister had horses and they even hatched chickens from eggs. While John grew up in the suburbs, he loved having pets. John's family had at least one rabbit at any time but often had four or five. Together we continue the tradition of having bunnies as pets. Our girls have come to love and appreciate our bunnies too. We’ve often caught them feeding carrots to our littlest bunny, Chip. We believe that taking care of animals helps teach our children gentleness, responsibility, and patience. CHERRY BUGG
I
Our Girls
t’s hard to remember what life was like before we were parents. With each of our girls, our hearts have grown bigger and stronger and more loving. Our girls each joined our family through adoption at birth, and we’ve been fortunate to know and keep in good contact with their birth families. Mary Jane, whom we named after John’s late mom, was born in 2010. She is the most discerning little girl you’ll ever meet. In front of us, she’s silly and goofy and loves to dance but in a new environment, she sits back and takes everything in before making a move. She is our “thinker” and loves learning new things and making new friends.
BETSY joined our family in 2011. She’s our happy-go-lucky girl. She is all smiles and often “flirts” while out in public. She’s got a grin that wins everyone over. She is constantly on the move and wants to keep up with her sister. The girls are inseparable throughout the day.
When MARY JANE joined our family we became a trans-racial family. The label always surprises me. In our eyes, our family looks like a family full of love, energy, and fun. It’s our normal. We are comfortable about how we appear to the outside world but we are also very committed to making sure our girls both know their ethnic heritage and feel connected to their ethnic roots. We plan on having our children learn to speak basic Korean, attend Irish dance festivals, and learn to cook German food. We see our whole family as a blend of Korean-American, Irish, German, and English. We take pride in our family story.
Friends
Family That We Choose
We consider our friends part of our family, and like our family, they have supported us as we grew our family through adoption. Our weekends are often spent going to birthday parties and barbeques. One of our favorite annual events happens on Fourth of July. We participate in a 5K race near the beach with our friends, Pete, Lillian, and their new baby girl Natalie. All of the houses are decorated and neighbors cheer on the runners. After the run, there's a neighborhood parade. In the evening, we head down to the beach where we cuddle under blankets and watch fireworks.
O
Our Family
ur family is our foundation. We credit our parents for teaching us to love unconditionally and cherish life. Our parents have shown us how to have a strong marriage and a supportive home for children. Making sure our children know their extended family, we spend many weekends with our families. John’s family all lives close. His dad is a fun and thoughtful grandpa. In addition to several aunts and uncles that love to help out, there are twelve cousins, including five little ones, who romp and play with our girls. Jill's parents are a short car drive away. The girls adore their Ga’Pa and GaMaa (we are still working on their pronunciation). Jill’s sister and brother in law have two boys that dote on our girls.
Our Strength
Every year, he wave cousins that come from Oklahoma, Wyoming, Hawaii, Tennessee, Colorado, and Washington to celebrate "Christmas in September". While most family lives nearby, we have cousins that travel each year to celebrate “Christmas in September”. It’s a delight seeing all of our little ones grow up playing with cousins from around the country.
Time
Together
E
very day starts out the same…. and we wouldn’t want it any other way. When the girls wake up, we all jump into our bed together. We start the day with hugs and giggles, and we tell the girl what’s planned for the day. Many days are spent taking walks and playing in our yard, but we also plan park dates to play with our friends and classes for the girls to interact with other young children. As the day progresses, we sing songs, and play together. We have been somewhat limiting of the television they watch. We’d rather have interactive play with one another. We also engage the girls in clean up time and try to make it fun but also a learning lesson. There’s a saying, “I hope my children look back at today and see a mom who had time to play. There will be years for cleaning and mopping. For children grow up when we are not looking.” We strive to be parents that are playing and interacting instead of being distracted by cell phones and computers.
W
e have both made choices in life to help others. Even our career paths have allowed us to give back. John is privileged to help enlighten and teach our community's youth. Jill has always had a passion for health care and works part time with bone marrow transplant patients.
Giving Back
In addition to our careers, we seek out ways to help our community. We’ve organized blood drives. We serve our local church community. We also are drawn to helping those we have never met; for example, we are currently supporting the tuition of a young boy going to school in Uganda. Whether big or small, giving shapes who we are as a family. IS TE A M JO H N W IT H H
to Others
Parenting W
e approach marriage and parenting as partners. We share cooking and cleaning as well as parenting tasks. We play to our strengths but are equally hands on. Valuing truth and honesty, our children will know about the miracle of adoption. We have books that we read about adoption and we will continue to tell them their stories. We are proud and excited to be part of an adoptive family and will support them as they come to understand how they were first loved by their birth mom and how they joined our family.
EASTE R
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YA R D E B AC K H T IN L A X IN G
OUR “P ARENT ING RU 1. Say L E S” “I love you” ev 2. Ans er y day wer que . stions h 3. Nev onestly. er judge . 4. Sup por t wit h love. 5. Lau gh OUT L OUD! 6. Enc ourage d r eams. 7. List en and le a rn from 8. Mis our chil takes ha dren. p p en – lea them. rn from 9. Edu cation is impor ta 10. Hug nt. freely. . . . A nd a the gif t lways be than k ful for of a chil d.
P L AY IN OU T TO EAT !
G IN T H E B AC K YA
RD
Thank You!
P
arenting has been our most important job ever and we can’t wait to become a family of five. We hope that this letter has given you a glimpse into our life. As parents, we promise to cherish each day and enjoy the small moments. We will always make sure your child feels love and security, and knows that he or she will be supported in all life's journeys. We want your child to understand his or her past and the gift of adoption. Words cannot describe the respect we have for you. Your strength and selfless love gives hope to us.