It was a beautiful summer day. Keith picked up his girlfriend (me) and hauled his rowboat to Gun Lake in the back of his “mighty Ford Ranger.” We set sail and headed down the lake with the intent of spending a relaxing and romantic afternoon in the sunshine, catching some fish, with our essential snacks of Mountain Dew and Pringles. After finding a good spot to drop the anchor, we put our fishing poles in the water and waited for a bite.
I (Karrie) was sitting in the bow of the boat focusing on watching my bobber when I noticed that the boat was suddenly starting to rock. Turning my head to the side, I saw Keith attempting to crawl towards me in the boat when suddenly over the side of the boat and into the water he went, turning the boat on its side in his departure. I managed to somehow not fall in or hardly even get wet, but the same cannot be said for Keith. He hit his head on the bottom of the boat while going under, with his phone and wallet safely tucked in his pockets. Needless to say, his phone was ruined, his money was soaking wet, his head was hurting and his pride was wounded. And all of this happened because he was hoping to score a kiss!
He did not get one in the end either because I was too busy laughing!!
This story is a snapshot of our relationship. Keith provides the entertainment and Karrie either laughs with him or at him.
Our love story is like the country song, Farmer’s Daughter. Keith came to work on our family farm when he was 19 because he’d heard we were hiring and there were lots of cute girls who worked there. The rest is history! As a family, we still all enjoy working on the farm, our son included!
We dated for 2 years, got engaged, and were married 6 months later. Noah came along 13 months after we were married, and he has been one of our greatest blessings in life! Praying and attending church together as a family always has been a vital part of our relationship.
We enjoy spending time together whether doing projects around the house or going on adventures. Making and seeing each other laugh bring us joy. Over the years going through life’s various joys, trials and experiences, we have learned many things about each other, grown closer and our love for each other has deepened.
For fun we enjoy spending time with friends and family. We enjoy evening walks as a family in the countryside near our home. During the summer and fall months we spend as much time outside as we can and enjoy biking, visiting the local county fairs, spending time at the ball field watching our son Noah play baseball, going for side-by-side rides, fishing, swimming, watching the Tigers, spending time with friends and going out for ice cream!
Karrie enjoys gardening and has a vegetable garden as well as many flower gardens. I also enjoy baking and cooking from scratch, canning and spending quality time with my son, and nieces and nephews!
Keith enjoys welding and carpentry projects, mowing the lawn and making more work for himself. During the winter months we can often be found going to the library and reading many books, playing lots and lots of board and card games or watching a movie together. A favorite series for us is Call the Midwife.
Gender: A Boy or A Girl
Ethnicities: Any Race and Ethnicity
Age: Newborn to 12 Months
Total of: 1 to 2 Children or 2 Siblings
We Live In: Grand Rapids Area
Our Faith: Christian
Pets: Both Cat(s) and Dog(s)
Kids Already: One Child Now
Child Care Plan: Stay-at-Home Parent Â
Our families are very important to us. Karrie has 4 sisters and 2 nieces and 1 nephew on her side. Karrie and her sisters and our kids go on various outings to the zoo, parks, blueberry fields, etc. regularly. Family dinners and spending time together are regular occurrences.
Keith has 2 brothers and 1 sister, 2 nieces, 1 nephew and 1 more to love on the way. Our son Noah enjoys spending time with each and every one of his cousins and we are so grateful for each and every one of them!
We are grateful for the good examples our parents have been for us and have felt their and our siblings support throughout our life’s endeavors.
We have been blessed with many friends who have walked life’s trials and joys with us, some of them being from grade and high school, and some newer relationships. Many of our friends are in the same season of life as we are and our children also enjoy being together.
Spending time with our friends is one of the ways we best like to fill our cup. Some of the things we enjoy doing together are going for walks or bike rides, going to the lake, fishing, playing games, eating ice cream, fellowshipping at church and spending time at each other’s houses.
One of the things we enjoy doing with relatives and friends is showing them around Karrie’s family’s dairy farm. The many cows, pigs, chickens, tractors and of course cats and kittens are always a big hit with kids! The blessing of wonderful, godly friends is a special gift that we are so very thankful for!
We live in a classic Anne of Green Gables home, with white siding and dark green shutters in a quiet, country setting. It was built in the early 1900s and has lots of rustic charm and appeal. For us, the familiar saying is true, “there’s no place like home!” Our family and friends are always welcome in our home and we enjoy spontaneous visits.
It is in a farming community and there lots of cows and fields surrounding us. A few miles down the road is the little town of Hopkins and that’s where you’ll find our family’s ice cream shop, the local library, bank, dentist, gas station, churches, park and schools.
Our neighborhood has a couple families with young children whom our son enjoys playing with. We are thankful for the peaceful community that we live in. It is our prayer that all who enter our home will be blessed by our love, faith and hospitality.
Our dream for the future is to someday own a bigger piece of property and have our own little hobby farm!
We believe education plays a crucial role in the proper development of a child. A good education is a solid foundation for success in life, whether a college education is pursued or not. We are both involved in our child’s education, and our desire is to help him learn more and to develop a love for learning!
The Bible teaches us to train up a child in the way he should go and when he is older, he will not depart from it. Discipline is not a tool used to instill fear in a child but rather to correct in love. It is also not a one size fits all as each individual child has their own unique needs and way of responding to correction. Discipline should always be done in love and tenderness and not in anger. The goal of discipline or correction is to guide a child and teach them the difference between right and wrong.
Christianity and serving God are central to our lives. Faith and prayer have influenced every major decision we have made in life including the decision to pursue adoption. We believe that we are to love one another as He has first loved us. Jesus loved us so much that He gave Himself up on the cross to save us from our sins and to grant us eternal life and because of that dedicate our lives wholeheartedly to Him.
As a family we are very active in our church, each member serving or participating in various ways. Keith serves as a deacon at our church, and his primary role is maintaining the building and grounds. Karrie plays the piano for worship services, the Sunday School kids’ choir, serves at funeral lunches, and is part of Vacation Bible School in the summer.
Noah enjoys attending Sunday School, is looking forward to attending cadets in the fall, and socializing with adults and children alike.
We both find joy in using our gifts to serve God and others. Often in our home there is music playing or being played on the piano as we all enjoy God’s gift of music.
I enjoy working outdoors and the variety of tasks that my job brings. I find satisfaction in a job well done and in being productive. The infrastructure I install is essential to the world we live in
I will take a week off to help my wife take care of the baby and our other child. After that I plan to go back to work to provide for my family.
I am a full-time wife and mom and work part time on my family’s dairy farm. I enjoy taking care of my home and family, cooking, baking and gardening. I also love animals and working on the farm! My nieces and nephews are very precious to me and I am always up for going out on an adventure together!
Being a mother is the highest calling a woman can have in this life and I am so thankful God had blessed us with our son and we look forward to welcoming more little ones into our family in the near future!
I will be a stay-at-home mom and will be the full-time caretaker of our children.
My family has been in West Michigan for a long time. We are of Dutch descent. Like my dad and grandpa, I am a tradesman. I am a Christian, my family has been Christians for many generations. The Lord has been faithful! Like most families we customarily get together to celebrate birthdays and holidays, where good food, laughter and fellowship are enjoyed by all.
A family tradition has been serving the church as elders and deacons, we believe that it is important to serve God in this way. Another family tradition is doing most of our home improvement projects ourselves! We take pride in our workmanship.
My father was born and raised in West Michigan and my mother was born and raised in Northwest Illinois. My Grandparents immigrated to America from the Netherlands. As a family, we enjoy getting together to celebrate birthdays and holidays, other various special occasions and just to spend time together.
Every year we participate in a 4th of July parade to promote my family’s ice cream shop. We spend a weekend camping with friends up north every summer and go to a Waterpark during the in the winter months.
Thank you for looking at our profile! We recognize that this is the hardest decision you’ve ever had to make in your life. Thank you for choosing life for your precious little one. Even though we have not met, we have been praying for you and your unborn child. It is our prayer that God will give you much peace, strength and comfort as you make your decision.
We promise to always love, provide for and protect your child should you choose to entrust them to our care. It is our prayer that we would have an open relationship that would be a blessing to us all!
Our ideal adoption experience would be an open, honest, ongoing relationship with you. We understand that each situation is different and we will work with the child’s best interests as our priority. Ideally our relationship with you would create an environment in which this child would flourish and thrive. Thank you for choosing life and for trusting us to love and raise this child!
Our ideal adoption experience would be an open, honest, ongoing relationship with you. We understand that each situation is different and we will work with the child’s best interests as our priority. Ideally our relationship with you would create an environment in which this child would flourish and thrive. Thank you for choosing life and for trusting us to love and raise this child!
Just one more thing...Our ideal adoption experience would be an open, honest, ongoing relationship with you. We understand that each situation is different and we will work with the child’s best interests as our priority. Ideally our relationship with you would create an environment in which this child would flourish and thrive. Thank you for choosing life and for trusting us to love and raise this child!
