Michael & Amy
Michael & Amy
One of my favorite memories with Michael actually follows a painful accident. Long story short, I was holding a barbecue skewer that ended up going through my right hand. Michael was very quick to gauze and wrap my wound, and then he drove me to the hospital.
The nurses were all very impressed by his first aid care, and in the days following he wouldn’t let me lift a finger. He did the dishes, cooked, cleaned, scooped my ice cream, and redressed my bandages every morning and night. In our relationship, we have a pretty equal division of responsibilities.
I do most of the cleaning around the house while Michael primarily does the laundry and grocery shopping with a joint effort in cooking and dishes, but even with some separated responsibilities, we are always willing to help each other out whenever needed. Who’s turn it is to do what is never an argument, and it’s why we also know we will be excellent teammates when it comes to being parents.
Our Story
We met at a get together with mutual friends in 2014. After a couple of games of ping pong together and conversation, our connection was instant. We talked the whole night and knew that we wanted to see each other again. We planned a date of dinner and a movie a couple weeks later. Following the date, Amy went home to her sister and told her that Michael was the man she was going to marry.
They say when you know you know! Ten short months later on Valentine’s Day, Michael surprised Amy when she walked into his apartment and it was filled with rose petals, candles, and sweet notes leading her from one room to the next. Finally, he was behind the last door down on one knee, and there he asked Amy to be his wife! After the proposal, we moved in together and rescued our puppy, Nala. We were then married on November 28, 2015.
Our Relaxation & Fun
We love to travel and experience new sites, cultures, and foods! Some of our favorite trips have included Hawaii, Greece, and hiking the National Parks of Utah. While we are often on the go, we also enjoy a quiet night at home watching movies, hanging out in our backyard, or playing board games.
Our ability to both work part time while remaining financially stable has definitely increased our time for fun and relaxation and picking up new hobbies. This past year we were able to join a bowling league with some friends and family, and it’s been a really fun way to get out of the house and socialize. We also have recently taken up pickleball, and weather permitting, it is often apart of our morning routine.
Additionally, Michael likes to camp, play tennis, and go on walks around the neighborhood while Amy enjoys writing, cross stitching, and learning the ukulele.
our adoption hopes
Gender: Any Gender, including an Ambiguous or Transitioning Gender Child
Ethnicities: Any Race and Ethnicity
Age: Newborn to 5 Years Old
Total of: 1 to 2 Children or 2 Siblings
a snapshot
of us
We Live In: Flint Area & Genesee County
Our Faith: Open to All Religions
Pets: Dog(s)
Kids Already: No Children Now
Child Care Plan: Stay-at-Home Parent
Our Family & Friends
Preserving relationships with our family and friends is very important to us. We both come from close-knit families who enjoy spending time together as often as we can. Our friendships are also just as important. We host a Friendsgiving every November, which has been a fun way to get all of our friends together and stay connected throughout the years.
Our Home & Neighborhood
Our home is a two-story with 4 bedrooms. It is located in a safe, new development that is filled with many children of all ages. Our favorite part of our home is our back patio, and it is where we spend most of our time during the warmer months. The yard is fenced in and provides a lot of space for yard games, bon fires, and fetch with our dog, Nala.
We also enjoy spending time at the local park playing tennis, pickle ball, and disc golf. The park also includes multiple playgrounds, basketball courts, and a fun sledding hill. Additionally, Amy’s parents live on a lake 15 minutes away, where we spend a lot of time in the summer swimming and boating, while Michael’s family is only 45 minutes away, so we are able to get together with them often as well.
While we spent most of our marriage living in Grand Rapids, moving to the east side of the state to be closer to more family has proven to be one of the best decisions we have made for ourselves as well as for our future family.
Education
We value a school system that has services for special needs, provides a variety of extracurricular activities, and fosters a positive and inclusive environment among all students and staff. We feel that education is very important and a critical part of human development.
At the same time, while we want to celebrate personal achievements with our children, we never want to pressure them into thinking perfect grades are the most important thing. If we can raise children who are kind, try their best, and go after their passions, we would consider that success.
With that, we also believe that a lot can be learned outside of the classroom through experiences and travel, and we look forward to exploring different places and cultures with our children.
Correction & Discipline
We feel that when it comes to discipline, it is important to remain consistent and firm while also remaining gentle, specifically avoiding arguing, yelling, or anything physical. We want to seek out the reason behind misbehaviors and also provide ample amounts of assurance and praise to encourage good behaviors.
We feel that effective and positive discipline with mutual respect will instill trust in our parent-child relationship and will guide our children’s development of self-discipline.
Our Faith Views
We both appreciate the role religion has played in our upbringings. Amy grew up attending Catholic Church services and Catechism classes while Michael regularly attended an Episcopalian Church and Sunday school. Our home will be an open place for honest, loving, and open minded discussion, and we will always encourage our children as they explore their own beliefs just as our families have supported us.
While we are not currently apart of a church and each consider ourselves Agnostic, we would be happy to attend special services with our children of a religion that is important to their first family.
Michael's Career
Being a hospital pharmacist has been very rewarding. I’m able to help others by ensuring that they are receiving the proper care when it comes to their medications. The hospital environment is very fast-paced and never boring. I also get to enjoy a flexible schedule that allows ample time for my family and travel.
I plan to continue working part-time following placement. My hours are typically in the evenings, 2-3 days per week. This will allow me to be home when Amy is working and to be very present in our child’s life.
Amy's Career
I am currently employed as a medical records specialist for a radiology office. It is a very interesting and educational career, and I get to work from home. I have been working in health care for over 8 years, and it has been a very educational and rewarding field to be apart of. In addition to my current position, I also enjoy earning an income through writing. I do some freelance writing and I have published 4 children’s books and a book of poetry.
Following placement, my plan is to continue my employment part time. Because I am able to work from home with a flexible schedule that does not interfere with Michael’s work schedule, we will not need to seek alternative child care. In the occasional event that child care is needed, we each have multiple trustworthy family members nearby who are always willing and able to help out.
Michael
My family originates primarily from Scotland and Norway. I have an older sister and brother-in-law, an older brother, and a younger step-sister. Through my siblings I have two nephews and one niece. My dad has been married to my step-mom for 25 years and my mom has been with her partner for 4 years. My family also includes my loving Nana, two Aunts and four Uncles, four cousins, and a large step-family.
U of M sports are a big part of my family, every year we enjoy visiting my brother and nephew in Florida, and we all love summers together at our family cabin on Torch Lake. My extended family also shares a cabin on Black Lake in New York where in July they host an annual croquet tournament as well as a competition to see who can make the most unique, best tasting hot dog!
Amy
My family originates primarily from Ireland, Germany, and Norway. I have a twin sister, another younger sister, and two brother in laws. Through my twin sister, I have one niece and one nephew. My parents have been married for 35 years. I also have twelve aunts and uncles, twelve cousins, and eleven-second cousins.
Every year my extended family gathers together for the holidays, my favorite holiday being Christmas. On Christmas Eve at my parent’s house we open Christmas Pajamas, and then we all wake up at 6:00 am on Christmas Day to open our gifts from Santa! My parents also host a family reunion every summer complete with boat rides and water balloon fights!
Thank you for giving us this opportunity to introduce ourselves and to tell you about our family. We also want to thank you for the courage and love you are showing your sweet baby by considering adoption. We cannot begin to understand the very real struggle that you have and will go through in this process, but we do know that you just want what is best for your child – we do too.
We are so excited to be adopting and to be bringing a child into our lives! For 5 years we have been trying to grow our family, and after multiple rounds of IVF, it has been a long and unsuccessful journey. Adoption has been an option that has always been on our hearts, and we are very excited to be given the chance to do so. We live by the mindset that everything happens for a reason, and so perhaps the struggles that you are facing and that we have faced have led us all here.
We want you to know that if we are chosen to be your baby’s parents, they will be unconditionally loved. We and our support system surrounding us will always cherish, nurture, and guide them to be the best person they can be. Their needs will always come first, their passions will always be encouraged, and they will always know where they come from and the tremendous sacrifice you made out of love.
Thank you for taking the time to get to know us, and we would be excited to get to know you as well. It is so important for us to be open with an adopted child about their background and story and to honor the importance of you in all of our lives.
- Child Separation, Attachment, and Bonding
- Child Development, Including Safe Sleep Practices for Children
- Behavioral and Emotional Needs of Adoptive Children
- Impact of Adoption on the Family
We hope that growing our family does not just mean the addition of a child, but also the addition of you into all of our lives. We want to be open and honest with our children about their story and where they come from, and we know that having you present in some way will help them better understand.
We are very open to exchanging phone numbers and social media accounts in order to provide all of the pictures and videos that you would like as well as some visits through out the year. While we all want what is best for the child, our hearts also very much go out to you and the difficulties you have and will be facing in making this decision.
A lot of our hopes revolve around your hopes and your comfort level. We know it’s true that raising a child takes a village, and we hope you can be apart of that.
OUR COMFORT LEVEL WITH DIFFERENT ADOPTION OPTIONS
- Very Comfortable
- Mostly Comfortable
- Unsure
- A Bit Uneasy
- Not Comfortable
We hope that growing our family does not just mean the addition of a child, but also the addition of you into all of our lives. We want to be open and honest with our children about their story and where they come from, and we know that having you present in some way will help them better understand.
We are very open to exchanging phone numbers and social media accounts in order to provide all of the pictures and videos that you would like as well as some visits through out the year. While we all want what is best for the child, our hearts also very much go out to you and the difficulties you have and will be facing in making this decision.
A lot of our hopes revolve around your hopes and your comfort level. We know it’s true that raising a child takes a village, and we hope you can be apart of that.
Just one more thing...We hope that growing our family does not just mean the addition of a child, but also the addition of you into all of our lives. We want to be open and honest with our children about their story and where they come from, and we know that having you present in some way will help them better understand.
We are very open to exchanging phone numbers and social media accounts in order to provide all of the pictures and videos that you would like as well as some visits through out the year. While we all want what is best for the child, our hearts also very much go out to you and the difficulties you have and will be facing in making this decision.
A lot of our hopes revolve around your hopes and your comfort level. We know it’s true that raising a child takes a village, and we hope you can be apart of that.