Richie & Autumn
Richie & Autumn
Richie and I like to consider ourselves pretty easy going. We met eighteen years ago in a high school jewelry class; I was a sophomore and he was a Junior. That instantly turned into a friendship, which led into years of dating, and then us getting married.
We are so blessed to have Autumn’s sister, Chelsea, and niece, Lianna, living with us. Together, we love to have fun. Whether that is at home or going on adventures, you’re never too old to laugh.
Many of our evenings consist of family dinners; cooking together, eating together, cleaning up together, going on walks around the neighborhood, playing outside, playing board games, making puzzles, watching movies, and making memories.
In 2014, Richie and I decided it was time to grow our family. After almost five years of no success, we decided to try IVF (In-Vitro Fertilization) and to pursue adoption; which has always been on our hearts from the beginning.
In May 2019 we got the call that our final IVF was successful and we are proud to announce that our baby girl was born on February 12, 2020. We definitely want to continue growing our family through adoption and would love our daughter to have a sibling to grow up with.
Our Story
Our story begins with a high school jewelry class. Richie wanted a class that he could meet girls and Autumn wanted and easy class to meet the Art requirement. Little did we know that our souls would find their mate in that classroom. During the orientation of the class, the teacher passed around examples of jewelry we would be making in class that semester. As they made there way around the table, Richie began putting on every piece of jewelry that came his way. Through the laughter in the room, there was one that drew his attention. As his eyes darted across the table to find the owner of that laugh, they landed on Autumn. From there, as they say, was history.
Our Relaxation & Fun
Richie: Coaches high school lacrosse, cooks, movies, video games, being with family and friends, sports…
Autumn: Helping to coach an after school girls running program, being with family and friends, reading, exercising, being by water, grilling out, camp fires, movies…
our adoption hopes
Gender: Any Gender, including an Ambiguous or Transitioning Gender Child
Ethnicities: Any Race and Ethnicity
Age: Newborn to 12 Months
Total of: 1 to 3 Children
a snapshot
of us
We Live In: Grand Rapids
Our Faith: Christian
Pets: Cat(s)
Kids Already: One Child Now
Child Care Plan: Family Member Child Care
Our Family & Friends
Our family and friends mean the world to us. We spend a lot of time with them. Weekends, holidays, birthdays, vacations, and so much more.
Our Home & Neighborhood
We live in a suburban community. Our home is a bi-level with four bedrooms and two full bathrooms. Our neighborhood is full of young families, with kids waiting to make friends and play outside. We have been blessed to have Autumn’s sister and niece living with is for the past seven years. We spend a lot of time together; playing board games, watching movies, cooking, playing outside, going on walks, and laughing a lot.
Education
Education is also very important to us. We believe there is no such thing as too much education. We believe that learning looks different for everyone and that learning takes place in so many different ways. We are going to encourage our child(ren) to do their best, to set goals, and to make sure they always know we are proud of them.
Correction & Discipline
We believe that everything runs better with routine, structure, and clear expectations. Children thrive when parents are on the same page and support one another’s decisions. We believe in talking to our child(ren) and having consequences for their actions.
Our Faith Views
Religion is very important to us. We would describe ourselves as Christian, but believe the most important thing is to love one another.
Richard's Career
I work full time for Allstate Insurance. I enjoy working alongside my best friend and getting to know different people on a daily basis.
My anticipated employment plan is to continue to work at Allstate full time and to support my family.
Autumn's Career
I am a full time elementary teacher. I truly love what I do. Teaching students new concepts and ideas, getting to know each and every one of them, and watching them grow into wonderful individuals.
My anticipated employment plan is to begin to work part time as we continue to grow our family. We are blessed to have a very supportive family, with many willing participants to help out whenever need be.
Richard
Autumn
Thank you so much for taking the time to learn more about us and for considering us as you prepare to make this difficult decision. We hope that through this process, you will be able to see the love we have for one another, for our families, for our friends, and for our future child.
We have always had a heart for adoption. We may not have a lot, but what we do have, we want to use to bless others. We know that God has called us to adopt and we cannot wait to meet the child He has chosen for us.
We want you to know, that we are thankful for you. Without you, our dream of becoming a family could not be possible. We cannot imagine what a difficult decision this may be. We pray for you daily, that you would have the strength, courage, and peace of mind to get you through this process.
With love,
- Behavioral and Emotional Needs of Adoptive Children
- Child Separation, Attachment, and Bonding
- Very Comfortable
- Mostly Comfortable
- Unsure
- A Bit Uneasy
- Not Comfortable