Sam (he/they) & Kristin (she/her)
Sam (he/they) & Kristin (she/her)
Kristin is usually the one who brings change into our family. She’s the one who encouraged me to apply to graduate school and she adopted our first dog, Chewbacca, from a coworker, sight unseen!
Three days before Halloween, Kristin received a call from Michigan Standard Poodle Rescue at 10 am while she was at work. There was a two-year-old male Standard Poodle who needed to be rescued that afternoon. Could we do it? Kristin called me and I immediately asked my boss if I could travel across the state to see about a dog. This is what we do, Kristin and I. We see something good, a chance to try something new or help out, and with her prompting, we jump.
I drove away from the sun towards Jackson. The address I was given took me along several dirt roads before I arrived at a small farm. That’s when I saw this huge, lanky gray and white patchy poodle with a poofy head. He was moving in circles around his people, a woman my age who greeted me, and her daughter. The dog’s name was Ladd, she told me. He leaned against the girl and chomped on an old tennis ball. I held out my hand to him. He sniffed me and within minutes he was leaning against me.
I know how hard goodbyes are for kids. I had to make many growing up as a military kid. I told the girl she could have as much time as she wanted to say farewell to Ladd.
Once the daughter had said her goodbyes, Ladd turned toward me and immediately jumped into my open car door, and plopped his tennis ball into the center cup holder. He was ready to go. I was nervous. The Michigan Standard Poodle Rescue folks made it clear to Kristin and me that this was initially a temporary, foster situation for Ladd. It’s hard to gauge a dog’s personality from a few minutes after meeting them, but on the drive back home, it was clear to me this was a sweet dog. I didn’t know how Oliver, who had no clue we were even getting another dog.
Ladd quickly blended with our family. Oliver couldn’t get enough cuddle time in with the big, fluffy poodle. Kristin and I decided we would open our home forever to Ladd just a few days after that spontaneous answer to adventure’s call.
Our Story
We met in college in 2001 and married in June 2006. We went on our honeymoon to Vermont and stumbled upon a school called the Center for Cartoon Studies. It was exactly what Sam was looking for, so he applied and was accepted to begin the next fall. We took a leap of faith and moved to Vermont for Sam to attend the Graduate program. Kristin found a school in New Hampshire where she would teach 3rd grade for many years. Both of us earned our graduate degrees and lived in New England for 6 years. We loved all the opportunities to be out in nature in Vermont. We moved back to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2013 to live near our families. Even though we loved living in Vermont, we valued being near both of our families. We had our child, Oliver (they/them), in May of 2014. They are such a happy child and loves to be with people. Oliver looks forward to being a big sibling so much.
We love to spend our time together playing scrabble, hiking, and talking over coffee. Kristin is adventurous and is always thinking of new activities to do as a family. Sam is silly and brings a lot of jokes and smiles to our journey. When we became parents we learned how well we work together as a team to create a warm, loving home.
Our Relaxation & Fun
As a family we love adventuring: camping & hiking, visiting GR parks, going to museums including the Grand Rapids Public Museum, visiting family cottages, canoeing, attending Grand Rapids festivals, traveling, and seeing Meijer Gardens throughout the seasons. To relax we enjoy playing games, building Lego together, watching cooking shows, and reading.
Kristin- I love to read, bake, play games and do things outside such as go on hikes, camping, and canoeing. I love my family very much. I love spending time with them and just being together. Another one of my favorite things to do is to draw and color as a way to relax.
Sam- I enjoy storytelling and have pursued many creative projects. I have illustrated many children’s books, often working in areas that require a creative eye or mind or supporting STEM education. My family is very important to me, I love my wife and child very much. Books and stories are also important to me, especially poetry. I believe that imagination is an important part of life.
Oliver- I like to play with Lego, read and play on my I-pad. I like to play outside including, jumping on my trampoline, playing soccer, swinging, and running. In the winter, I like to sled, build snowmen, and have snowball fights. When I get inside, I drink some nice hot chocolate.
our adoption hopes
Gender: Any Gender, including an Ambiguous or Transitioning Gender Child
Ethnicities: Any Race and Ethnicity
Age: Newborn to an Older Child
Total of: 1 to 2 Children
a snapshot
of us
We Live In: Grand Rapids
Our Faith: Open to All Religions
Pets: Dog(s)
Kids Already: One Child Now
Child Care Plan: Stay-at-Home Parent
Our Family & Friends
Both sets of grandparents live within five miles of us and are very involved in our lives. Kristin’s family will often have large family gatherings around holidays and birthdays which are very memorable. We also value our friendships, both Kristin’s Maid of Honor and Sam’s Best Man live in our neighborhood and continue to be close friends. We believe it is important to nurture deep friendships and have many close family friends we have known for over a decade. In many cases, our friends’ children and Oliver are near the same age and several attend the same school and church as our family.
Our Home & Neighborhood
We have lived in our bi-level home since 2013. One of the main reasons we moved in this neighborhood was to be by Riverside Park and nearby playgrounds. We love our home and have enjoyed creating a few native plant gardens in our yard. We have 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. We have enjoyed making our home comfortable by recently installing new flooring and building a new deck. We live in the Riverside Park neighborhood. We are in an urban neighborhood. It is a middle-class neighborhood. It is predominantly Caucasian. Our neighborhood is very quiet and most of the neighbors are older and stay inside. We have a friendly relationship with our neighbors across the road, and have a wonderful friendship with our next-door neighbor, Eileen, who is in her 70’s. We have no plans to move away from our neighborhood or home.
Education
Education is very important. It is also integral that it is right for the child. Not every educational environment is right for every child. For example, our child, Oliver, goes to North Park Montessori because we love the Montessori philosophy and reinforces many learning opportunities at home. It may not be right for everyone so we would definitely consider every option that is best for our children.
We think college is a helpful thing but will support any career path that our children choose, helping them to know the risks and rewards involved in any path they choose. If college is a chosen path, we will fully support our child’s decision helping along his/her educational journey. We don’t have a burden of expectation for our children’s careers beyond wanting them to be kind and helpful individuals.
Correction & Discipline
Discipline has less to do with punishment and more to do with guiding a child. Discipline helps us interact positively within our world and among society as helpful people. It is about guiding and showing how to be a kind human being.
Children are learning this, and they need daily guidance in a loving and supportive manner. We follow the love and logic principles when we discipline Oliver, helping them to understand consequences and developing their own sense of agency. We do not believe in any physical punishment as a form of discipline.
Our Faith Views
We believe that religion, when done correctly, brings more light and healing into the world than its absence. Ultimately religion is a practice of compassion and empathy which enables us to move in the world as agents of divine love. We shy away from any religious expression that would cause hurt, abuse, or repression to continue to grow in this world. We describe ourselves as progressive Christians and occasionally attend St. Andrews Episcopal Church. We are open to all religions and love to learn and welcome others’ beliefs.
Sam's Career
I have loved working in the creative/design field for over 13 years doing everything from illustration to book layouts. Currently, I am a marketing manager for the company FOAMit. I enjoy working on a collaborative team to provide creative marketing solutions. We market industrial cleaning equipment, which doesn’t sound very fun. However, our cleaning equipment is heavily used in the food and beverage industry and I like to think what we do allows people to safely enjoy life.
I will get 2 weeks of paternity leave and could possibly take more from my vacation time if needed. I work from home on Tuesdays and Thursdays and am able to be flexible. My company is family oriented and they allow me to take time for my family as needed, for example, I am able to do drop off and pick-up if needed for school.
Kristin's Career
I am providing part-time private reading tutoring out of my home as well as watching a child on Mondays. I was an Academic Reading specialist, but resigned in 2022 to have more flexibility and time for my family. My passion is to help children become readers and love reading. I am excited to continue to help children read while having more time for my family.
I am and plan to be a stay at home parent. I will still participate with my part-time job at home.
Sam
Sam’s mother is from Michigan and has English ancestry. His father was raised in the military and traveled extensively as a child, his ancestry is Welsh/German.
As a child, Sam was raised in the military and moved all over the world. Home for him was always Wear Michigan where his mother’s family lives. He isn’t very close to his father’s side of the family and doesn’t have any traditions that have been passed on to him from them. With one notable exception.
During the summers as a child, his immediate family would take a week to travel to Michigan and spend it at his grandparents’ cottage on Bass Lake near Greenville, Michigan. Sam has very fond memories of his time with family at the lake and is thankful that he is able to continue this tradition with Kristin and Oliver.
Kristin
Kristin’s family comes from Northern Minnesota. Most of Kristin’s ancestors immigrated to the U.S from Norway. Traditions have always been making lefse (potato and butter tortilla) at Christmas. Kristin’s immediate family moved and lived for most of her life growing up in upstate New York.
Throughout the years, Kristin’s two sisters and their families along with her parents live in Michigan and Chicago. Her family has always been very important to her.
Hello there,
Welcome to our family! We are Kristin, Sam, Oliver, and our fluffy dog Ladd (Standard Poodle). If you could visit our house on a Saturday morning, you may see Sam cooking up some eggs and potatoes while brewing dark roast coffee.
Oliver, our child, might be playing with Lego, and Ladd would be curled up on the couch next to them.
Then we would eat, play a game, and listen to NPR or one of our Pandora stations. Later in the day you could find us on a hike on one of the many trails in the area or adventuring around Grand Rapids. We make the most of the time we have together as a family.
Our little trio has been hoping to grow for many years. There is a great deal of hope and compassion in our hearts for others who will share this journey with us. The love we know we can give to more than one child has not diminished. As we decide to choose adoption to grow our family, the most important thing to us is to provide space and respect for the child’s family and culture. We want to be able to welcome another family into our lives by sharing traditions and customs.
We sing a blessing to Oliver every night before bedtime and we would like to pass this blessing to you. “May the Lord bless you and keep you. May His face shine gently upon you, and give you peace, and give you peace, and give you peace, forever.
Warmly,
- 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
Family is central to us. It was the deciding factor when we chose to move to West Michigan, rather than stay in Vermont in 2013. We love knowing where we come from and knowing our family history and stories, no matter how odd, embarrassing, or glorious. It’s what makes us who we are.
Open adoption is so important to us because our family will expand by more than one member, it will grow into something bigger and richer for all of us. We want you to have a relationship with your little one. We want to know the history of your family. We want to be able to celebrate and honor your stories and traditions. We want open adoption because the relationship with your family is important. It is important for your child to know who you are and who they came from. The mystery is gone, and a lifelong relationship is formed.
We would love to be able to include you and your family in many ways. We would love to have discussions with you including about the name of the baby. We want you to feel welcome at holidays and birthdays. We want to be able to share milestones of the baby with you. We would also love to talk with you about what you are looking for and ways you see yourself included!
OUR COMFORT LEVEL WITH DIFFERENT ADOPTION OPTIONS
- Very Comfortable
- Mostly Comfortable
- Unsure
- A Bit Uneasy
- Not Comfortable
Family is central to us. It was the deciding factor when we chose to move to West Michigan, rather than stay in Vermont in 2013. We love knowing where we come from and knowing our family history and stories, no matter how odd, embarrassing, or glorious. It’s what makes us who we are.
Open adoption is so important to us because our family will expand by more than one member, it will grow into something bigger and richer for all of us. We want you to have a relationship with your little one. We want to know the history of your family. We want to be able to celebrate and honor your stories and traditions. We want open adoption because the relationship with your family is important. It is important for your child to know who you are and who they came from. The mystery is gone, and a lifelong relationship is formed.
We would love to be able to include you and your family in many ways. We would love to have discussions with you including about the name of the baby. We want you to feel welcome at holidays and birthdays. We want to be able to share milestones of the baby with you. We would also love to talk with you about what you are looking for and ways you see yourself included!
Just one more thing...Family is central to us. It was the deciding factor when we chose to move to West Michigan, rather than stay in Vermont in 2013. We love knowing where we come from and knowing our family history and stories, no matter how odd, embarrassing, or glorious. It’s what makes us who we are.
Open adoption is so important to us because our family will expand by more than one member, it will grow into something bigger and richer for all of us. We want you to have a relationship with your little one. We want to know the history of your family. We want to be able to celebrate and honor your stories and traditions. We want open adoption because the relationship with your family is important. It is important for your child to know who you are and who they came from. The mystery is gone, and a lifelong relationship is formed.
We would love to be able to include you and your family in many ways. We would love to have discussions with you including about the name of the baby. We want you to feel welcome at holidays and birthdays. We want to be able to share milestones of the baby with you. We would also love to talk with you about what you are looking for and ways you see yourself included!