Seth & Miriam
Seth & Miriam
It was the worst kayaking experience ever… We were on kayaks on a big lake off of Lake Michigan along with Seth’s family who were on canoes. We went to state park canoe trails through some swampland. All was going well until we got back out on the big lake to head back and the wind had picked up and the waves were going against us.
Immediately, we started paddling like crazy and not looking back for a while, when we looked back we could not see Seth’s younger sister and her friend’s canoe, and could hardly see Seth’s parents and sister’s canoe. Fearing we would never make it back if we tried to go back to them, we kept paddling for our lives, hardly seeming to get anywhere with the strong wind.
Eventually, we completely lost sight of everyone and were getting quite worried. We ended up landing on a beach spot to take a break and fearing the worst we considered whether we would have to call the coast guard. Thankfully before too long, we spotted them and they eventually caught back up to us. As it turns out when they got back out on the lake Seth’s sister and friend’s canoe got swept way back because of the wind and Seth’s parents had to go back to help them.
Everyone was very frazzled and grumpy to say the least! Looking back on this memory we all laugh and talk about how awful it was, but also the great memories we have!
Our Story
We were introduced by a mutual friend and met for the first time at some local truck pulls. Before long we were very interested in each other and started dating. We got married less than a year from when we met, and have been happily married for 6 years now.
We started our marriage wanting kids right away, but that is not what God had planned for us. We took some fun trips, worked on our house a lot, spent lots of time with family and friends our first 5 years of marriage. We tried numerous fertility treatments that never worked. That was really hard to go through. Adoption was always on our mind and we decided to go the route of infant adoption.
Almost a year ago now we found out about a baby boy who now is recently adopted into our family! That was a fun but also very trying roller coaster. He is the light of our world and pretty sure there isn’t happier parents out there! He is such a super sweet easy going baby and he makes us very proud parents.
Our Relaxation & Fun
We love playing with Landen and watching him explore! We plan on our free time activities changing and being more centered around our kids as they grow. We do love to travel, go camping, kayaking, have bonfires, and work on house projects. We also really enjoy spending time with family and friends.
our adoption hopes
Gender: A Boy or A Girl
Ethnicities: Any Race and Ethnicity
Age: Newborn to 2 Years Old
Total of: 1 to 3 Children
a snapshot
of us
We Live In: Grand Rapids
Our Faith: Christian
Pets: Dog(s)
Kids Already: One Child Now
Child Care Plan: Stay-at-Home Parent
Our Family & Friends
We get together frequently with both sides of our family. We have a lot of fun together! We feel very blessed to have so much family around us and to have such a great support system surrounding us. We get together for Holidays, Birthdays, random dinner nights, and vacation together every year. It has been such a joy to join Landen to the mix of many Nieces and nephews. Everyone loves him so much and can’t wait for another baby to join the family as well.
We have close friends that we enjoy spending time with as well. We have them over for dinner, have bonfires, play games with them, and sometimes go on trips with them as well. Most of them have started families which has been fun to experience.
Our Home & Neighborhood
It is our desire to cultivate a joy-filled meaningful home life. This means spending time together in meaningful ways whether it be work or down time, also opening our home to fellowship with others. We live in a rural quiet neighborhood with wonderful neighbors that are there for us if we need anything.
We have a spacious yard and have open fields surrounding our home. We love where we live and plan to continue updating our home and making it more our own with future children in mind.
Education
We believe the purpose of education is to instill in your child a love for Jesus, a diligent work ethic, and strong love of learning in academic subjects and life-skills, utilizing the specific learning styles of the child. Education begins in the home, directed by the parents with support and accountability of a Christian community and church.
Correction & Discipline
Discipline is about “discipling” the child, coming alongside and asking them why they chose to misbehave and teaching them what the better choices might have been in that situation. Sometimes, it means giving them a time-out to think about their choices, taking privileges away, or letting them experience the natural consequences of their actions. Discipline is always loving, always encouraging, and always from a heart of grace.
Our Faith Views
We live by faith in Jesus Christ, seeking to honor Him in our daily lives and worshiping Him in a community of believers every Sunday. As Christians, we strive to live graciously, humbly, and diligently with integrity and excellence in every part of life for God’s glory.
Seth's Career
I work full time as an Electrician for a large electrical company. I enjoy working hard and being able to teach others who are just starting out. I work for a great company who treats me well and I feel well taken care of.
I plan to still have my same job and work schedule when we have a child. I will help Miriam care for our child after work and on the weekends.
Miriam's Career
I love being able to stay home to take care of Landen and care for things around the house. There is nothing that brings be greater joy than to be a wife and mother. I feel very blessed to have this opportunity. I also enjoy doing hair in some of my free time.
In the future I still plan to stay home with our children. Caring for them and helping them learn as they grow.
Seth
I grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. My father’s family came from the Netherlands, and my mother was adopted. She is part German and part Irish.
We are a Christian family and grew up going to church every week. We enjoy spending time together for the holidays, grilling out, swimming at my parents’ pool, having bonfires, camping, and celebrating Birthdays.
Miriam
I grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. My ancestors immigrated from the Netherlands in the early 1900s. My parents and siblings value family time, enjoy annual camping trips and holiday gatherings with lots of great food.
Regular and random times of gathering include weekly church attendance, recreational sports, harvesting gardens, and patriotic gatherings throughout the year. We not only gather during times of celebration, but are always there for each other during the difficult and trying times as well.
Thank you for taking the time to look at our profile. We realize this is a very hard and big decision to make. We know that adoption is not the easy way out. But it can very well be the most brave and beautiful choice for you and your baby. The fact that you are here and seeking adoption shows you are very brave and care about your baby very much. We long to love and raise a child as our own.
We will never stop trying to be the best parents our child / children could ever have. We would love to be able to have a relationship with you, and we realize there will always be a connection between you and your baby. Our hearts are open and more than ready for a child to take care of and love, and also to nurture a relationship through open adoption.
- Behavioral and Emotional Needs of Adoptive Children
- Child Separation, Attachment, and Bonding
Our desire for the child placed with us is to have an open relationship with you and that it would be positive and become natural for all involved. Ideally, we would like to be able to set a schedule to meet every month or so with pictures and open communication in between.
We are open to having more of a close-knit family relationship but would never want to over-promise and assume that that will work great with our lifestyles and ideals. Our hearts are open and full of love to give for all involved.
OUR COMFORT LEVEL WITH DIFFERENT ADOPTION OPTIONS
- Very Comfortable
- Mostly Comfortable
- Unsure
- A Bit Uneasy
- Not Comfortable
Our desire for the child placed with us is to have an open relationship with you and that it would be positive and become natural for all involved. Ideally, we would like to be able to set a schedule to meet every month or so with pictures and open communication in between.
We are open to having more of a close-knit family relationship but would never want to over-promise and assume that that will work great with our lifestyles and ideals. Our hearts are open and full of love to give for all involved.
Just one more thing...Our desire for the child placed with us is to have an open relationship with you and that it would be positive and become natural for all involved. Ideally, we would like to be able to set a schedule to meet every month or so with pictures and open communication in between.
We are open to having more of a close-knit family relationship but would never want to over-promise and assume that that will work great with our lifestyles and ideals. Our hearts are open and full of love to give for all involved.