Hey there! We are Eric and Janna, and we are so grateful that you are taking time to get to know us and consider us as adoptive parents.

We met in April 2015 after returning home to California from serving as missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. A mutual friend suggested that Eric consider getting to know Janna because she was "tall and cute." From our first interactions, we both knew we had found our special someone. So special, in fact, that Eric would travel across state lines to continue to date Janna and ask her to marry him---his proposal was in the form of a scavenger hunt during our move to Utah! We were married in Los Angeles in December 2015.

Shortly after we were married, we decided to start trying to have children. We are grateful for that decision because it took us two and a half years and numerous doctor's visits to finally hold our beloved Dorothy "Dot" in our arms. She has been a special blessing from the beginning, continuously making us smile.

Adoption has always been a part of our family planning discussions, and we are so excited to expand our family and share our love with another child. Even little Dotty is ready and regularly says she wants to be a big sister "when she grows up."

Eric is one of the most intelligent, friendly, talented, social, and humorous people I know. So many things have always come easily to him, like sports, math, and science. While Eric has a natural talent for things, he also works hard. If he takes an interest in something, he will dive right in, learn what he can about it, and practice until he's succeeds. He loves reading, disc golfing, hiking, and mountain biking.

He is a natural leader, and that is why he thrives in management and supervisory positions. He currently works as a Finishing Manager for an aerospace manufacturing company. His coworkers love him, and he is a great teacher and friend.

Eric is a very caring father. He loves to plan one-on-one time, surprises, and has encouraged Dotty to be competitive, just like him. They can often be found playing board games, racing, and exploring outside. Eric and Dotty have the same birthday and have always had a special connection.

Eric has taught me so much about being a wonderful partner and spouse. He remembers the little things; he fills my water bottle every night, leaving it on my nightstand; he remembers things I've shown interest in and will create an amazing date around that; he has no problem apologizing if he is wrong and always gives me a goodbye kiss when he leaves. Eric helps me be a better person.

Janna's favorite way to express her care and appreciation for others is through crafts and projects. She also has a particular knack for planning and putting on events.

Some top events Janna has planned include a sex-trafficking awareness event, numerous family weddings, and a number of pre-wedding parties like bridal showers. Many friends and family follow her on social media platforms and will scroll through her pages to lift their moods.

Currently, Janna is a full-time stay-at-home mother. She does a great job balancing chores around the house, playing with little Dot, and setting apart time for family activities. Before we had Dot, Janna showed how well she could balance hefty workloads by juggling part-time work and completing her bachelor's degree in theater. While I finished my degree, Janna worked full-time to support us.

Janna has a wonderful perspective of the world around her. Often this is demonstrated by passing along bills in her wallet or providing snacks to those seemingly in need, or donating online through crowdfunding platforms. Even though I sometimes give her a hard time for how much she donates to others, it is one of the traits I admire most in her.

Home

Our home is small and has taught us to be minimalistic, which we love. We try not to have clutter, don't hang on to unnecessary things, and live by the general rule that everything has a place and a purpose. Janna has decorated our home beautifully and created a very calming space. We like to cook most days, but we hate doing dishes. One of our favorite things to do in our home is have movie nights with popcorn.

Neighborhood

We have one upstairs neighbor, and they are great. Dotty loves their cat, too. We live across the street from a community park and trails, and use them often. We live close to our city's historic downtown, and it is fun to see it all lit up at Christmas. The parade route runs right past our home, so we always have a great seat for viewing! We also live very close to a university and love seeing the annual firework show from our driveway!

Community

We live in a rural community where there's currently a lot of growth---we're excited to see what the future brings for our area! We are blessed to have one of the best rural hospitals in the country. Much of what happens in our city is centered around the university, which brings exciting opportunities. We are located less than a 15-minute drive from anything in the city, including Eric's work---he gets to come home for lunch every day. We find that most people in our community are kind and accepting of all lifestyles and people.

We are both blessed with large extended families. Janna comes from a family of eight siblings who have given her parents twenty grandkids! Janna's parents and one sister live locally, some live in the western United States, and some live in Georgia and Texas. We see Janna's parents regularly, and Dotty loves to hang out, have sleepovers, go to the park, and make cookies with them. Janna has tons of extended family that live locally, and we see them very often. Her family loves games and competitions, and even though some are far away, we all FaceTime and text regularly.

Eric has three siblings, two who live in California and one in Utah. His parents still live in California, and we see them twice a year, and call them frequently. We have monthly Zoom calls with his entire family, and we catch up and play games over the internet! Dotty has five cousins on Eric's side (three are adopted), and she loves when we get to visit so she can play with them. Eric's grandmother is very special to us and loves Dotty---we all love to send letters to her in the mail.

We are so grateful that both sides of our family have supported our decision to adopt. They have been sympathetic during our fertility struggles, and they hope and pray for our adoption journey. The child we adopt will be welcome with open arms.

We love to watch movies, solve puzzles, play games, go hiking, and disc golfing together. We are very fortunate to live right next to national and state parks, giving us many opportunities to get outside, especially in the spring and summer. We have always enjoyed traveling and being outdoors, making trips often to visit family or explore new environments and experiences.

We love popcorn and treats. You can often find us in the kitchen making something yummy. Dotty and Eric love to wake up on the weekends and make waffles, and we love her help in the kitchen.

Eric has lots of patience and has made an effort to teach Dotty how to play board games and card games from an early age. It is an activity we enjoy doing as a family and as a couple.

Janna loves Halloween, and it has become a family holiday. We love decorating the house and wearing multiple costumes each Halloween season as we attend many events---some in family costumes, some in couples costumes, and some we attend individually costumed. Janna and Dotty talk about costume ideas throughout the year.

Twice a year, the Latter-Day Saints hosts a televised weekend church event where we get to listen to different people speak about our faith from around the world. During this event, we make a tent in our living room, where we camp out for the whole weekend. We like to eat special treats and relax and learn as a family. We are excited to share our faith, our love of Halloween, our excitement for games, and our baking experimentation with a little one.

Thank you for taking the time to consider us as a potential part of one of the most loving decisions you are contemplating for your child. Please know that we promise to respect your preferences regarding the amount of openness you desire. We will always do our best to help your child understand how much love this decision represents.

We love being parents and are excited to share the skills we have developed with another child. We have been preparing for adoption, watching videos, and reading children's books on adoption. We know this will help Dot to better understand and prepare for her new sibling.

We will always be open to explaining adoption to the child and speak of you with great respect. They will know the love and the sacrifice you've made for them.

We promise this child will be coming to a loving forever home. We are grateful for you. There are already so many family members, friends, and church family who can't wait to love and support the child we adopt.



Thanks,

Eric and Janna