Hello!

Thanks for taking the time to get to know us! Words cannot express how grateful we are for you and are amazed at the courage and love you have. We know that this is such a difficult and big decision to make. You are always in our prayers, on our minds, and in our hearts. Hopefully through this blog you can get to know us a little better! We are grateful that you are considering our family in this adoption process! We hope to be able to meet you! If there is anything we missed that you would like to know, please feel free to email us at tylerandjenadopt@gmail.com.

Why we are adopting.

We always knew we wanted a big family. We both grew up in large families, Tyler the oldest of 5 and Jen the oldest of 6. So having a small family was never an option!

We were so happy when we found out (on our 1st anniversary!) that we were expecting Luke and were thrilled to welcome him into our family in May 2004. Then we were so blessed to welcome our second son Isaac to our home in Feb. 2006.

When Isaac was about a year old we decided it was time to try for baby # three. Things didn't go as planned and for two years we went through the emotional roller coaster of many tests, misdiagnoses, and treatments, until we finally learned that we wouldn't be able to conceive another child.

But that won't stop us from building our family to have the house full of kids that we dreamed of! We are so grateful that we are able to build our family though the miracle of adoption! We have so much love for our kids and look forward to having our love grow as more children come into our home! Luke and Isaac are so excited to have a new little baby come to our home, whether it is a little sister to protect, or a little brother to teach all about trains, they will be awesome big brothers!

How we began...and got to where we are.

Tyler grew up mainly in Texas and Ohio. He is the oldest of 5, 3 sisters and 1 brother. He was involved in many high school clubs and activities, including the show choir, choir, and Huddle.*** He went to BYU for a year before serving an LDS mission to Cape Town, South Africa. After his mission he returned to BYU.

Tyler around 7 or 8.

Welcome home from South Africa.

Jen grew up in Utah. She is the oldest of 6 siblings, 4 sisters and 1 brother. In high school she was on the yearbook staff and was a cheerleader her senior year. From there she attended Ricks College in Idaho for 2 years before transferring to BYU.

Jen-age 6.

Senior in high school.

Jen is in the front row, second on the left.

Tyler and Jen met in Sept. of 2001 when we both lived in the same apartment building while attending BYU. But our first date wasn't until May 10th. We went to a baseball game. We still don't know who won the game, since we spent the whole game talking. Then pretty much from our first date on, we were inseparable. We found we could talk easily, had many interests in common, and had fun being together. Tyler proposed on the Fourth of July, after watching fireworks. We were married on September 25th, 2002 in the Salt Lake Temple.

On a date to the Manti Pageant-June 2002

Some of our engagement pictures.

Our Wedding Day!

Sept. 25th 2002

On our honeymoon in Disneyland!

After we were married we both continued our education at BYU. Jen graduated April 2003 with a degree in Elementary Education. She then taught 6th grade while Tyler finished up his degree. He graduated in April of 2004 with a degree in Business/Information Systems. Shortly after he graduated, Luke was born. Tyler got a job at Convergys as an Operations Manager and Jen was lucky enough to be able to stay home with Luke. When Luke was a little over a year, Tyler got transferred to St. Louis. Since we have moved here, we have welcomed Isaac to our home, switched jobs, first to Express Scripts and then to Tyler's current position as Performance Improvement Consultant at BJC, a health care provider. Tyler is almost finished getting his MBA to better ensure his ability to provide for our family and make it possible for for Jen to stay at home.

So there is a quick snap shot of how we got here. We will talk more about what we like to do as a family and about each person in other posts! Thanks for getting to know us!

Jen decribes Tyler

I couldn't be luckier when it comes to a husband! Mine truly is wonderful, amazing, and completely awesome and we fit together perfectly. One of the things that I love most about him is his playfulness. He is constantly down on the floor with the boys, playing with them, chasing them, and making up games with them. And they absolutely adore him for it! He can always make me laugh. He is also the most patient person I have ever met. He is very laid-back and relaxed, which is a good balance for me and my worrying! And he is an absolute rock. His faith is so strong, he never once doubts that things will work out. I also appreciate his work ethic. It is just as important for him for me to be able to be a stay-at-home mom, and he works hard to provide for our family so that I can. He is currently working full time as well as getting his MBA from Washington University and is doing an amazing job balancing everything. He also realizes the challenges that I face as a stay-at-home mom, and gives me support where I need it. He is great at showing his love for me. He tells me he loves me several times a day, and shows he loves me though his actions, helping around the house, helping with the kids, leaving me notes, and many other services for me. He makes me feel beautiful. He makes me want to be a better person while at the same time loving me unconditionally just the way I am. So, to sum up how I feel about him, I am so in love with him and count my blessings everyday that I somehow got him to marry me!

Still so madly in love!

Tyler decribes Jen

Jennifer is the best wife I could ever ask for.

She loves to create. She has done everything from painting the house, to scrapbooking, to creating jewelry, to using the miter saw, to creating beautiful home decor. She makes our home a place where the Spirit can dwell. She loves photography. She takes her camera with her everywhere she goes and she never misses an opportune time for a photo. She always has a new picture and a new frame for our home to make it even more beautiful. She loves to read. She is especially fond of children's literature which has and will continue to come in handy for our kids.

She keeps our home immaculately clean. She is very frugal and only spends money on things we need. She is very practical. She is very thoughtful. She seems to have her Christmas shopping done every year before the first week of December. She remembers everyone's birthday and always has a card ready to give to them. She knows and remembers my needs.

She is a wonderful teacher. She is very dedicated to making sure our kids learn everything they need to know. She volunteered and worked at an Elementary school during our first 2 years of marriage, and she has held in home pre-schools for both of our kids. Now she also volunteers in Luke's kindergarten class.

She is a die hard BYU fan. She grew up going to every single BYU game from the time she was old enough to walk, which explains our annual trips to watch BYU football games as a family when they come anywhere close to Missouri.

The one thing I love the most about Jen is her beautiful eyes. The eyes are the window to the soul and she has the most beautiful and purest soul I have ever seen. She has been a wonderful support to me through my work, my church responsibilities and advancing my education. Most important of all, she has a strong and unwavering faith in our Savior Jesus Christ. She has a testimony of the gospel and of Christ's church.

I love her very much and am lucky she is my wife!

Meet Luke

Well here is a little bit about Luke! He is an active 5 year old who LOVES Kindergarten. He is enjoying learning to read and to add and subtract and is doing great in school. He says his favorite subjects are Art and Library, and of course, LUNCH! He loves being read to, building things with blocks, Legos, and Lincoln Logs, playing trains, and making up games with his little brother. He also likes to "wrestle" with Daddy and to play Monopoly with him. He got some artistic genes from Mom and likes to paint, cut and glue things. He took swimming lessons this summer and really enjoyed them! He also likes to play tee-ball and soccer, and will soon be starting basketball. He is so excited to be a big brother again. He is great with younger kids and is so good at helping them and at helping around the house. He is one awesome kid!

Playing goalie. That was his favorite position. Daddy was one of his coaches.

He always has BIG SMILES in the pool!

Riding the mechanical bull on our family vacation to Texas.

With Mom on the first day of school.

Meet Isaac

Meet Isaac, a cute, curly haired boy with a big imagination! Isaac LOVES to play pretend! He is always pretending to be a dog or a cat or a cowboy or a super hero. He also loves to be read to and to look at books. He is going to an in-the-home Mom's preschool and he loves going to play with his friends and learn about letters numbers and shapes. He is excited to do anything that his big brother does too! He was finally old enough this year to get to play soccer too! He loved it and even scored a goal! He loves to go to story time at the library and to playgroup to see his friends. He also loves to "wrestle" with Daddy and to have races with him. He also loves babies and is excited to be a big brother. He is the best toy "picker-upper" and always makes us laugh. He is one cute kid!

He wanted to be a dog for Halloween. I wasn't surprised since he is always pretending to be a dog anyway!

He loves books!

One of my favorite pictures of Isaac.

Ready to kick that ball!

Stuff about our family!

We love spending time together as a family. Some of our favorite things to do together is to read together and play board games. Luke likes Monopoly and Isaac likes Hi-Ho Cherry-O. We also like to play in the back yard. The sandbox is a favorite as well as the trampoline. We also like to go to the park and go on little mini day or weekend trips like to Hannibal, MO or Nauvoo, IL. We also have enjoyed getting Six Flags Season passes. We love to give our kids opportunities to try new things and develop their talents. We have put them in swimming lessons, and on soccer, tee-ball, and basketball teams. It is fun to see their different talents emerge and see the confidence that grows from participating in these activities. We will continue to encourage them to develop their talents and support them and attend every event in whatever interests them most! Jen also enjoyed being able to volunteer at Luke's school and to teach preschool for Isaac. That is one of the reasons why we feel so strongly about Jen being at home, so she can support our kids in their education and interests.

As a couple Jen and Tyler enjoy going on regular date nights. We like enjoying a quiet meal together, talking to each other. We also enjoy watching and going to football games together. We have been known to travel great distances and make family vacations out of BYU football games! We like to play broad games together too--Tyler always wins at the strategy games and Jen always wins at the trivia games!

Being silly...we have a bigger wading pool, but this was the one Luke wanted to fill! That's typical Tyler, just getting down and doing what the kids are doing!

Weekend vacation to Nauvoo.

Another weekend vacation to Hannibal, touring the Mark Twain cave.

Playing on the trampoline.

Paddle boating is so fun!

We are just a very happy family who loves being together and who has LOTS of love to share!

Meet Tyler's Family

Tyler's family is spread out all over the place!

His parents live in Ohio. They only live 8 hours away, so we see them several times a year and always have fun at their house!

Tyler's Dad is an accountant. He is very talented on the piano and very smart. He loves to do crosswords and always sends his kids things from the newspaper that he thinks they will enjoy.

The boys love playing cowboys and Indians with Papa and he makes up some fun games!

On a hike with Papa.

Tyler's Mom was a stay-at-home mom most her life, but now that her kids are all grown she works for JoAnn Fabrics as an Education Coordinator. She is very crafty and loves to sew, quilt, scrapbook, make cards, just about anything crafty! Her and Jen fit right in together with the same hobbies! She has a fun-loving personality and the kids have so much fun with her!

Being silly with grandma!

Tyler is the oldest, then there is his sister Kjerstin. She got married a little over a year ago to a great guy named Steve. They live in Las Vegas where she is a 5th grade teacher and he works for for an environmental company. They are a fun-loving couple and always fun to be around!

Kjerstin and Steve on their wedding day!

Then comes Tyler's brother Kyle. He recently was married as well, this past Feb. He and his wife, Jessy are now living in Arizona where Kyle is attending medical school. They are also so fun to be around!

Tyler, Jen, Jessy and Kyle at a Cleveland Indian's game over the 4th of July weekend.

Then there's Whitney who is a riot! She graduated from BYU in 2008 with a degree in Psychology. She is currently working at a youth home in Spanish Fork UT and they just love her there. She is so good with the kids in the program.

Whitney, Dad, and Tyler at the BYU/Oklahoma game in Texas.

Emily is the baby in Tyler's family. She is sophomore at BYU, also majoring in Elementary Education (lots of teacher's in the family!). Emily is a very talented dancer and singer. She was on the high school drill team called the "Beeliners" as well as in the show choir. In fact all of Tyler's siblings were in the show choir, a tradition started by him. They are a very talented family!

Telling "Auntie Em" a story while watching the hot air balloons on the 4th of July.

So, there is Tyler's family in a nutshell! Time to meet Jen's family!

Meet Jen's Family

All of Jen's family live in Utah. Even though they live so far away we still see them a couple times a year and talk at least weekly with them. Since we don't see them all the time, every time we do it is like a big reunion and we have fun together. And since so far our kids are the only grand kids, they enjoy being spoiled by their grandparents and aunts and uncle!

Jen's Dad works for Wells Fargo and serves as bishop in his ward. He loves surprising his grand kids with visits. They most recently surprised us with a visit on Halloween. He does an awesome Donald Duck impression that the boys LOVE! They sure love their Papa!

Riding on the "tractor."

Jen's Mom was a stay-at-home mom most of her life. She had an in-home daycare at one time as well as an in-home preschool. She is so great with kids! She is also a very talented artist and has painted huge murals on the walls in the basement of their home.

On a train ride with Grandma.

Jen has four sisters. One sister, Allyson, died when she was a baby. Jen is the oldest then comes "Aunt Kimmy." Kim visits us every summer and we have so much fun! She graduated from BYU-Idaho and now works in the Library at BYU. She is pursuing her Masters in Library Science. Next would come Allyson, and then there is "Aunt Ashie." Ashley recently graduated from BYU with a degree in Elementary Education and is currently a nanny while she looks for a teaching job. She also loves kids and has fun playing with Luke and Isaac. Heather is the baby of the family. She is a junior in high school and is the family jock. She is on the volleyball and basketball team. She also has played tennis and has a 4.0 GPA!

Jen, Heather, Kim, and Ashley at a picnic up the canyon in Utah.

And then there is the lone brother in the family, "Uncle Dan." He comes between Ashley and Heather. He served an LDS mission in San Fernando CA and is currently attending Utah Valley University. He was on the swim team in high school. He is great with the kids and lets them crawl all over him, which they love!

Playing with Uncle Dan.

Thanks again for getting to know us! We hope to be able to meet you, and again, just know how much we admire and love you!