Heather & Mark
Our names are Mark and Heather and
we are so thankful to you for looking at our
page, and wanting to learn a little more
about us. We’re honestly not sure how to
start; words are failing us as we write this
to you. To us, more importantly than
thanking you is acknowledging that what
you are doing is more than amazing,
wonderful, and giving, but also one of the
most difficult things you will do in life. We
can’t say we know how hard this must be for you, and the only comfort we can offer is
to say that your child will be loved beyond measure.
OUR STORY
Mark and I met while we were both in college, and we dated for two years and took our
first trip together to Jamaica for his parents vow renewal. It turned out the day before,
Mark had picked out an engagement ring and he proposed on the
beach after his parent’s ceremony.
After our engagement we talked
about our future together, and decided early on that we wanted to
adopt at least one child. So now,
after six years, we are pursuing
our family dreams.
Shortly after we graduated we got married, and he was offered a job as a field engineer in
Houston. A few months later we made our first move and started our journey together.
Three years later Mark’s career has already taken leaps and bounds. His career is what
allows me to be a stay at home wife while I finish my Human Services Degree and hopefully soon, a stay at home mom until the child(ren) reach school age. Mark’s career growth
has taken us on an amazing journey through different states and we are now focused on
putting down roots, starting a family, and creating a home.
Mark grew up as a mid-western boy from head to toe, while I am a mix of west
coast and farm girl. I spent my young childhood years growing up in San Diego and my
middle school and high school years in Iowa. Both of us have family all over the United
States and between the two of us we have cousins and siblings who live in quite a few
states. Which means that most of our family vacations consist of visiting with lots of relatives! Mark and I can be a little opposite at times, since he can be easy going and I like to
plan and organize the details. He has his love of cooking and I have my love of breakfast
for every meal.
We both wanted to travel after college
Our Home
and his work gave us that ability. We
have been able to have an “extended
honeymoon” by moving around and
seeing new places and making new
friends for the past four years, and
now we are ready to complete our
dreams of a family. We live in a
beautiful home near playgrounds,
parks and schools. We fell in love with
our home because of the neighborhood and the sense of community. Our street is nicknamed
Ginger Bread Lane because it gets decked out every Christmas with a ginger bread theme, while
the next street over is Frosty Lane because of the snowman decorations. We are so happy to of
found a perfect home to start a family in, and will be so excited to start painting a nursery when
we are blessed with the opportunity to be first time parents!
Our Family
Heather’s parents, Loree and Rick, along with her older sister Jennifer, and her husband
Brandon, are all very supportive of adoption. Being an Aunt is a very fun role to play. I
have a large extended family with many 1st and 2nd cousins, as well as aunts and uncles.
Most of my family lives in California, but some are in Missouri, Iowa, Florida, Texas and a
few more places in-between. I was born in California with several cousins and my childhood there was lived at the beach, at our pool, and at the parks. My mother has 5 older
siblings so cousins were never few or far between. I was very lucky to never do anything
alone, because we all practically grew up as siblings rather than cousins. When Mark and
I travel its usually to go out to visit my grandfather in Hemet, CA and all my family in San
Diego.
Mark’s family including his parents, Sherri and Vernon and older sister Jaime live in
Indiana, which is not a far drive away. We both Heather and Mark have large extended
families that we visit frequently. My mom and dad come out to Iowa as often as they can
to spend the weekend here with Heather and I, and I’m sure they will be doing so even
more when they have their first grand child! Heather and I will be driving out to Indiana a
few times a year to see everyone and to catch up with the family. When we drive out
there is sure to be game nights where we play cards and Wii games.
Our Traditions
We have many family traditions both big and small. Mark and I both share a love of going
to live baseball games. It has become a tradition to get to a ball game in every state we
live in or visit. Another tradition is traveling to California to visit friends and family where
going to Sea World is a must! Mark and I switch between my parents and his each
Thanksgiving. When it’s my families’ turn to have a Thanksgiving celebration you can
always expect a fantastic meal and amazing leftovers.
When it is our turn to go to Mark’s family for Thanksgiving and Christmas we have a big
dinner followed by playing video games with all of the cousins. Mark usually gets issued a
challenge at Dance Revolution (which he absolutely does not win). We then divide into
teams and play board games for the rest of the evening. A new tradition is driving out to
Indiana for both of our birthdays (August and June) and my parents and sister rent a box
and take us to a baseball game.
What I love about Heather…
She has always had a way with children and I have known for many years that
she was meant to have them be a part of her life. She has seen herself as a Mom
for a long time. I plan on being the one to support her dream and mine, and give
our family everything I can. She has such a big heart and is always thinking of
others. It’s amazing how many times she can play Candyland, and still stay sane.
She will be the best Mom, because of her never ending patience and her kind and
caring nature. I cannot wait for the day when she is able to share it not just with
me, but our child.
What I love about Mark...
He Is an amazingly hard worker and is successful in his career. I could never picture
getting a degree in Engineering, let alone Aerospace Engineering. He is so dedicated to
everything he does. Now what he and I are both dedicated to and want more than anything is a family. I cannot wait to be blessed with a child and to see that dedication
from him and the all-encompassing love that only comes from a father. He talks about
how he is going to educated our children on the “finer things in life” like how to throw
the perfect curve ball and where the best fishing spots are. Mark is talented in many
things and strongly agrees in encouraging dreams. Our children will learn passion and
the importance of dedication through Mark. With Mark’s warm heart and gentle approach, our child(ren) will always know love and the value of family.
Lucas is an important part of our family. We got him when
he was just an 8 week old puppy. We researched hypoallergenic breeds that were small to medium sized and had
a good temperament. We drove three hours to get him and
it was love at first sight. He is 4 years old now and loves
everyone he meets, human, canine or even feline!
We love to travel and want to show
our child all the wonders of the world,
different cultures and lifestyles. We
both love to read, go to baseball
games and fish.
Mark likes to watch football, especially
when the Dolphins are on! He enjoys
playing golf, trying new restaurants,
cooking, camping, being outdoors.
Heather loves horses, horseback
riding, and hopes to own a horse
someday. She also loves watching
Disney movies with her little cousins
and the children she used to be a
Nanny for.
WHAT LED US TO ADOPTION
We have both said from the very beginning of our
marriage over three years ago, that no matter what, we
wanted to adopt. It doesn’t matter to us where they
come from. We want to share our love with a child.
Through our journey of starting our family, we found out
that we would have our own barriers and struggles of
having a child naturally. It didn’t take long for us to
discover the path we were supposed to take and
pursued our adoption plans soon after. This is our first
adoption and we plan to adopt again in the future. We
both loved having a large family and hope that we will
be blessed with the same.