About Us
Kameron and Emily
We have been married for nine years and are still madly in love! We love to do lots of things--as long as we're together. While we love to be active, we also love just hanging out, eating treats and watching a movie on a Friday night. We love to be with friends and family--we can't wait to have a family of our own!
We currently live in Washington State and bought our first house in July 2009. We are busy painting and putting our personal touches on it--we love it!
Kameron
Age: 31
Height: 6'5"
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Blue
Education: Master's Degree in Occupational Therapy
Occupation: Occupational Therapist
Favorites
Color: GREEN (Kam loves all things green)
Hobbies: Mountain biking, using his power tools
Food: Pasta, cheesecake
Movies: Nacho Libre, Lord of the Rings, Napoleon Dynamite, School of Rock
TV Shows: The Office, Lost, Lie to Me
Emily
Age: 29
Height: 5'10"
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Green
Education: Bachelor's Degree in Social Work
Occupation: Stay at home Foster-Mom
Favorites
TV Shows: Monk, Gillmore Girls, The Cosby Show
Hobbies: Running, Cooking, Biking, Card Making
Food: Mexican (as long as it's vegetarian!)
Movies: Chocolat, Pride and Prejudice, Anne of Green Gables
Music: Jack Johnson, John Mayer
Our House
We had a friend come over and take a few pictures of us in our house. We love our house! We have done so much work to it--it really feels like a part of us. We have three bedrooms and two bathrooms in a quiet neighborhood that we love!
Living room
Dining area
Kitchen
Kid's room (it looks a little different now that we have some children in it--definitely not as empty!)
We have a finished basement where we hang out and watch TV--we also are here a lot in the summer because it always stays nice and cool.
Living room
Dining area
Kitchen
Kid's room (it looks a little different now that we have some children in it--definitely not as empty!)
We have a finished basement where we hang out and watch TV--we also are here a lot in the summer because it always stays nice and cool.
20 Things You Should Know About Kameron (Written by Emily)
1. Kameron is 6'5 and solidly built. While some people may initially be intimidated by Kameron's size--they soon find that he is very mild mannered and gentle.
2. Kameron loves children. He especially loves to get them all riled up by throwing and spinning them around. Children are always drawn to him--he is every kid's best friend within moments of meeting him. I know he will be an amazing dad.
3. Kameron sometimes reminds me of Tim Taylor from the show Home Improvement. He loves to work with power tools and is always looking to make things more efficient. Kameron can fix anything and loves doing it.
4. He loves to mountain bike. I know of few things that make him happier than when he is zooming down a mountain. Kam can also do lots of cool tricks on his mountain bike--jumping, wheelies, etc.
5. Kameron is a pediatric occupational therapist. He works with children who have developmental delays to help them get up to speed. He often states that he gets paid to play with children--and loves it.
6. Kameron is pretty reserved in public but at home he is very silly. He is always singing funny songs around the house, making funny voices, and doing silly dances. He is really fun to be around.
7. When it comes time to buy something important, Kameron is obsessed with finding the best deal. He spends a considerable amount of time researching all the different options and weighing them against eachother. When he comes to a decision--I'm usually pretty confident that it is the best choice.
8. Kameron is a very spiritual person with a strong testimony of God and Jesus Christ. I have always admired his dedication to prayer and scripture study.
9. Kameorn is a great writer and regularly writes in his journal. When something is hard for him to express, he usually writes his feelings in a letter. Kameron has written many letters to friends and family members that have made a positive impact in their lives.
10. Kameron is a news junkie. He loves to know what is going on in the world. He is always up to date on the latest news stories and political issues.
11. Kameorn loves the outdoors. He was an Eagle Scout and has been a boyscout leader several times. He loves camping, hiking, and, of course, mountain biking.
12. Kameron loves to laugh. When his family gets together, there is always a lot of laughter. I can always tell if he is on the phone with his older brother because he is usually laughing non-stop. He loves funny movies and he especially loves quoting them afterwards.
13. He has a rich and deep voice--people have often told him that he should be on the radio.
14. Kameron can do back flips.
15. Kameron is very concerned about the environment. He recycles everything, replaces all our light bulbs with the energy efficient ones, and really wants to own a hybrid car someday.
16. Kameron is the most patient person I have ever met and is very slow to anger. He has never raised his voice to me--in fact, I don't think we have ever had a serious argument in our marriage.
17. Kameron loves the color green. Much of his wardrobe is green. Many of his belongings are green. I'm sure someday he'll want a green car and a green house. He just loves green.
18. Kameron loves shoes. Especially the brand Keen. He probably has more shoes than I do. Since he wears a size 14 shoe, he usually has to get his shoes online.
19. Kameorn cuts his own hair, his dad's hair, and his brothers' hair. He is quite the barber.
20. Kameron is very laid back and easy to get along with. He truly is my best friend.
2. Kameron loves children. He especially loves to get them all riled up by throwing and spinning them around. Children are always drawn to him--he is every kid's best friend within moments of meeting him. I know he will be an amazing dad.
3. Kameron sometimes reminds me of Tim Taylor from the show Home Improvement. He loves to work with power tools and is always looking to make things more efficient. Kameron can fix anything and loves doing it.
4. He loves to mountain bike. I know of few things that make him happier than when he is zooming down a mountain. Kam can also do lots of cool tricks on his mountain bike--jumping, wheelies, etc.
5. Kameron is a pediatric occupational therapist. He works with children who have developmental delays to help them get up to speed. He often states that he gets paid to play with children--and loves it.
6. Kameron is pretty reserved in public but at home he is very silly. He is always singing funny songs around the house, making funny voices, and doing silly dances. He is really fun to be around.
7. When it comes time to buy something important, Kameron is obsessed with finding the best deal. He spends a considerable amount of time researching all the different options and weighing them against eachother. When he comes to a decision--I'm usually pretty confident that it is the best choice.
8. Kameron is a very spiritual person with a strong testimony of God and Jesus Christ. I have always admired his dedication to prayer and scripture study.
9. Kameorn is a great writer and regularly writes in his journal. When something is hard for him to express, he usually writes his feelings in a letter. Kameron has written many letters to friends and family members that have made a positive impact in their lives.
10. Kameron is a news junkie. He loves to know what is going on in the world. He is always up to date on the latest news stories and political issues.
11. Kameorn loves the outdoors. He was an Eagle Scout and has been a boyscout leader several times. He loves camping, hiking, and, of course, mountain biking.
12. Kameron loves to laugh. When his family gets together, there is always a lot of laughter. I can always tell if he is on the phone with his older brother because he is usually laughing non-stop. He loves funny movies and he especially loves quoting them afterwards.
13. He has a rich and deep voice--people have often told him that he should be on the radio.
14. Kameron can do back flips.
15. Kameron is very concerned about the environment. He recycles everything, replaces all our light bulbs with the energy efficient ones, and really wants to own a hybrid car someday.
16. Kameron is the most patient person I have ever met and is very slow to anger. He has never raised his voice to me--in fact, I don't think we have ever had a serious argument in our marriage.
17. Kameron loves the color green. Much of his wardrobe is green. Many of his belongings are green. I'm sure someday he'll want a green car and a green house. He just loves green.
18. Kameron loves shoes. Especially the brand Keen. He probably has more shoes than I do. Since he wears a size 14 shoe, he usually has to get his shoes online.
19. Kameorn cuts his own hair, his dad's hair, and his brothers' hair. He is quite the barber.
20. Kameron is very laid back and easy to get along with. He truly is my best friend.
20 Things You Should Know About Emily (Written by Kameron)
1. Emily is a vegetarian, she has always been obsessed with healthy food and about a year ago she decided to take the leap and officially be a no meat eater
2. Emily loves to organize and de-clutter, she loves to throw things away (her inspiration is the TLC show Clean Sweep) if she could be a professional organizer her dreams would come true.
3. Emily sees the best in everyone, she has a special way of connecting to people most others try to avoid.
4. Emily is a social worker and nothing fits her better, she is the most caring, compassionate and accepting person I know.
5. Emily gives things her all, when she works she gives 110% whether or not others around her do the same.
6. Emily loves cross word puzzles, a passion she learned from her dad.
7. Emily loves to make me happy, but she also really loves to tease me and get a good reaction from it, it drives me crazy but I love her.
8. Emily has always wanted more than anything to be a mom, I know she will be an amazing mother.
9. Emily has the most amazing handwriting, she is always the go to person when a sign needs to be made.
10. Emily is the most down to earth, easily approachable and fun to talk to person.
11. Emily is patient, forgiving, understanding and loving, she would have to have these traits in abundance to be married to me.
12. Emily is always trying to improve herself, she decides she wants to learn something new and she really goes out and tries to accomplish it, she has become an amazing card maker and is becoming an accomplished pianist.
13. Emily helps me to be a better person, she inspires me and pushes me to better myself, she is my inspiration, I know she believes in me.
14. Emily loves to fall asleep on the couch each night, this is really the only way she rebels against the usual routine.
15. Emily is always so excited when I come home, she jumps up and down and giggles with glee, it makes me feel loved.
16. Emily loves to go on long walks to talk with me about life.
17. Emily is laid back and easy to spend time with, there is no one else I would like to be with.
18. Emily loves to be cuddled, she could spend hours being held.
19. Emily loves the outdoors, she enjoys hiking, camping and biking as long as it is a paved trail.
20. Emily is a wonderful wife, I could not think of anything more I could want or expect in a companion. I love spending time with her and never tire of her company.
20. Emily is a wonderful wife, I could not think of anything more I could want or expect in a companion. I love spending time with her and never tire of her company.
Dear Birth Parent
Dear Birth Parent,
You have been in our thoughts and prayers. As we sit down to write this letter we are trying to put ourselves in your shoes and to try to understand what would be the most important thing you could know about us. We feel you should know that we have a very strong and stable relationship full of happiness and love. We have been married for eight years and are more madly in love with each other than ever! We know that we will provide a nurturing and loving environment where your child will be unconditionally loved and accepted.
Soon after our marriage, we decided to start a family. We both love children and had dreams of having a large family. We became pregnant a few months after our wedding. We were just about to announce the exciting news to our families when the pregnancy ended in miscarriage. We have never been able to become pregnant since. After going through endless fertility treatments, we were faced with the decision to either do in-vitro infertilization or to adopt. After much deliberation and prayer we decided that we wanted to build our family through adoption. We have never questioned that decision since. We know we will love any child placed in our home with the same intensity as if he or she were biologically ours.
When we think of our future family we imagine having family dinners together every night, reading bedtime stories and playing hide and go seek. Kameron dreams of taking our children bike riding and Emily longs to bake cookies and dress our children in fun Halloween costumes. We love the outdoors and plan on plenty of outdoor adventures as a family (as well as trips to Disney Land--we love it!). We have decided that after we adopt Emily will leave work and become a stay at home mother. This is very important to us as a couple and feel it will be the best way to raise our children.
We both love children and have chosen professions where we work with children. Kameron received his master's degree in occupational therapy and works with children who have delays. Emily received her bachelor's degree in Social Work and has worked extensively with children and families. Education is very important to us. We know we will take an active part in our child's education and encourage them to live up to their potential.
We are active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is important to us to attend church each Sunday as well as activities throughout the week. Our congregation is truly like another family to us. We have great friends who support and love us. We know that our child will be accepted and loved (and will have lots of play-dates).
Family is very important to us. We both have great relationships with our families and we love to be together. Our child will have plenty of cousins (right now there are six) and lots of aunts and uncles (Kameron has five siblings and Emily has three). Our parents are loving and doting grandparents who are excited about adoption. They often talk to us about making plans to come stay with us when our baby comes home. Our families are both full of stable and caring people who will be great influences in our child's life.
We purchased our first home in July of last year. Our home is in a beautiful and quiet neighborhood with lots of trees (it is Washington, after all). We have great schools, parks, and libraries close to us. We have a room in our house just waiting to become our nursery. We love our home and feel it is a safe, calming, and happy place to be. We love to have friends over for dinner and strive to make our house a place where people want to gather. We have a great yard and plan on starting a vegetable garden this year.
We know that the decision to place your child for adoption is a very serious and selfless decision. We respect the dedication and love you have for your child. We are wanting an open adoption where our child is aware of the sacrifice their birth parents made for them to have the best life possible.
Please let us know if you have any questions for us--we'd love for you to contact us!
Take Care,
Kameron and Emily
You have been in our thoughts and prayers. As we sit down to write this letter we are trying to put ourselves in your shoes and to try to understand what would be the most important thing you could know about us. We feel you should know that we have a very strong and stable relationship full of happiness and love. We have been married for eight years and are more madly in love with each other than ever! We know that we will provide a nurturing and loving environment where your child will be unconditionally loved and accepted.
Soon after our marriage, we decided to start a family. We both love children and had dreams of having a large family. We became pregnant a few months after our wedding. We were just about to announce the exciting news to our families when the pregnancy ended in miscarriage. We have never been able to become pregnant since. After going through endless fertility treatments, we were faced with the decision to either do in-vitro infertilization or to adopt. After much deliberation and prayer we decided that we wanted to build our family through adoption. We have never questioned that decision since. We know we will love any child placed in our home with the same intensity as if he or she were biologically ours.
When we think of our future family we imagine having family dinners together every night, reading bedtime stories and playing hide and go seek. Kameron dreams of taking our children bike riding and Emily longs to bake cookies and dress our children in fun Halloween costumes. We love the outdoors and plan on plenty of outdoor adventures as a family (as well as trips to Disney Land--we love it!). We have decided that after we adopt Emily will leave work and become a stay at home mother. This is very important to us as a couple and feel it will be the best way to raise our children.
We both love children and have chosen professions where we work with children. Kameron received his master's degree in occupational therapy and works with children who have delays. Emily received her bachelor's degree in Social Work and has worked extensively with children and families. Education is very important to us. We know we will take an active part in our child's education and encourage them to live up to their potential.
We are active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is important to us to attend church each Sunday as well as activities throughout the week. Our congregation is truly like another family to us. We have great friends who support and love us. We know that our child will be accepted and loved (and will have lots of play-dates).
Family is very important to us. We both have great relationships with our families and we love to be together. Our child will have plenty of cousins (right now there are six) and lots of aunts and uncles (Kameron has five siblings and Emily has three). Our parents are loving and doting grandparents who are excited about adoption. They often talk to us about making plans to come stay with us when our baby comes home. Our families are both full of stable and caring people who will be great influences in our child's life.
We purchased our first home in July of last year. Our home is in a beautiful and quiet neighborhood with lots of trees (it is Washington, after all). We have great schools, parks, and libraries close to us. We have a room in our house just waiting to become our nursery. We love our home and feel it is a safe, calming, and happy place to be. We love to have friends over for dinner and strive to make our house a place where people want to gather. We have a great yard and plan on starting a vegetable garden this year.
We know that the decision to place your child for adoption is a very serious and selfless decision. We respect the dedication and love you have for your child. We are wanting an open adoption where our child is aware of the sacrifice their birth parents made for them to have the best life possible.
Please let us know if you have any questions for us--we'd love for you to contact us!
Take Care,
Kameron and Emily
Our Journey to Adoption
When we were married, we decided to wait a year before we had children. Two months after our wedding, we were at church and both had a very strong impression that we needed to start trying to have a family. About three months later, we found out we were pregnant! It was a shock that it happened so soon but we were very excited. We set up an appointment to see a doctor and we planned how we were going to tell our families--our baby was to be the first grandchild in both of our families. At around 12 weeks of pregnancy, right before our first doctor appointment, Emily had a miscarriage.
While the miscarriage was hard, we were confident that we would be pregnant again soon--and we felt a lot of peace about the situation. Well, we were wrong. Emily never became pregnant after that. After about a year of trying, we went to a doctor and had a few tests done. We were told we had "unexplained infertility" and were assured that the problem would most likely correct itself.
After two more years of no success, we decided to see a doctor again. Emily started taking fertility drugs and soon learned that there were more problems than just "unexplained infertility." After about a year of unsuccessful treatments, we moved to St. Louis where Kameron was attending graduate school. We decided to consult with one of the country's leading fertility specialists who practiced in St. Louis--we were very optimistic about becoming pregnant soon.
We again began fertility treatments and found that there were even more problems with our fertility than we knew before. Just as Kameron was graduating and we were about to move, we were advised that the most likely way we could become pregnant was through in-vitro fertilization. We decided that we would wait to decide about the procedure until after Kameron found a job and we moved to a more permanent residence.
After we moved, we found that God had a different plan for us. As we were discussing and praying about in-vitro fertilizaton, our church was hosting a night with LDS Family Services. We decided to attend because Emily was interested in services that she could offer her clients as a social worker. As the presenter began talking about adoption services, we both got the feeling that in-vitro fertilization was not what God wanted us to do. He wanted us to look into adoption. After months of praying about in-vitro fertilization, we received our answer. All of a sudden the surgery we were excited about felt wrong to us. We called LDS Family Services the next day about adoption. We have never questioned that decision since.
Even before we were married, we discussed adopting children. We know this is not a coincidence, but Heavenly Father preparing us for the unique way our family would be formed. We know that God has a plan for each of us and that sometimes, in order to become who he wants us to become, he gives us trials. If we handle the trials well, we know that great blessings will come. Although struggling with infertility has been difficult, we know that adoption will bring us more joy and happiness than we could have ever imagined.
Kameron's Family
I love my family. I am the second of six kids and the tallest in my family-- my oldest brother is ironically the shortest. I get along well with all of my siblings and think of each of them as best friends. I think what I love most about my family is the happiness I feel when we are all together. There is so much joy and laughter and it is just so comfortable to all be together. I cannot say that my family is perfect (whose is?) but I can say that we stick together through the good and the bad times and it is our love that keeps us together. There have been plenty of
hard times but the good always outshines the bad. My parents have done a wonderful job in raising 6 kids, and creating a family who looks after each other very well. My oldest brother is carrying on in the same tradition with his little family, he has a little boy and a girl (the cutest nephew and niece ever!) I am blessed to have such a wonderful family!
Emily's Family
I have such an awesome family! I am the second of four children. I have three brothers and growing up being the only girl definitely had its perks (like I always had my own room). We are a tight knit family and are always happy to be together. We love to just be around eachother, play games, and crack jokes. My brother and his wife have three kids making me the aunt to two beautiful nieces and a wonderful nephew. My two little brothers are both in college and are both taller than I am (but I can still boss them around). My whole family is very supportive of our decision to adopt and they are more than ready to welcome a new addition to our family.
How We Met (Written by Emily)
Our story all begins at one of the most romantic places on Earth--The Home Depot. I was working in the garden department for the summer and Kameron was working in the tool/hardware department.
One day I was watering the houseplants and Kameron walked up to me, smiled (with his amazing dimples), and asked if I "knew the scientific name of all these plants?" (What a pick-up line). I played along and made up some plant-sounding names. We flirted a bit and then he left to return to his department. I remember thinking, "who is that? Why have I never seen him before?" I didn't remember his name so I referred to him as "Hardware Boy."
At lunch time there was a grassy hill behind the store where I would go for lunch. It was a great place to be alone and get some peace and quiet. I was eating my lunch one day and looked down to see "Harware Boy" climbing up the hill toward me. I was so excited! He sat next to me and we started talking. He asked me out on a date for that weekend and I happily consented.
We had a fun first date--we ate dinner at Guru's, played air hockey, and went on a little hike in the mountains. We felt really comfortable around each other and weren't afraid to act a little silly. After our date, we talked and flirted a lot at work but he hadn't asked me out again. I decided to take matters into my own hands and told him, "I had a great time on our date, we should do it again sometime." Kameron replied, "Okay, what are you doing tonight?"
We went out again, had a great time, and went on a few more dates. The summer was drawing to a close and I was leaving to go back to school in the Fall. We had a "farewell" date and when we said goodbye I started crying. This startled me because: 1--I don't cry very much and 2--We hadn't been dating very long at all and had made no commitments to each other. I realized that I had deeper feelings for Kameron than I realized.
I went back up to school and Kameron would call and visit occasionally. We started calling more and more and then e-mailing constantly (there wasn't texting back in the day). I started going home more on the weekends to see him. Kameron eventually transferred to my university and we got engaged. And then we got married. And that was the happiest day of my life. I always tell Kameron if I could do it all over again--I would still pick him to marry. And I mean it.
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