Mike & Carolyn

Hi, we’re Mike, Carolyn & Emily. Thank you for taking the time to learn more about us. We have chosen to adopt because we want to bring another child into our loving family. After over two years of trying with fertility assistance, we were blessed with the birth of Emily. When Emily was one year old, we returned to the fertility treatments again but were unsuccessful. Through adoption, we finally have hope that there will be another child in our lives.

IN THE BEGINNING

Mike and Carolyn met while attending the same college. We met though a mutual friend and fell in love. Mike and Carolyn had many of the same values and hopes and dreams. We both came from large families and always wanted to build our own. We dated for over two years and then Mike proposed at the restaurant of our first date, married after college graduation and honeymooned in Florida.

ABOUT US

Mike is the third of four children and has an older brother and sister and a younger sister. He also has two step sisters from his father’s remarriage. Mike has lived in NC since the age of 11. His extended family lives within an hour of us. His father and stepmother have a farm nearby that we visit regularly. His younger sister, brother, and step sister all live beside the farm. His mother has a home or her own, but stays with his younger sister most of the time. His older sister lives within 45 minutes of our house. Mike’s siblings and step siblings have 8 children between them ranging in age from 1 ½ to 24 years old. Mike’s maternal grandparents live in Germany (where his mother is originally from). He has numerous aunts and uncles in the area as well as two uncles in Germany. As a child, he enjoyed family vacations, fishing, baseball and outdoor activities. He has regular family gatherings to celebrate birthdays and holidays.

Carolyn has been a stay-at-home mom since Emily was born and plans to continue to do so. Carolyn volunteers at Emily’s school and was recently named volunteer of the month. She also takes time to care for her mother. Carolyn was born up north and moved to NC when she was 4 and considers herself a southern girl. She is the youngest of four children and has two older brothers and an older sister. Her sister lives within an hour of our home. Her eldest brother lives in DC but visits about once a month. Her other brother lives in AZ and visits about once a year but calls regularly. As a teenager, she spent several summers in AZ visiting with her brother. Her father passed away in 2008 and her mother lives nearby. She sees her sister and mother at least once a week. Her siblings have 8 children between them ranging in age from 18 to 25. As a child, she enjoyed family vacations, playing board games, running and outdoor activities. She has regular family gatherings to celebrate birthdays and holidays. We vacation at her sister’s lake house often.

Emily was born in 2003. She is a very outgoing, energetic, happy, positive, and creative kid. She is very excited about being a big sister. She is friendly to everyone and definitely not shy. She enjoys art, crafts, gymnastics and playing with the neighborhood kids. She loves to sing and sings all day long. She loves to ride her bike, ride her scooter, fish and work in the yard with her dad.

OUR FAITH

Mike was raised Catholic and Carolyn was raised Presbyterian. We currently attend a Methodist church that we really love since it is very family-oriented. We attend nearly every Sunday and Emily loves her Sunday School class. The church has many fun activities (potlucks, harvest festivals, etc…).

FUN TIMES

Since meeting in college, we have enjoyed taking trips to the mountains, hiking, fishing, and going to the beach. Before Emily was born, we took trips to California, Texas, Florida, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Michigan and South Carolina. We try to visit the mountains at least once a year and have begun taking trips to the coast, as well. Carolyn’s sister has vacation homes in Michigan and Virginia that we sometimes visit. We hope to visit Disney World in the next few months too.

Mike has been an avid fisherman since he was five and the family has enjoyed this hobby as well. Carolyn’s family loves to play board games still and our family does so also. Carolyn loves to make cards, cross stitch and do craft projects with Emily and her friends. We enjoy being able to visit Mike’s father’s farm and feed the cows, fish in the ponds and play with the nieces and nephews.

OUR HOME

We have a very child-friendly neighborhood and home. We chose our neighborhood because it has a pool, walking trails, playground and many school-age children. Almost every backyard has a swing set and/or a trampoline and Emily never has to look far for a playmate. Our neighborhood has Easter egg hunts, Halloween parades, a Fall Festival with inflatables and train rides, movie nights, and a swim team. We live in an area that is full of fun activities and many parks. Our home itself has four bedrooms and a bonus room. The house and garage are full of toys and areas to play. Our backyard is fenced and we have a swing set and a sandbox. We enjoy gardening and have planted many plants passed down from our mothers. Emily enjoys digging for worms. We love to grill and spend time in the backyard watching children play. We have two cats that we have had for many years that are a part of the family.

FAMILY

We have a lot to offer a child. We have been in a long-term loving relationship for almost 20 years. We still love to laugh and spend time together. Family is very important to us and we live kid-centered lives. We are generous in giving love and time to our family, friends, and community. We have taken parent/child art, fitness fun and music classes together and look forward to doing the same with our next child. We read almost every night with Emily and always look for ways to enrich what is taught at school. Emily attended a Christian pre-school and we intend for our next child to have the same experience. We are fortunate to have family and many close friends nearby to welcome our new child and give lots of love.

ABOUT ADOPTION

We know this is the hardest decision that you will ever make and want you to know that we will love your child unconditionally. We consider all children a miracle and can not wait to welcome the gift you have given us into our lives. We admire your strength, courage and selflessness in considering adoption. We know that the child that is meant to be ours will come to us. We are glad to have the opportunity to tell you about our family.

If you’d like to learn more about this family contact us by either calling our birthmother hotline operator at 1-877-890-4673 (HOPE) or by e-mailing us.