“Life gives us brief moments with another...but sometimes in those brief moments we get memories that last a lifetime.”

PATRICK & JENNIFER

Dear Birthparents,We first want to express our gratitude towards you for considering us as the parents of your child. We can’t even begin to understand the challenges and decisions you have already made to bring you to this point of your journey. We want you to know that your decision to pursue an adoption plan for your baby is one of the most selfless acts we have ever known. We can only imagine how difficult this has been for you. We hope by getting to know us, this process going

forward will become less scary and a bit easier.

About Us

Our life together has been very fortunate. It’s full of love, happiness, and success. We live in our dream home

and spend most of our summertime at our cottage up north. There is so much we want to share, but something is missing and there’s something we have been longing for...the sounds of little feet running around our home.

We are so excited to experience all the emotions involved in raising a child, the laughter, tears, and the joy.

The longing we have for a child is hard for us to explain. While we love going to new restaurants, watching

movies, spending time with our family and friends, and of course our dog Randall, we are excited to have a little

one become the center of our world. We have gone through a lot over the last couple of years to build our family. We know our struggles to conceive a child have

allowed us to grow and realize that we can’t take anything for granted. We will make great parents and

appreciate every minute of raising our children, even the hard times. Growing our family through adoption is something we are so excited about and we truly feel

blessed that we are going through this experience. We can promise that we are going to work extremely hard at being the best parents we can be and we will provide a

happy, safe, and loving home.

As you page through our portfolio, we hope you are able to get a better understanding of who we are and what our lives are like. Thank you for considering us in this very

important decision.

Our current family

We met at a Wisconsin Badger football game in the fall of 2001, after we both had been out of college for a couple of years. Neither one of us was really looking for a life partner at

the time, but as we got to know each other, we fell in love and we married nearly three years

later. Our wedding day was one of the happiest days of our lives.

We can both honestly say that we are each other’s best friend and we work well together as a couple. Of course there are arguments,

but one thing we our proud of is that we don’t hold a grudge. We compromise well, have good communication, and treat each other

with respect.

Some of our favorite activities are watching movies, spending time at our cottage up north, cheering on the Badgers at football and basketball games, and playing

with our dog Randall.

We knew early on that we wanted to have a family. This baby will be our first and we are hoping to have

more than one sometime down the road.

On our honeymoon in St. Lucia

Go Packers!Go Badgers!

Our life together

Jennifer’s Story

Jennifer with her sister and nephew

Jennifer with her niece having a slumber party

I was born and raised in an averaged size city, where my parents and even grandparents still live. I was a pretty active child, involved in a variety of

activities that included, piano playing, Girl Scouts, baby-sitting, dance, and sports. My parents always encouraged me to try new things, but never forced

me to do something I wasn’t interested in. This is something I am very grateful for, because it gave me the opportunity to learn for myself what my

passions were and what I excelled at. I plan to do the same with our children.

My parents and I have a very close relationship. They have been married for nearly 38 years and I have always said that if my marriage is only half as

successful as theirs, I will be very lucky. They taught me to love, respect, and to stay true to myself . They are fantastic role models and I know the lessons

they have taught me have prepared me to the best mother I can be.

My sister is my only sibling and she is 17 months younger than me, so I can say that I literally grew up with a friend. We did just about everything

together, including getting the chicken pox . We grew into different adults, but we are still as close as we were growing up. She has a 5 year old son, who I

love being around. I think he is one of the funniest little guys I have ever known. Everyone always says his red hair is a sure sign of his spunk. Not

only is it great being his aunt, but I also have the honor of being his Godmother.

After high school, I went on to college and earned a degree in Public Administration. I have worked primarily in the not-for-profit sector. My past job was for a local Down syndrome society. I had the opportunity to get to

know the most amazing families and kids. It was a very rewarding and fulfilling job. I currently stay home and plan to when the baby arrives. I am

fortunate to be able to stay home, so I won’t have to miss any school activities, doctor appointments, or trips to the park. I am so excited for my

new position as a Mom and I know this job will be my most rewarding of them all.

I consider myself an outgoing person and someone who loves to be around family and friends. I love planning social activities and I’m really looking

forward to the day that I can plan birthday parties and slumber parties with our children. I am a wife, daughter, sister, friend, and Godmother. The one

title I am anxious to add to my list is, Mom.

Jennifer paddle boating with her sister and nephew at the cottage

Love you!

My wife, Jennifer

Playing with our nephewOur wedding dayBadger fan

At Caesar’s Palace - Las Vegas

Jennifer is the most amazing person I have ever known. When we met almost eight years ago, I instantly knew there was something special about her. We

got to know each other quickly and it didn’t take long for me to see many of her wonderful qualities.

She is very caring, always doing the little things to try and make me happy. She is incredibly hard working, whether at her former jobs, or at home where

she has made it a very warm and loving place.

Jennifer always seems to be the girl that people turn to when they need to talk, because she is such a good listener. She has the ability to walk into a room full

of people and the room truly lights up.

I have to say that the highlight of my day is when I get to come home and spend time together with Jennifer. If I have had a bad day, she instantly makes

it better. If I have had a good day, she is who I want to share it with.

I know that Jennifer longs for the day when she gets to take all of these wonderful qualities and use them to raise our children. I can’t wait to see her

dream of being a Mom become a reality.

Patrick’s Story

Swimming with our niece at the cottage

Just hanging out with our niece

Enjoying our new boat

I grew up in a small town in northern Wisconsin, where my parents still live. I was an active child and I spent much of my time playing

outside with my friends. I have always loved sports and I have played football, basketball, and baseball as far back as I can

remember.

I am the second of four siblings. I have two sisters, one older and one younger, as well as a younger brother. With the six of us, our house was always busy, but my parents did a great job of slowing

everything down. They had a special way to make time for each of us and they always shared their love and support equally.

I remain very close with my siblings. My older sister is married and has two children, my niece and nephew. They live near to us, so we are able to get together regularly for cook outs and family

gatherings. Being an uncle has been very special to me. Watching their eyes light up when I am with them is very exciting and I can’t

wait to see that with my own children.

I have a special relationship with my younger siblings. Since I was older when they were born, I was able to help my parents when they

were babies. While they were growing up, I felt the need to be a role model to them and this responsibility has helped shape me into

the person I am today.

My parents raised me with the perfect combination of love, respect, and just enough discipline. When I look towards the future and

envision being a parent, I know that the example my parents set for me has prepared me well for the father I want to be.

After high school, I went to college and graduated with a degree in Finance and Investments. Shortly after graduation, I began my career as a Financial Advisor. I have always had a passion for

investments, something I learned about from my Grandmother. I am fortunate to be working at a job I love, and although it is

demanding, I have always maintained a nice balance between work life and family life. I am lucky to have a flexible schedule so I will

be able to take as much time off as needed when the baby first arrives. I will also be able to take time off in the future for everything from doctor appointments to school activities. Godfather to our niece

At cottage with our nephew

Our wedding day

Patrick is very intelligent about business, politics and sports. He loves being outdoors spending time on landscaping projects either at our home, or up north at our cottage. He is the most

thoughtful person I have ever known. He respects others and is always sensitive towards other people’s feelings. He remembers the little things that put a smile on my face and never takes me for granted. He is close to his family, which is one of things that drew me to him when we first

met. No matter how crazy life can get, he is always there in time of need.

Seeing Patrick around our nephews and niece, has only solidified how wonderful he will be as a father. He is patient with them and loves seeing life through their eyes. When we are with our nephews and niece and it’s clear that they love their Uncle Patrick. They are always asking,

“Where is Uncle Patrick?”.

Patrick works very hard to make our life happy and comfortable. I know his number one goal is to be the best father he can be and I have no doubt that he will provide a safe and happy home for our kids. He is my best friend and I am so happy we found each other. He is my rock and I

always know I can count on him. I am excited about our future as parents and even more excited to see his eyes light up when he holds our little one for the first time.

Relaxing at the cottage Be careful

My husband, Patrick

Our Families

Patrick’s Family - 2007

Jennifer’s Family - 2007

Both of our families at the cottage - Summer 2007

We always talk about how lucky and blessed we are to have such wonderful families. Both of our families live near us, so we are able to see each other often. We spend the holidays with not

only our immediate family, but our extended families as well.

Now that we have our cottage, we have regularly planned weekends when our families are there with us. We love cruising around the lake on our pontoon boat, grilling out and having a camp

fire. It’s really a relaxing place and a wonderful way to spend time with our families.

Another part of our family is our dog Randall. She is a 6 year old yellow lab. She has been there for us through thick and thin. She is full of energy, but loves to cuddle. Randall loves everybody and thinks that everybody loves her. We know she will be best buddies with her

brother, or sister.

Our family has been so supportive as we work at building our family. They couldn’t be more excited for us as we start our adoption journey. They can’t wait to welcome and love a new

little one to our family.

Randall Pup

Our Home and Cottage

We recently moved into our dream home that has been completely remodeled. It’s on the end of a cul-de-sac off of a very quiet street. Our neighborhood is

very quiet and safe. Most of our neighbors have been living in the area for quite some time, so it’s a very friendly neighborhood. It’s the perfect home to raise our

family. It has three bedrooms and a theater room that is great for pizza and movie nights. The backyard is perfect for playing catch and even has room for a

swing set, or playhouse.

Our cottage used to be Patrick’s grandparents’. They built it in 1968 and we purchased it in the summer of 2006. It’s on a small lake 90 minutes away from

our home. The short distance from our house makes it the perfect summer weekend getaway. The sounds of kids playing and the smell of campfires are

always in the air. It is a wonderful place to make memories and we are looking forward to adding our kids to these special times.

Our Dream Home

Our backyard - Lots of room to playOur Cottage - Perfect place to make family memories

Everyone says to us, “you just wait”, when it comes to having kids. They tell us how drastically our lives will change when we have kids. We have waited for a long time and we can say without hesitation

that we are ready for this change to happen.

We have watched our families grow, so we are aware of the challenges that come with

raising kids. We truly believe that the examples set by our parents have given us the tools to be wonderful parents. We will

use our life experiences to take on the difficult as well as rewarding aspects of

raising children.

Whenever we think about our future, our vision always includes children. When we

started to try and build our family, we didn’t know where the path would lead us or how long it would take. What we do

know, is we want to share our love, teach our kids new things, see life through their eyes, and do our best to be there for them

in times of need. We look forward to teaching them how happy life is and to not take anything for granted. Our hope and

dream is to raise our children to be happy, respectful, caring, and loving people.

Thank you for considering us in your decision and we hope our portfolio has

helped you learn more about us.

Our Future as Parents