Dear BirthMother,
We are so grateful to you for giving us this opportunity to tell you about our family, our home and our hopes and dreams for a child. We are Steve and Stephanie.
We have been happily married for eleven years with a five year old son, Zachary. We are so excited and looking forward to expanding our family through adoption.
We met over 25 years ago which is a story in itself. Eventually we married, gave birth to Zachary and looked toward a future of the laughter of children filling our home. However, as you probably know, life doesn’t always go as you have planned. After years of infertility treatments in an attempt to have more children, we have realized that God has a different path for us to take. This path includes you and we would be so honored to be chosen to love your child. Our promise to you is that our love for your child would be no different than the love we have for our son Zachary. We know this because Steve himself was adopted as are his older brother and sister. Adoption to us is another loving way to create a family. All children are gifts and meant to be loved and cherished. We are both close to our siblings and can’t imagine having grown up without the love and friendship of our brothers and sisters. We want that bond as well between the child we adopt and Zachary.
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To help you get to know us, let us start at the beginning:
Stephanie: I grew up on a farm in rural Iowa. My father was a farmer, and my mother stayed at home with my sister, brother and I. Family was central to our lives. My grandparents and many extended relation lived within 5 miles of our home. Some of my most cherished memories from my childhood are the holidays spent with cousins planning our annual Christmas play put on in Bumpa and Grandma’s basement or hanging out in the motor home parked in the backyard pretending we were on some great adventure. Bumpa…you are probably wondering what on earth kind of name that is? It is a family name for grandpa that was started by my dad when, for some reason, he had trouble pronouncing grandpa. It has stuck, and we are now on the third generation of Bumpa’s. Oh, what Steve has to look forward to!
My siblings and I were and still are the center of my parents’ world. My parents were firm but loving. They always took great interest in whatever we were doing. I knew I could depend on them whenever I needed them. I have grown to appreciate how my parents instilled in me the importance of family, unconditional love, education and faith in God. I strive daily to instill these same values in our son, and will as well for the child we adopt. We were an active family who spent many weekends boating or camping in the woods of northern Minnesota. I also grew up with a love of sports through either watching them or actively participating. I remain very close to my siblings. We get together as often as we can and talk weekly on the phone. Education was also very important in our family. After high school, I graduated from college with a Nursing Degree. I always knew I wanted to be a nurse and work with children. I accomplished this love working as a Pediatric Intensive Care Nurse for 8 years. Our children will be encouraged and provided any opportunity to achieve whatever it is they wish.
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Steve: I was adopted by my parents when I was 10 days old and had my first airplane ride from South Dakota to Minnesota. I was welcomed into the family by my older brother and sister whom were also adopted. My father was a factory worker, and my mother ran a daycare from our home for over 30 years. Her devotion and love for kids is what drove them to adopt us. We always knew we were adopted and thought that was natural and the normal way to create a family. My parents created a very nurturing environment with lots of structure. Dinner was always a family affair and many weekends we spent at the lake updating the latest cabin. Saturdays were for hard work, and on Sundays we played. I learned my love of water from my dad who taught me to fish and ski. My mom was a huge Minnesota Vikings fan which I became as well. I also grew up with many extended relation living in the area, we often met at Grandma’s house for holidays. These were huge events crowding over 50 people into Grandma’s little one room house. Some of my favorite memories growing up are the times spent with my cousins at Grandma’s or at the lake on camping trips.
My parents were from meager backgrounds which caused them both to appreciate hard work. This mentality is a big part of what drives me in my daily life today. I hope I can instill this same value in my children as well as it was instilled in me. This drive led me to serve 3 years active duty in the Air Force and 2 years in the Air Force Reserve after high school. During this time, I also obtained my Engineering degree and started working in the cellular phone business.
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Steve and Stephanie:
Getting back to us and that story we talked about. We are sure there is a cheesy movie out there somewhere about a chance encounter between two teenagers in the mall parking lot that forever altered their lives. Well that story would be us! Steph left her lights on in her vehicle one foggy evening going into the mall. Discovering her car wouldn’t start after the movie, she asked a policeman for help. Unable to help, he flagged down Steve who was walking across the mall parking lot. As Steve would say, of course he couldn’t refuse helping an attractive 16 year old girl in need. We started talking and ended up spending the evening getting to know each other. The rest is history as they say. We became best friends and throughout the years have grown stronger and stronger. We married 9 years after we met, had our son, Zachary, 6 years later and just celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary last fall.
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Stephanie on Steve
Steve is an awesome dad and my best friend! Although he has become a Vice-President for a cellular phone company, he is really a kid himself at heart. He is a natural leader and teacher. I always knew early on in our relationship that he would be a great father. He loves kids! During his Air Force years, he worked the night shift on the military base and coached a swim team at a private club during the day. After we married and he became an engineer, he still found time to coach YMCA swim teams and help with the local high school wrestling programs. He is his happiest and most relaxed when he is playing with kids. His coaching these days is helping out with Zachary’s flag football team or playing basketball with the neighbor kids. Our doorbell rings frequently in the evening requesting Steve to play defense against the neighborhood basketball team. Steve has always said he would someday love to be a high school or college teacher and coach.
Steve is the most caring and giving person I now. His family is the most important thing in the world to him. Even after stressful days at work, his face always lights up with a smile when he walks into the house and sees Zach and I. He loves to play games with and teach Zach sports, as he would any child we were to adopt. Kids are drawn to him. That bond he has with children would be even more enhanced with any child we would adopt, being he is adopted himself. I think that would be very special for an adopted child to grow up knowing their dad is just like they are.
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Steve on Stephanie
Steph is one of the most loving and caring people I have ever known. Her love for children has been with her as long as I have known her. She chose her profession, Pediatric Intensive Care Nursing, because she wanted to make a difference in the life of kids who desperately needed help. Even before this she had devoted much of her life to children by working summers in college as a nanny for a family in Chicago. She is still in contact with that family and they exchange letters a couple of times a year about how 
things are going. This caring nature has translated into one of the most patient and amazing moms a child could ever know.
For the last few years Steph has been a stay at home mom and has really enjoyed the time she gets to spend with Zachary. Steph spends a lot of time taking Zach to the park, playing board games, doing crafts, and getting together with other moms in the neighborhood. It seems like she has a new adventure planned every day for her and Zach. This said she longs to have another child in the family to share in those moments. In fact, she has told me on a number of occasions how lonely the house will seem when Zach goes off to school for the day starting next fall. Then as we discuss how a new baby will change that, she lights up as she thinks about all the adventures awaiting them.
The best way I can sum up Steph and my relationship is to repeat something she said above. We are best friends. Steph and I spend many nights in deep conversations about everything from work to what is happening in the world. These conversations are so special to me and I thank her as often as I can for how great of a listener and confidant she is. I can’t imagine life without Steph. She and I have been through so much together and it seems like our relationship gets stronger every day. We spend every spare moment together as a family and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
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Steve and Stephanie:
As you can see our life mirrors what our parents gave us, family and children being the center of it all. We lead our lives with excitement and adventure enjoying the very same things we each had growing up. We live in the Midwest in a new, two story home with four bedrooms. Our home is near the end of a cul-de-sac in 
a neighborhood filled with children. Many evenings are spent hanging out in the yard with friends either watching the kids play on the playset or joining in a football or whiffle ball game on the fairway of the golf course that borders our backyard. We are avid golfers and love the water. Most warm weekends are spent in our boat on the lake or in the neighborhood pool with friends or family. We share the same passion for the Minnesota Vikings football team. We meet Steph’s parents in Minnesota and go to the games a couple times every fall. Zach has already defected though, telling us daily how the Indianapolis Colts are so much better than the Vikings! He is certain his new baby brother or sister will be a Colts fan as well. We also love to travel whether on vacation or visiting family. We are especially close to Steph’s parents. Zach looks forward every summer to spending a week at Bumpa and Grandma’s house with “no parents allowed” as he tells us. Although he tells us “no parents allowed”, he has already told Bumpa and Grandma to start getting ready because pretty soon his new baby brother or sister will be coming with him to their house.
We never imagined how rewarding and fun being a parent could be until we had Zachary. We are fortunate enough for Steph to take a leave from nursing and stay home full time. Zach makes us laugh every day and helps us understand what is truly important in life. He talks often about his wish for a baby brother or sister. He loves to be mommy’s helper and can’t wait to help with a baby. He loves board games, reading books and playing with our dog, Willie. Willie is an 8 year old German Shorthair who spends his days sleeping on our bed or following Zach around.
We truly love and enjoy being parents! We always envisioned a house full of children and would be so honored to be chosen by you to include your child in our family. If you would like to know more about us, talk with us by telephone, or meet us in person, please let our attorneys, Steve and Joel Kirsh, know. You can reach them any time at 800-333-5736. Also, we want you to know that if you choose us as parents for your precious child, we will be happy to send you letters and photos letting you know how your child is getting along, if you wish.
Thank you for your consideration.
Warmest wishes,
