The Day after Christmas

Our dream house

AJ and Lola at the farm.

Our paparazzi picture

Christmas Morning

Some pictures of our Christmas tree on Christmas morning

Everyone got good gifts but most importantly we had a good time with each other. We are already planning a 2009 vacation Christmas in Rocky Point Mexico.

My sister Mia

My brother-in-law Alex (Mia's husband)

Family Pictures

All of AJ's family was in town during the Thanksgiving weekend so it was a perfect time to take family pictures. There are some of our picture perfect moments.

Maxine was there so we took pictures together also.  I wish our big sister Mia was there then it would have been perfect.

Before we took this picture I said, "Let's show daddy how we really feel about each other." We had so much fun taking pictures! We always have a good time together.  Honestly, words can't explain how much I love my sisters. I am so BLESSED to have Mia and Maxine in my life.

Dr. Dillamond first hair cut.

Dr. Dillamond got a hair cut  (Before)

After....NOT the Yorkie Teddy Bear cut I paid for.

This is what he should look like.

Taking the dogs to the vet....8 a.m. "Hi"

First Contact

November 6th AJ and I got an email that said: "Hi, I'm 'Jackie'(protecting our birth mother's Privacy) and I like your profile.  I'm due Jan 30th.  Where are you located?" Of course I was extremely excited, and I called my husband right away to share the good news.  We went back and forth about how we should respond to her message.  I wanted to keep it simple and answer her question with an invite to contact us again.  My husband wasn't sure if we should send a short message or something that offered a little detail about us, our desire to adopt, and how we would be the perfect parents for her baby......OVERLOAD!!!!  We couldn't agree on what would be an appropriate message to send, so we decided to call our brother-in-law who is a director for LDS Family Services. Our brother-in-law has hands on experience with situations like ours, and suggested that we send a short message answering her question.  He also told us not to get too excited because this was the first step to a process that takes a lot of prayer and time, and we could be one out of five other families she contacted.  We do exactly what we were advised to do and tried to push the thought of becoming parents sooner then later out of our mind; which, turned out to be an impossible task......it had been ten months since becoming licensed adoptive parents, and this was our first contact.  First and last!   A week after receiving the e-mail our caseworker Calli called and told us that we had been selected to adopt a baby that's due Jan 30th.  

We called the birth mother's caseworker to get details and scheduled a date that we could meet with the expecting mother.  We started to communicate with the birth mother immediately via e-mail.  We decided to visit Jackie Dec 6th (my 28th b-day weekend).  The best birthday present ever!

We're expecting......

No. I'm not pregnant. But AJ and I are expecting as in looking forward to and anticipating the arrival of our first child...one that will come to us through much sacrifice, selflessness, love, faith, and revelation...through the process of adoption. Whether this child is a boy or girl...we do not know. We're unsure of where our child will be born, nor do we know when, but we dream about what a glorious event it will be. The day that we will be blessed to meet our baby for the very first time. To us, the fact that we could not conceive this child, is completely irrelevant.

From the moment the Lord revealed to us that we were to adopt, everything felt so right. Sure I was terrified in the beginning, and weighed down with concerns and questions, like: Are we financially prepared for the costs involved? Are we emotionally prepared to meet the demands of an adoption? Would this mean I'd never be able to have biological children? How would we help our child know that they are unconditionally loved in spite of their adoption. Now that I think of my concerns, the one that I remember the most is the last-mentioned...how would we help our child know they are unconditionally loved in spite of their adoption. I remember pondering in prayer, and feeling an overwhimming since of peace that came to me almost like a vision that our child would truly know that he or she is loved because of the love AJ and I will offer. In that moment, I was completely enveloped in His love. The fears and doubts were immediately dispelled. We have no doubt that the child we will adopt is ours, and will be ours forever, and was always meant to be a part of our family. I understand that it doesn't matter how this baby gets to us...whether it be by our own doing, or through the sacrifice of another mother, it's the same. The Lord has a plan for families, and I believe certain spirits are sent to certain homes and families for a reason.

I feel honored to be a mother to one of the Lord's choicest, most valiant spirits, and I pray that I will receive strength from on high when we are blessed to receive a child into our home. We feel strongly that there is a particular child that the Lord wants us to love and care for. We have been amazed by the miracles which have taken place thus far. Starting with the first day we meet with our social worker Larry Draughon's office and the feelings we felt there. We know that our descision to adopt is the will of our Heavenly Father.

Please help us in the search of building our family. If you know of anyone that is considering placing their baby for adoption, please feel free to tell them about us. I know that the Lord blesses those who demonstrate their faith through their works. For this reason, we have committed to be proactive in our search, and would love any and all the help we can get. For anyone who may be interested, follow this link to our profile:

If you'd like to view other profiles, just leave the adoptive profile name box empty, and click view profile.

This is a copy of our letter to the birth mother.

Dearest Friend,

We first want to express our deepest love and respect for you in even considering adoption for your child. In writing this letter we can't imagine what thoughts and emotions you may be experiencing. We can only believe this is the hardest thing you will experience. Please know that we admire you, and your selfless act is the only way our dream of becoming parents will come true. We hope and pray that you will feel peace, and comfort throughout this journey.
When we learned that we needed to start our family through adoption there was no doubt that it was right and meant to be. Our deepest desire is to be parents of an eternal family. We look forward to teaching our child(ren) who they are, where they come from, and that Heavenly Father truly loves them. We want to be the best parents that we can be, growing in a home where our child(ren) receive hugs and kisses daily so they know they are loved. And we want our child(ren) to know that they have a wonderful birth family that loves them dearly, and made it possible for them to be in our family.
We are so excited to adopt. We will pledge our life's devotion and love to your baby. They will know of your courageous love and righteous decision on their behalf. Words can not describe the love and appreciation we will always feel for you. It's something we will be humbly reminded of on a daily bases. We would be eternally grateful.
We hope that when you read about us the spirit will touch your heart, and you will know we are the right family for your baby. If you would like to get to know us better we would be honored. We would love to answer any of your questions, and we would be excited to hear any thing back from you.
We will respect and honor how open you want to be. We are fine with whatever level of openness you are comfortable with. I hope we can share this amazing adoption process together; one in which the Lord is a part. Whatever decision you are guided to we pray that you will feel comfort and peace.

Your Friends, Aaron and Marian

More information about us from our adoption profile

We meet through mutual friends in 1999, and be came instant friends. During Marians mission we manage to keep in touch with each other and when Marian returned home we were inseparable. We truly love being married. We support each other in the things we both enjoy doing, and most of the time we share our interest together. Some of the things we enjoy doing together are: traveling, visiting with friends and family, fitness, walks with our dogs, sports, and teaching our primary class. We trust and relay on each other in all aspects of life and our marriage. With Christ at the head of our relationship our trust, love, loyalty, honesty, support, and friendship has keep our marriage strong. Aaron comes from a large family with five sisters and three brothers. Marian has two sisters one of which is her twin. We are very close to our parents and siblings, and they are extremely excited with our decision to adopt. As children we were able to spend a significant amount of time with our extended family. We believe that the good times shared with our childhood playmates was a huge part of our development and influenced our strong family values. To help our children develop close family ties we will encourage play and quality time with their many cousins. We are both fortunate enough to be able to work from home. Marian with her Childcare Business and Aaron with as a Loan Officer. As such, any child that comes into our family will have the benefit of both parents actively involved and around on a daily basis. Once we have a child of our own Marian's assistant will be working full-time so Marian can devote more of her time to our own family. Since we have lots of family members close by we will always be able to find a sitter during times of necessity such as temple attendance and date night.


My husband is a wonderful man. He is affectionate, loving, supportive, and playful. One of the things I love the more about Aaron is that he loves to teach others, especially children. It amazing to see him interact with children, he can relate to them in a way that is exciting. All of our nieces and nephews love being around him. He is a Christ-like man, and works hard at all that he undertakes. He enjoys sports, traveling, camping, staying fit, and spending time with family. He works as a Loan Officer, and because of recent changes within his company he is working from home. Aaron is going to be a wonderful father. His patience, love, exciting personality, and understanding of children is going to help him develop a beautiful relationship with our child(ren).

My wife is a caring and brave person. When Marian was eighteen she decided to join the church. Although she is the only member in her family, they have always been supportive of her decisions regarding the church. In 2002 Marian served a mission at the Salt Lake City Temple Square Mission and returned home a year and a half later. Marian loved being a missionary and she is excited to share her mission experiences with our child(ren). She has also been able, in just a short time, to create a thriving day care business which she operates from our home. It amazes me how she is able to balance the needs of several children at once while giving each the attention and love they need. Marian enjoys talking with her sisters and parents, rock climbing, music, dancing, and spending time with friends and family.