- Michigan -
We are Jason and Kate, and we are honored to have the opportunity to share a bit about ourselves. We've been friends since elementary school and when love found its way into our hearts as adults, it kept expanding! We are the parents of four adventurous, funny, creative and loving kids (three pre-teens and one teen!). Adoption is a big part of our family story, and we'd love the opportunity to share more about that. We appreciate that you're taking the time to learn more about us. Thank you!
There is a warmth about Jason that makes people feel comfortable and safe in his presence. He is kind, generous and humble. He works incredibly hard at his business, mentors teens in our town, encourages his family and friends with enthusiasm, and he genuinely cares about every person he meets. But most of all, he is invested in our children in a way that few fathers are. He is so present with each of them and is a family man down to his bones. Jason is an Eagle Scout, always ready to lead us on a big adventure. For a few years, we traveled the country as a family in a small RV and Jason always found the best hikes and secret swimming holes to play in. Now, he enjoys kayaking, hiking and camping in the beautiful place we live and our kids are having the best, most exciting childhood because of him. Jason teaches our children a lot of practical life skills, never hesitates to play with them, and he is the king of dance parties in our family. Our kids adore their dad and know that they can always count on him!
Kate is super adventurous and brings the fun everywhere we go but at her core, she is all about connecting deeply with others. She is one of the most gracious and encouraging people you'll ever meet. She cares about injustices in the world and is a passionate advocate for those who are vulnerable, unseen and wrongly treated. She’s serious about helping others, but Kate isn’t a stick in the mud. She always keeps it real, is the comedian among her friends, and she’s a proud nerd. She is a lot of fun to be with and she makes everybody around her feel like they are the most important person in the room. Kate is wired to be a mother and does an excellent job of helping our kids feel seen and heard. She guides our children through the highs and lows of life with purpose and tenderness. She does an amazing job of educating our kids, making our house feel like home, and she's a big asset to our business. Her heart for adoption extends to the first families of our two adopted children, and she is fiercely protective of them. Kate’s big heart and many talents are a gift to our family and community of friends.
Our story is not the most important one here. Yours is.
What lead you to this decision likely has many layers to it and although we don’t know those details today, what we do know is that you are this child’s first and most special mom. That will never change. In our family, first parents will always be honored in words and action.
There are a lot of wonderful couples who would be fantastic adoptive parents and we hope that you will explore your options thoroughly. If our family seems like the best choice, we celebrate that and look forward to answering your questions so that you can be sure. We have adopted twice before and take this very seriously, especially when it comes to making sure that you feel seen, valued, supported and advocated for. No matter what, we are FOR YOU and it would be our honor to stand in your corner if you’d like for us to be there.
It takes a lot of courage to explore your options and open yourself up to others in this way. You are trusting strangers to be honest in their heartfelt notes and representation of who they are, and we assure you that we will always keep it real…even when life is hard. There’s nothing easy about this and we are in awe of your bravery, tenacity and love for your child.
Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to share our story with you. We hope to have the privilege of learning yours as well.
Our motto is to refuse small love.
Kate says:
Every day as parents is a new adventure. My priorities as a mom are to be intentional with our kids, to listen well, help them feel seen and heard, to support them in their passions and their struggles, and to be their safe person when they need to talk. I don’t always get this right, but I’ve found that when I stay close to my commitment to love big and stay flexible, really cool things happen in our family. I’m crazy about our kids and it is an honor to walk alongside them in life!
Jason says:
Connection over rules and rigid expectations, always. I spent a lot of time coaching and leading teenagers before becoming a dad and what I learned from my students was that having a solid and safe connection with them was so much more important than giving them a list of rules. Boundaries, rules and expectations have their place and they are important to the success of any team but everything starts with connection. I have a close relationship and unique bond with each of our kids because of what I learned from working with teens all those years ago.
We traveled the country in search of the best place to call home and we feel so fortunate that we found it! As soon as we saw our little cottage in the woods, we knew that it was perfect for us. It is charming, cozy, and full of character.
Our home is surrounded by woods, but not far from others. We have wonderful neighbors who all have kids and some of our best friends live just around the corner! Our neighborhood is so sweet and charming that even Jason’s parents couldn’t resist how special it is. They moved across the country to live here, too!
In addition to the woods, which are full of hiking, biking and cross-country ski trails, we live between two beautiful lakes that we love to bike to in the summer.
Our town is a special place to raise a family. There are numerous clubs, sports, art programs, music lesson options, and more for kids of all ages. The town loves to celebrate life with parades, festivals and outdoor music all year long and there is a big focus on family in our community. It’s a great place to play in the snow, pick apples at local farms, float down rivers, watch the colors change on the trees, and enjoy the northern lights! We feel so fortunate to call this special place our home!
Our dog Opie is a mini schnauzer and everybody’s best friend. He can’t make up his mind about who he loves most but we all know that it’s whoever says, “treat” first.
In our family, there’s Jason and Kate (dad and mom) and our four kids! We have three sons and one daughter. Our youngest son and our daughter are both adopted. We are very open and honest about adoption in our family and we navigate the highs and lows of it together.
When our kids were toddlers (they’re all super close in age despite their significant height differences), we sold our home, left our jobs, and became one of those wild nomadic families that travels the country in an RV. It was the most incredible, bonding adventure as a family and represents who we are at our core…curious, excited about life, adventurous and a solid, close team.
Now that our kids are nearing their teen years, they have become more independent. For example; two of our kids have a dog walking business and one helps with the toddler class each week at church. It’s so fun to watch them grow into wonderful people who have a tremendous capacity to love others. They are all so excited that we are adopting again and will be the most helpful, amazing big siblings to a little one!
We grew up in a small town where our families knew each other. Now that we are grown, we are spread out across the United States. Jason’s mom and step-dad moved to be near us and his sister and brother-in-law come for visits in the fall when the trees are gorgeous. We regularly have video calls with family members who don’t live nearby and we are fortunate that we’ve been embraced by friends who have become our local family.
Many of our friends have big families so every gathering is a big event. We get together for holidays, birthdays, special events and just because! We are a tight knit group of friends, some of whom have adoption stories of their own, and we can count one each other no matter what comes up. It’s really special to be apart of this big, chosen family! We are surrounded with love and support…what a gift!