Our Year of Waiting

I can't believe it has almost been a year since we signed all the papers, the background checks went through, and we were officially declared "an adoptive couple."

We thought, "we'll have a baby in our home next Christmas." Next Christmas is in less than two weeks with nothing but one false alarm.

We were personally counseled "the road to bring other children into our home would be twisty and curvy, but totally worth it in the end." We still believe that, and continue in patience and faith as we know there is another member of our family somewhere, out there, waiting to join us.

Our Birthparent Letter

Dear Friend,

While we do not know you yet, we know you are strong and loving and have a wonderful sense of selflessness and devotion. What an important and stressful time this must be for you. We also know a loving Heavenly Father can guide you and help you during this time, and we are grateful for the opportunity to introduce ourselves.

We are Jack and Jaime. We have been married 13 years and have three sons. Even after all this time and through all of our life changes, we remain each other’s best friend, and find that to be our key to enjoying life and raising our children.
We are hoping to grow our family through adoption and are thrilled at the prospect. We both have siblings who were adopted and we know the ties that bind and bring families together don't always come by birth. We feel our family is incomplete and know we have been led down the path of adoption to help complete it.

We live close to some of our extended family and get together with them as much as possible. We also have extended family all over the country (and internationally) and do what we can to visit them and maintain close ties, as our family is our most valued gift and includes our closest friends. Jaime has three sisters and two brothers, and Jack has seven sisters and one brother. We both grew up in a mostly female environment, and now we have a house full of boys, so we are eager to welcome a daughter or son.
We met in college at Brigham Young University (BYU) and spent much of our dating days on road trips to St. George and California. Our love of travel, even just a few hours away, united us instantly. Our love of music, concerts, and anything indie rock related also created an instant bond. We still try to attend a couple of concerts a year.

Now, 13 years later, our days are filled with loads of laughter, lots of hugs and spontaneous dancing in the kitchen, but we still have as much fun today with our boys as we did with just the two of us.

Our oldest is very witty, sensitive, intelligent, and fun to be around. The day he beat us in Scrabble was a day of mixed emotions (mostly because we are all very competitive and love to win!). As the oldest, he is very protective of his family and loves his siblings dearly. He is as thrilled to have a sleepover with his brothers, as he is spending the day with his buddies.
Our second child is equally sensitive and funny. He makes up stories and recounts things from his day that makes us laugh and laugh. Both of his brothers love playing imaginary games with him in the backyard because he always has a vivid and wild storyline for them to reenact. He is also quite athletic and we love going to his soccer and basketball games.
Our third child is definitely our most adventurous! He is right alongside his older brothers when they are in line at the roller coasters. He is also a ham, and has what we call his "booty dance," where he shakes so hard we swear he is going to collapse one day! At the age of 4, he thinks he knows everything and loves to share his “knowledge” with us. His self-confidence is amazing and his playful nature always has us laughing over something. We work to live, not live to work. Jaime is a stay-at-home mom, and Jack works hard as an Elementary School Principal to provide the resources our family needs to enjoy the comforts of home and the joys of travel and adventure. We love to laugh and spend time together and know that any child we are blessed to welcome into our family will be loved by each and every one of us. Our boys, while they can argue with the best of them, are loyal and protective towards each other beyond measure.

Together, we are trying to provide our children with unconditional love and the best guidance we can give, in the hopes that when they reach adulthood, they will be happy and confident, they will both give and command respect, and they will be able to identify and achieve those goals that will best fulfill them. We really put a lot of effort and energy into teaching our children the gospel in the hopes of grounding them in the peace the gospel can bring.

We look forward to hearing from you and want to assure you that as you wrestle with this decision, we are praying most of all for your peace of mind and for your guidance from Heavenly Father about what is best. We would love to meet you and keep in touch with you so we can be continually reminded about how much you have blessed our lives.

Much admiration and love,

Jack and Jaime

Feel free to send us an email at: jackandjaime@gmail.com

Get to Know Us a Little Better

Jack
A book I highly recommend is:
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
A movie I watch over and over is:
I don't like to watch any movie more than once, but I love all kinds of movies
A T.V. show I watch regularly is:
Lost
I love to collect:
Antique Lunch Boxes
My favorite thing to buy is:
Cds
A smell that makes me pause is:
Jaime's warm vanilla fig lotion.
My favorite sport to watch is:
Skateboarding
My favorite restaurant is:
In-N-Out Burger
A moment when I achieved absolute happiness was:
Falling in love with Jaime and watching my sons be born.
The music I listen to most is:
Indie Rock
My earliest memory is:
Running around the ranch where I grew up in Southern California
My favorite flower is:
Tulip
A game I like to play is:
Settlers of Catan
My favorite hobby is:
I love all types of music but especially indie rock. I grew up skateboarding and going to the beach and I enjoy these still when I can. I love going to movies, playing board games, traveling whenever we can afford to, and spending time with family.
A singer or band I currently listen to the most is:
The Pixies
My favorite quote is:
If you aren't having fun you aren't doing it right.
I drive a:
Chevrolet Malibu Maxx (hatchback crossover)
If my house was burning down and I could only rescue three things, they would be:
I would only care that my family is safe...anything else is just stuff
The city I would most like to visit is:
Paris
My favorite meal is:
Authentic homemade mexican food
Someone or something that made me laugh this week was:
My wife always makes me laugh
My first paying job was:
House Cleaning
The memory that still makes me laugh is:
When my brother ate burritos and yogurt then he accidently...
My best birthday was:
When Jaime threw a surprise party for my 30th
A smell that reminds me of my childhood is:
Seven-Up in a can
The story behind my name is:
My grandfather was named George but his mother called him Jackson Brown and shortened it to Jack. I was named John but my family calls me Jack.
My favorite color to wear is:
I do not have one...I like all colors
My strangest possession is:
Small rocks that I picked up during my semester to Europe when I was in college
My favorite dessert is:
Anything rich and chocolatey
When I exercise, I like to:
Walk on an elliptical machine
My favorite thing to do on a date is:
Go out to a fun restaurant
The best vacation I ever had was:
Our recent anniversary trip to Paris and Iceland
The best thing about being married is:
Sharing my life with my best friend
The thing I am most passionate about is:
Helping other people achieve their potential
What was your all-time favorite concert?
The Pixies- but I have a top ten list to choose from too
What 3 people (living or dead) would make the perfect dinner party?
John Lennon, My Grandma Sally, and Mark Twain

Jaime
A book I highly recommend is:
Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
A movie I watch over and over is:
Reality Bites
A T.V. show I watch regularly is:
Criminal Minds or any one hour drama
I love to collect:
Buttons
My favorite thing to buy is:
Shoes and bags, and novelty foods
A smell that makes me pause is:
Bacon, it totally grosses me out!
My favorite sport to watch is:
Gymnastics
My favorite restaurant is:
El Charro or anywhere they serve Mexican food
A moment when I achieved absolute happiness was:
A few months ago I found myself standing on my back deck having a moment. There was perfect weather, a nice breeze, a quiet house, and while I drank my apple juice I remember thinking how much I love my life and how blessed I feel and how grateful I am to have the husband and children I have.
The music I listen to most is:
Indie Folk, but a ton of everything, especially strong female groups
My earliest memory is:
Playing around at my grandmothers clothing store
My favorite flower is:
Gerber Daisy
A game I like to play is:
Scrabble, but it's hard to limit it to just one game...
My favorite hobby is:
I enjoy creating things: cards, digital scrapbooking, crafts, quilts, food, anything I can make with my hands.
A singer or band I currently listen to the most is:
Lately, the Weepies and Yeah Yeah Yeahs
My favorite quote is:
"She appeared to be a beggar; she turned out to be a conqueror." (from Babette's Feast by Isak Dinesen)
I drive a:
Plymouth Grand Voyager (minivan)
If my house was burning down and I could only rescue three things, they would be:
(assuming the fam is out safely) Cd's of photographs, important jewelry, quilts made by family
The city I would most like to visit is:
London
My favorite meal is:
Asian orange chicken or a chicken fajita burrito
Someone or something that made me laugh this week was:
Jack-I swear he was a stand-up comedian in "another life" :)
My first paying job was:
Hardee's catering at the university
The memory that still makes me laugh is:
When Jack sent me a quick love note via email and also accidentally sent it to his boss too.
My best birthday was:
When I turned 21 Jack to me to Las Vegas and gave me a Swatch, Birkenstocks, & a Pablo Nerudo poetry book
A smell that reminds me of my childhood is:
Smoked Almonds
The story behind my name is:
I was named after the Bionic Woman, Jaime Sommers.
My favorite color to wear is:
Brown, anything earth toned
My strangest possession is:
A professional button maker
My favorite dessert is:
Chocolate caramel cheesecake
When I exercise, I like to:
Walk laps while chatting with a friend
My favorite thing to do on a date is:
Go out to dinner and then window shopping
The best vacation I ever had was:
To France and Iceland w/Jack for our 10th wedding anniversary.
The best thing about being married is:
Always having someone you love close by-for the good, the bad and the ugly
The thing I am most passionate about is:
Creating a life for me and my family that they will cherish and grow from
What was your all-time favorite concert?
Pixies in DC, followed closely by Ben Folds 5 in SLC
What 3 people (living or dead) would make the perfect dinner party?
Mother Teresa for wisdom, Susan B Anthony for fascination, and Ellen Degeneres for wit

A Photo Album from a Slice of our Life

Click on this link to view some pictures of what we do and how we do it! It's an online photo site so you have to click on the Pictures and Video tab at the top.

http://jackandjaimeadopt.shutterfly.com/