Updated Birth Parent Letter

After getting some feedback from our caseworker, we decided to make some changes to our birth parent letter. Here is the finished product:

Hello!

Thank you so much for taking a minute to get to know our family better. We realize that the challenges you are facing while making decisions about the future for you and your sweet baby must be very difficult, and we admire the courage that you have. Even though we haven’t met you yet, we talk of you often and are excited to meet you. Hopefully this letter will give you a glimpse of our family.

We met while attending the same single’s ward in 2005. We quickly became best friends, although M wished that things would move beyond just friendship. Many of our friends joke about how M would try and persuade L to date him, and she would find ways to get out of it. L eventually came around, and we began to date in 2006. We became a family of two when we were married August 29, 2006. Although we have had a lot of fun together over the past few years, we are looking forward to becoming a family of three. The good thing about being best friends before we dated is that we were able to see each other in so many different situations without the stresses that a relationship can bring. We were able to truly get to know each other, and we attribute this to how strong our marriage is now.

We like to have a lot of fun! Some of our favorite activities include boating, riding 4-wheelers, camping, traveling, watching movies, and spending time with family and friends. We also both love music (M plays the drums and L plays the piano) and we love to go to concerts together. Once, we even had the opportunity to attend the CMT Music Award Show in Nashville! During the week, we typically spend our evenings at home, and then on the weekend, we will go on a date, go out to dinner, or get together with friends for food, fun, and a lot of laughter.

We both come from large families that play important parts in our lives. M has two brothers and one sister; L has three sisters and one brother; and we both have large extended families. We enjoy spending time with our families…some of the things we do together include playing games, date nights, camping, and travel. Earlier this year, we took a vacation to Charleston, South Carolina and Nashville, Tennessee with both sides of our family. We also have monthly family dinners with each side of our families and will often get together with them for summer barbeques, to celebrate birthdays, or just to hang out.

More about M, as told by L:
M is the oldest of four children. He was born and raised in Utah. Growing up, M enjoyed playing the drums, and has played in several local bands, including one that had a song on the radio. M also has a passion for mustangs and racing cars. Before we got married, he rebuilt a Mustang and turned it into a racecar. One of M’s current interests is riding his 4-wheelers and his favorite place to go riding is the Sand Dunes. Before M’s brother left on his mission, they loved to take 4-wheeling trips together. Now that he is gone, M has been patiently trying to teach me to ride so that I can be his riding buddy. M works as a manager at a credit union.

I can honestly say that M is my best friend. Even though it frustrated him at the time, I am so grateful that we were able to become such good friends before we started dating and got married. One thing about M that impressed me before we started dating was how kind he is to his family. I remember him being so concerned about his family members and being willing to put them as a priority when they were struggling. I realized that this quality would make M both a good husband and father. I know that I can count on M to help me with anything that I need, and I know that he will show this same love to our future children.

M also has a great sense of humor and is definitely a tease. Before we got married, M’s family used to say how lucky he was to find someone that could put up with his teasing, and I always wondered what they were talking about…now I know! Whether he is laughing about something that happened at work or teasing me about something at home, M is able to bring such a fun atmosphere into our home and I love that I can count on him to keep me on my toes.

More about L, as told by M:
I love my dear L. You will find that L is very kind hearted and willing to do anything to help someone make their life a little bit better. Her genuine heart pays great dividends to those around her. L was shy the first time I met her. As time went by, we became great friends and spent most days of the week doing fun things. L always made hanging out fun as she would have creative activities. L planned a fun camping activity up by Snowbird Ski Resort with a bunch of friends that was one of the most memorable times we had as friends. When I was seriously pursuing L, we also went as a group of friends to Disneyland. As we were getting on “It’s a small world”, one of my guy friends ended up sitting next to her on the little boat which made me very jealous. I had to fight with everything I had to win L’s heart.

They often say that finding the perfect person to marry is impossible. To me, L is the impossible and is perfect to me in every way. I often tease her about how smart she is. When she got her master’s degree, it seemed more like a hobby than school work. She loved every bit of it and we joked that she would need to go on to get her PhD.

L is the oldest of five children. She was born in Southern California and moved to Utah when she was three. L learned to play the piano when she was younger, and still enjoys playing today. L also loves to cook, make crafts, read, and travel. Some of her goals include composing piano music and visiting every continent (except Antarctica, she hates the cold). L works as a nurse; she chose nursing because she knew it would be flexible when she became a mom.

L has great respect from all her family members. They will ask for her advice to help with life’s everyday challenges. Lisa is a role model to her younger siblings and inspires them to become better people.

Another important member of our family is our dog, Faline. She is a miniature pinscher and she has been part of our family since November 2006. We named our dog Faline after one of the characters in the movie “Bambi” because she reminds us of a small deer. She can be a little sassy at times, but she is also very loving and loyal. She is great at giving us “loves” (her way of giving a hug). She loves to spend time with us, our family and friends, and go for jogs with L. We often joke that Faline has been an “only child” for too long and that she is overdue to be a big sister.

Thanks for taking the time to get to know us; we would love to get to know you! We realize that you are faced with some difficult decisions, but please know that we are thinking of you and truly admire your courage. If you would like to get to know us better, please feel free to check out our blog: or e-mail us at.

Love,
M, L, and Faline