Dear Friends,
Hi! Thank you for reading our letter. We truly admire you for considering adoption and are so grateful for the opportunity to tell you about ourselves. Adoption has already been such a blessing in our lives and we are excited to share our story with you. We met when Megan was visiting one of Sam’s roommates and noticed all the cool photographs on the walls. Megan learned Sam was the photographer and asked him if she could buy one of his prints. We began dating soon after, and were married about a year later in the Salt Lake Temple. We laugh about the fact that a print Sam sold is now hanging up in his (our) house. In 2009, we met a wonderful woman who gave us the greatest gift we have ever received—the opportunity to be Cohen’s parents. In a decision that we all made together, we have a very close and open relationship with Cohen’s birth mother and her family. We are committed to being as open as you are comfortable with and working with you to build a relationship that is best for you and your child. We are dedicated to our marriage and to making each other happy. We love being parents and truly look at the opportunity as a huge blessing and responsibility. We believe in teaching our children by example and with love and respect. We also believe in doing whatever we can to support them in their individual needs and interests. Life in our family includes a love for learning and a ton of fun. We enjoy hiking, rock climbing, watching movies, bicycling, photography, snow and water sports, scuba diving, gardening, camping, serving others, and spending time with family and friends. We love to travel and have been backpacking in Alaska, scuba diving in Mexico, and to Japan and England to visit Megan’s sister. We also take frequent road trips all over the Southwest and especially love hanging out at Lake Powell. Megan regarding Sam: Marrying Sam is the best decision I have ever made. He is my best friend and I am so lucky to be his wife. Sam treats me with kindness and respect and makes me laugh every day. He is the most creative and resourceful person I know — we would survive just fine if stranded on a deserted island! He cooks gourmet meals, fixes cars, sews, makes hilarious movies, and even invented a water balloon holster! Family is very important to him and I am totally convinced that he is the best dad ever. He’s a pro at feeding, diapering, playing, teaching, cuddling and being silly. Cohen absolutely adores him and waits by the window every day to welcome him home from work. I am so grateful I get to share the experiences of parenthood with him. Sam regarding Megan: I love Megan very much and am so blessed to have her in my life. She is an excellent mother to Cohen. She sings to him every night before bed, and makes sure that he eats his vegetables. She loves being a stay-at-home-mom and is always taking Cohen on field trips to places like the park and library. She is very understanding and patient with me when I forget to put the dishes in the dishwasher (I’m learning) and she’s very supportive of the many different projects I'm always working on. I am so grateful to have her in my life, and look forward to the many adventures that lie ahead. Not to sound too much like her portion of the letter, but marrying Megan was definitely the best decision of my life. Cohen is a happy, friendly and creative two-year-old. He enjoys playing with blocks and balls, dancing, reading, making mom and dad laugh, animals, dinosaurs, playing outside, climbing the cherry tree in our back yard, riding his bike, and singing (he recently made up a song about candy). Lately he has also had a fascination with babies and is very sweet and gentle with them—we know he will make a wonderful big brother! Before Cohen came to our family, Megan’s family had already experienced adoption through her sister’s placement of a baby girl and her niece’s adoption from China. Each of these experiences has taught us and our extended family what a true miracle and blessing adoption can be to all involved. Please know that we are all praying for you and know that Heavenly Father is there to love and guide you, and to support you in your selfless desire to do what’s best for your child. It is extremely humbling for us to know of the sacrifice someone must make to bless our family with another child. We hope you feel comfortable asking us any questions you might have. We look forward to getting to know you so that our child can know all about the angel(s) who brought him/her to our family. Sincerely and With Love, Sam, Megan & Cohen
