Monday, April 30, 2012








Hello and welcome!

Hi! We are Ryan and Amy and we want you to know that we admire your courage for considering adoption for your child. We are so excited about growing our family through adoption and would welcome the opportunity to meet you and hear about your dreams for you and your child. 

Our Story - We were college sweethearts who met on the second day of school! We got married in 2000 and moved to a family-friendly town to begin our careers and start a family. Our hearts longed for a child to share life’s adventures with and we so badly wanted to be called ‘mommy’ and ‘daddy’. But, the road to parenthood was not an easy one for us. While on vacation one summer, we got a call from Amy’s doctor asking us to come in right away. Upon arriving home, we were told that they had discovered a mass during a recent test and it needed to be removed right away. Fortunately, the mass was easily removed but it left Amy unable to have children. As the doctor explained to us that we had no options to conceive a child, it was remarkable how we felt the Lord put on our hearts the desire to grow our family through adoption.

Becoming Parents - Three years later, our dream of becoming parents came true when a beautiful woman chose us as the adoptive parents for her child. Carter Ashton brings joy to our lives every day and is now a vibrant, sweet three-year old little boy who likes trains and the outdoors. We feel so blessed, but we know that our family is not yet complete and we are extremely excited about adopting another child into our home and our hearts. 

Celebrating Adoption – Our children will know their adoption story from early on. We are blessed to have an open relationship with Carter’s birthmother and family and we would like to invite you share  an open relationship (of course, based on your comfort level). Your child will grow up around other adopted children as we are an active family in our local Adoption Group. It’s important that we honor his/her heritage and we want your child to know the God-honoring decision that you have made. 

Christian Values - We are a Christian family committed to raising our children in a loving home inspired by Christian values. We attend Church every weekend and Carter loves the Kid’s Church. Our church community of friends is like family to us and your child will be welcomed by this community who is already praying for you and your child. 

Our Families - We are very blessed that our families live nearby and that we get to spend a lot of time with them. Ryan comes from a large family with over 25 cousins! He has two sisters who are each married and we love playing Aunt and Uncle to our 2-year old niece and nephew! We vacation each summer with Ryan’s family, enjoying the beauty of the Colorado Mountains or boating at the Lake! Both of our parents have each been married for over 40 years, so we know the value of strong family ties! Amy has one sister and we have a 7-year old niece that we spend weekends with swimming at the pool or playing at the park across from Amy’s parent’s home!

Our Careers - Ryan’s career in the automobile industry has been very rewarding and allows Amy to be a stay-at-home mom who only works part-time. She is as a Marketing Manager for a textbook company that is very family-friendly and her flexible work schedule allows her to take off for doctor visits, family activities, and for bonding with the new baby. She will be staying home with the baby for three months and Ryan will be taking time off as well so we can have time to bond as a family. 

Our Home - We recently moved into a 3500 sq. ft. home for our growing family. It’s located in a family-friendly neighborhood where you can find kids riding bikes, playing basketball, or sledding in the wintertime. Our backyard has a jungle gym and a great area for playing ball or hide-and-seek! We have great neighbors who on Easter morning surprised us with a visit from the ‘Easter Bunny’ who left eggs all over the yard! With five bedrooms, we have plenty of room for Carter and his brother or sister to have their own rooms, as well as a play room – plus, a bedroom for visiting grandparents! The baby’s room is right across from our room and we are already setting up furniture and preparing for the arrival of a new little one to our family.

Celebrating Every Day Life - Family time is a priority for us and we like to explore the world through the eyes of a child! Our community offers many fun activities that we take advantage of including swim lessons, visits to the apple orchard, mommy and me music lesions, and picnic lunches at our many parks. We like to travel and Colorado is our favorite vacation spot. Ryan is an outdoor’s man and likes fishing, hunting, and golf. We enjoy hosting holiday gatherings in our home. Amy is the ‘queen’ of party planning and loves to invite family and friends over to BBQ and she organized our first annual Kid’s Halloween Party that Carter still talks about! She loves photography and scrapbooking and does a wonderful job of documenting the everyday moments of our lives. She is excited to share this passion to create a scrapbook each year for you so that you can see your child’s ‘first’ moments, as well as family celebrations and traditions like opening matching PJ’s on Christmas and picking out the perfect pumpkin! 

Our Commitment to You - Although we have yet to meet, you are already on our hearts and in our prayers. We are so excited to welcome a baby boy or girl into our family, but we know that our dream means a tough decision for you. We trust that God will give you the strength and support you need to make the best choices for you and your child. As adoptive parents, we know what a special gift children truly are and we want to say thank you for choosing life for your child. We would be honored to be parents to your child, and we invite you join us in an open relationship where you can see your child grow through letters, photos, videos and personal visits, of course as you feel comfortable. Should you choose us to parent your child, we will send photos and updates for the first year and thereafter, including a scrapbook each year so you can see your child grow into the boy or girl God designed him/her to be. Only you know what is best for your child. We can’t claim to know all that you are feeling, but we can promise that in this very moment, you are loved and you have a community of people praying for you and your child. Until we meet…

From our hearts to yours,

Ryan, Amy & Carter