From the very start of our marriage, we hoped to raise children together. We didn’t give a lot of thought into what that would like, but just looked forward to having a house full of kids. As we began trying to grow our family, we, like so many others, struggled with years of infertility. These difficulties were a great test of our faith, and we found ourselves drawing closer to one another and to God. It started to become very clear that God’s plan for our family would someday include adoption.
As we prayed for His guidance and learned more about the complexity of adoption, we experienced the incredible blessing of having our son, Brooks. We love being parents, and we began to see that the hard road of infertility brought about unique qualities in us that shaped us into better parents and wiser people.
We praised God, not only for answering our prayers, but for what He did in the middle of the story, too. Indeed, God does work out all things for His good! Soon after Brooks’s birth, we knew that it was the right time for us to say YES to adoption. And here we are! We embark upon this journey with a desire to welcome another child into our family, who will know the great love we have for them and their first family. Adoption is not a backup plan but part of the story God was writing for us from the very beginning.
What Brought You Together?
Allyson is the first to admit that Curt was the first boy she ever “liked.” This was in 7th grade, when Curt was much more interested in sports and spit wads than girls. But since we shared nearly every class together at school and we lived in adjoining neighborhoods, we became “just friends” and remained so throughout middle and high school. During our junior year, Curt’s mom became very ill, and Allyson got up her nerve to bake cookies for his family and drop them off with a card in their mailbox. Those chocolate chip cookies sparked a deeper friendship. We spent many, many hours talking on the phone and writing each other handwritten notes to pass in the hallway at school. Soon Curt was asking Allyson to our junior prom.
We went on to attend the same college. Just after Curt graduated, he proposed. It was New Year’s Eve, and we attended a basketball game before heading to get a tub of ice cream to take to the lake. No big plans…or so Allyson thought. We drove to a beautiful spot, where we were able to watch fireworks on the water, and Curt completely took Allyson by surprise with a sweet proposal.
We were married soon after, surrounded by the people we love the very most. It was a simple, sweet day and we were so excited to be married! Now, 14 years of marriage and an almost 3-year-old son later, we are still excited. We genuinely love being together, and now we have been, for more of our lives than we have been apart.
Why Now?
In the throes of infertility, God began to deepen our faith in ways we hadn’t experienced before. God used infertility to remind us we aren’t in control of a single aspect of our lives, including the way our family would grow. In this process, our heart for adoption deepened and soon after Brooks’s birth, we knew the time was right. We prayed, researched, reached out to other adoptive families and jumped in! We feel this process is best described as a faith free fall! Here we go!
We found ourselves drawing closer to one another and to God. It started to become very clear that God’s plan for our family would someday include adoption.
Curt
Meet Curt (by Allyson) — Curt has a huge heart for other people. You can constantly find him helping a friend or stranger, or volunteering in our church or community. His humor and quick-wit allow him to relate well and talk to anyone. I love that he is cool without even trying.
Curt doesn’t stress or worry over things. He is respected and admired among our friends and in our community where he works as a project manager for our local school district, maintaining and improving school buildings to benefit kids in our city. I tell people all the time that I cannot think of one single thing he isn’t great at! He can fix anything that breaks, taught himself to play guitar, and can quote random movies at just the right moment.
But most importantly, he makes our family his top priority. There is no parenting task Curt won’t do with joy! He loves every minute of making Brooks laugh, taking him on tractor rides at the farm, and playing T-ball with him outside. Seeing Curt’s love for our family has made me fall even deeper in love with him.
Allyson
Meet Allyson (by Curt) — Allyson is the type of person that people gravitate toward. She is intelligent, funny, and compassionate toward others, especially children. For the past 12 years, she has worked as an elementary school teacher and librarian. She loves teaching children to read, and the students love her creative ways for making learning fun.
Since Brooks was born, she only works part-time so she can spend most of the day with him. She is a great “Mama” and is always willing to play with him and encourage his imagination and creativity. She reads him dozens of books a day, digs dirt in the garden when he want to be a bulldozer, and is the first person he comes running to if he falls and scrapes his knee.
Not only is she a caring mother, but also, a kind and thoughtful friend. Allyson is always concerned with how other people are doing and makes it a point to let them know she is thinking about them, praying for them, and is ready to help if they have a need. I love Allyson more every single day. She makes me laugh, has taught me to love, and will always be my best friend.
Brooks
Meet Brooks (by his mom and dad) — Brooks is our happy, almost 3-year-old son! He is a big talker and enjoys making new friends wherever we go. When he meets someone new, he will put out his hand for a handshake and say, “Nice to meet you.” He loves when our family and friends come for a visit and rushes to greet everyone at the door. He has a big imagination and loves reading books.
When we read some of his favorites, he will sometimes correct us if we miss a word because he has many of them memorized. Brooks loves anything with wheels and has every kind of car, truck, train, and construction vehicle in his toy collection. And while Brooks is all-boy and high energy, he is also quick to show affection and gives the best bear hugs. It is a joy to experience the world through his eyes.
Oct
11
Matched
We are humbled and thrilled to share that we are matched with an incredible expectant mom whose sweet baby is due in March. Mama “T” is amazing. We have loved getting to know her already, and we are looking forward to loving and supporting her in the months ahead. Please join us in praying for Mama “T”, her baby, and our family. We trust in God’s perfect plan for all of us.
Thank you to the MANY people who have covered us in prayer and supported us in our journey so far. We haven’t had time to thank everyone with a personal “thank you” just yet (we hope to get there one day!), but we want you to know how grateful we are.
