Hello, we are Brian and Brittany! Thank you for taking time to get to know us, our journey, and consider us as prospective parents. This is just the tip of the iceberg that is us. Get to know us; the good, the less good, quarks, personalities, hobbies, histories, and everything that makes us us. We are far from perfect, but we do our best and try to laugh all along the way. We can hardly wait for what lies ahead. In the infinite words of our son, Calvin, when asked about his thoughts on adopting a new little sibling, "I think it will be great! Because “tag” is more fun with three people."
We met as missionaries over 10 years ago in Northern California. Picture: Endor and Jurassic Park, minus the dinosaurs and Ewoks. Simply breathtaking, in every single way! Now, as much as Brian loves to tell people we dated as missionaries, it didn't happen. But we did get to know each other and discovered we were “brain twins.” It’s just amazing how similar our brains operate. We dated for about a month after we were both home, got engaged, and married three months later in 2012. As they say, when you know, you know!
We now live in a quiet little lakeside town in the mountains of Utah with our two kids, Cecilia and Calvin. Brian is happily working remote while Brittany is working as a Special Education Aid at the kids elementary. We absolutely love our life, but still have that feeling of "someone is missing." And if we have learned anything in our 10 years together, it's to never ignore an impression.
Expectant mothers who choose to make an adoption plan may qualify for some level of financial assistance during their pregnancy. However, each person's situation and specific needs are different. Your adoption social worker can help you determine what level of assistance you qualify for and deserve. Many expectant mothers qualify for financial assistance to cover basic pregnancy and living expenses, including but not limited to - transportation reimbursement, utility assistance for phone, water, and electricity/gas, maternity clothing and supplements, etc.
It won't cost you anything. If you choose to place your baby for adoption, all of your medical and legal fees will be covered and you may be eligible for financial assistance with other pregnancy-related expenses.
Yes. Even if you don’t know the identity of the birth father, you can still choose to make an adoption plan. However, every adoption situation is different. The adoption social worker you’re assigned to will get to know you and your story first, and then guide you through the process accordingly.
You can make an adoption plan at any point in your pregnancy, even after the baby has been born. But, it's important to start the process as early in your pregnancy as possible. Connecting with those resources will allow you to gain access to important medical services, including prenatal care, to help ensure a healthy pregnancy.
One aspect of your adoption plan is the "Hospital Plan" an outline of how you'd like your hospital stay and delivery to go. You can craft this on your own or with the help of your adoption social worker. But everything is up to you. You’ll be able to choose who comes to the hospital with you, who is in the room with you during delivery, and how much time you’d like to spend with the baby before signing the final papers.
As part of your adoption plan, you'll determine whether or not you’d like to have an open or closed adoption or something in between. Open adoptions may include phone calls, messaging (via social media, email, or text), and/or periodic visits each year. Closed adoptions may include no contact at all or annual updates provided to the birth parent(s) by the adoptive family. Each post-adoption relationship is different and can vary based on what an expectant mother chooses in her adoption plan.
Life continues to plug along and we are so busy trying to soak up each and every moment. It is always shocking how quickly time can seem to fly by. It was due time to give a littel "life update" on how things are looking around here. This year, the kids have really enjoyed making some money by selling eggs from our little family flock of birds. Our ducks and chickens are very dutiful little layers and the kids do a good job at caring for them. This flock is one of the friendliest little flocks of chickens you will ever meet as they love to come up for pets, to be loved on, or to get a treat from your hand. They make things even more entertaining around here. Earlier this year we took a big family vacation by doing another Disney cruise. Each member of our family loves Disney cruising for various reasons. The food, kids clubs, shows, and general "Disney Magic" are a few of the top reasons. What made this trip especially fun was the excursions. The kids saved up their money so they could swim with dolphins, which was their highlight adventure, and we were...
Something to know about Utah is we celebrate the 24th of July every year. It is in honor of the pioneers that treked across the country to come and settle here. What makes it extra special is that our little town goes all out. Most of the town are all descendents of the original pioneers that settled here and take great pride in honoring their ancestor's. As a part of this, they have an annual chuck wagon breakfast, pioneer program, kids games, and a parade. It's fun as it is generally just locals that are a part of it all. There are some vacationers that join in on the fun here and there, but it is generally just our little town. The kids love being a part of the program by singing songs with other children in the community as well as being in the parade. Naturally, Brian and I made sure to get all the candy that was being thrown during the parade as the kids couldn't gather it up while being in the parade. We may have snuck a few pieces for ourselves... At the end of it all, a town member brought a dunk tank for everyone...
Hey there! Little life update from around the Menasco home. Things have been busy around here, but in the best way possible. One of our favorite things about where we live is being so close to the lake. This is also all of our family and friends favorite things as they all come to visit in the summers. We host just about everyone during the summer months and spend our time hiking, kayaking, paddle boarding, eating milkshakes, and just cooling off in the lake with everyone. Thus far we have had Brittany's parents visit, Brian's brother with all of his family, and our best friends from college. The kids have had no shortage of cousin and pseudo cousin time. One of the highlight moments, thus far, was Brian and the kids getting to ride on a jetski for the first time. Brian and Cecilia were instant fans wanting to do all the jumping, spinning, and typical jetski things. Calvin... well... thrills still aren't his thing. But he tried a new thing and we are very proud of him for trying it out.
Fall is in full swing around here and boy are the mountains showing off! The leaves have been breathtaking and the weather has started cooling off. The kids have been busy in school and with their sports; but we wouldn't have it any other way. Calvin had a fun soccer season this year and Cecilia enjoyed traveling around for middle school volleyball. One of the most exciting things about being a parent is watching the kids follow their own individual passions and seeing where it will take them. Something Brian and I really try to do is not influence the kids too much with our own thoughts or ideas. We want them to feel free to explore new things and potential hobbies without feeling like they have to do what mom and dad want them to do. By doing this, it has also allowed Brian and I to also learn new things we wouldn't have otherwise discovered. This time of year also brings about all of the fall and Halloween festivals in our area. Trunk-or-treating at the neighborhood park is always a must and was extra fun this year now that we have cousins living in town. It is also...