Hi, we are Dave and Stefanie. Thank you for reading our story and considering us to possibly adopt and raise your baby. We cannot imagine what a tough, emotional decision this must be, but we do have a deep respect for the courage it takes to even consider an adoption plan.

Our story as a couple began back in 2005 when we were introduced through mutual friends. At the time, Stefanie was a single mom of two young daughters. Dave, on the other hand, had little to no experience with kids, so it was a little scary for him to meet the girls for the first time. But you know that old saying, “always trust a child’s judgment?” Well, it couldn’t have been more true for us. The girls instantly fell in love with Dave and he fell in love with them. He was a natural. From there, the rest was history.

In the fall of 2007, Stefanie gave birth to our daughter, Ashlyn. The whole family was overjoyed. We always knew that Ashlyn would not be our last but we had no idea what a rollercoaster it would be to complete our family. In 2010, and again 2013, our middle daughter, Lauren, battled brain cancer. So our focus shifted from growing our family to helping her get better and living every day to the fullest.

In 2019, long after Lauren had recovered and after trying to conceive for some time, we got the news that Stefanie was pregnant again! The entire family was so excited, especially the three sisters. It was a very rough pregnancy from the start, but our sweet Allisyn Jane joined our family in early 2020 very premature. Allisyn Jane spent over a month in the NICU, doing all she could to stay with us, but she sadly passed away.

As you may imagine, it took us some time to figure out why our baby would be taken away or why Stefanie would be left unable to have any more children? But one day it all made sense. Allisyn came to show us that we are not complete, that we have so much love to give! Allisyn led us to adoption and because of her, we know how fragile life can be. We know to enjoy not just the good, but the bad as well. We know just how important it is to make every day count.

“There is so much to love about Stefanie. She is the kindest person I’ve ever met, and she extends that kindness to everyone she encounters. I can honestly say that she loves me for who I am and has never tried to change me. Stefanie is also very friendly and outgoing. Seriously, I don’t think she’s ever met a stranger in her life! And most importantly, Stefanie an amazing mom. The girls adore her and seek her out for both love and advice. She has never missed a single one of their activities and is a constant presence in their lives. I know she’ll be the same for any other child who joins our family.”

More about Stefanie:

• As a stay-at-home mom, she keeps our house clean and in order
• She loves kids! Not just ours, but ALL kids. She is always watching or babysitting someone!
• She likes to shop and travel
• She LOVES the holidays. She gets so excited for them and always makes them special.

“Dave is the most honest man that I know. He is very kind and has a really good heart. Everyone in our life, from our friends to our family, knows that they can count on him. Dave is also a great husband. After over 15 years together, he still treats me like we just started dating. I get excited to see him every day when he comes from work. And I couldn’t ask for a better dad/step-dad for our girls. They all just love Dave and he’s such a great role model for all of them. I’m confident that it will be the same with any child we adopt. I just can’t wait to see the special bond that Dave develops with this next child.”

More about Dave

• Dave is a very hard worker. He is the VP of a construction company and loves his career.
• Although he can be very quiet, once you get to know him you quickly realize that he’s super funny!
• He is a REALLY good cook. He can make just about anything but is a master on the grill.
• In his free time, he enjoys fishing and golfing. He also coaches high school hockey, which is lots of fun for all of us!

We live in a very unique home in Mid-Michigan that Daves’s grandparents built. As much as we love the house, the real selling point was the location. We really like the ‘old feel’ of our neighborhood. It’s the kind of place where kids still play outside together and all the adults know one another. It’s also very safe. Our neighborhood is patrolled by a private police officer from 5:00 pm-5:00 am, and he is always willing to let the kids check out the patrol car and occasionally go for a ride. Best of all, we live really close to family. Dave’s parents live just one street over and Stefanie’s parents are only ten minutes away.

Our neighborhood is located on a country club with a golf course and has both a community pool and a baby pool.  There are also several ponds around here that are great for frog catching! The country club, which are members of, throws lots of family-friendly events and activities throughout the year. There is breakfast with Santa, Easter egg hunts, a Fourth of July picnic and firework show, and our favorite, Halloween hayrides.

We have a 3-year-old cockapoo named Dexter. He is the baby of the family. Since Stefanie was doing childcare during the first two years of his life, Dexter is great with kids. Something unique about him is he loves tootsie pop suckers. It’s so cute - he holds them himself!

We also have a horse named Lacey. She stays 10 minutes away at a facility that offers so many activities for kids, from riding the horses to camps, movie nights outdoors, swimming, and family get-togethers. We can’t wait to introduce a little one to her and eventually teach them how to ride!

Right now, our only daughter who is living at home is our youngest, Ashlyn. The oldest, Madalyn, just purchased her first home about five minutes away from us, and our middle daughter, Lauren is away at college, and our angel baby, Allisyn, is now in heaven. All the girls are so excited about our decision to adopt. In fact, they’re already planning fun activities for future birthday parties and holidays.

Madalyne (21) is the most hardworking, sweetest, caring person you’ll ever meet.  At 21, she recently purchased her first home. Madi has two husky puppies and is a really great “dog mom!”

Lauren (18) is away at college, but still finds time to come home weekly to visit. She has been through a lot in her life, having cancer twice, but that has just taught her to live life to the fullest and never take anything for granted. She is an incredibly kind and thoughtful person who is always trying to help others and put a smile on their face.

Ashlyn (13) is our quiet, calm and sweet daughter. We both can’t recall a time that she’s been angry! She is always willing to help us, or her sisters out with anything we may need. Ashlyn enjoys being outdoors, especially with her horse, Lacey.

We are pretty laid-back parents who truly enjoy our children. We really only have three major things that we are strict about.

1. Treat everyone with respect! You don’t know what someone is going through, so treat them how you would like to be treated.
2. Honesty. We all make mistakes, it’s life. Just be honest and ask for help. Our girls know we will always support them through anything.
3. Always try your best at everything. You don’t have to be the best, as long as you are trying. This could be in school, sports, or any activities that they may be involved in.

Above all else, we really just like spending time together as a family. We try to take one big vacation every year. We also enjoy taking the kids to Dave’s family cottage on Lake Huron, and going camping and boating all over the state with Stefanie‘s family. Holidays are a big deal in our family too. We always go all-out. Our favorite celebration is our annual Christmas Eve party. It’s a big event, full of friends and family. Even Santa makes a visit!

Thank you for taking the time to read about our family. We are excited to complete our family through adoption. and if given the chance, we will always love, cherish, support, and encourage this child to be the best he or she can be.

We can’t promise that life will always be easy. There will be skinned knees, broken hearts, and tough days at school… but we can promise to always love, encourage, and support this baby every step of the way. If chosen as the adoptive parents, we promise to give your baby a happy life full of lots of love and adventures. We also promise that your baby will always know that you are a part of their life. No matter how much contact you choose to have with us, they will know that you made this decision out of love. If you choose to have a closed adoption, you will still be a part of our family and our family story, just like our daughter, Allisyn.

We admire you for choosing life and can’t imagine what an emotional experience this must be. We hope that you have all of the support and love you need at this time. We would be happy to speak with you further if you would like to get to know us better, but if not, we simply wish you and your baby the best.