Dear Friend,
Even in the beginning of our marriage we knew we would adopt someday. James was adopted and grew up in a family of all adopted children. This has given us a unique view of the true bonds of family and an appreciation for the love that can come from it. It has also given us a strong desire to provide the same kind of loving environment for our children. We enjoy an open relationship with his birthmother. This has given us valuable experience forming many different family connections.
Several years ago we learned we would not be able to have children. Although many couples may feel sorrow and pain in not being able to bear their own children, we felt blessed and grateful that we still had the opportunity to raise a family through adoption. Then a year and a half ago we received one of the greatest blessings of our lives when we were able to adopt our son. Our love for him is just as strong as if he were our biological son and we know it will be the same for any other child we bring into our family. We are excited and thrilled to be going through this process again.
We met in the fall of 2007 at Brigham Young University. We became good friends and enjoyed spending time with each other. After a while, James began having feelings for Ami. He was patient and persistent until it finally paid off. We then began dating, getting to know each other even more. We were married in December 2009 at the LDS Salt Lake Temple in Utah.
James was born in Redding, California and was adopted a few days later. He is the youngest of three children with one brother and one sister. He moved to Utah when he was a year old when his father was offered a job at Brigham Young University. When he was 19 years old, James served a mission for the LDS Church in Goiania, Brazil. James is a very dedicated person. He works and studies hard so that he can accomplish his dreams of supporting a family. He graduated in April 2012 from Brigham Young University with his Master's Degree in Information Systems Management. He completed one year of a PhD program in Information Systems at the University of Utah before deciding to take a job as an Outcomes Analyst at Intermountain Health Care where he currently works. He has a very laid back and calm personality, and brings a lot of humor into others’ lives. He is an incredible friend and will be a very loving and supportive father.
Ami was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. She is the youngest of five girls. She has always been very close to her sisters and family, and to this day, they are her closest friends. Ami has constantly been very involved and has always been participating in many activities. She attended college at both Brigham Young University and Utah Valley University, and received degrees in Communication and Public Health. Ami is a very passionate person. She gives her full heart and effort to all she sets out to do. She loves serving other people and displays her care for them with every opportunity. Ami feels blessed to be able to be at home and focus on raising children.
We were able to be at the hospital for Jayden's birth and then adopt him the day after. Our love and respect for his birthmother is as great as we have ever felt. Her sacrifice has given us the greatest gift we could ever have imagined. Jayden is such a happy, playful, active little boy. He loves music, balls, wrestling, dancing, and jumping. He also loves people and is so social. He will love being a brother and always having someone around to play with.
We love spending time with our families and get together with them often. We have Sunday dinners with both families monthly. We also enjoy a yearly vacation with both families (usually to Disneyland). We have season tickets to BYU basketball with James’ family and to BYU football with Ami’s family. Both families also enjoy small outings or activities like the zoo, movies, gyms, and love having parties.
Although we were raised in very different families, we have learned many valuable lessons and unique wisdom that we want to incorporate into our own home. We believe that as a family, we should be very involved in one another's lives and spend quality time together. We want to foster an environment of open communication. We also want to instill in our children a dedicated work ethic so they are better prepared to provide for themselves later in life. We hope to continue playing games, traveling as a family, and enjoy many holidays full of tradition.
We are looking forward to expanding our family and are thrilled by the prospect of bringing another child into our home. We are excited to enjoy an open relationship with our child's birthparents and to move into this next phase of our lives. We appreciate you taking your time to read a little bit about us. If you have any other questions please feel free to email us at jamesandami@gmail.com or visit our blog at jamesandami.blogspot.com.
With love,
James and Ami
