Christopher & Cassandra
We acknowledge your difficult decision to consider placing your baby for adoption; we think about and pray for you in this difficult decision-making process. We want to have an open adoption, because we strongly believe you are an important person in this baby’s life, and we want to foster a healthy relationship between you and your child if you decide to place. We adopted our first child, a daughter, in early 2018—and it has been nothing short of miraculous and wonderful. One of the highlights of this adoption is how close we are with her birthmother. We want to have the same openness with you. It is impossible for us to understand the highs and lows you are experiencing, nor do we pretend that things will become easier due to adoption. With humility and love, we can assure you that we will be there for you when you need us.
Quick Facts
Christopher
Age: 34
Ethnicity: White
Religion: Christian
Profession: Field Operations & Projects Supervisor
Education: Bachelor Degree
Interests: Sports (watching and playing), reading all kinds of books, random trivia, games, shows and movies, spending time with family, making and eating good food, exercising and fitness
Cassandra
Age: 32
Ethnicity: White
Religion: Christian
Profession: Homemaker
Education: Bachelor Degree
Interests: Reading, painting with different mediums, spending time with family, baking
Our Community
Years Together: 13
State: Utah
Neighborhood: Suburban
Other Children: Yes
Pets: No pets
Child Preferences
Age: 0-6 Months
Gender: No Preference
Ethnicity: No Preference
Special Needs: Mildly Correctable
Type of Adoption: Open
Photos
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Cassie likes to read but often falls asleep—this makes it hard to finish a book -
Sometimes, we have to eat together in the same seat. It's really fun! -
Falling asleep at Chris' family's house after some good fun and family time -
Enjoying some time out in the sun ... we just finished popsicles! -
Outside working on the garden to plant some tomatoes -
Snow sledding fun -
Both girls enjoy painting with watercolors together and making a mess while at it -
Having fun & learning with the science kit (safe chemical reactions, coloring, and more) -
Post baking bliss: we love making cookies or brownies ... any yummy baked goods! -
At the fairgrounds, waiting for the rodeo to begin -
Water logged at the rodeo -
City grand parade ... we go every year! -
At the football game, about to devour this "cougar tail" (a footlong maple bar) -
Date night, watching the Utah Jazz basketball team -
Chris broke the shovel in the snow and ice -
We love the autumn colors and pumpkins patches! -
Picking red, yellow, orange, and brown autumn leaves -
At the local farmers market that offers produce, home decor, and ice cream -
Frosted lemonades from Chick-fil-A are delicious -
Shoveling together
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About Us
Our journey together began in high school in 2005. We became quick friends, as we were both involved in choir and hung around the same groups of people. We did not seriously date until a few years after high school when we reconnected. After 6 months we became engaged and 3 months later we were married in November 2009. Chris works full-time in the education technology industry that specializes in the education of children. He enjoys his job and finds satisfaction in working for a company with a worthwhile mission. Cassie stays at home with our daughter and is a wonderful homemaker. Our daughter loves to read, play with friends, be outside, and be the life of the party. We both enjoy reading books of all kinds. During the summer months, Cassandra likes to garden and go cycling. Cassie is a huge BYU football fan and Chris is a lifelong Utah Jazz basketball fan. At times, we have found immense pleasure in attending vocal or theatrical performances, as well as playing games and spending time with family. Before her stroke, we played hard, and we worked hard too. We both had full time jobs and went to school full time. But when she had her stroke, everything changed … we literally started from square one because of the trauma. At the time of her stroke, we both were in our last semester in college. It took her about 4 years to get to the point where she could talk and walk as well as she does now. It required hard work and determination, but she excelled at all that was asked of her. In short, Cassie is disabled. She cannot use her right hand fully, as it lacks fine motor skills. She can use it to stabilize objects she is carrying and has done so with our child. She does walk with a limp but can get around just fine. Cassie is capable and has shown ability, grace, and humor as she has adapted to life as is. She continues to be a great cook, decorator, and homemaker. Her skills at bringing happiness into the home are unparalleled. We know that we have a responsibility to each other as spouses and have an equal duty to raise children in the right manner. We have been this honest with you because we want you to know who we are. We sincerely honor you and look forward to meeting you.
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Our Home & Community
We both grew up enjoying many of the same things. Time with family is highly valued, and most of our weekends are spent with both sides. We currently live in the basement apartment of Cassie’s parents. Though it was not planned, it has been a blessing in disguise on many fronts. Our apartment is really cute; as soon as you walk in the door you sense a feeling of love. Though it may not be an actual house, we feel it is what is most important: a safe place to raise a family! We have pictures of family and inspirational quotes that decorate our walls; almost everything that we put on our walls or shelves has meaning in our lives. The surrounding neighborhood has been warm and inviting, and it has been a joy to reacquaint ourselves with friends and those we know, as well as getting to know newer families. We live in the back portion of the golf course, so we are removed from the downtown part of the city. However, we are close to shopping, pharmacies, restaurants, our church building, and other useful locations. Also close by are some parks and areas with all the playground equipment and grassy areas that a growing child craves to explore! We enjoy going on walks, as it allows us to chat, explore our neighborhood, and be together.
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Our Thoughts about Parenting & Adoption
The time we spend with our daughter is precious. We won’t lie—it’s not always easy and we are imperfect (not for lack of trying!), but we regroup and do our best to love her, teach her, play with her, praise her, and comfort her. She brings such joy, laughter, and light into our lives. It’s something we value sharing with our family and birth family. We know that family is the most important thing in this world, and we plan on raising our family based on important values. We will instill principles of good living, safety, self-reliance, closeness, and laughter as we raise our family. All our adventures have taught us to really listen to one another, to always be supportive, and to ensure each other’s happiness. We learned to go slower, to enjoy things as they are and appreciate the good times that we have.
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Closing Thoughts
For us, the choice to explore adoption did not come easily. We started our marriage knowing that Cassie had lupus, an incurable autoimmune disease that affects each person in different ways. As we have always wanted to be parents, she worked with her doctor to get her disease levels down, all in preparation to be healthy enough to conceive a child. In late 2012, Cassie was medically cleared to become pregnant. We were naturally overjoyed! Unfortunately, as fate would have it, a few months later Cassie had several strokes and lost the baby. This caused much grief and heartache, but we were strengthened by our faith in God to pursue having a family. This, combined with the difficulty of not knowing whether another pregnancy would result in more medical problems, we decided to adopt. We have experienced difficult times in our circumstances, as each does in their own situation. We do not discount what you have had to go through. The ultimate happiness of the child is our only desire when it comes to adoption and being open with each other.