Annie and Rick
Hello! We are Rick, Annie, and Brayden. We look forward to meeting you in person, but here is a little about us to get you started!
Brady turned 2 in July ’09 (yes, he’s very tall for his age!). Brady is a confident, passionate boy who lives life with gusto! We love witnessing his personality grow. It is hard to describe him sometimes: exuberant yet gentle, cautious but charming. He loves to run, jump, climb, and dance, and we think he could power a city if only there were some way to bottle the extra energy! Most of all, he loves to help and learn. “I do it!” is his current motto. Although it will be an adjustment for him to share the spotlight, we know he will grow into a proud and protective big brother.
Not pictured (try to get a border collie mix and a toddler to hold still at the same time!) is our dog Shamrock, Brady’s best friend and bodyguard. In fact, his first word was not “mama” or “dada”, but “doggie”! Shamrock has very patiently endured Brady, from his overenthusiastic baby grabs to him dropping books on her paws for her to “read”. She loves to kiss his hands “clean” after a peanut butter sandwich!
We have been married for 7 years. We know we look young (we still get carded!), but Rick is 34, and Annie is 30. We moved to Indiana in 2008, to live and work in a wonderful college community. Rick manages a software development team for the university library, and in his spare time, loves to run, read science-fiction books, and solve his Rubix cubes. Yes, cubes. Annie describes Rick as strong, gentle, mellow, and loyal. Annie is a stay-at-home (on-the-go!) mom. In her spare time, she loves to read, bake, and scrapbook. Rick describes Annie as passionate, goofy, gentle, and loving.
Why did we choose open adoption? Brady’s adoption was also through OAFS, and we are blessed to have frequent contact with both sides of his birthfamily. Both Brady’s birthfamily and Rick’s family live in the Seattle area, so we make frequent visits to the Pacific Northwest and we juggle a family blog, photo website, and lots of emails to stay in touch! Not only was Brady adopted, but so were Annie and all her siblings, Rick’s siblings, and assorted cousins on both sides. You could say adoption runs in our family! We all had positive adoption experiences, and we understand how much children want to know they are loved by their birthparents. We are committed to building a lifelong relationship with our children’s birthfamilies.
What kind of life do we lead? They say you can tell a lot about a family from the stuff they keep. We keep a huge block of stain-remover for all our messy adventures – picnics in the park, nature walks by the lake, playing in the crunchy autumn leaves. We keep towels in the car, so we can run through the sprinklers on campus on a hot day. We keep our pantry full of snacks to share with our friends who drop in to play. We keep cardboard boxes so we can send care packages to family around the country. We keep cozy blankets on the couch so we can snuggle together with a favorite book.
What is our parenting philosophy? We believe that each child is unique and should be treasured for his or her individuality. Our goal is to raise children who believe in themselves, are kind to others, and have the courage to follow their dreams. We can’t promise a sparkling clean house or vacations to Europe, but we do know that we’ll love our children with all our hearts, and they will always know how much you love them too. We wish you peace in whatever decisions you make for your child and your future.
For this family's complete adoptive parent profile, please contact Open Adoption and Family Services.