Brian and Sheryl

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From Us to You

Dear Expectant Mother, We believe that the decision you are considering to give your child the gift of adoption is a difficult choice and that you must love your child very much. We are praying that God will help you and your child through this time and that He will give you peace. We seek a relationship that meets your needs and your child’s needs the best and are open to whatever level of openness you are comfortable with.

Thank you for giving us this opportunity to introduce ourselves. We are Brian and Sheryl. We have 4 children who are all adopted. We had known each other since high school but didn’t start dating until after a mission trip in East Africa years later and have been happily married ever since. While our path to parenthood didn’t follow the route we once imagined, we feel incredibly thankful that adoption has opened our hearts in such a beautiful way. We are confident that adoption is God’s will for our life. We have many friends and family that have adopted.

Our family and friends are supportive and excited for the adoption. Much of our family live nearby so we can celebrate holidays together and all the cousins can spend time together. We have an excellent school that allows me to teach our children and provide a variety of activities that interest them such as dancing, soccer, or horseback riding.

We have many family traditions we enjoy every year. We always host Thanksgiving and Christmas at our house with my family. And we spend time with both Brian’s family and mine every holiday and our families are also close to each other. Every summer we enjoy trips to the beach or to the lake with family and we enjoy going to Disneyland. We love to participate in dog agility trials during weekends a few times a year and enjoy hosting game nights and BBQ s at our house.

As a family, we enjoy walks on the trail downtown, game and movie nights, or outdoor activities like bike riding or drawing together with chalk on our driveway. We believe in raising our children with Godly values and morals. We teach our children how to respect others and how important it is to show love to one another. Everyone helps with dinner and takes turns setting the table. We enjoy taking a break from school and work every day and having lunch while watching a fun cartoon together as a family. We enjoy reading with our children before bedtime and often get on the floor with our kids after dinner just to play a game or we go outside and ride our bikes.

You are in our prayers as you seek God’s guidance during this time. May God be with you and help you on this journey.

Love, Sheryl and Brian

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About Sheryl

Growing up, Sheryl traveled with her family, singing and sharing their faith in churches, military bases, and even prisons. From an early age, she felt a deep pull toward caring for children—and adoption has been on her heart ever since. She is also passionate about dog training (I call her the “dog whisperer”) and uses that passion to serve others by volunteering in dog therapy programs in senior homes. It is not always an easy thing, especially when the people you come to know and enjoy have their health fail, but she continues because it touches lives, and that sacrificial determination is now being demonstrated to our children. Sheryl has worked with children since early high school, led a Kid’s Club for years at a local church, and led the children’s ministry in Africa. Her greatest joy is being a mom to our amazing children. I trust Sheryl wholeheartedly with our children and am constantly amazed at her skills with children and her enduring patience. It touches my heart when I hear our kids pray for Mama and how wonderful she is to them. The highlight of my day is the evenings when we can be together as a family, share about our days, and have some playtime together as a family. Sheryl is my best friend and she loves me for who I am, and every day is another affirmation of the confidence God gave me in Africa that He truly has designed us for each other.

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About Brian

Brian is a great husband and father. His nieces and nephews love spending time with their uncle Brian. Brian loves our children dearly and they love to play together when he gets home from work. They often greet him with a big hug and a kiss. Brian’s easygoing nature makes him the kind of dad who’s always up for a tea party, coaching from the sidelines, or building an epic blanket fort. He has a way of making kids feel seen, heard, and safe. Brian was born in Africa. His parents were missionaries until his dad died when Brian was 2 years old. Then they moved back to California where his mom raised him and his 3 siblings. Brian is a hard worker and a great provider. He is great with computers and is often the go-to guy among our family and friends whenever they have a computer question. Brian enjoys gardening in his free time and enjoys planting a variety of fruits and veggies that we get to enjoy as a family. He loves his job, yet he always puts family first. When we were dating, we would stay up all hours staring at the stars or going for long walks and just talking about everything, or we would read to each other out of books like Alice in Wonderland or The Chronicles of Narnia. When he asked me to be his girlfriend, he wrote me a poem that I keep framed to this day. He is strong and compassionate, and I am thankful God brought us together.

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Why We Chose to Adopt

Our children are all adopted. Kiana is 16 years old and was born in China. Our twins, Jaeden and Caleb, are 11 and were also born in China. They have Albinism so they must always wear glasses and hats to protect their eyes and sunscreen to protect their skin when we are outside. They have some delays that are connected to visual impairment but they manage well in their surroundings and we provide them with any additional help they need through the school. The boys receive Speech and vison therapies. Caleb is learning Braille. Our youngest daughter is Kaelyn who is 10. She was adopted at birth and we got to be at the hospital when she was born. Our kids are amazing and are very excited for a new sibling.

Sheryl has always had a heart for adoption ever since she was 9 years old and always dreamed of a big family to do life together with. After attending a Steven Curtis Chapman concert where he shared his journey with adoption. We felt God’s tugging at our hearts and began our journey with our oldest daughter. We feel blessed with each of our children and know that another child will be a great addition to make our family complete.

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Lifestyle

We enjoy being able to work from home so we can also be home with our children. Brian works for a software company and has been working from home full time since 2020. Sheryl does dog training and boarding on a small scale so most of her time is dedicated to raising our children. She enjoys homeschooling our children through a charter school.

We enjoy taking day trips to the beach. We enjoy wading in the water and Sheryl especially likes practicing her photography at such a beautiful place. We enjoy weekends at Disneyland with our family, taking trips to the lake to feed the ducks, ride a boat or play games, and simply to get a change in scenery. Sometimes we go to the mountains when it snows or go to a lake in the mountains that has boats, biking, hikes and a fun diner with great milkshakes. Our favorite vacation spot outside of our state is Hawaii. We enjoy the warm ocean, the rich culture and one year we were even able to get in the ocean with the dolphins with a guide. We regularly travel on weekends to participate in agility trials with our dogs – Sheryl competes with our dogs and Brian watches the kids. Our kids just love watching all the dogs and playing outside all day. We also regularly visit Sheryl’s brother and his wife in LA. Sometimes we just stay in and play games with them. Other times we visit museums, aquariums, go to the lake, or plan trips to Disneyland together. We also enjoy movie nights or going to Starbucks with friends. We like to have BBQs at our house for family and friends throughout the year, too. We prefer smaller get-togethers with family and friends over large gatherings, where everyone can be part of the fun.

We live in the country and have 7 chickens, 3 dogs and 2 cats. The children love to help collect eggs and like being able to play in our large fenced-in yard. We always enjoy lunch together as a family and have a tradition of watching fun cartoons like Bluey with the children while we eat. They also like to help with meal preparation. Sheryl enjoys time running her dogs and taking an Agility class weekly. Brian likes to work in his garden and our children enjoy helping out. In the evenings we enjoy playtime or reading with our children before bed, and then we spend some alone time together sharing about our day or watching a favorite show together.

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Our Relationship with Kaelyn's Birthmother

Kaelyn is the only child in our family with an open adoption. We have a great relationship with Kaelyn’s birthmother. We keep in touch and I send her photos all the time. Kaelyn loves to draw pictures too for her birth mom. She is a very kind and caring person and it is a joy to have her be a part of our family.

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Meet our kids!

Kiana is in high school and enjoys spending time with her friends. She loves to go horseback riding and learn all about horses. She started reading at age 4 and has loved books from day one. She loves to do crafts and her favorites are painting, crocheting and sewing.

Jaeden enjoys playing outside and jumping on the trampoline. He likes to go to the beach. His favorite thing is cars and he learns all he can about cars and will talk your ear off about cars if given the chance.

Caleb has discovered he loves to read just this year and reads every day. He loves to play outside and enjoys our weekend trips to see his aunt and uncle. He loves rollercoasters, telling jokes and he likes dogs.

Kaelyn loves school and her favorite subject is Science. She loves all animals but especially dogs. She is always drawing pictures to give to others to brighten their day. Kaelyn enjoys her dance class and playing the piano. She enjoys going on outings to just about anywhere.

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Our Faith

Faith is a big part of our lives—not just on Sundays, but in how we make decisions, care for others, and build our home around grace. Brian has played the keyboard on the worship team and Sheryl has taught various children’s programs and worked in Vacation Bible School over the years. Sheryl always enjoys working in the nursery during mid-week programs and it has been her favorite volunteer job over the years. We both taught Kids’ Clubs for many years. Our relationship began when we went on a mission trip to Africa together. We believe in sharing Bible stories with our children and our love of God. Our Faith is a key part of our family.

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Home and Neighborhood

We live in a four-bedroom and two-bath home in the country. Our kitchen is large and overlooks the living room. Your baby will have his/her own room when he/she is a bit older but will begin in our room. The kids have 2 bedrooms and the 3rd room is currently the office, but we can later convert it into the nursery. We live about 10 minutes from downtown. We have a row of neighbors on the same side of the street as us and an orchard across the street. We have a large fenced-in back yard with plenty of room to play and run. We live a short drive to many parks. We have gotten to know our neighbors and we often share produce from our gardens or we bake cookies or share eggs with one another.

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Our Pets

We have 3 dogs. Coraline (7 years old) and Kaia (4 years old) are both mini Aussies.  And our Papillion Leia Mei. Coraline is a licensed Therapy dog and visits with Sheryl in senior homes. They love everyone they meet and enjoy our visits.  All three can be great lap dogs but also can enjoy a great game of fetch or tug. Sheryl also trains them in obedience skills and tricks, and competes with them in agility. They are very good with children. We also have 2 cats, Hailey and Zara. Hailey is 18 years old and mostly keeps to herself now. Zara is 5 years old and she is very social and enjoys playing together with Kaia. She also enjoys cuddles and sometimes we feel she thinks she is part dog! We also have chickens. We chose friendly breeds so our children could enjoy them as well. They love to follow us around when we let them roam. Sheryl has even taught one of our chickens a few tricks!

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Our Families

Brian has a large family with two brothers and a sister. His dad passed away when he was two years old. Brian was born in Africa as his family were missionaries, but when they lost his dad in a plane crash they moved back to California. His sister and her husband live in Nicaragua, and the rest of his family is near to us and we get together with them a few times a year. Both his brothers are married with children and the cousins love to play together. His sister also visits once a year. Brian’s mom lives close by and often enjoys watching our children as we go out on date nights. We often take turns getting together at each other’s homes as we all have nice yards that the kids can enjoy playing in.

Sheryl also has a large family with two brothers and a sister. Her sister lives nearby with her family. Sheryl’s mom is close as well and loves being a grandma to our children. Sheryl’s younger brother lives about 3 hours away with his wife, but they visit often and we travel to see them, too. We enjoy game nights with them or going places together such as Disneyland or the beach. We enjoy going to Starbucks together and having BBQs or ordering pizza together. Her older brother lives in England with his wife, so we don’t see them very often, but we do keep in touch online regularly and they have started making yearly trips to see us in the summers.

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Family Traditions

We have many family traditions in our family:

• We host Christmas and Thanksgiving every year at our house (Sheryl’s family) and cook together as a family
• Going to Brian’s mom’s for Christmas, she always likes to try new recipes on the family
• Decorating the tree, seeing Christmas lights and sharing Hot cocoa as a family
• Birthdays everyone gets to choose a theme, meal and dessert which is often pizza and cake and an activity like a boardgame or a movie to share together
• Easter we take family photos and Easter egg hunts with cousins
• Lunar New Year Brian often makes a new Chinese dish to enjoy and the kids put on a show
• Juneteenth we go to local events or enjoy a BBQ at home
• Halloween we all dress up, kids trick or treat and we go to the Pumpkin Patch that has a corn maze and a train to ride as a family

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Hobbies

Brian likes gardening and plants a garden nearly every year. It’s a great family project, too. We have so many homegrown vegetables every year and always end up with an abundance of zucchini. We enjoy sharing produce with our neighbors. Brian loves to go camping and hiking – sometimes with friends and other times alone for an introspective weekend. Brian also enjoys computers and is the go-to guy in our family for technical questions. Sheryl loves dog agility and competes in agility trials. We take advantage of agility trial weekends to spend time together as a family. At home, Sheryl practices running our dogs in courses she set up, and she also takes classes. Two of our previous dogs have earned their agility championship titles. Sheryl also enjoys teaching our dogs fun tricks like catching a frisbee or freestyle dance.  As a couple, we enjoy swing dancing together. We have taken a few lessons and sometimes go on dates to swing dance events hosted by a local group. We also enjoy playing games together and with friends and family. We enjoy games like Dominion, Catan, and Splendor. We are both musical and enjoy the arts. Sheryl plays trumpet, guitar, and ukulele (ukulele being her favorite) and Brian plays the piano. Brian enjoys drawing and computers and Sheryl enjoys photography. Outdoor photography is her favorite. Reading each night before bed is another one of Sheryl’s hobbies.

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What We Will Teach

• We will teach our children to always do their best in everything they do, and that doing their best doesn’t mean we expect perfection – just being the best “you” God created you to be.
• We will teach them to be honest and to care about others.
• We will teach them about their own history and culture.
• We will help them learn to pursue their dreams and passions, and most importantly we will stand by them always.
• We will teach them to be polite and respectful to others.
• We want them to learn life skills to help them become successful and thrive as adults.
• We plan to teach our children through an at-home charter school. We have many opportunities to enrich their curriculum and individualize it, plus there are so many opportunities for social gatherings for our kids and they can partake in sports, horseback riding , dance, and almost anything that interests them.

Racial & Cultural Diversity

We believe that it is important to embrace our children’s cultures because it is part of who they are. We always celebrate Lunar New Year and our kids love to put on a Lion Dance show for us every year with their homemade costumes and drum. We also celebrate Juneteenth every year with our kids. We enjoy going to the local Juneteenth events with all the music, food and booths. We like to try new recipes from other cultures too. If our children express interest in learning about other holidays we are open to adding them to our traditions as well. We have friends and family with various backgrounds. We take great care in making sure our books and toys are diverse for our family. We pay attention to our children’s needs and help them understand their history and their story. Cultural diversity is very important to us and plays a big role in how we raise our children.

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Our Promise to You

We promise we will love your child with all of our heart and will be sure to give him/her many rich and memorable experiences. We promise that we will follow through on your desires for openness in the adoption and respect your choices of openness. We will love your child always and forever. We promise that your child will know about their adoption and you from an early age. Your baby will know who you are and how much you love him/her.Thank you for taking the time to learn about us. We hope this is just the beginning of getting to know each other.