We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for considering us as adoptive parents for your child.
We cannot imagine how difficult this decision is for you, and we admire your strength and courage. We hope that our book will give you an insight to our life and who we are as a family. Our hearts are open and filled with love and our life's desire is to share that love with another precious child.
Relationship/Journey
We didn’t meet until later in our lives, but we both feel that we found not just a loving spouse and lifelong companion, but a best friend in each other. From my point of view (Jeff), Melissa and I love sharing our lives together. Melissa is not just beautiful, but also very smart, loving and caring, and is a wonderful mother to our adoptive son, Landon. She has a big heart and so much love to give to a child. She truly is one of the best people that I've ever known. And from mine (Melissa), Jeff is the most kind and selfless person I have ever known. He has a huge and loving heart. Jeff is very smart and has a wonderful sense of humor and always makes me and others smile and laugh. He genuinely enjoys making others happy. He is my best friend, and he is such an incredible father to Landon.
Why Adoption?
Family is very important to Melissa and I, and we have always wanted children. After getting married, we tried unsuccessfully to have a child, and as time went on, we realized that maybe God had other plans for us. While my Mom is my biological mother, my Dad adopted me. He is the only father that I've ever known, and I have never met a better man to this day! I love him very much, so I truly understand the unconditional love of an adoptive parent! And given that father-son relationship, Melissa and I had always talked about Adoption, and then finally God blessed us through adoption in January 2024 with our precious son. We have been so blessed and are very hopeful about the opportunity to expand our family through adoption.
Home
We currently live in a lovely small neighborhood in Prairieville, LA. This is our new dream house that we are currently building in a gated community in Baton Rouge, just minutes from several good schools, shopping, fun activities, and great restaurants. We are excited to make many memories and grow our family in our forever home!
Travel
We both love to travel, and we enjoy seeing new places and experiencing new adventures. We vacationed in the Bahamas, got engaged in Breckenridge, Colorado, and Honeymooned in Hawaii. Melissa’s dad has a ranch in Texas, and we love to visit, ride horses, and enjoy the peace of nature. Jeff is from New Orleans, which always makes for a fun day trip with Landon!
Hobbies
Jeff enjoys playing golf, cooking, and spending time outdoors. Melissa enjoys music, riding horses, and spending time with family and friends. But, we both also love attending LSU and Saints games together, and we have season tickets to the Saints.
Pets
Our dog, Rhyder, is 4 years old now, but we adopted him when he was only a couple of months old. He is so smart and loving! He likes playing with all his friends at Camp Bow Wow (aka School) and running around the backyard. And he is very protective of Landon - they just love each other so much! We also have a cat, and she goes by her nickname, “Monkey”.
School & Work
Jeff attended LSU and is a Civil Engineer. He oversees the design and construction of highways and bridges. Melissa attended Randolph Macon College in Virginia and she is a Content Director for national conferences.
Jeff's Extended Family
Jeff has a large extended family with ten aunts and uncles, twenty-three cousins, and twenty-four grandchildren in the family. We are all close and don’t wait for holidays to get together. We also have several very close friends that are just like family, and in some ways even closer. Melissa and I are very close to those families and spend time together with them and all of their children.
Melissa's Extended Family
In addition to her parents, Melissa has a little brother, several aunts, and cousins. But, like Jeff, Melissa has a very close-knit friend group have been like sisters since they were 10 years old. They met while attending St. Michael's Catholic school, and they have remained close friends still to this day.
Family Traditions & Holidays
The Holidays are a very special time for our family! We love spending time with each other at Thanksgiving, which my Mom loves to host each year. We also love Halloween and take Landon trick-or-treating in his skeleton costume. But this year, our Christmas tradition is changing – our new dream house will be constructed, and we have decided that we will host both sides of the family at our new house for Christmas. Everyone is so excited to wake up Christmas morning and watch Landon’s joy and amazement while he opens presents.
Find Out More
Would you like to learn more about this family or the other families waiting to adopt a baby? Contact the caring counselors at St. Elizabeth. There’s no pressure—we’re just here to help you decide what’s best for you and your baby.
