Hello. We are Chet and Tracey, and we have been

married since 2000. Although we have never met, we will be

praying that God will wrap His arms around you and give you guidance and peace as you are

planning your baby girl's future. I know this isn't an easy decision for you at all, but we wanted you to know

that we will indeed be praying for you. In fact, we already

have been.

We did not always plan on having a large family, but as each child was born, we saw them as a beautiful expression of God's love

for us, and knew that we were meant to have more children. We

believe that all children are a wonderful gift from God -- one of the very best blessings He could

give us as husband and wife. Our children are the light of our

lives...two girls ages 15 and 11...and three boys ages 8, 6, and

3.

We hope that after you read this letter, you will know a little more about our family and the kind of home we have provided for our

children. We also hope you will learn something about our

hearts, enough that you would prayerfully consider us to be the

special family you choose to provide a loving home for your precious baby. We would be

honored to be her parents, and our whole family would receive her with loving and open arms.

In the spring of 2010, we felt very strongly that we were being led down a new and exciting path -- to provide a stable, loving, and godly home to a child with Down Syndrome through adoption. We believe with all of our

hearts that this is God's will for our family and we are all very excited!

We believe that ALL children deserve a loving, happy, and stable home...no matter what their challenges may be. We know that we can offer a child

with Down syndrome a constructive, meaningful, purposeful, and productive life with us full of love, protection, and laughter. We have a

large home and yard; my husband has a good, stable career; and I am a stay-at-home mom.

We have done a lot of research on caring for a child with Down syndrome, and are continuously doing so. We have relatives with Down Syndrome, friends at our church with a child that has Down Syndrome, and many other friends with children that have Down syndrome. We feel we have

more than adequate support and services to take on this exciting challenge!

Our playground (top left)Front of our house (top right)Part of back yard (bottom right)

Two big sisters!

Tristin (bottom) and Tasha (top) both can't wait for a new baby sister to teach and play with. Tristin enjoys being a nurturing "mother"

type, while Tasha is the rough-and-tumble, wrestling, hide-and-seek, and piggy-back-ride type. They quickly run to the aid of a little one

needing help or just a hug.

You may be thinking, "They have enough children already!" I can assure you that we have plenty of room in our hearts and home for your beautiful baby girl. More siblings just means more love, fun,

playmates, and helpers! My children never say, "I'm bored," because there is always someone to play with.

(Pictures taken in

and around our home)

Three big brothers!

Jordan (oldest), Jaden (middle), and A.J. (youngest) are always loving, but "all boy." These

three brothers are fun, protective, helpful, and kind. They can't wait to have a new baby sister to

love, play with, and protect.

The best husband and father (by Tracey)

Chet is the best father, husband, and provider that we could ever have. He is our protector, our spiritual leader, our playmate, and is totally devoted to us. Chet works as a

corrections officer and spends all of his off-time with his family. He is nurturing, compassionate, and the funniest man I have

ever met. Back when Chet and I first got together, I had a daughter from my first marriage. He took her in and adopted her at the age of 5, and has always loved her the same as he

does our other children. I have no doubt that he would do the same for your baby.

Compasionate and fun-loving mother (by Chet)

Tracey is the love of my life. I fell in love with her almost instantly, and part of that was because of the way she treats children. I have

never met a more nurturing mother who instantly bonds so well with babies and young children. She really loves taking care of people who need her. Tracey has been a stay-at-home mom for over 10 years and really loves it. Having her as our children's

teacher has been the best thing ever. Her homeschooling skills are fabulous. She has an excellent way of knowing when the children

are ready for a new skill or task. You couldn't ask for a better mother for your baby.

What we do all year!

As a homeschooling family, we have the freedom to take vacations pretty much whenever we want.

Most of our vacations are to visit family. We have a family reunion at my parents' lake house in

Michigan every other summer, and have a great time. Niagara Falls is one of our stops during that

trip. There are a few adopted children in our extended family, and they are always loved the

same as everyone else.

Spring, summer, and fall are also filled with taking the kids fishing, swimming, gardening, going for

walks, camping, Christian summer camp, and going to the beach. Most summer evenings you'll

find us right in our own backyard playing kickball, t-ball, or roasting marshmallows in our outdoor

fireplace.

In the late summer and fall we go strawberry and apple picking! We are also very active at our church -- with Awana Club (it's like cub/girl

scouts, but with a Christian theme) and Sunday School. There are many homeschoooling families

in our church, and we go on frequent field trips together. For birthdays we LOVE going to Chuck

E. Cheese.

In the winter the kids sled a lot. We have an excellent hill right in our own front yard. All of the children are involved in some sort of sport -- from

horseback riding to basketball to baseball.

Thank you for considering us. If you have ANY questions or would like to contact us personally,

please ask your caseworker and we would be happy to comply.

- Tracey & Chet