Meet Shad & Jennifer
A video message from Shad & Jennifer
A Letter from Shad & Jennifer
Thank you so much for taking the time to read about us! We are a fun, active family of 4, with a biological daughter due in August 2023. We are faithful Catholics and try to maintain a home centered on Jesus. We love traveling to new places, finding adventures outside, and spending quality time with family. Our evenings are filled with family dinners, walking the dog, games, and prayers. We promise that we will love and care for your child unconditionally!
About Us
We met in 2017 and knew very early on that we were meant to be together. Jennifer was a widowed mother when we met and Shad did a wonderful job working to not only get to know Jennifer but her daughter Cecilia. On our first date, he offered to send some extra dessert home to Cecilia as a “thank you” for letting him spend time with her mom. We quickly found out we were both faithful Catholics who loved to be active, play board games and prioritize family. We were married in January 2018 and since then we have worked to create a loving, joyful home together. In November 2021, we were blessed with the birth of our daughter, Zelie. As a family, we love to go for hikes, play family games, and travel. We are thrilled to grow our family through adoption and look forward to sharing our love for family time, love, and laughter with your child.
About Shad (By Jennifer)
Shad is an amazing husband and father who constantly surprises me by his selflessness and patience. He is always committing time to the family and truly puts Cecilia, Zelie and I first. He loves to have tickle fights with Cecilia and run around the house with her. One of Zelie’s happiest spots is sitting on his shoulders so she can watch the world around her. He is funny, smart, and caring. He knows how to embrace the little moments of each day but also see the big picture. He loves to challenge himself daily with new projects for our home, including ways to make our home a smart home!
What drew me to him was his love for Christ and his active lifestyle. He enjoys going for runs, hikes, bike rides, rock climbing, kayaking, and paddleboarding. He actively puts faith and family above all things. He is looking forward to teaching our next child how to play games, kayak, and play sports.
About Jennifer (By Shad)
Ever since I meant Jennifer it was clear that the most important things in her life are faith and family. She lives her life by this every day. Whether it is making sure we have a good home-cooked dinner as a family every night, coming up with games for us to play together, or supporting my daughters and myself, she always puts all of herself in her actions. She is often unintentionally funny and always has a smile on her face. She loves to do crafts, play games, and work on projects. Jennifer also loves to read novels, bake, go hiking and kayaking, and plan our next vacation.
One of her favorite activities is to decorate the house for every holiday to make sure joy is always in the house. Moreover every day, she finds ways to remind us how to find joy in God. She looks forward to reading, playing, cuddling with, and taking our next child on adventures to new places!
Our Family
Jennifer’s parents and sister’s family live a few miles away. We like to spend Sunday afternoons with them playing board games and having large family dinners. Shad’s family lives 2 hours away so we get to see them often as well. We spend holidays with all of our extended family and also enjoy vacations, including camping, with them. Cecilia has been embraced by Shad’s family and maintains a strong relationship with her biological dad’s family – all of whom are excited to welcome your child into the family!
Our Daughters, Cecilia and Zelie
Cecilia is our 8-year-old, sweet, spunky, loving little girl. While her bio dad passed away before she was born, she has had a joyful childhood! Shad has loved her as his own from day one. Cecilia loves being a big sister and can’t wait to help teach any younger siblings how to “walk, ride a bike, and swing” along with so many other things. She loves doting upon her baby cousins and sister and is already such a little helper. Our daughter, Zelie, joined our family in November 2021 and is a strong, healthy 1-year-old girl. She is always on the move and absolutely loves her big sister and older cousins.
Our Home in Indiana
We live in a quiet town, just a few miles from both Jennifer’s parents and her sister’s family. Our home has 3 bedrooms with a cozy basement and fenced in backyard with a large deck and play set. We have made good friends with our neighbors, some of whom have become some of our best friends! There are many children who are constantly outside and we have a neighborhood pool, playground, tennis court, and basketball goals.
Our Promise
We promise to provide your child with a home filled with faith, stability, support, and love. We promise to put God first above all things and teach your child that they are loved- by God, by us, and by you. Our family will be a priority and we will always make time for family dinners, game nights, and trips. We promise to love your child unconditionally. And to help our children to grow into self-sufficient, kind, joyful, and responsible people.
If you would like to learn more about us, please call or text Lifetime at 1.800.923.6784.
Learn More About Shad & Jennifer
| Shad | Jennifer | |
|---|---|---|
| Our Education | BS in Mechanical Engineering | MS in Physician Assistant Studies |
| Our Professions | Senior Engineer II | Stay-at-home Mom |
| Stay-At-Home | No | Yes |
| Our Racial Background | Caucasian | Caucasian |
| Some of Shad & Jennifer's Favorites | ||
| Food | Pizza | Is chocolate considered a food? 🙂 If not, then probably a good hamburger! |
| Family Activity | Family walks, runs, and hikes | Hiking, bike rides, traveling to new places, family games |
| Hobbies | Computer programming and woodworking | Creating (anything from trying new recipes, writing, painting, sewing, decorating, drawing) |
| Vacation Destination | Camping | Hawaii or any beach |
| Holiday | Easter | Christmas |
| Saint | Saint Joseph | Saint Maria Goretti, her forgiveness story has inspired and guided me many times in my life |
| Color | Red | Green |
| More About Our Family | ||
| Our Special Interests | Together we enjoy: Together, the four of us have enjoyed many fun vacations and love to incorporate outdoor activities as part of them. Hiking, laughing, going on vacations, playing sports with our children, spending time with family and friends, going to Mass together, working on our home. Shad enjoys: 3D printing, running, camping, woodworking, watching football, playing sports, and computer programming. He recently programmed a personal alarm clock for Cecilia to tell her the saint of the day, the weather and little messages from us. She loves it! Jennifer enjoys: planning vacations and traveling, reading novels, writing, gardening, sewing, crafting home decor, painting, and playing outside with the girls. She recently got into bread making and makes a homemade loaf of bread every week for our family. | |
| Our Faith | We were both baptized and raised Catholic. We make it a priority to go to Mass every Sunday and believe it is one of our greatest responsibilities to lead our children to become saints. We pray together before meals and every night as a family. Jennifer and Cecilia pray a daily rosary together. Bedtime prayers consist of saying 3 things we are thankful for, 3 pray intentions, and asking the intercession of 3 saints. Jennifer and Shad also work to pray together as a couple each night as well. We love reading about each saint of the day and learning more about the faith. The sacraments are integral parts of our lives and we love our faith! | |
| Our Musical Interest | We both love a variety of music! Jennifer loves listening to classical or instrumental music during the day to provide a soothing home environment. But in the car she jams out to anything from country and pop to broadway, oldies and christian music! Shad loves more hard rock and pop but is open to just about anything. | |
| Our Neighborhood | It has been such a joy raising our daughters in a place that is safe and fun! Our town is also very family-friendly with various year-round family events, many parks and trails, and a great library. We have countless kids in our neighborhood who are always out biking, playing sports, and hanging out at the neighborhood central pool and playground. Cecilia has made plenty of friends on our street and loves getting on the walkie talkie to chat with them. | |
| We Prefer a Child Who Is... | ||
| Age of Child | Newborn to 5 years | |
| Twins | Absolutely! | |
| Gender | Either | |
| Sibling Group | We would love to welcome siblings into our home | |
| In Closing | ||
Thank you so much for taking the time to read about us. We truly feel that God has led us to adoption and we are so excited! We think that our greatest responsibility as parents is to ensure Cecilia, Zelie, and any other children we are fortunate to have, know that they are not only loved by us but also loved by God. Faith and family are the foundations of our lives. Our home will be a place full of love and stability, but also laughter and adventures! We hope to hear from you soon! |
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