Hello, we are Dallas and Janice! Thank you for taking the time to read our story and to consider us as prospective parents.
We met through a Christian student organization at the University of Michigan. At the time, Dallas was a student, and Janice worked for the organization. After getting to know each other and developing a friendship over many years (13!), we started dating in 2014 and were married a year later in 2015.
During our engagement, we began talking about being foster parents and adopting in the future. We both have family members who have adopted children, and we were really attracted to the idea of adoption. After a year of marriage, we began the process of becoming licensed foster parents. Since then, we have been foster parents to six children. In 2019 we were incredibly blessed to be able to adopt Adora, who we had fostered since her birth. In 2020 we found ourselves without any foster children in our home and decided the time was right to grow our family through adoption. We worked with Adoption Associates and in 2021 we adopted Violet. We love being parents, with all the joys and challenges involved, and are incredibly excited to welcome another child to our family!
I am the oldest of six children, three girls, and three boys, and grew up in southeast Michigan. I am close to and have strong, loving relationships with my parents and siblings. Being part of a large family growing up was a wonderful experience. As children we had a lot of fun playing together - playing make-believe using costumes from our dress up box, building Legos, riding our bikes around the neighborhood with our dad, watching U of M football, and listening to adventure stories read by our mom. Now as adults those friendships continue. As we have started our own families, our children now play together doing similar activities. I gained so much from having multiple siblings and am looking forward to that for Adora and Violet and our future adopted children.
I was homeschooled for grade and high school. I majored in social work in college. For the last 17 years, I have worked at a large hospital supporting patients, families, and healthcare providers who are dealing with complex medical situations.
When I’m not at work, I enjoy spending time with Dallas, Adora, and Violet, as well as our extended family and friends - especially taking Adora and Violet to visit with their cousins. Like Dallas, I am involved in my church and local Christian community. I love reading and am constantly checking books out from the library. I also enjoy taking walks, traveling, going to the beach, baking (and eating) good food and running.
I am the oldest of three brothers and grew up in a small town in west Michigan. Growing up we spent a lot of time together as a family, especially doing outdoor activities like hiking, camping, boating, and spending time at the lake. I was also involved in sports and music throughout high school.
I moved to southeast Michigan for college to study engineering. After graduating from college, I spent a year doing volunteer work in the United Kingdom before returning to southeast Michigan to begin my career. For the past 15 years, I’ve worked for a large federal agency designing and analyzing renewable fuel programs.
Outside of work I’m very involved in my local church and Christian community. I still enjoy spending time outdoors, mostly hiking and gardening these days, as well as sports and music. I also love to cook and explore different types of food from around the world. It’s been a great delight to share these interests with our daughters, Adora and Violet, and our other foster children, and I can’t wait to share them in the future with our adopted children!
About Adora:
Adora first joined our family as a newborn through the foster care system, and two years later, we were able to adopt our incredible daughter. Adora is a very outgoing, friendly, and curious girl, who loves learning about the world around her. She is also very intelligent and thoughtful and enjoys taking care of others.
Adora loves to go for walks and spend time outside at the parks near our home, especially on the swings. She likes to sing and dance and is always ready to dress up as a princess. Adora also enjoys visiting her cousins, aunts, uncles, and especially her grandparents. She is always up for an adventure with her family, but her favorite places are at the beach or on grandpa’s boat.
Adora really enjoys being a big sister to Violet and is eager to help feed, hold, and sing to her new brother or sister. We know she is going to do an excellent job!
Violet enjoys the outdoors, exploring the park behind our house, and trying new foods. So far, she has liked pretty much every food she has tried. Some of her current favorite foods include olives, Italian sausage, shrimp, and cherries (but not together, of course). She also enjoys reading books, especially "Llama, Llama, Red Pajama," and listening to music. Her current favorite song is "Wheels on the Bus."
Violet loves playing with her older sister, Adora, other children in our neighborhood, and her cousins. We think she is going to be an excellent big sister!
© 2023 Featured Waiting Families, All Rights Reserved
Web design and digital marketing by Valorous Circle LLC
