Hello, we are Scott and Marla. We want to sincerely thank you for considering us to be a part of your child’s life.
Our story began in 2008 when we met through an online dating app. We quickly bonded over a shared interest in running and began talking about the best way to train for an upcoming race. Marla’s tag line on the app was “Must Love Dogs” and Scott instantly won over her dog, and Marla quickly followed. We soon realized that this relationship was something special, and have been inseparable ever since. We were married in 2015 in a small ceremony at our friend’s home, surrounded by our close friends and family. Now, we love to come home each day after work, enjoy one another’s company, and spend time with our rescue dog, Luna.
While we do not have any children yet, we have spent lots of intentional time investing in the lives of our young family members and even many students. Throughout this profile, you’ll see pictures of us sharing time with our nieces and nephews. The kids bring us so much joy, and are one of the main reasons why we’re so excited to adopt!
As we began thinking about expanding our family, we decided that adoption was our first choice. Marla’s life has been blessed by several family members who came to the family through adoption, and she always appreciated the way that people from all different backgrounds can come together. We both feel that adoption is a beautiful way to create a loving family, and we are excited about a future in which we share our love as parents with a child.
Marla is truly an amazing person. She is very genuine and has an incredibly kind heart. These attributes are most evident when she’s spending time with our nieces and nephews. They absolutely adore her, and she thinks the world of them.
Marla’s caring and loving nature is also evident at work. As a third-grade teacher, she is very passionate about nurturing the children in her classroom, both academically and emotionally. One of the perks of being a teacher is that Marla has holidays and summers off, which means that she’ll be able to spend even more quality time with a little one! I know that Marla will be exceptional at sharing her passion for learning and reading with a child. I can’t wait to watch her share bedtime stories, help with school projects, and support any interests a child may have.
Beyond teaching, Marla just loves being home and enjoying life’s simple pleasures. Health and fitness are important to Marla. She enjoys running and going for long walks. She is also a tremendous cook. She’s always coming up with new healthy meals for us. However, I have to say, my favorite thing that Marla makes are her Saturday morning Cinnamon Rolls. They’re delicious! Marla certainly looks forward to baking in the kitchen with a child, the same way she once did with her mother.
The first thing I noticed about Scott was just how respectful and kind he was towards me. He was the kind of guy who would ask me about my day, bring me flowers, or just do something totally out of the ordinary to make me feel special. As I got to know him better, I fell in love with his easy-going personality and his sincere heart. I also couldn’t resist his sense of humor. To this day, his one-liners still often cause me to double over laughing!
Given his genuine, caring personality, it’s no surprise that Scott built his career around helping others. Growing up, Scott was rather close with his cousin who had special needs. For many years, he watched with admiration as his aunt advocated tirelessly for her son’s needs. This inspired him to help start a company that teaches employment skills to students with disabilities.
I’m so proud of Scott’s career, and just how much of an advocate he is for these students. And like myself, Scott works in schools, so we share the same flexible calendar with summers and most holidays off. I know that Scott anticipates having lots of time to vacation with our family and to be present in all the everyday activities that are important in raising a child. Being a big sports fan, he really hopes to help coach a child’s team in the future. But if the child isn’t interested in sports, I know that Scott will still play an active, supportive role in whatever interests they choose to pursue.
To us, family is truly everything. We are both blessed to have extremely loving and supportive parents, and two younger siblings each, all with children of their own. Everyone is extremely supportive of our decision to pursue adoption and have already begun excitedly preparing for a child. The aunts have begun collecting items and the grandmothers are busy buying gifts to spoil this next grandchild. Not to mention, our nieces and nephews are VERY excited about the possibility of welcoming a new cousin!
Marla’s family lives nearby, so we get together for holidays, birthday celebrations, and often for no special reason at all. We enjoy cheering wildly for our nieces and nephews during their soccer games, baseball tournaments, or whatever activity they might show an interest in. Marla even teaches at the school where her sister’s four children attend and loves to squeeze in time to visit them throughout the day.
Scott’s family lives in New Hampshire, and we travel several times a year to enjoy time together. We have fun vacationing with Scott’s family and usually spend a week during the summer at a beach house in Maine together. We love swimming, paddling our kayaks, and hunting for treasures on the beach with his family.
We’ve made our home in the suburbs of a mid-sized city in West Michigan. It’s a wonderful place that is known for its family-friendly atmosphere. We enjoy the small-town feel of our neighborhood while at the same time being close to all the opportunities that a city has to offer.
We live in a really ideal location. We are close to many parks, trails, museums, and various sporting venues. We love taking our dog, Luna, on walks around the neighborhood and look forward to a child joining us on these small, but fun adventures around town!
Our house has plenty of space to welcome a child and a fenced-in backyard to enjoy. We maintain a clean, organized home, but it is also the sort of home that allows dogs on the furniture. We want our home to have a laid-back feeling so that everyone who visits is welcome and comfortable while they stay.
Marla enjoys spending time in our kitchen and hosting family and friends at our dining room table. Scott enjoys playing ball in the backyard with Luna and we both go running in our neighborhood. We have conversations in our backyard next to our bonfire. Our home is our ‘happy place’ where we gather to enjoy time together.
There is nothing we love more than spending time with our families. Whether it’s just a simple dinner, a birthday celebration for one of the kids, or a big family gathering, we simply just enjoy being around each other and making memories together.
Throughout the summer, our families gather at the lake and beach to enjoy cook-outs and hunting for sea glass. Sometimes we like to travel for the summer holidays. In the past, we’ve celebrated the Fourth of July on the beach in Maine with our nieces and nephew.
Once fall rolls around, Marla starts thinking about Halloween. Every year, she creates a Halloween costume to surprise her students. She’s gotten really good at it, and is looking forward to embarrassing Scott in the future with family-themed costumes! After Halloween, we look forward to Thanksgiving. It’s always a special day of celebrating with food, family, and football.
During the Christmas season, we get together with our niece and nephews to enjoy epic cookie decorating sessions and gift exchanges. It’s such a joyous time of year, and we can’t wait to share it with a child!
Whatever the occasion, we cannot wait to pass on our family traditions to a child and create new ones together as a family of three!
We want to express our most sincere gratitude to you for taking the time to read our profile. We feel so honored that you might consider us to be a part of your child’s life.
We have lots of time and love to give a child, and we are extremely excited to expand our family through adoption. We commit to being intentional about raising a child who is kind to others as well as confident in themselves. We promise to give a child the gift of two parents who will create a secure attachment with them and be involved in their everyday lives and activities.
We acknowledge that this decision is very important to you and commit to being honest, transparent, and respectful. We promise to answer any questions that you may have to ensure that you are completely comfortable with any decision that you may make.
If chosen as the adoptive parents, we also commit to remaining in contact with you as the child grows. Whether that be through updates, contact in the future, or any other form of communication, we will always honor the agreement we reach together. And regardless of the degree of openness that you choose to have with us, we promise that you will always be celebrated and honored in our home.
Whatever your final decision, whether choosing us or another couple, we send you our encouragement and gratitude for the way that you are already caring for your child. We wish you support and peace-of-mind throughout this journey.
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