Our love story

When Jon and I met I was going to college at Ricks (BYU-Idaho). I was home for my Christmas break and my cousin called and wanted me to go to the Singles New Years Eve dance in Boise with her. I was not big on dances but thought it would be fun to get together with her. She later called me and said she had some bad news, she ended up having a date for the dance but still wanted me to go so she needed to find me a date. I had not been on very many dates in my life but I did not want to go on a blind date! After trying hard to find a way out of it my mom convinced me I should go. My cousin asked Jon who was just home from his mission to go with me. He agreed thinking it would be fun. Neither of us thought we would find the love of our life on a blind date but that is what happened. After our date I saw Jon the next night because a bunch of us got together to watch movies and he was invited. I liked him and thought he was a great guy but figured I would never see him again because I lived 5 hours away. The Friday before I headed back to school he called me up and said he was going to be in Wendell on Sat and wanted to take me on a date (no one goes to Wendell with out a good reason). I went on this date with excitement but still figured I would not get to see him again. After going back to school I went on a few dates with another guy while Jon kept trying to get a hold of me. I finally called him back and he was coming to town to see some friends and wanted to see me. After that weekend he was the only person I wanted to be with. I knew I loved him but wanted him to date other people because he was just off the mission. Well he did not date any one and we were married in Aug in the Boise, Id temple. We have now been married for almost 9 years. We lived in Twin Falls for a few years and then moved to Boise to finish up some school. We started to try to have a baby within about 6 months of marriage and kept trying for 4 and 1/2 years before finally going to a fertility specialist to find out why I was not getting pregnant. These years were really hard on me. I wanted to be a mom so bad but more then that I wanted Jon to be a dad. He is so wonderful with kids and it made him so happy to play with his nieces and nephews. After going to the doctor we realized having kids was not going to be easy. I had to have a surgery and then some fertility treatments. To our surprise I got pregnant after the first treatment. We were so excited and even more excited when the ultra sound showed that it was twins. We were in heaven thinking that our family was finally going to have children in it. The night Jon took me to the hospital because I was in Labor was a very scary night. When the doctor told us there was nothing they could do to stop the babies from coming or to save them I saw all of our dreams falling to pieces. Holding my daughters knowing that the time I had with them was going to be very short was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I think about them every day and wonder what they are like. Knowing that they are in the loving hands of our heavenly father helps make this easier. After the girls were born Jon and I grew closer together trying to deal with the loss of them. We had the bond of going through this trial to bring us closer together. After some time we decided to try again thinking it would be as easy as the first time. After several more tries I still was not able to get pregnant. I began to pray and got the answer that adoption was for us. After talking to Jon about it he said he would let me know. About a week later he said that he was ready to start the adoption paper work next month. Before we were able to do this we received a call from some family about adopting a 6 month old girl. I was excited beyond belief that it would happen so fast. That was when Baylee joined our family two years ago. We have enjoyed the time that we have had with Baylee by herself but feel very strongly about her having siblings. After much praying we received the answer that adoption was once again the way to have another child. We look forward to the day we get to bring another child into our family to love and watch grow.

Jon

I grew up in Hillsboro, Oregon. I am the 2nd youngest of 5 children. I have 1 older sister, 2 older brothers and 1 younger brother. We moved to Nampa, Idaho when I was 15. During my school years I was involved in a variety of sports. I was also active in the scouting program where I earned my Eagle rank. After high school I worked until I was able to serve a mission in Dallas Texas. After my mission I met and married Caylee and attended school at the College of Southern Idaho. I went on to BSU to earn my Bachelors of Science in Fitness Evaluation and Program Management. I am currently applying to graduates school to earn my Doctorate in Physical Therapy. I hope to one day own my own Physical Therapy practice so that I can have the time to spend with my family that I want. In church I have served in the callings of: primary teacher, Elders quorm teacher, Primary chorister, Scout master, Young Men's presidency, Stake young mans presidency, and 11 yr old scout leader and teacher. My favorite is working with the young men and the scouting program. I have a love of serving and am able to share this love with the young boys.

Caylee

I grew up in the small town of Wendell. I have 3 older brothers and 1 younger brother. Growing up I was involved in many activities including swim team, band, softball, and piano. During the summer I would either babysit the neighbor kids or teach swim lessons and lifeguard at the local pool. I loved this job! Watching the little kids develop their skills in swimming and get so excited about it was a very fulfilling job for me. I got my Associates Degree in Computerized Bookkeeping for the College of Southern Idaho. With my husband going to school and working I choose to work at a local restaurant so that I was home during the same hours in the afternoon he was. I have always felt that it is important to make sure you do what ever you need to to have family time. I am currently a stay at home mom of my sweet Baylee and loving it. I have held many calling at church some of which are: primary teacher, primary pianist, nursery leader, counselor in the young woman's program, relief society teacher, enrichment leader, second counselor in the primary presidency and am now serving as second counselor in the Relief Society. I enjoy all the many things I have learned through the different callings I have had. My favorite ones have been the ones where I have worked with the children. There is nothing more filling in life then watching little children as they come to understand that Heavenly Father loves them.

Baylee

Baylee is a full of life 3 year old. From the day she joined our family she has only brought smiles to our faces. She keeps us laughing everyday with the different things she does. She loves to dance and sing. She picks a song and wants to listen to it over and over until she knows all the words and we end up hiding the disk so we don't have to listen to it any more. When Jon walks in the door from work she starts to squeal with excitement. She follows him around wanting to do whatever he is doing. She is such a big helper that it is a joy to have her around. Baylee will make a wonderful big sister one day. She carries her baby doll around every where we goes. If a baby is in the room that is where you will find Baylee. She can sit for hours watching a baby sleep. Baylee dances her way through life. Where ever she goes she is dancing. It is fun to watch her in the store dancing to the music playing. If there is no music she sings as she dances. She does not have a full understanding of adoption but we talk to her all the time about how she joined our family and how her birth mother loves her very much. She gets to talk to her birth mother about once a month and on holidays. We have also gone and visited her Birth Mom and Grandma. We hope to continue this relationship with her birth mother so that one day she can have all her questions answered and she will know how loved she truly is.