Adoptive Families: Rob & Rachel

 

Hello!

Thank you for taking the time to get to know us a little better. We are Rob and Rachel (and Barkley!). We cannot imagine how difficult this time may be for you, and we hope our letter offers you some hope and encouragement. We can only pray that this will be the beginning of answers to life-long prayers for all of us.

We met at church in 1997, when Rachel visited the choir practice Rob was directing and sat down beside his mother. We married in 2001, and spent the next six years building both our relationship together and our own careers. In 2008 we felt we were ready for children but ran into fertility problems, and two years of fertility treatments have been unsuccessful. Rob has always had a desire to adopt a child, and now both of us are excited (and more than a little nervous) about this new experience!

We are blessed to have our entire immediate family living less than ten minutes away. We live in Rob’s hometown, and Rachel’s family moved here from Michigan shortly after we married. Our families regularly spend time together; we are so fortunate that our in-laws love each other! We love to babysit our niece Kenzie; she and her parents live just down the road. We recognize how lucky we are to have our family living so nearby.

In addition to our immediate family we have an “extended family” made up of five families that have been very close to each other for nearly 30 years. These families go to church together and began vacationing at Lake Sam Rayburn together when Rob was young. Now three generations gather regularly at the lake or at each other’s homes. Our four godchildren are a part of these families, as are our closest friends. Our friends and family are very supportive of our decision to adopt and anxiously await our newest family member.

The church has always been a central part of our lives together. In addition to meeting each other there, we were engaged and married there. Rob served as the choir director for 11 years and has worked with both youth and adult Sunday schools and mission groups. Rachel teaches the 3-year-olds Sunday school class and plays in the bell choir. She also volunteers in the nursery, where her mom is the supervisor.

Both of us are fortunate to have secure job situations that allow us the freedom to raise a child. Rob directs the choir at our neighborhood high school. He earned his master’s degree and principal’s certification in 2005, but still loves teaching too much to be a principal right now. While his job can be time-consuming sometimes during the school year, he enjoys spending the summers at home. Rachel works for a contractor in the space industry. She began as an engineer, but in 2003 she earned her MBA and is now a technical manager. Her employer offers outstanding benefits and flexible work hours, in addition to family leave time for adoptive parents.

We live in a spacious one-story home tucked away in a beautiful suburban golf course community. Our school district is one of the largest “exemplary” districts in the state, and we live within three miles of our outstanding neighborhood schools. Our dog, Barkley, joined our family when we adopted him three years ago. He loves to play fetch and go on walks, where he enjoys greeting the neighborhood children. He is very energetic but always gentle with our niece and other children.

Since early in our relationship we have enjoyed traveling all over Europe, Latin America, and the USA. We love the theater, and often see plays and musicals in Houston. Rob is the cook of the house, a novice photographer and sings in a community choir. Rachel is taking violin lessons for the first time since high school. She also volunteers at a local women’s shelter and attends stained glass classes. When we’re home we love to play with Barkley, read, and play on our Playstation.

We are committed to giving any child the unconditional love and care he or she needs and deserves, but we also believe the child should know and feel your love too. We will do all we can to make that happen. If you wish to get to know us better, please contact Presbyterian Children's Homes and Services Adoption Services at 1-800-543-2229 or 713-522-2800. We have the deepest respect for the difficult decision you are making, and we hope we are given the opportunity to share more of our lives with you.

God bless,

Rob and Rachel