Scott & Channing
We know that you have a difficult choice to make, and we so appreciate your taking the time to read this letter. If you have any questions about us or our family, we’d be happy to talk with you about them anytime you are ready.
Thank you, so much, for considering us as adoptive parents for your baby. We can promise you that we’ll absolutely love this child and we’d welcome the chance to make him or her a part of our family. As parents we feel we have so much to give, and our daughter is excited and ready to be a big sister. The three of us would be thrilled and honored if you gave us the chance to welcome your baby into our family.
About Us:
Channing told Scott about her training for a charity bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles, and he told her about his year of wilderness living in a cabin in Northern Manitoba, Canada. By the end of the lunch, it was clear that we shared the same sense of adventure and the same sense of humor. After Scott flew back to Chicago, he sent Channing an email, and we began a long distance courtship that lasted two and a half years!
Scott left his beloved Chicago to be with Channing in Los Angeles, and soon after his arrival he proposed, and as they say, “The rest is history.” We each feel so lucky because we’re married to our very best friend. The two of us enjoy traveling, spending time with family and friends, and are really good at finding the fun in almost any situation, which is good because we’ve faced our share of challenges over the years we’ve been married. Nothing’s ever perfect, and we’re lucky to be in a relationship where we can laugh even in the difficult times, and not just on vacations!
Our Home:
Our home is in the Hollywood Hills. It’s a cozy, 3-bedroom house with a big yard. Big decks wrap around the back of the house, and we’ve got a wading pool out there for Eden, who loves to splash around! Scott put up a porch swing a few years ago and that is where you’ll often find us on Sunday afternoons, watching squirrels chase each other up the trees in our yard. We did all of the decorating ourselves so it’s a combination of Scott’s love of modern design and Channing’s love of warm, bright textiles. Both of us enjoy modern art and we’ve collected many pieces that are special to us. One of our favorites is from a Brazilian artist, and it depicts two cartoon-style faces in conversation. Our joke is that it is a doodle of the two of us!
Our daughter’s room was decorated by Channing in orange, gray and white, because she wanted to do something unique that didn’t feel like the usual pink for a girl. Over the bed there are decals on the wall of koala bears climbing a tree, which Eden enjoys looking at as she falls asleep. Right now we are using the third bedroom as an office, but we are already excited about getting to decorate it in a special way for the new baby.
Meet Channing:
Channing works for a television company, and has helped to launch shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Criminal Minds and Scandal. Her job involves hearing pitches for new show concepts and helping to develop them into successful series. She enjoys meeting with writers and hearing the ideas that excite them.
Meet Scott:
Scott owns his own marketing and advertising company, which helps companies with their consumer image. He works with a lot of medical and health care companies, and enjoys helping doctors better connect with their patients. He also enjoys participating in triathlons in his free time.
Our Family:
We were both raised in the Christian faith, by traditional families that placed importance on values like honesty, respect for others, and hard work.
The two of us always wanted to be parents, but our journey to having children was a complicated and difficult one. After trying for several years to have a biological child of our own, we turned to adoption to begin building our family. We were lucky enough to adopt our daughter Eden in August of 2012. Her birth was such a special and magical day for us and we have felt so blessed to have her as a part of our family.
Our relationship with Eden’s birth mother was very open, honest and direct. It was a very positive and supportive dynamic for all of us. We feel so grateful to have met her, and we are so happy to still be in touch with her. We send her photos of Eden and still occasionally exchange emails and text messages.
We are a truly “outdoorsy” family. The three of us enjoy walking, biking and hiking, especially in the canyon trails near our home. Traveling and exploring new places is important to us too. In fact Eden has already been to six other states – Indiana and Illinois to visit family, Oregon to visit friends, and Hawaii, Massachusetts and Maine on vacation!
Eden is good at traveling both by car and airplane. Lately we have started taking her on regular trips to the library, because she delights in “reading” and being read to. Music is a big part of our lives – we enjoy it all, from classical to jazz, from alternative rock to contemporary pop. The three of us have regular “dance parties” on Sunday afternoons, and we can’t wait until Eden is old enough to attend a concert at the Hollywood Bowl, which is our favorite concert spot. We were just there twice in a month, once to see Billy Joel, and then again two weeks later to see Bruno Mars. We can’t decide which show was better!
We’re lucky in that we live very close to Channing’s sister, whose two daughters are 6 and 3. They enjoy spending time with Eden and she adores both of them. She always wants to do everything the big girls are doing, even if she’s not quite old enough yet to participate in all their games! Channing’s parents also live close by, which is especially wonderful during the holidays.
Eden visits them at least one afternoon a week, and always has a great time. They have a terrific house and a big backyard with a playhouse, a swingset and a jungle gym. Once a month the whole family gets together and it’s so much fun to see the three little ones running around!
In addition to Channing’s sister’s two daughters, Scott’s sister has two sons and a daughter. We are close to all of our nieces and nephews, and that only underscores our belief that this is the right path for us. We’re thrilled with Eden, who is a wonderful child and brings us so much joy. But we can’t help feeling that our family is still incomplete. Our joy in being parents to Eden is immeasurable, and we’re eager to share that love and enthusiasm for life with another child.
Our Thoughts on Parenting:
It is important to both of us to give our children the best possible care, and the greatest unconditional love. While it can be financially challenging to raise two children, we have investments that will make sure that both of our children have secure futures. Our children will be raised in a happy, safe and embracing environment that will provide them both with a secure foundation for their lives.