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| Sunny Ridge Family Center is licensed as a child welfare agency by the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services (#019976), and by the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, Division of Family and Children, as a child placing agency. |
| Dear Birth Parents,
Our names are Sharon and Todd. Todd grew up in Southern Florida and Sharon was born and raised in Chicago on the northwest side. We were both raised Catholic, and our faith is an important part of our lives and who we are. Todd is the middle of three children and Sharon is number five out of six children. All together we have 6 nieces and 5 nephews who are a great joy to our lives. We both grew up in close, loving families - many of whom still live very near us. Every adult and every child is a piece of gold in our family’s treasure. We live by our parent’s great example of love. Our family is extremely close and we cherish each other more than words could ever say. Everyone in our entire family is as excited as we are about adoption.
When it comes to our family and friends we feel blessed for so many reasons, and would like to share a recent story. In Sharon’s family there are 5 members who have birthdays before Christmas. Sharon’s parents were always careful never to combine birthdays, always making each and every one feel special on their day. Mom always put up a special sign, decorations, invited best friends, and made our favorite dinner and cake. Todd and his brother, oddly enough, also have December birthdays, so the holidays are filled with lots of birthday parties (to this day NEVER combined). Well this year was especially significant for Sharon …I turned 40 this year on Dec. 18.
If people were to describe me (Todd), I hope they would say that I am a great dad. I am a very warm, compassionate, and selfless person. I make every attempt to let those who mean a great deal to me know how important they are in my life – by being there for them. My wife is my closest friend. She is truly remarkable and her spirit touches my soul.
If people were to describe me (Sharon), I hope they would say that I am a great mom and that my life has always reflected my great love of children. I adore them. Kids have always been one of the keys to finding joy in my life. I try to be a very giving person and share my time and attention with others. I live my life with kindness, hope, faith, and forgiveness. I believe love is something if you give away you end up having more. As far as how I feel for my husband, love goes without saying. He is my prince and I thank God everyday for making him mine.
For more information please contact Sunny Ridge Family Center. With all our respect and love, Todd and Sharon
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Our greatest hopes and dreams, we hope one day soon, will begin with you. We believe the gift of life to be Gods most precious gift, and the sharing of this gift to be one of the truest and deepest signs of love. The strength and courage it took for you to give your child life is extremely admirable. Your baby is so very fortunate to have such loving parents. We hope that we can fulfill your wish to find a loving family for your child. Thank you for taking the time to look at our profile and getting to know a little about us. 
Time spent together is most precious to us. Every March, for the last 15 years or so, we take a family vacation for two weeks to Sanibel Island, FL. Everyone comes with their families and we all look forward to this time of sunsets, sand castles, seashells, barbeques, lazy days, laughter and lasting memories for everyone both big and small. We know Sanibel as such a place of love that we thought it was the perfect spot for our wedding to share with all our family and friends. (Hence, the sunset and beach wedding photos) It is truly a magical two weeks for our family. Now it’s a place we share our anniversary. We have just celebrated our seventh anniversary and have been together for over fifteen years. 
Our definition of family also includes our dear friends, many of whom we’ve known since childhood. The roots of our friendships run deep, and these relationships are valued, respected, and never taken for granted. “There’s always room for one more” and “The more the merrier” were mottos taught to us as children and are joyfully followed today. 
Forty days before my birthday I opened my front door and found a sign made into a calendar reading “40 days til Sharon’s 40th” and a present at my doorstep labeled #1. So, for the next 39 days my sister left 39 gifts and 39 sweet notes. But it gets better… A few weeks before my birthday Todd told me he wanted to take me for a road- trip to my favorite little town in WI called Cedarburg. This town at Christmas time looks like something out of a movie, and during the holidays there is nothing like it. So upon arriving to this magical place I see my family, my friends and their children waiting to celebrate and spoil me. I was SHOCKED to see them all here in this far away place just for me. I was whisked away to a spa and pampered. We then walked thru the tree lit- town, and that night there was a dinner in my honor. Todd, my family, friends, nieces, nephews, and even Godchildren all got up and spoke about how my life touched theirs. I have never felt more special or loved than on this day. I felt like George Bailey in the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life”. 
I truly am the richest woman in the world. Having those I love express their love for me was the best birthday gift I ever received. I have the most amazing husband, a wonderful family, and the best of friends. I hope this story gives you a little look into the window of our lives. Todd and I have always tried to live our lives making sure those we love know how important they are to us by being there for them, and feel our lives are blessed with a love that has come full circle.
Todd and I pride our relationship on trust, friendship and having fun together. We are a loving couple and try to enjoy life to the fullest. We like to spend our summers boating with family and friends on Lake Michigan. Three years ago we built a home with the hopes of one day filling it with lots of tiny footsteps. Our home is in a wonderful Chicago suburb that really caters to children. We live walking distance to the town square where the city always seems to have special events planned, such as festivals, concerts and movies in the park, parades, a circus, and many holiday events. Nearby are several parks, pools, a library, movie- theater, community center and several quaint shops and restaurants. The city is also known for having one of the best schools systems in the Chicago-land area. 
Upon getting married, we tried to start a family with the help of fertility experts with no success. It is our firm belief that God had another plan for us. It was then we began our adoption journey. On February 22, 2006 our prayers were answered and our dreams came true - we adopted our son Jake! It was love at first sight and there is nothing we wouldn’t do for him. We have an open adoption arrangement with Jake’s birthparents and extended family. We have opened our hearts and our home to them and wouldn’t have it any other way. We feel that the more people that love Jake the better and consider them family. We exchange photos as often as possible and they come for many visits. They all know they are welcome in our home anytime. Having another son or daughter born into our lives is the greatest gift we could receive, and we would be open to any level of contact you want or need. 
I, Todd, am in the investment industry and work for a large, well-respected company as an annuity wholesaler. Best of all, I work from home which enables me to be a real hands-on dad – and I love it. I am able to spend a lot of moments with my family that other dad’s miss because they have to go to the office from 9 to 5. My job enables me to truly enjoy fatherhood and not miss a lot of firsts – first smile, first laugh, first step, etc. I feel lucky to be able to enjoy all these special moments. Jake is truly amazing and everyday he teaches us something new. He has made me a better man and he and Sharon are my world. 
I, Sharon, was a dental hygienist for fifteen years, but I am now a stay-at-home mom. I can honestly say I haven’t missed working a single minute, for my new job as a mom is more rewarding than I ever imagined possible. Staying home allows me to focus on truly being there for him, and allows me to pay attention to the little things because I believe that to a child, love is in the details. Love is the attention to those small things, because to a child, these small things are big things. His smile is pure joy and loving him is heaven on earth to me. We can’t wait to share all this love and joy we have in our hearts with another child. 
Our son Jake will be two years old on February 22. He is a smart, happy and very active little boy. Every day he teaches us something new. The first thing he taught us was that we could function on little or no sleep. Because for the first nine months of his life, if he wasn’t being rocked or bounced up and down then he was crying. However, at ten months old, Jake started to walk and his sensory system began to improve. His tears have turned to smiles and we will continue to do whatever it takes to make him feel comfortable, happy and deeply loved everyday. Although parenting Jake as an infant offered many challenges, he ultimately taught us that together, with patience and love, we can get through anything.
We feel we have built a strong foundation to continue growing our family. Being parents is the most important job we have ever been given. We believe God blessed us with a child so we could give him the most important gifts of all – our time and unconditional love. Our children will know we will always be there for them and they are number one in our lives. We so deeply want to grow our family through the miracle of adoption and provide Jake with brothers and sisters. 
We look forward to the day we are blessed by another’s selfless love such as yours. It is difficult to find the words that would adequately describe us as parents and provide you with the comfort you need. We can promise you that we would make any sacrifice necessary for your child. We would love and support this child as our own and provide him or her with every possible opportunity. We promise to share the significance of your sacrifice with this child so they will know the meaning of pure love. We will make sure that he or she knows about you and whatever message or wish you have for your child will be passed on. They will always know the great amount of love shared in their birth. We will always try our best to guard and guide this precious soul with kindness and truth. They will know they are twice blessed and no one on this earth is more loved. 
We hope to give this child a loving home and family rich with friends and relatives who will support and surround them with undying love throughout their lives. We hope and pray that you find comfort in making this very difficult decision and believe you should feel very proud of yourself and the sacrifices that you have made for your child. We believe children are born of every kind word, loving gesture, and dream their parents ever had, and if we were given the opportunity to love and cherish your child as our own you will have a lifetime pass to our hearts. Lastly, this child will have the opportunity to know and love God whose great love was brought to us through you.