Hello, and welcome to our blog! Thank you so much for taking the time to get to know us.
We have been married since December 2011. We wanted children right away, but soon found out that we were infertile and that the "normal" method of growing our family wasn't going to be an option for us. Since then, we have decided to pursue adoption, and are very excited to be taking this step for our family!
We met at a church dance that we were both crashing, and have been dancing together ever since. At different points, we both were on the Utah Valley University Ballroom teams; now, we use our ballroom know-how to dance it up in the kitchen or at events that have music and the space to dance. We both graduated from UVU in May of 2015 with our Bachelor's Degrees. Andrew got his degree in Computer Science, and works as a Software Engineer. He recently started working for Qualtrics, a company that does surveys, collects data, and is trying to make the world a better place. Elizabeth got her degree in Family Studies, and is currently helping out our friends and neighbors as a babysitter until she can land her dream job of being a stay-at-home mom. We were both raised in families where our moms were able to stay home with us and want the same thing for the children we raise.
We are both from large families. Andrew is the second oldest of seven children, and Elizabeth is the second oldest of nine. Our parents are all looking forward to be involved grandparents to your child by playing with them, teaching them to fish, and spending time cooking with them in the kitchen. All of our many siblings will fight for the title of being the favorite aunt or uncle, taking them out adventuring or playing games with them. Our two nephews on Andrew's side will be so excited to finally have a cousin to play with, as well as our niece and nephew on Elizabeth's side that are due in May!
We are definitely nerds through and through, and want to share all the aspects of this with a child. We can't wait to read them Harry Potter, teach them that Darth Vader is Luke's father, help them become a Pokemon Master, learn that "not all who wander are lost", and play all sorts of board and card games with them. Andrew wants to teach them the basics of computer coding, while Elizabeth introduces them to Disney movies. Luckily "nerdy" isn't the only thing we know how to do around here: Andrew will teach them how to throw a frisbee, ride a bike, and how to be safe around a campfire. Elizabeth will teach them how to cook, swim, build sandcastles, and do all sorts of arts and crafts. Together we will decorate our driveway with sidewalk chalk, have dance parties wherever there's music, go on the kiddie rides at Lagoon, and sing along with all our favorite songs.
We have a very fun-loving relationship with each other. Early in our marriage, we got cheap pillows and drew a sword (Elizabeth) and lightsaber (Andrew) on them for pillow fights. We love making pillow forts for movie nights and when we hold hands it will sometimes turn into a thumb war. Elizabeth loves water activities, such as swimming, water balloon fights, running in the sprinklers, and dancing in the rain. However, one of her quirks is that she doesn't like getting wet after drying off from a bath or shower; while Elizabeth will still wash her hands and such as needed, it just feels weird. Additionally, whenever Elizabeth gets stressed, her first response is to plan out as much as she possibly can. After all, even though things rarely go according to plan, if she can work it out before everything happens then she can work through it when it's happening and everything will be fine. Andrew is a huge reader; every year for his birthday, all he really wants to do is go spend the morning at the library. One of his quirks is that he reads everything put in front of him. Andrew reads the entire rule book for any board game that we play before playing, and he read every single page of our mortgage paperwork when we bought our house.
In regards to education, while your child is young, we plan on having them attend preschool so they can learn how to get along with other kids and receive extra schooling on top of what Elizabeth will teach them, before they go into public school in Kindergarten. We will support their education in the home by helping them with their homework, encouraging them to learn to think for themselves, and helping them work through problems. We will lovingly tend them when they fall and scrape their knee, encourage them to do their best when a challenge or opportunity comes their way, and be there for them when they face discouragement and heartbreak. When they are older, we will encourage them to go to college and will support them in whatever career they choose to pursue.
We are both from large families. Andrew is the second oldest of seven children, and Elizabeth is the second oldest of nine. Our parents are all looking forward to be involved grandparents to your child by playing with them, teaching them to fish, and spending time cooking with them in the kitchen. All of our many siblings will fight for the title of being the favorite aunt or uncle, taking them out adventuring or playing games with them. Our two nephews on Andrew's side will be so excited to finally have a cousin to play with, as well as our niece and nephew on Elizabeth's side that are due in May!
We are definitely nerds through and through, and want to share all the aspects of this with a child. We can't wait to read them Harry Potter, teach them that Darth Vader is Luke's father, help them become a Pokemon Master, learn that "not all who wander are lost", and play all sorts of board and card games with them. Andrew wants to teach them the basics of computer coding, while Elizabeth introduces them to Disney movies. Luckily "nerdy" isn't the only thing we know how to do around here: Andrew will teach them how to throw a frisbee, ride a bike, and how to be safe around a campfire. Elizabeth will teach them how to cook, swim, build sandcastles, and do all sorts of arts and crafts. Together we will decorate our driveway with sidewalk chalk, have dance parties wherever there's music, go on the kiddie rides at Lagoon, and sing along with all our favorite songs.
We have a very fun-loving relationship with each other. Early in our marriage, we got cheap pillows and drew a sword (Elizabeth) and lightsaber (Andrew) on them for pillow fights. We love making pillow forts for movie nights and when we hold hands it will sometimes turn into a thumb war. Elizabeth loves water activities, such as swimming, water balloon fights, running in the sprinklers, and dancing in the rain. However, one of her quirks is that she doesn't like getting wet after drying off from a bath or shower; while Elizabeth will still wash her hands and such as needed, it just feels weird. Additionally, whenever Elizabeth gets stressed, her first response is to plan out as much as she possibly can. After all, even though things rarely go according to plan, if she can work it out before everything happens then she can work through it when it's happening and everything will be fine. Andrew is a huge reader; every year for his birthday, all he really wants to do is go spend the morning at the library. One of his quirks is that he reads everything put in front of him. Andrew reads the entire rule book for any board game that we play before playing, and he read every single page of our mortgage paperwork when we bought our house.
In regards to education, while your child is young, we plan on having them attend preschool so they can learn how to get along with other kids and receive extra schooling on top of what Elizabeth will teach them, before they go into public school in Kindergarten. We will support their education in the home by helping them with their homework, encouraging them to learn to think for themselves, and helping them work through problems. We will lovingly tend them when they fall and scrape their knee, encourage them to do their best when a challenge or opportunity comes their way, and be there for them when they face discouragement and heartbreak. When they are older, we will encourage them to go to college and will support them in whatever career they choose to pursue.
As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we will go to church every Sunday, where they will come to know that they are a child of God, who knows them and loves them individually and uniquely, just as He does you, us, and all people. We will have Family Home Evenings every Monday, to spend time together as a family doing activities and learning about the gospel or about developing Christ-like attributes.
We want adoption to be normal for them; we plan on sharing your child's story with them early and as often as they want to hear it, and hope that you will be able to share your story with them as well. We are willing to do an open or closed adoption. We look forward to meeting you and are excited to get to know you as well!
Best Wishes,
Andrew & Elizabeth Christiansen
Andrew & Elizabeth Christiansen
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