Jill and Andrew

Dear Expectant Mother,
We LOVE adoption!! We are Jill and Andrew and we believe that adoption is a beautiful picture of God’s family. Adoption has a special place in our hearts. Three of our five children came to us through international adoption. While we are not able to understand the magnitude of the decision that is weighing on your heart, we very much admire your courage to consider adoption for your precious baby.

Our Story
We immediately fell in love after meeting, and have been married for 13 years. We always knew that adoption would be a part of our lives. In the first years of our marriage, we traveled, enjoyed the outdoors, spent time with friends and family, and explored different types of ethnic cuisine.

In 2008, we adopted our precious babies, Levi and Ruby, from Ethiopia. Sadly, Ruby died of pneumonia during our time in Ethiopia, so only Levi came home. We were blessed to have both of them, even if our time with Ruby was brief. Shortly after returning home, Jill became pregnant unexpectedly and Max was born. We were shocked to say the least! Levi and Max are the best of friends today! We knew our family wasn’t complete, so we began another adoption process. In 2012 we brought our sweet Annabel home from South Korea. Then, Jill became pregnant with another surprise! A year later, our little Theodore was born.

We are very blessed but we want you to know that our family is NOT complete! We have so much more love to give. It is at the foundation of who we are. If you asked our older three children “Why adopt?” they would tell you that they love a big family. We have a GREAT time being together and we all want to share our joy, and our love.

Day to Day
We live in a suburb of Indianapolis. Our home has a big, fenced yard situated on a cul-de-sac. Andrew works hard as an engineer and is a great provider for the family. He is home from work every night to sit down to family dinner. Jill is a nurse, but she stays home full time. Jill homeschools the kids and it works really well for us. Because we aren’t bound by traditional school schedules, we can take trips to the zoo, park, and museums. We love nature walks and playing outside as well. On the weekends, we play outside, go to boys’ soccer games, go to the library, take bike rides, go to parks, go get free samples at Costco, or watch movies.

Our schedule allows us to have fun together as a family and enjoy the little things in life. On Sundays, we attend a Christian church that we all love. Faith and a personal relationship with Jesus are very important to us. Our family vacations are varied as we enjoy both nature (the beach!) and new cities. We usually get away two times a year, with one of them being a trip to visit Jill’s extended family in South Carolina.

Jill about Andrew
Andrew is a dedicated husband and daddy. The kids cannot wait for him to get home from work each night. They love reading together, playing kickball in the cul-de-sac, taking a bike ride, and wrestling on the living room floor. Andrew is a great team player and we work well together. He has a good heart and always helps around the house. In his spare time Andrew is an avid sports fan. He loves biking, running or watching a football or basketball game on the weekends.

Andrew about Jill
Jill works incredibly hard in her role as mommy. In addition to staying on top of the never-ending piles of laundry, she has done an awesome job teaching the kids their reading, writing, math, science, history, and Bible lessons. She loves the opportunity that homeschooling provides for her to spend more time with and shape the lives of our children. Jill is a fantastic cook. I often come home to find some kind of fresh-baked goodies on the counter. Jill is smart and quick-witted, and loves to laugh. She’s compassionate and caring toward others and very loyal to those who are close to her. In her free time, Jill enjoys reading fiction and watching cooking shows, as well as being outside. Shortly after we met, Jill ran a marathon.

Extended Family
Jill’s family lives in the Indianapolis area. Her parents are nearby and we see them often. Grandma and Grandpa are always happy to lend a hand when we need a babysitter. Jill’s brother, Kyle, lives close by as well, and he has two children. Grandma and Grandpa host a monthly Cousins’ Sleepover at their house.
Andrew’s mother lives nearby with her husband Tom, but also spends time at a second home in Arizona. Andrew’s brother, Ian, lives in northern Indiana with his wife and four children. Andrew’s dad, known as Granddad, and his wife Patti live in Wisconsin. They visit us throughout the year.

Our Children
Levi (7) loves sports. Levi has a very compassionate heart. He understands adoption and we are very open with him about his story.

Max (6) is an active little boy. He loves to play in the mud, climb trees, and build things and can’t wait to welcome another brother or sister into the family.

Annabel (5) is our girly girl. She loves all things dolls, dresses, purses, and shoes. Annabel also understands adoption and about her birth family.

Theodore (2) is also very active. Theodore LOVES being outside and he loves throwing, kicking, and hitting balls.

Our children bring us so much joy and laughter. With each addition to the family, it feels like our hearts grow another size. We KNOW that we have lots more love and joy to share. Although big families can be hard work, they’re extraordinarily fun, and there aren’t better blessings than family members who love you.
We hope that you would consider us as the ones to love your child forever. We desire an open relationship as much as you would want.

Please contact us directly at Jill.and.Andrew.ACFB@gmail.com
You can also reach us through our adoption counselor, Maggie Benz: call toll free at 800-869-1005, text 847-366-6343, maggie@centerforfamily.com.

God bless you!
Jill and Andrew