Our Story...
We met on July 22, 2012. Alexis saw Robb’s profile on a dating website and was immediately drawn to his smile and the fact that he had a charter boat in Bolles Harbor, MI. Alexis spent most of her summers as a child at her grandparent’s cottage on Lake Erie, just up the street from Bolles Harbor, MI. Our first date was on Robb’s boat. 4 years exactly to the day on July 22, 2016, we married at a restaurant in Ann Arbor, MI. It was a very small, intimate wedding with the immediate family and that following September we threw a big party with all of our friends and family.
Just before our wedding in May 2016, we bought a house in South Lyon, MI in a quaint subdivision. We had been looking for a farmhouse with lots of land for hunting and archery, but after lots of thinking, we decided a house in a subdivision with lots of kids nearby would be better for starting a family. What drew us to South Lyon was the good reputation of the public schools and its proximity to Robb’s fire stations and our families. Our home has an open floor plan and just the right size for a family. We love being able to cook and entertain at the same time since our kitchen is open to the living room and sun room. We have a great view of a farm in the back of the house where we light fires in the fire pit and invite the neighbors over. Our neighborhood is perfect for kids of all ages. Everyone around us has kids ranging from infant to high school. There is a Clubhouse and pool. We also have walking paths and a playground. We have always felt safe and everyone looks out for each other. The upstairs has the master bedroom and three additional bedrooms including the nursery.
In 2017, we decided it was time to start our family. We became pregnant in May 2017 and then a miscarriage in late July 2017. It was a very rough time for us. Two years of trying again to become pregnant, our miracle Julian was born on October 23, 2019. Unbeknownst to us, Julian was born with a medically complex condition. He underwent open heart surgery in December 2019 and was hospitalized for 6.5 months following surgery due to multiple complications. Julian is currently in physical, occupational and speech therapy. We recently started attending a parent and tot group class each week where Julian can interact with other two year olds.
We feel our family is not yet complete and would love to welcome another child. After another miscarriage in November 2020, we decided a biological child would not be in our future, so we returned to adoption. We looked at many different agencies and options. Ultimately, we decided on Morning Star after we spoke with other families that have adopted through Morning Star.
As parents Robb is a doting father who cherishes the time he gets away from work to spend with our son. He loves to cook with Julian and read recipe books together. Robb has excelled at teaching Julian to eat by mouth and learn to walk. Alexis has the pleasure of being around Julian full-time. After all the time spent next to Julian’s beside at the hospital, she has become confident as a mother and caregiver. There is nothing that scares Alexis when it comes to medical challenges.
We spend our summers out at the same cottage on Lake Erie. On either side of the cottage live Alexis’s aunts and uncles. It is like our own little compound. We have Robb’s boat, tractors and side-by-sides. We love to walk our private beach and look for Lucky Stones (the inner ear bone of a Sheepshead fish). Robb’s parents also live on a lake in Irish Hills. The water is turquoise blue and we love taking out the pontoon for cruises around the lake. Robb catches all sorts of fish like crappie and bass and fries them up right after he cleans them. One of Robb’s favorite things to do is catch and release turtles. Recently we purchased a 30 ft travel trailer and have taken Julian camping. This has given us something to do while being safe and socially distancing. We plan to take the travel trailer around Michigan and hopefully to the Upper Peninsula where Alexis has never been.
We have lived such full, prosperous lives, both independently and together as a family. We would love to give your child the love and support we have been given.
Lucky Stone from our private beach on Lake Erie