We are Melanie and Ernie.  We have been happily married almost four years.  We knew very early in our relationship that we wanted children.  We have tried for several years to conceive, and although our attempts have been unsuccessful, this has not swayed our decision to love and raise a child.  It has only intensified our desires.  We have opened our hearts to adoption.  Our decision to adopt was supported by the fact that my brother Jeff was adopted at birth.  It is amazing to look back and see how much joy and happiness he brought to our family.  Our faith in God has kept Ernie and me strong through the difficult times, and we are reassured that we will one day be blessed with a child to share our lives with.

Many of our favorite activities are things that we can do together.  We love spending time outdoors and traveling.  On weekends, we like to be outside as much as possible… go on picnics, outdoor festivals and fairs, amusement parks, concerts in the park, and challenge one another to a round of miniature golf.  We also like to take advantage of all of the sights that Southern California has to offer.  We enjoy entertaining family and friends, and Ernie is famous for his barbeque skills.  We also enjoy spending quiet evenings at home playing board games, watching movies, and cooking dinner.  We are involved in our church.  Our church offers an outstanding children’s program.  The church also offers classes and groups to enable families to grow stronger in their faith.  Ernie enjoys fishing, gardening, and learning about history.  I enjoy scrap booking, crafts, photography, and reading.

Holidays are a big deal around our home.  We enjoy decorating and celebrating the holidays with our own traditions.  We look forward to including a child in these family traditions, just as we were both raised with a strong sense of family.  We look forward to annual trips to the pumpkin patch, the look on a child’s face on Christmas morning, Easter egg hunts, birthday parties and many other special times.  We look forward to trips to Disneyland (one of my favorite places) and camping/fishing trips as a family.  We eagerly anticipate the everyday routines of bedtime stories (Ernie is an expert at different voices), family dinners, and just acting silly together.

Ernie is a realtor.  He has a heart for people in general and is very compassionate.

 I have been a kindergarten teacher for many years, and my passion is teaching young children.  I feel very blessed to continue to be surrounded by a diverse group of children.  We live in a desert community in Southern California.  We are centrally located and can easily make day trips to the mountains or the beach.

We have a niece, 3 years old, and two nephews, 4 years old and three months old.  We also have a 3 year old god-daughter who we are very proud of, and our heart is filled with so much love for her.  We enjoy taking her on outings such as to the park or the zoo.  We appreciate the fact that we have each gotten to catch a glimpse of what each of us will be like as a parent.

We realize that you have a very difficult decision ahead of you.  We hope that through talking to us directly, your decision will be easier to make.  To ensure that everything goes smoothly and properly with the adoption process, we are working with an adoption attorney.  His name is Randy Hicks and he can be reached at

1-800-756-6757 or 1-951-787-8300.  We have found that he is a very easy person to talk to and he made us feel very comfortable.  Please call Randy if you would like to find out more about us or meet us.  We will be able to assist you with medical and related expenses as allowed by law.  Thank you for taking the time to read our letter and catch a glimpse of who we are.  We look forward to hearing from you!

Love and blessings,

Melanie and Ernie