Hello!
We’re here with grateful hearts as we share a little of who we are with you. We admire you for your strength to get here and consider adoption for your child. And we hope you feel loved as you search to find what is right for both of you.
About Us
After our first (blind) date in a climbing gym, we weren’t sure we’d ever see each other again. After the second date, we both thought we were possibly made for each other. And then promptly after a 5 day river trip together, in all of our filthy glory, “I love you” came out. We were married a year later in 2014. Shellie quickly taught Tyler the importance of costumes and dancing the night away. Tyler shared with Shellie his love of skiing and rivers.
Our little guy came along in 2017, and a difficult childbirth left Shellie severely injured. She has since recovered, but carrying another child would be dangerous to her health. We immediately embraced the idea to adopt and feel it is the right path for our family. We both have personal connections with adoption- some of our loved ones are adoptees and birth mothers. Despite the inherent hardships, we see the beauty in people from different worlds coming together to make a family.
As a family, we feel most alive exploring the outdoors in active ways and we have loved doing it with a toddler in tow. But we also live for the simple moments. We go on daily hunts with homemade treasure maps and have an abundance of googly eyes to glue on our hundreds of paper creations. Our hearts are so open and prepared to welcome another child into our family. We want nothing more than to share this beautiful life with another little soul.
About Shellie (In Tyler’s words)
I initially fell in love with Shellie because of her quirky humor, which matched mine. Also, because she is beautiful. She set herself apart with a running joke about conquering the world while being pulled on a chariot by two large cats with red glowing laser eyes. As a wife, Shellie is wonderful. I got lucky to find someone who has so much love and patience. She is a considerate and compassionate soul. She is often the one her friends turn to for support in challenging times. Shellie is fun! Halloween may be her favorite holiday because she loves playing dress up and go dancing. And did I mention she’s beautiful?
Shellie is always up for a great adventure, whether here in beautiful Utah or halfway around the world in Thailand. Shellie values hard work and education. This led her to a challenging job as a pediatric ICU nurse where she has earned much recognition for her skill. She is highly organized and is a huge planner. She takes on things like planning every detail of trips to foreign places, children’s primary coordination, and setting up our son’s college fund.
Shellie has somehow always known we’d adopt – we had long conversations about it before we got married. It makes me smile to see her commitment and love for our son. His delivery was physically traumatic for her, and despite a long recovery, Shellie has always put her whole self into being the mom he needs. This has only strengthened her desire to adopt. I don’t doubt for one second she will be the same amazing mom for the next child we bring into our family.
About Tyler (In Shellie’s words)
Tyler is a rare breed of a human being. He is warm, kind, and loves people fully and unconditionally. He’ll do anything for anyone. He’s the guy who always pulls the car over to help someone on the side of the road, or pauses errands to find the owner of a lost dog. Tyler is resilient. Despite a long, hard day at work, he comes home upbeat, with a finessed dad joke… every single day. I love this about him. His positivity is contagious. He’s a reliable, compassionate leader and a fantastic teacher. At work, he manages a team that values his unique attributes.
He is also hilarious, strangely energetic and up for any kind of outing, despite the amount of preparation required. His passions are the rivers and mountains. As a former river guide, he plans epic river trips for our family and friends. He lives for a good climb or backcountry ski day.
I’ve had friends tell me Ty should teach husband/father 101 classes. It just comes naturally to him. He is incredibly patient. He is always hands-on. He wants to be present. And did I mention he has the energy of a 7-year-old? Our little guy eats up every minute they have together. Ty’s playfulness guarantees he is covered in kids at family gatherings.
Tyler is also my best friend. He is more than I could ask for in a partner and forever buddy.
Our little guy
He’s an energetic, goofy, sweetheart. This 4-year-old runs and bikes as fast as he possibly can. He lives to find bugs, play Legos and pretend. He pulls out his art cart on the daily and is always cutting out, & gluing some new creation. He looks at babies with heart eyes and tells us of his plans to help his future baby brother or sister eat with a bottle and even change diapers. He is truly excited to become a big brother. He wants to snuggle a baby sibling and show them the ropes of kidhood.
Our promise to you
We promise to honor and respect you in this process. Having watched Shellie’s sister place her baby for adoption years ago, we have an enormous amount of love for mothers who make the selfless, courageous decision to choose adoption for their child. We promise to have honest, transparent communication with you, and hope for your presence in our lives. No matter what, we will ensure your child always knows of your love for them.
More than anything, we want to provide a safe, warmhearted home for your child- one full of laughter, joy and kindness. We value learning and exploration and will create experiences for your child to soak in the vibrant world around them. We believe in loving and serving others, especially those who are vulnerable, and we plan to instill this giving value in the children we raise. We promise to embrace your child with open arms and love them with an unconditional love.
All of our love,
Shellie & Tyler
You can learn more about us on our website: shellieandtyadopt.com
And follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shellieandtyadopt/
