Jayden's Adoption Fund

Our Story:

On August 26th 2017, a young cousin of ours lost both of her parents to an extremely tragic, sudden event. Her name is Jayden and she is amazing. She is one of the most kind, affectionate, resilient, strong, and clever little girls I’ve ever met. She has the sort of laugh that fills your heart to the brim with warmth and the kind of strength that could move planets. After experiencing immense trauma, Jayden still simply exudes love.
When her parents died, she was left without a home or guardians. That’s where we come in (hopefully).

 

Who we are:

My name is Anna

I am a/an:

- Mom to two awesome children named Audrey and Violet

-A wife to my husband of 11 years and counting

- A student in a computer science degree program that I take online so I can spend more time at home with my kids

-A compulsive volunteer (I volunteer at a maple museum, a community service group, a historically significant tall ship called the U.S Brig Niagara, Girl Scouts, and an annual week-long “Potterfest” in town celebrating literature, that brings in hundreds of children), I basically live to help people and I always have.

-A science enthusiast with a passion for space, biology, chemistry, psychology, and I’m beginning to realize that I should stop this list or else it will take up the rest of the page.

-A homeschool teacher (both current and former). I homeschooled my 11 year old from birth until this year. She is doing exceptionally well in our local public school so far. She was placed a grade level ahead so that the classes wouldn’t be too easy for her and she’s made so many friends that I’m having a hard time remembering all of their names already.
I also currently homeschool my 7 year old whose day I fill with walks through the woods, reading and writing stories, science experiments, and lots and lots of love and community involvement.

-An absolute nerd who passionately loves Star Trek, trains, space, reading books, cuddling, and spending time in nature

 

Audrey

Is a/an:

-11 year old preteen, but a sweet one, not a cranky or apathetic preteen.

-Insatiable bookworm who’s reading log that summer she got the flu consisted of over 400 books

-Incredibly kind, loving, and caring big sister to Violet who has a knack for putting others above herself

-A strong, fierce opposition to bullying in any, and all forms. The type of child who will instantly stand up for what’s right and make sure everyone is being treated fairly and with love

Violet

Is a/an:

-Ferociously curious about everything around her and even more curious about the things that are not around her.

-Loving and more cuddly and affectionate than any child I’ve ever met

-Fearless and brave beyond expectation (and her mother’s comfort zone sometimes)

-Child who dreams of faraway adventures and has an imagination as big as her heart.
 

Jacob

Is a/an:

-Utterly amazing, devoted father and compassionate human being. His sensitivity and gentleness are the stuff of dreams

-Hard worker and mechanical engineer who works for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

- An eclectic “maker” who enjoys making and creating almost anything: gardening, woodworking, wine making, welding, cooking, baking, auto mechanics, salvage/upcycling, stone masonry, stained glass, etc.

-Volunteering enthusiast who is driven to help the community we live in and make the world around us a better place. He too works at the maple museum, the U.S Brig Niagara, and the annual children’s event for Potterfest in town.

- Wonderful spouse who puts others’ needs before his own and uses kindness and logic to handle any situation.

-Learner who sees winning Best of Show at the regional science fair and being appointed campus mentor by his teachers as some of his proudest moments.

 

Errol, Samwise, and Frodo

Are:

-Our pets: two gerbils and a parakeet who we love very, very much

 

Why we would be a good choice for Jayden to live with:

The idea of tooting my own horn is getting awkward but I assume people would genuinely want to know more about us (rightfully so) in order to decide if we are worthy.

Like I mentioned before, we have two other children who would be the absolute best big sister and little sister to Jayden. She would have an older sister to look out for her, as well as a younger sister to feel concern and care for. She would be completely surrounded by love in every facet. We have access to some of the absolute best grandparents imaginable, two of which are Jayden’s own grandparents who live nearby.

We have a large-ish yard filled with berries, fruit trees, vegetable gardens that the girls made and tend on their own, a huge tree house, a tree swing, hammocks, fire pits, secret picnic/hiding spots under low hanging branches, and usually a small pack of really great neighborhood kids to play with. We live in a safe, friendly neighborhood within walking distance of multiple playgrounds, a big lake, and woods to explore and we have a boat that we use often.

Our home itself is cozy and warm and filled with books, blankets, and love. We spend time together watching movies and playing games by the fireplace downstairs as a family on a giant, family sized bean bag chair.

We work hard to instill patience, love, kindness, and intellect in ourselves and our children. Science is extremely important to us but so is emotional and mental growth and we work to maintain a sense of peace and love within our household. We discipline using logic, love, and lots of patience. I can proudly say that we’ve never spanked, berated, or belittled our children. As someone who’s worked towards a child psychology degree in the past, I strive to treat children with respect, dignity, and love, always. We also strive to raise our daughters with a sense of self-confidence, assertiveness, and independence that are so crucial to the children that will one day become the future.

 

Why we are trying to adopt Jayden:

We’ve known Jayden for years from a distance. She's lived in a different state, as her parents were both in the military and moving around but we would see her at Christmas eve dinners and family gatherings and we all completely loved this amazing child. Recently, our distant family relationship became something much more. We had the honor of caring for Jayden during her father’s funeral. It was one of the most heart wrenching, emotional, but also hopeful weeks of our lives. Jayden struggled to get through some of the events around the funeral but found strength and love in our family. We were there to help her process the trauma and emotional upset of the loss of two parents. We were there when all she wanted to do was lay in bed and watch movies with us, when she wanted to express her sadness and confusion, when she wanted to go for a long walk, or emotionally detox by playing with a remote control car in the parking lot of the funeral home. One thing that stuck with me was the absolute astonishing emotional strength of this child. The strength to play, the strength to cry, the strength to love, the strength to ask for help, and above all, the strength to heal. Getting to be there to care for a child like this is an absolute honor and we feel ready to help her heal and provide her with a safe, fun, and stable family home.

Where you come in:

There is another couple interested in adopting Jayden. For reasons I won’t get into on here, along with the reasons listed above, we’ve decided we would like to get custody of Jayden. The issue with this is that the attorney to do so costs a substantial amount of money, more money than we can comfortably spend with the current situation of me going back to school. We’ve never asked for financial help from friends or family before, but this is a situation that calls for great measures.

Please, help us reach our goal of giving Jayden a home filled with love, healing, and hope.

We plan to spend the donations on legal fees and adoption related expenses. Every donation is one step closer to our goal and anything helps.