Basic Info

Ashley

Age: 49
Sex:
Race/Ethnicity:
Religion:

John J.

Age: 44
Sex:
Race/Ethnicity:
Religion:

Child Preferences

Work

Ashley

Occupation: Jewelry Artisan

John J.

Occupation: Journeyman Plumber

Family Description

We are a fun and loving family and we have much more to give! We would like to adopt a child, or children, 15 years old or less. However, we are not set in stone. If a child or sibling group feel right, then it doesn't matter the age! We are not sure whether we want to adopt a boy or a girl. We feel we can accommodate a sibling group of up to 2 kids. We prefer to adopt a child of Caucasian, Hispanic, Black, Asian, Native american, Pacific islander, Biracial or Mixed ethnic background. We respect that these kids come with relationships and will do our best to help them maintain any healthy communication with other family members or foster parents. We are Ashley and John J. Dobson. I, Ashley, am 41 years old and I was born in Florida. My husband, John J, is 36 years old and he was born in Utah. We have 3 kids living at home; our oldest son, Dakota, who is 22, lives close by with his wife and baby. Noah is 18 and attends college in Logan Utah. He lives there also. The kids at home are Hannah, Danika and Thomas and they are 15, 8 and 7 years old, respectively. Like us, our children have a caucasian ethnic background. Hannah and Noah are very athletic and compete in competitive sports. Hannah is on an All Star Cheerleading Team and she's constantly tumbling and flipping. It's not uncommon to see her doing handstands for a half hour! Danika just started gymnastics, and hopes to sign up for basketball this fall! Little Tommy is slightly autistic and loves his action figures and swimming! I love to read mystery or science fiction novels. I'm a self taught speed reader and can go through 6 books a week! I'm a blackbelt in Karate and I like to go to several classes a week. I like to maintain the garden. We grow strawberries, pumpkins, peppers and tomatoes. I love going to the movies with the family. I make jewelry out of antique silverware and have been doing this as a business for 6 years. I like to go for walks and or hikes in the mountains. John J likes to golf with his work buddies. He snowboards often in the winter. We are only a couple of miles away from Snow Basin Ski Resort, so we like to get family passes for everyone. He enjoys a good morning work out at the athletic club before work several times a week. He likes to coach the kids in whatever sport they are into that season. He likes to maintain the yard so it looks great! One of his favorite hobbies is to research obscure topics on the internet. Last week he researched how Dr. Pepper soda got its name. He then likes to tell us all about what he read; sometimes we don't listen! I am a stay-at-home parent with my own business out of the home, so my schedule is flexible My husband works full-time for CCI Mechanical as a Journeyman Plumber. We believe that people should be allowed to live their lives the way they want as long as they're not hurting others. We believe in the right to Choose. We believe in helping others and acting with integrity. It is always important to be kind and trustworthy and to not only learn from your mistakes but to teach others. We believe in God, or a higher power, but do not attend any organized church. This is mainly because we haven't been exposed to a church that we feel has all the answers. We believe in Evolution, and the Spiritual World. We believe it's important to work hard in school and in life, and those that do are more fulfilled. We believe in higher education and will do everything in our power to help our children acheive this. We believe sports and/or being active can help to create a well rounded individual. We believe the punishment should fit the crime and in learning from your mistakes. We believe in being open and honest with our children, and no topic is off limits. When we gather, its usually in the kitchen. At home we are usually hanging out in the backyard during the summer. The kids enjoy jumping on the trampoline or playing in the sprinklers. We roast marshmellows and make smores several times a week in the fire pit. We live in the mountains, so there are several trails to hike and the kids love them! We have a four wheeler that is fun also. The kids play video games and watch television. In winter we can get several feet of snow, and the kids love to build snowmen and go sledding. We attempted an ice skating rink in the backyard last winter that didn't quite work out! We go on at least one family vacation a year. We look forward to this and make our vacations as fun for everyone as possible. Last year we were lucky enough to go spend a week in the San Francisco area and visit the Red Wood forest. This year we're thinking of the beaches in Mexico, but are hoping to have an addition or two to our family, so we're waiting to plan! We also try to go to Dallas, Texas every year to visit Grandma and Grandpa Jacobs. Our every day lives are active and fun filled. Our home always seems to be where the kids and their friends end up. We love to joke around and have fun. There is never a dull moment. We live in the beautiful mountains in Utah. The Olympics in 2002 were only 5 miles away! Our community is small but very tight knit. We know all our neighbors and Grandma and Grandpa are only a mile away. Our home is a single family home with several levels and sets of stairs. We live in a Suburban rural neighborhood tucked away from city life and smog. There are several farms close by with lots of horses and cows. We are 10 minutes from the city of Ogden and 45 minutes from downtown Salt lake City. The High School and Middle School are a 10 minute bus ride to the town of Morgan. The elementary is only 2 miles. We have been parents for many years. Our oldest is 22 and our youngest is 7. Through this we have learned our parenting skills in a very hands on way! We've dealt with all kinds of issues and are very prideful in the fact that all our kids are pretty well rounded and caring. We try to teach them to be responsible and heartfelt through example. We have participated in the 32 hour Fostercare training class provided by the state of Utah. In this class we have learned what kinds of situations we can and will encounter! John J and I are very aware that there will be issues to deal with and have benefitted much from this training. We have both coached the kids in various sports. I coached Hannah in soccer and I was a karate instructor for the older boys and other kids as well. John J coached Noah and Dakota in basketball and football. We both loved coaching and want to coach more. We like our kids to play sports or an instrument, and to be active, and have no problem driving all over to do this! Our family is very close. They have been part of this process from the beginning. My parents live a mile away and will give any help necessary. All our siblings live within 40 minutes and are crazy excited for us! Our kids have been so excited and can't wait for a successful adoption. Our social worker has given us a list of contacts should the child/children need any counseling or if we have any questions. John J has some friends and co-workers who have adopted and they have been very helpful in supporting us. I also have a cousin and aunt who have adopted and they are a great support network for us! Adoption has been a dream of ours for several years. The timing is perfect as our oldest has graduated college and our 18 year old has left for college. We want to provide a safe and forever home for some precious little lives. We have the financial means to add to our family. Raising our kids is our most important job and we're good at it. Fertility is not an issue and we don't want to adopt babies. We have a lot of love and guidance to give!

Preference Description

We are interested in a child or children who are sincere and kind, but realize that they might be angry and afraid, and we're ok with that. An active lifestyle and sense of humor are important.