Basic Info

Valerie

Age: 63
Sex: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian
Religion: Christian

Valerie

Age: 59
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian
Religion: Christian

Child Preferences

Age: 8 to 14 years old
Sex: Either
Max Number of Children: 2
Race/Ethnicity: Caucasian, African American, Asian, Native American, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, Mixed, Bi-Racial

Special Needs the Family is Open To: Drug Allergies, Environmental Allergies, Food Allergies, Defiant, Difficulty in Attaching, Poor Social Skills, Drug Addicted at Birth, Failure to Thrive, Low Birth Weight or Premature, Prenatal Drug Exposure, Blind, Hearing Impaired, Speech Delays - Mild, Vision Impaired, Anorexia/Bulimia, Academically behind due to poor attendance, Speech or Language Impairment, One/Both Parents Diagnosed with Depression, One/Both Parents Have Alcohol Addiction, One/Both Parents Have Drug Addiction, Exposed to Domestic Violence, One/Both Parents Have Had a Mental Diagnosis, Child has had a disrupted adoption, Multiple Placements, ADHD, Diabetes, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Reactive Attachment Disorder, Requires Counseling/Therapy, Willing to Maintain Contact via Mail with Bio Family, Willing to Maintain Contact with Past Foster Parents, Willing to Maintain Contact with Bio Grandparents & Other Relatives, Willing to Maintain Contact with Bio Siblings, Sexually Abused in the Past

Environment

State: Montana
Neighborhood: Country/Rural
Residency: FarmHome
Years Together: 22
Children in the Home: 2
Pet(s): Dog(s), cat(s), farm animal(s)

Work

Valerie

Occupation: Business Ower of title company

Valerie

Occupation: Farmer/Rancher

Adoption Agency

Agency: Montana Child and Family Services
Worker: Megann McDonald
Worker: mmcdonald2@mt.gov
City: Great Falls
State: Montana
Zip: 59405

Preference Description

We would like children interested in outdoor activities and athletics. Outgoing kids who adapt well to spontaneous schedule changes and life in the fast lane because of kids' activities; kids who do well in school because the other kids like school.

Do you know a child who would love a large family?

Even though we already have 5 kids, we are ready for more! We would like to adopt a child between and including the ages of 10 and 12, so he would be younger than our son and daughter, or a child who is 14, so he will fit in between our 13 and 15 year old kids. It really doesn't matter if the child is a boy or girl, but our son would really like a brother since his other brothers are grown and moved out now. If a brother came with a sibling, we would have room in our home for the two of them. Almost any ethnic background will blend in with our family because we truly represent the melting pot that America is. Our mixed-race son is hoping for a mixed-race or bi-racial brother, and he is looking forward to someone with whom he can shoot hoops and go hunting and fishing. Because of this, a physically active child would be better suited to our lifestyle. A willingness to succeed academically is also important because small schools condition participation in extra-curricular activities such as the sports or speech teams on passing grades. We do not mind having contact with the child\'s biological parents (by email or by phone or by mail or in person ) provided the parent was/is not abusive to the child. We have an open adoption for one of our other children and it has worked out well for everyone. We do not mind having continuing contact with the child\'s former foster parents, by email or by phone or by mail or in person, either, because that continuity is very important security for a child. In general, we would be a good family for children interested in outdoor activities and athletics. Outgoing kids who adapt well to spontaneous schedule changes and life in the fast lane would have an easier time adapting because of our other kids' activities, and presumably, the activities a new child would enjoy. Kids who do well in school or enjoy the process of learning or are curious or want to improve their study habits and grades would also find a comfortable niche in our family because our other kids like school and have favorite subjects at which they excel. We realize that it will take time to transition, but we hope that we can be a safe haven of love and family for at least one more child.

Here's Who We Are and What We Enjoy

Hi, we are Val and Keith Smelser. I am 55 and my husband is 51. We have 5 kids, but only 2 still live at home. The others have graduated high school and are in college or working now. Hope and Brady are the two still at home, aged 15 and 13, respectively. The older ones are Mike, JP, and Jordan and all are living nearby. Our children are a mix of German, Swedish, Irish, English, African-American, and who knows what all, ethnicity--we are sort of the 31 flavors mix, so a child from any background will fit right in. Our kids are involved in football, volleyball, basketball, track, speech and drama, and band through the school. We enjoy outdoor activities such as camping, fishing, boating and hunting. We ride horses and four-wheelers, but I'd rather ride a horse than an ATV, personally. We live on the prairie on a farm and ranch and raise barley, wheat and beef cattle. We also have a place in the foothills of the mountains where we pasture our cows and hunt and fish, so there is a variety of landscape. Our kids help on the farm irrigating and fencing, stacking bales, and mowing grass in order to raise money for college. I own a title company in the nearest bigger town and 2 of our older children work there, one part time, the other full time. We have 4 cats and 2 dogs, plus our older son's giant dog stays with us when he is away working. All of the dogs are playful and would chase balls for hours or happily lick you all over. I coach speech, debate and drama for 2 schools and our kids participate competitively, some only in between athletic seasons and some for the whole speech season. The 2 younger kids do very well academically and plan to attend college. Our middle daughter is currently in college for her business degree and hopes to be a chef. One of our older sons is planning to go back to school for his engineering degree and the other son works with me at the title company. I also throw pottery and love to cook. If my husband could be free to do anything he wanted, I am sure he would choose to be out fishing somewhere! My youngest daughter and I ride horses in competitive trail competitions with friends where we can enjoy a variety of scenic trails. I work full-time as the owner of a title company but have a flexible work schedule so that I can coach my speech, drama and debate kids, watch the games of the 2 kids still in school and help take them to and from practices. My husband works full-time as a Farmer/Rancher on our place but he also has a flexible work schedule and since he is nearer the school, he probably drives the kids around the most and is also there to attend all of their games. We are conservative Christians. I was raised Catholic and my husband was raised Missouri Synod Lutheran. We currently attend a Lutheran church, and all of our kids have been baptized and confirmed Lutheran.

We all love KU Jayhawks basketball, but we all have different favorite pro teams for football and basketball, so we enjoy rooting for our favorite teams when they play each other. Some of us like country music and some like hip hop and everything in between. The older boys play the guitar and the 3 younger kids all took piano lessons but chose not to continue the lessons even though I loved listening to them play. We like all kinds of movies but don't have regular cable or dish TV. The kids stream seasons of their favorite shows on the internet but don't really watch all that much TV. We are mostly attending activities with the kids, so we are not just 'at home' all that often. We eat as a family most nights and the kids will shoot hoops, play video games, watch NetFlix or read after they do their homework. We do not have cable TV or Dish but do stream college and professional sports which my son loves to watch. Frequently, we have family movie night on Sundays and eat finger food while watching the movie together. When the weather is nice outside, the kids play on the trampoline or play basket ball on the outdoor hoop or baseball or ride horses or go fishing or ice fishing or skiing for the day, it depends on the time of year. We also enjoy playing board games and card games and are a very loud, competitive family. We go camping and fishing whenever we can in the summer.

And Here's Where and How We Live

We live in Montana in a newer, 5 bedroom/3 bathroom, multi-level home in a rural prairie farm setting where our nearest neighbor is 2 miles away. We are friends with our 'neighbors' and active in the community where we live. We have 2 dogs, a black lab/hound cross and a cream-colored lab/husky cross, who are very loving and playful. When our son is away working, his giant Leonberger dog stays with us. That dog is a lover and can give some mighty big hugs! We have 4 cats that are mostly black and white, and are both inside and outside, depending upon who they can sneak past into the house. We have cattle that keep us busy with calving in the early part of the year, and it is funny to watch the calves running and playing with each other in the spring. We love being outdoors and go camping, hunting, fishing, floating the river, horseback riding, skiing and sledding. We enjoy family movie night, barbecues, and family get-togethers with the aunts, uncles and cousins. Most of what we like to do is outdoors, but not everyone likes the same exact activities, so sometimes we split up and go in opposite directions. We have a lot of family around with similar interests, so oftentimes, we will all be together. Time in front of the X Box is pretty limited and is more of a treat than a regular past-time simply because our kids are so active. We have a very small school that offers little league baseball, football, volleyball, basketball, track, and speech-drama-debate, school play, pep band, band, choir, and piano lessons. The town is really quite small and there aren't many activities outside of those offered through the school. There is a 4H club and other opportunities to participate in groups such as Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts in neighboring towns. Usually, the groups' meetings interfered with our kids' other activities, so they chose not to participate. Our small public school, K-12, is all in the same building which has actually been convenient with our kids of different ages all at the same place for pick up and drop off. It has an excellent student-teacher ratio where teachers care about the kids' success. The teachers will stay after school or come in early to help kids with extra learning or projects.

How Have We Done So Far As Parents?

We have raised or are raising 5 children from 13 to 28, boys and girls, who have varied personalities and interests, reacting differently and needing guidance to be tailored to their own personal needs. We have had exchange students and extra kids staying with us so have had experience with different cultures and upbringing before coming to our home. We are approved to foster kids and are currently fostering a brother and sister, aged 8 and 5, respectively. We are a well-grounded Christian family who are bright and adapt well to different situations. We like spending time together and enjoy laughing and sharing activities. We understand the meaning of family, and our extended family spends a great deal of time together attending our different kids' events. We have a lot of patience and flexibility and a large extended family, so we will have a lot of support. The church members and our community friends have also been very supportive of our choice to foster and/or adopt. Our community is relatively small but there are many facilities and personnel available for most any situation in the larger town not far away. Our caseworker has been very helpful and willing to discuss potential situations and how to handle them and has made herself available for any questions or concerns. We have attended several in-service trainings in order to become foster parents and adoptive parents of kids in foster care. Having previously adopted our mixed-race son, we had training and required reading for that as well. We will continue to attend the in-service training that is offered through our local State Agency because, even after 5 kids, we have learned much about these kids who had such different starts than our other 5.

We know it takes a village.....

It is amazing how the members of a small town community will come together at a moment's notice to support anyone in need. I recall when the daughter of a friend (and co-chair with me on our local community fundraiser) was in a very serious accident. She needed to medivac'd to a large city trauma hospital and that placed a huge financial drain on their resources. That same day, I got on the phone and called other friends and neighbors and we met the next day to coordinate a fund-raising event to help defray their expenses which we held just 2 weeks later. They were there and ready to help before the words were out of my mouth, and that is a big advantage of living in a small town. We have not had to deal with any serious family issues yet, but our adoption worker has indicated that wrap around services are available and that a child from out of state will only be accepted if our state is able to provide the wrap-around services that any child might need so that the move is in the best interests of the child. Our large family, church members and friends are very supportive of our choice to adopt again. Our caseworker is very helpful and there are professionals in the nearby city who are close by to help also, so I know that if we called, the village would answer.

Are we really ready for Number Six?

Simply put, we are not done being parents. We are healthy, active, 'young' middle-aged parents with 3 grown children and 2 teenagers still at home. We have plenty of love, time and an empty bedroom, so we are ready for another child. We feel that an older child would fit into the interests of our family structure better than an infant or toddler. Having seen how many older children there are needing families, we felt that we had plenty left to share. All 5 of our kids have matured in different ways and at different paces, and we have done whatever was needed to help them grow and develop into respectful, responsible young men and women. Sometimes this was not easy, but knowing that they can look back and see their progress and know we were with them all the way, makes it all worthwhile. I work with teenagers all the time through my coaching, and I truly enjoy seeing the difference a positive influence can make in a child's life. Some of those students have been true challenges, but seeing their smiles when they succeed makes every hour totally worth it. We understand that most kids have not had it easy, but we are committed to being their forever family.

Thank You!

Thank you for reading our profile and considering us for one or two of your children. Our adoption approval says 'one child' because we just initially inquired about adopting one, but we would consider a 2-sibling group and would request the amendment to our approval certificate if we were matched to siblings.