jolie &
AL AN
H E LLO ! we are
jolie & alan
FR O M SU B U R B A N CH IC A G
OUR LOVE STORY
THROUGH JOLIE'S EYES
S
O
ix years ago, we were set up on a blind date where
we instantly connected. We felt so comfortable
around each other from the start and it didn’t take
much time to realize our love story was truly meant
to be. After six years, it’s easy to see that we are still
e would first like to
ur
say THANK YOU for yo
for
interest in us and
you
allowing us to show
ecial!
what makes us sp
While the choice
you’re making may
W
very much in love.
OUR LITTLE FAMILY
THROUGH JOLIE'S EYES
We already know firsthand that
not be easy, it is
EXTREMELY BRAVE of
you to consider
adoption is an AMAZING way to bring a
family together and we have SO MUCH
LOVE TO GIVE.
adoption.
We will be overjoyed to welcome a
new baby into our home!
W
hen I met Alan, he was a single dad because his
first wife had passed away from cancer. Alan and
his late wife had a child together named Josh who
was eight when we started dating. This situation was
familiar to me, as I lost my own mother when I was
nine. I understood exactly what Josh and Alan had
been through and could relate on an emotional level.
When I first met Josh, we bonded very quickly as if
we had always known each other. After Alan and I
were married, I went through the process of adopting
Josh. I was so proud to officially call him my son.
Despite how lucky we feel to have found each other,
we have always dreamt of building our family
Dear Expectant Mother,
S
further. We love being parents to Josh and can’t wait
for the opportunity to parent another child. After
struggling with infertility for several years, we are
hopeful that adoption will fulfill our dream.
hould you choose to place your child with us, you would
be giving us the most precious gift imaginable. It would
be an incredible honor and privilege to raise your child
as our own. We would do everything to ensure that he/
she would have the best upbringing possible filled with
unconditional love and many opportunities.
We hope to communicate with you throughout his/her life
in a way that makes you feel comfortable. We will always
speak respectfully of you. We will ensure that your child
knows the decision you made was out of immense love for
him/her. If you're comfortable doing so, we would love to
meet you and hear about the hopes and dreams you have
for your child.
ADOPTION & US
In addition to our own family being brought together
by adoption, Jolie interned at an adoption agency in
college and was able to see the perspectives of the
birth mother as well as the adoptive parents. Her best
friend Beth was adopted, so the concept of adoption
has been woven throughout Jolie’s life.
Alan’s life has also been touched by adoption, as his
cousin Ronnie, who has been a role model to him, was
adopted. Beth and Ronnie are both very excited for
us to expand our family through adoption.
M E E T Jolie!
about my mom
g&
she has a warm, carin
sensitive soul.
J
AL AN TA LK S AB OU T HI S W
IF E, JO LI E
WRITTEN BY JOSH
olie is all I could ask for in a mother.
She is kind, insightful, honest, and
understanding. Having experienced similar
an who
olie is a brave wom
en her hear t
wasn’ t afraid to op
his son. She has
to a widower and
otional bond
formed a deep em
tionship with
and incredible rela
n such good care
Josh and has take
oment they met.
of him since the m
make the most
No doubt Jolie will
r to our future
wonderful mothe
baby!
losses as young children, we automatically
J
ENJOYING TIME WITH A FRIEND
JOLIE WITH HER DAD
had an emotional connection with each
other. I feel that the most important thing
to her is to be the best mother that she
could possibly be. We love to laugh together,
especially at the funny things our dogs do.
My mom enjoys listening to others and
helping people solve their problems. She
is selfless and always puts others before
herself. I know she will be an amazing mom
JOLIE RELAXING OUTDOORS
to a new baby!
AT THE PARK TOGETHER
PICKING MULBERRIES IN
JOLIE
is a SWEET and LOVING
person, she has a HUGE
HEART, and spends most of her time taking care
of her family’s needs. She is truly incredible.
Jolie makes sure that we spend time together,
whether it’s playing a game or just relaxing and
watching a movie. Jolie’s heart swells with love for
her family and friends. Kids and adults are drawn
to her, as she is compassionate and empathetic,
"The bond that Jolie shares with her adopted
son, Josh, is what I hope to experience with my
own sons. The RESPECT and ADMIRATION Josh
has for her is evident in their daily interactions.
Jolie fills the role of a mom and all that it
embodies. It is clear to see the love this family
shares with one another, and at the same time,
THERE IS SO MUCH LOVE LEFT IN THEIR
HEARTS TO GIVE TO ANOTHER CHILD."
OUR BACKYARD
JOLIE CURRENTLY WORKS PART-TIME
AS A CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER
and plans to reduce her hours even further so
she can spend the majority of her time with the
baby. She has the flexibility to decrease her
workload to fit the needs of a growing family.
She is an amazing social worker; dedicating her
professional time to counseling couples, children
-Lindsay, close
friend of Jolie
and families.
always quick to help a person in need.
Jolie is UNDERSTANDING, EXTREMELY GENUINE
and ACCEPTS PEOPLE AS THEY ARE. She
exemplifies honesty and the highest of moral
standards. She always stands up for what she
believes in and advocates for herself and those
she loves. One of the things that attracted me to
her was her strong character and the fact that
I knew she’d be a great role model for Josh and
would help teach him to make good choices.
YOU MIGHT BE SURPRISED TO KNOW...
• Jolie once donated 12 inches of
• Jolie loves preparing healthy,
• Jolie has a theatrical side
her hair to an organization that
organic meals and making
and was in two different
makes wigs for women with
her own soap and cleaning
productions of “The Sound of
Cancer.
products.
Music” - when she was 14 and
• Jolie has been whitewater
• Jolie doesn’t mind doing
rafting in Colorado and in
laundry – she actually finds it
Costa Rica.
relaxing!
again when she was 26!
M E E T Alan!
JO LIE TA LK S AB OU T HE R
about my dad
WRITTEN BY JOSH
HU SB AN D, AL AN
to know alan is to
love him
A
ALAN EXPLORING PARIS
,
a true family man
lan is
ost
and is one of the m
ople I have
giving and loyal pe
a huge hear t,
ever met. He has
ck wards to
and bends over ba
friends.
help his family and
M
y dad is sensitive, witty, intelligent, and
determined. We enjoy spending time
together, predominately joking around with
each other. Cooking is definitely one of
his best qualities, as he makes many tasty
FAMILY LUNCH DATE
ALAN LOVES TO COOK
dishes from chicken-satay to chocolate
chip pancakes. Most importantly, he enjoys
listening and helping me talk through
anything that comes up. He is a logical
thinker and enjoys giving me advice about
things such as school and friends. My dad
is already such an amazing father so I know
that he will be great with a little one in the
family!
ALAN
DOGGY SNUGGLES
ALAN IS A DIRECTOR OF PURCHASING FOR
A LARGE MEDICAL DEVICE MANUFACTURER
is EASY TO BE AROUND,
GENUINE, LOVING, and
WARM. He is so thoughtful, often bringing me
flowers, giving me massages, complimenting me, and
Alan is a hardworking man who takes providing
pouring his love into cooking; whether it’s his famous
for his family seriously. Although he is dedicated
beef brisket or grilling burgers in our backyard
to his job, he always makes sure to balance
during the summer. Alan has a fun and goofy side
his work life with his home life. Family always
to his personality; often making up silly songs and
comes first. He enjoys spending time with us in
dancing around the house. He enjoys nothing more
the evenings and weekends and eating dinner
than making others laugh, yet he is always there to
together as a family.
give a hug and a shoulder if needed.
He is a great father to Josh and cares so much about
his happiness and well being. The two of them share
a love for good pizza, and often during father/son
nights, they will try various pizza places around the
city.
KIDS LOVE BEING AROUND ALAN. I often call him
the “baby whisperer” because he is amazing with
little ones, always knowing how to make them laugh
and smile. I can only imagine how heartwarming it
will be to see him with our future baby!
YOU MIGHT BE SURPRISED TO KNOW...
• Alan has an adventurous side
• Alan is very active, he loves
• Alan loves watching Josh play
and is a certified scuba-diver.
doing yoga and runs every
saxophone and can't wait to
morning.
see what interests the baby
• Alan's first job as a teenager
was stocking shelves at
Walgreens.
• Being healthy is important to
Alan. He eats an apple and a
banana every single day.
will develop.
• Alan speaks Chinese and lived
in Asia for five years as a
young adult.
MEET THE FUTURE
our family values
big brother
& THOUGHTS ON PARENTING
BY JOLIE & ALAN
O
J
osh is currently a sophomore in high school. He is
a great student who enjoys playing saxophone
in the band, participating on the track team,
composing/producing music and editing videos. He
loves science and happens to be a computer whiz.
Josh is family oriented and enjoys spending time
with the people he loves.
ur first and foremost
value is loving each other
unconditionally and accepting each
other’s differences. As much as
we value family togetherness, we
are extremely supportive of our
son’s decisions to pursue his own
interests and we encourage him
Josh is fun to be around and is truly amazing with
younger kids… they flock to him! This summer
will be his third time working as a junior camp
counselor at our local park district. Josh is sweet,
sensitive, and funny with a strong moral code,
especially about the way people should be treated.
He is a gentleman and is always quick to hold
doors for others. He’s caring and eager to help
those in need. Josh would be an incredible role
model to a sibling and is so excited to be a big
brother… he can’t stop talking about it!
to be a unique individual. We also
value the expression of feelings
and self-advocacy. We feel strongly
that as they grow up, children
should learn the skill of standing up
for themselves and communicating
their needs to others.
We often discuss moral issues and
emphasize respect and kindness.
We highly value honesty, integrity,
knowing how to make amends,
creating a balance between
A NOTE FROM JOSH
I am EXTREMELY EXCITED and FORTUNATE to
have the chance to be an older brother. Having
HANGING WITH THE COUSINS
DOING THE RUBIK'S CUBE
DINNER WITH JOSH'S GRANDPARENTS
a younger sibling would mean a lot to me and I
will try to be the best brother I can possibly be.
BEAUTIFUL SITES IN EUROPE. WE CAN'T WAIT TO
TRAVEL WITH OUR FUTURE CHILD
working hard and having fun,
empathizing with others, and the
importance of helping those less
fortunate in any way possible.
We are thrilled at the prospect of
instilling these values in our future
child.
I can’t wait to get him/her involved in many
As a multicultural family, we
activities! I am looking forward to being able
understand the importance of
to teach my little sibling some things that I
introducing our child to their culture
enjoyed when I was young, such as how to
in a variety of ways. With our son,
ride a bicycle, play a musical instrument and
we’ve all enjoyed learning about
how to play a variety of board games. I cannot
the Korean culture and traditions
wait to become an older brother to share some
and in doing so, are able to honor
of the great experiences that I have had in my
Josh’s first mother and keep her
own childhood!
memory alive.
OUR HOME, COMMUNITY
BACKYARD BBQ
AND PETS
FAMILY & FRIENDS
are important to us
e are fortunate to live on a beautiful tree-lined
W
We have two poodles;
street in an upper middle class suburb of Chicago.
the cream colored
Our school district is ranked one of the best in the
dog is Archie and he
state. We live in a comfortable home with a big
is 5-years-old, and the
fenced in backyard. We are within walking distance
black dog is Pluto and
is extremely important to us.
of two wonderful parks and a recreation center.
he is 4 1/2. We have had
We have lots of friends nearby
There are pools, museums and a beautiful botanic
Archie since he was a tiny
that we love getting together
garden nearby. We are lucky to have several close
puppy and we rescued Pluto
with regularly, whether that’s
family friends living nearby with their kids - they’re
when he was one-year-old. They are so
for dinner, a BBQ, or to attend a
so excited that we’re adding to our family through
much fun and often do things that make us laugh.
concert or festival.
adoption! We love living so close to Chicago where
They are both great with little kids and we know
there are so many wonderful things to see and do!
they’ll enjoy having a baby around!
G
etting together with our
extended family and friends
Alan’s parents live a mile away
and Jolie’s father lives only a short
drive from us. Josh’s first mother’s
RIDING A CAMEL IN ISRAEL
HOW WE
DINNER WITH JOLIE'S DAD
Have Fun
parents and uncle also live close
and we see them often as well.
They are all loving grandparents
to Josh and enjoy supporting his
& UNWIND
endeavors. They can’t wait to have
another grandchild to dote on
and are all very supportive of our
decision to adopt!
GET TOGETHERS WITH FAMILY & FRIENDS
Alan’s brother, sister and brother-
THEATRE AND CONCERTS (ESPECIALLY OUTDOORS!)
in-law live nearby and we see them
PLAYING BOARD GAMES AS A FAMILY
often. We frequently get together
LOCAL ATTRACTIONS; MUSEUMS, THE ZOO, PARKS
with Alan’s cousins and their
children, as well as other extended
TRYING NEW FOODS & RESTAURANTS
family for holidays and birthdays.
GOING FOR WALKS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD
Between all the aunts, uncles,
cousins and grandparents, we
PICNICS IN THE PARK
know the baby will receive so much
COOKING AND ENTERTAINING
love and attention and will never
TRAVELING NATIONALLY & INTERNATIONALLY
run out of people to play with!
JOSH WITH ALAN'S
MOM & DAD
ALAN WITH HIS BROTHER & SISTER
EXPLORING LONDON TOGETHER!
thank you
S O M UC H
"ADOPTION IS ANOTHER WORD FOR LOVE" – UNKNOWN
T
hank you for taking the time to read our
If you would like to talk to us about adopting
story! We hope you were able to get a
your child, or have any questions for us,
glimpse into our lives and to see how much
please contact your Adopt Help case worker
love we have to give. We promise that
by calling 1-800-637-7999 toll free.
should you chose us, your child will never go
a day without feeling that love in as many
ways as possible. We deeply admire you for
considering adoption, and no matter what
decision you make, we wish you the best
throughout this journey.
SINCERELY,
JOLIE, ALAN
& Josh