The James Family

Dear Friends,
This is a difficult letter to write since we don't know each other, but we hope that in the paragraphs that follow you will come to understand that our greatest desire in life is to be parents and to experience the joy of raising children. We can only imagine how hard this process must be for you and we appreciate your willingness to review our profile and learn more about our family. Whether we end up being part of you and your child's future or not, we respect your decision and admire your courage to do what you feel is right and we wish you the best with your decision and future.
Our names are Spencer and Alyssa. We are recent residents of southern California however, we both grew up in Utah, went on missions (Spencer to Germany, Alyssa to Russia), and graduated from BYU. Spencer earned a degree in Construction Management and Alyssa a degree in Family Science. We went to high school together, but never dated. During Spencer’s mission to Germany, he was made missionary companions with Alyssa’s nephew. We started writing each other and dated when Spencer returned home. Then, Alyssa served her mission and four months after she returned we were married in the Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple and have been married for 10 years.
Spencer works for a commercial construction company as a project engineer building hospitals. Alyssa taught piano for seven years, but stopped once the children arrived. We have been miraculously blessed with two children: Isaac is 8 years old and Afton is 5. We say miraculously, because we both were diagnosed with infertility issues. We were open to adoption right from the very beginning because we wanted children more than anything. We both strongly believe that the timing for adoption is right and our children feel it as well. We’ve had several little experiences that have guided both of our hearts to begin this process. We feel so overwhelmed with gratitude to the Lord for leading us to this point.
Here is a brief synopsis of our family. We are so grateful for each other and love having fun together, whether it’s throwing the football around, playing a board game, watching a movie, jumping on the trampoline, or just hanging out. We are always looking forward to and planning our next adventure together, especially planning mini trips to beautiful St. George, UT. We have a family condo there where we love to spend our time in the pool or hiking in the nearby canyons and National Parks. We also love to go boating, camping, and play volleyball. We feel that spending time together in the outdoors is one of our family’s favorite things to do. Since moving to California, we have also turned into a bunch of "Disney -heads" and enjoy our annual passes to Disneyland and of course, the BEACH!!
There is a lot about each of us that we could share, but for now we will touch on only the most important topics. We have chosen to have Alyssa be a stay at home mom with the kids. It is her greatest desire to teach and nurture her children and family. She hopes they can learn from her to love each other, to work hard, to forgive, to be kind, to serve, to be positive, and to know how to be happy and successful in life. She also has a great love for music. Motherhood is the source of her greatest joy. Spencer is a fun, out-going person and works hard to make a good living and he loves his job. But, the best part of his day is coming home to his family and spending time together. He is always making everyone smile and laugh. He can be silly and is a kid at heart, but he takes fathering very seriously. Being a dad comes natural to him and he has a unique, fun, loving way of relating to our children.
Isaac is active, curious, clever, and kind-hearted. He has a huge heart for animals and babies. Right now he is obsessed with Legos, Pokemon cards, reading, soccer, and making his little sister laugh. He is sensitive, independent, positive, and will talk your ear off! Afton is a very mature little spirit who is constantly moving and dreaming up fun ideas. She loves singing, dancing, and cooking. She is also a thrill seeker and loves all the BIG rides at Disneyland. She is a “girly-girl” through and through and loves her dolls, stuffed animals, and Barbies. Isaac and Afton have been taught a lot about adoption. They talk about it with excitement and tenderness. They have been an active part of this journey and they pray with a great deal of faith and hope for another sibling. It is touching and humbling to hear their questions and comments about this process.
That is just a little bit about our family. We are enjoying this journey of adoption and look forward to welcoming another one of Heavenly Father's children into our home. What a privilege and honor. If there is one thing we could leave with you it is this: Our hearts have so much love to give and it won't be just love from two parents; it will be multiplied by the love from two older siblings.
We look forward to meeting you and getting to know you better. We want to be sensitive to your concerns and questions as your decide what is best for you and your baby. Any baby that comes into our home will know who you are, what your desires are for them, and know that you love them. We are open to having an “open” adoption, one that is the healthy and ideal for the baby. Most importantly, we want to know what your hopes and dreams are for your child and collaborate together on how to make those happen so that everyone in this process feels loved and respected. We have a great feeling of admiration and respect for you as you are contemplating who is right for your child. It will take a great deal of courage, love, and strength to begin this difficult journey. We sincerely wish you the best. Much love,
Spencer, Alyssa, Isaac, and Afton

We had quite an unusual story of how we got together. We both grew up in Utah County and even knew each other in High School but never dated. After graduation we both went on a 3 week church history tour together with about 100 other students. During the course of the 3 weeks, Alyssa wrote in her journal how nice Spencer seemed to be and that he was always carrying her bags for her. Shortly after, Spencer served his mission to Germany. About half way through his mission he was made missionary companions with Alyssa's nephew. Alyssa wrote her nephew and told him she was "definately" interested in him and to "set her up!" When Spencer returned home, his family had moved to Colorado and so did he. So, our relationship began through letters and phone calls and a few weekend visits to see each other. Six months later, Alyssa left for her mission to Russia. Spencer wasn't the best writer and there were several times when Alyssa thought for sure he was a "gonner". However, once she returned home, they were engaged within two months and married two months after that! (Married October 27, 2000).