Hi! We are Mike and Vania from Rancho Cordova, California. We are so grateful for the opportunity to introduce ourselves and look forward to learning more about you! As first-time parents, we are excited to have your little one fill our family with love and joy. We understand this decision may not have been easy, but know that we are committed to walk with you in this journey. Thank you for considering us and making our dream come true!
We love children, and have always dreamed of having a big family. After two heartbroken miscarriages, we realized that we have so much love to give, and that loving and caring for a child doesn’t need to be biological. That’s when we decided to adopt. We truly believe that every child is a gift from God and we cherish and appreciate this gift regardless of genetics or physical features. Thank you for giving us that hope! We can’t wait to embark on this beautiful journey with you.
We met at work and it was love at first sight! Our relationship was long distance, northern and southern California, but over the 11 months we dated, we never missed a weekend seeing each other in person. We knew that we were meant for each other and we were committed to our relationship. We have been happily married for 12 years! We come from families with different ethnicities, allowing us to cherish diversity of thoughts, experiences, and beliefs. This has enriched our lives because we've been introduced to a broader world view and appreciate the value that every culture brings.
We enjoy traveling to different countries yearly, with family or as a couple, experiencing the culture, sights, and tasting great local food. Nothing beats a good homemade ice cream! We believe family and good friends are important and enjoy getting together regularly; talking, eating, playing games, and just having a great time being together.
I was born and raised in Brazil. I grew up climbing trees, rowing boats in the river, and swimming in the ocean. I then moved to Taiwan when I was 14 before coming to the United States. Moving to different countries while growing up has helped me experience different cultures and truly appreciate diversity. My parents used to be in the restaurant business, working 18 hours a day, but they always found time for us kids. Growing up I looked up to them as role models. I learned never to give up on my dreams and to earn something, I needed to work hard for it. I was taught not to be the best but to learn from the experience in everything. I knew deep inside my heart that I wanted to be a parent and be that role model my parents were for me.
I look forward to providing unconditional love and support to my future child, snuggling up with them on the couch, and thinking about the amazing things to come are what I look forward the most. Not to mention the joy and blessings I get to watch the child learn, grow, and develop into his/her own person.
When I first met Vania I was visiting her office. She offered me some candy, which turned out to be cough drops. Then she teased saying it would then cost me $5. I loved her great sense of humor and personality. From that time on I was hooked. Vania is very affectionate. Her nick name is “Koala” because she loves big hugs. Vania loves being around babies and has always hoped for children. She always says, "so cute" every time she is around or sees a baby. When we are with family, I see her talking to the kids, checking to see how they are doing, and asking if they need anything. She is very thoughtful and thinks of others all the time. Vania is very close to family and is always there when anyone is in need. She is very personable and everyone who knows her tells me that she is, "so sweet". Vania has a lot of love to give and I know she would be a perfect mom.
I come from a family of eight children. Growing up we played a lot together. The four oldest boys, being similar in age, played two against two activities; football, basketball, and baseball, at the neighborhood park until dark. We used to go on rides in the car to fun places such as the beach and the Armstrong Redwoods State park, where we played games and had picnics. One of my fondest memories is opening presents at Christmas because my dad would rotate each child opening a present until everyone is done. It took hours but we all enjoyed it! This taught us how to not put ourselves first and to be patient. Coming from a large family has placed the longing for children in my heart and helped prepare me to take on this tremendous responsibility and blessing.
I consider myself an expert of changing diapers from practicing on my youngest brother, nieces, and nephews. I’m that uncle that is always found with the kids playing basketball, watching animation movies, and making the little ones laugh.
Mike is the kindest, funniest, most selfless, and compassionate husband and future dad anyone could ever hope for. When I first met Mike, all he talked about was his family, specially great things about his siblings, but not much about himself. I was drawn to his humility, caring and kind personality, and great sense of humor. After a few dates, I knew he was special. He is the husband and friend I can trust with my life, and someone I can count on when needed. I truly admire his selflessness and pure heart. He can drive half an hour round trip to get me a boba tea every day because he wants to make me happy. His philosophy in life is “God first, others second, me last”. Mike has a pure heart like a child’s. That’s why he always connects with children so effortlessly. He loves children, and children love him. He’s always surrounded by his nephews and nieces playing or hanging out whenever the family gathers. I could see that great joy in him instantly from the moment we decided to adopt.
We like traveling to a new country every year (we’ve been to 14 countries so far) and wish to make it to Australia one day.
We also appreciate the time being home and have some good quality time relaxing or playing with our fur baby, Teddy. After a long day, we like going for walks at the park and enjoy a good home meal together. We love playing board and card games with family and friends on a regular basis. On the weekends, we like exploring farmer's markets in the surrounding small towns, and checking out boutique coffee shops. We also love going to movie theaters and enjoy a good comedy or action movie. Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are our favorite time of the year as the whole family gets together to cook and have some fun time playing games and reliving old memories. We also get extra bonus from playing with our 26 nephews and nieces (what a joy!) We believe family time is essential and it also helps build and maintain strong family connection.
We live in a suburban area located in Rancho Cordova, California. Our town is 30 minutes from the state capitol, Sacramento, and a couple of hours from San Francisco, Napa Valley, and Lake Tahoe! We get to enjoy all four seasons. In 2022, we purchased our home located in a new community where there’s a beautiful park with playground, barbeque area for gatherings, and a large grass field for team sports. We live in a modern style home (4 bedrooms and 3 and 1/2 bathrooms) with lots of space and sunlight. The home comes with an open concept room where we gather with family and friends most of the time. We also have a beautiful backyard with fig and lemon trees that we just planted.
Our favorite part of the home is the living room. We have the coziest living room ever where we spend most of our time there watching movies and relaxing. One of the things we mostly appreciate where we live is the family oriented community and friendly neighborhood. We truly believe this is the place for us to start our family!
One of the best things we appreciate in our community is how family oriented it is. We see daily activities at the park like parents playing with their children at the playground, families walking their dogs or jogging, and children playing sports together at the green field before sunset. We even have a food truck for cookies, smoothies/shakes, and a variety of food cuisines where families gather and mingle with the neighbors! The ice cream truck comes to the neighborhood once a week where we see children's excited faces.
Teddy is our 4-pound poodle. When we first got him he was about the size of my hand. We used to put a small bell around his neck so we would know where he was. Now he likes following everyone around and see what’s going on. We call him the shadow. Teddy is super smart and playful. When he needs some cuddling, he comes and places his head on our lap. He loves to play football. Teddy is very personable and enjoys being around people. His heart is bigger than his size.
Both our families are caring and very supportive. We are so blessed to have them in our lives. Vania's family is small yet they have the biggest hearts. Vania, her sister, and mom are like three sisters. They love doing things together. Her dad is the one that always speaks with wisdom. He loves tacos! Vania's mom is passionate about cooking and sharing food with the neighbors. We get together with Vania's family monthly in Southern California where we love going to Brazilian BBQ!
Our loved ones are all waiting anxiously to meet the new addition to the family. As Mike's mom says: "It's about time!" Mike’s family is large with 7 siblings and 26 nieces and nephews. Most of them live in the San Francisco Bay Area. We get together with them frequently, including special occasions and holidays. His nieces and nephews are close and enjoy hanging out together. Getting together is like a big party with lots of laughter, homemade food, and fun activities. It’s always hard to say goodbye so it can take a couple of hours before anyone gets out the door (not including all the hugs). Mike’s dad is the kindest and most selfless person. He used to get all the kids to help make 1000 fruit baskets every year before Christmas and distribute them to the poor. Mike’s mom is like a mother to everyone. She always has the room full of children’s clothes she buys over time to donate to the orphanages and to children without gifts on Christmas.
We believe parenting is based on love and trust. Our parenting philosophy is to communicate, connect by making time with our child as priority, and love them unconditionally through action. We want to be a role model to our child and always be there for them when needed. We also truly believe in the importance of creating a healthy and safe home where they will grow. We see our role as parents to provide guidance and support for our child to grow into their own person, and we see our relationship being based on love, respect, appreciation, kindness, and pure joy. We also love having fun and we can’t wait to bring lots of fun and happy moments to our child and help them build happy childhood memories.
We look forward to starting family traditions together like annual traveling, road trips, fun family gatherings, and last but not least, Sunday brunch!
Words are not enough to express our gratitude. After two heartbroken miscarriages, we lost hope. Thank you so much for considering us and returning to us the hope of becoming parents. We hope that our profile has given you a glimpse into our lives and how much love we can’t wait to share. We have so much respect for your decision to consider adoption for this child. While we cannot imagine what you are feeling, we believe you are incredibly brave and selfless. Our promise to you is that we will devote our lives to raising your child with unconditional love and providing a home full of love and joy. We will give him or her every opportunity in life to pursue their dreams and reach for the stars. Please know that if you choose us to parent your child, you will always have a special place in our family and in our lives. We would love to build a relationship with you in whatever way you feel most comfortable. We wish you the best and will keep you in our prayers!
With Love,
Mike and Vania
