Meet Johan & Nikki
A video message from Johan & Nikki
A Letter from Johan & Nikki
Hi! We love the life we’ve created together and would love to share it with a child we raise together. Our story began when we met in the Army while stationed overseas in Germany. We got to know each other while touring castles and historical locations, trying German restaurants, and visiting the zoo. Now our little romance has been going strong for over 8 years, and we’ve been married for almost 6 years.
We believe that the world is a great place and we hope to help our child experience the world through travel, food, and interaction with others around us. We feel called to grow our little family through adoption and would love to get to know you and hear about the life you want for your child.
A Little About Us
We like to say we are a pretty chill family with a splash of excitement. We try to be our best selves and find little ways to help the world around us. Personal wellness is a priority to us and we make sure to have downtime to keep us grounded. We value God, love, wisdom, honesty, integrity, and compassion. We’ve set our lives up so that Nikki will be a stay-at-home mom and have plenty of time for our family to be together.
Together we like:
• Movie nights cuddled up on the couch
• Playing board games
• Cooking
• Taking our dogs to nature parks
• Snapping photos of scenic spots or flowers we haven’t seen before
• Walking, skating, or swimming
• Going to church
• Yardwork and gardening
This is Nikki
Johan says: Nikki is hard working, motivating, and kind. She enjoys a challenge and makes sure that I am taken care of, along with our house and animals. She is really the backbone of our family. I love that she wakes up early to make me lunch and help me get ready for my workday. Nikki has always wanted to be a mom and I look forward to raising a baby with her, watching her enjoy each new thing she’ll experience with our child. She will be a playful, organized, and attentive mom.
Nikki enjoys:
• Reading
• Teaching the Pre-K Sunday School class at church
• Cooking and teaching kids to cook at any age
• Telling stories
• Sewing and crafting
• Dancing and humming
• Snowboarding
• Taking classes (she’s currently working on her degree in Computer Science and just finished getting her insurance license!)
Meet Johan
Nikki says: Johan is a great friend. I appreciate how he’ll come home with my favorite snack, without me having to ask him. I especially love his sweet hugs and cuddles! Johan doesn’t get stressed easily and can be very playful. Even though he’s a protective, strong man, he is very gentle (I also love how he makes me feel tiny!). As a dad, he is loving and caring. Johan tries to make sure his kids have everything they need to succeed in life, teaching them hard work and how to finish what they start. I’m excited to raise a child with him by my side.
Johan enjoys:
• Playing video games
• Taking his muscle car for drives through the countryside
• Growing his faith and trusting in Jesus through anything
• Lazy weekends with a sprinkle of adventure
• Collecting coins from around the world
Our Family
When we met Johan had two young daughters. Our girls are very sweet and loving. Mikayla likes to read, and Madison likes to cook. Right now they live with their mom in California where they are involved with school and other activities as teenagers. We stay in touch with Mikayla and Madison regularly and visit when we can. We love seeing the young women they are becoming and finding ways to celebrate and support them as they launch into their lives. They will be amazing big sisters too!
Extended Family: We come from big families who are spread all over! Johan’s family is originally from South Africa and he still has a lot of relatives there. We’re very close to Johan’s sister and her family, who live in Kansas. Nikki has six sisters and one brother, with a huge extended (loud and loving!) family. Her mom’s side is mostly in Texas, though she has family all over the U.S. We love trips to see our families at least a few times a year. Everyone will be so excited to meet the child we adopt.
Our Home in Louisiana
We live in a one-story house with fenced yards in front and back, each with their own gardens. We like to light the fire pit on Fridays and relax outside in the evening. We look forward to converting one of the bedrooms into a nursery when we know more about the baby we will be chosen to adopt. Our home is in a rural part of Louisiana where there are a lot of farms and swamp lowlands. We love our neighbors too! Everyone knows each other by name and we help each other out. We enjoy taking our dogs to the local dog park or neighborhood parks. It’s a nice community with a free splash place, a skate park, water park, and a few different playgrounds.
From Our Hearts...
If we are chosen to be your child’s adoptive parents, we promise to love and accept your baby and to never forget you. As parents we will teach him or her to respect others and themselves, have courage, help others without expecting anything back, and to live with honor and integrity. We plan to home school until he or she is in middle school and to provide for and support their interests and talents.
Adoption will always remain an open conversation. We will make sure this child knows the truth about how we all came together and that they can ask us anything. We would love to stay in contact with you if you’d like an open adoption. You would be such a blessing to us and we want to make sure your child grows up knowing what you mean to us. To us, you are brave and amazing. Thank you for considering us as your child’s adoptive family!
We’d love to talk with you or answer any of your questions. Call or text Lifetime at 1.800.923.6784.
With love, Johan & Nikki
Learn More About Johan & Nikki
| Johan | Nikki | |
|---|---|---|
| Our Education | Associate's of Arts Degree | Associate's of Applied Science Degree |
| Our Professions | Manager of Military Training Role Play Program | Insurance Agent |
| Stay-At-Home | No | Yes |
| Our Racial Background | Caucasian | Hispanic |
| Some of Johan & Nikki's Favorites | ||
| Memory Together | Proposing to Nikki at the zoo in Belgium, in a secluded spot with just her. It was perfect. | When we traveled to see castles together, and also when we do puzzles. |
| Holiday | Thanksgiving (I love all the food) | Valentine's Day (I love going out for dinner) |
| Book | Bridge to Terabithia | Pollyanna |
| TV Show | House | Once Upon a Time |
| Food | Italian | Heath & Butterfinger Blizzard OR Zuppa Tuscana |
| Weekend Activity | Take my car for a drive | Go to the beach! |
| Country in Europe | Estonia: The food is awesome and the country is beautiful with rich, vast history. | Germany: The castles and views are fantastic, all the wonderful people, and the language was fun to learn. Danke! |
| More About Our Family | ||
| Fun Facts About Us | • In our family, our future child will have three Grampas, a Grama, and a Great Grama and Grampa! The little one we’re chosen to adopt will have a huge family to love them. • Johan has lived on six continents! • Nikki often has a hard time sitting still, which made meetings with leadership difficult when she was in the Army. Now she uses her energy to stay busy around the house. | |
| In our home we... | • Are gentle and kind | |
| Our Pets | We have two dogs and one cat. Moosh the Cat is a Blue Russian and he likes to hide out of sight, that is until bedtime when he wants to snuggle. Little Bear is our lovable Pomeranian with a great temperament (even people who don’t like dogs seem to love him!). Jiffy is our young Boxer-mix girl who has a lot of fun energy, and a very sweet and affectionate personality. | |
| Traditions in Our Family | • Every year we make a point to go see different national state parks or amusement parks, explore caves, or try new eateries. | |
| We Prefer a Child Who Is... | ||
| Age of Child | Newborn up to 2 years old | |
| Gender | Either boy or girl | |
| In Closing | ||
We're grateful for this chance to share a little about the life we'd love to share with your child as adoptive parents. Thank you for considering us! We believe in family, faith, and finding the good in the world around us. It would be wonderful to get to know you and to learn more about your hopes for your child's future. To talk with us, just ask Lifetime to set up a call or video chat. We'd love to hear from you! |
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