Knowles Adopt

Utah Adoption Specialists have been awesome to work with and we can now say we are officially home study approved!

Birthdays are a big deal at our house. There are celebrations, yummy cake, and lots of love. We recently celebrated this guys' birthday with family and then on his birthday went to an adoption training. It's always wonderful to celebrate your favorite people in the world.

5 Things to Know about the Knowles 1) Family is the most important priority, both our relationship with each other and our relationship with our extended family. We work hard to keep our relationship strong and stable. We love spending time with our extended family and loving on our sweet nieces.  2) Our faith in God is the guiding light in our lives. We are member of the LDS faith and love to learn and serve in our church. We enjoy attending the temple together to strengthen our connection to each other and God.  3) Adventures are a big part of our life. Whether close to home or far away we like to find new, fun experiences to have together. Our most recent adventure was exploring the beautiful Oregon and Washington coast.  4) We strive to be self-sufficient. This means we work hard at our jobs, grow a garden, have chickens, can food, and refurbish older furniture to look new. We are frugal but enjoy making our home a welcoming and beautiful place to be.  5) Our furry friends are a fu

Name:  Sonny   Career:​ Free loader    Favorite Food: Anything, it doesn't even have to be food   Hobbies: Giving high fives to people, Weezer's face, and the chickens. I also like annoying my housemate Weezer and whining for no reason.   Favorite vacation: Staying at home, I get very confused in the car. About me: I love watching tv and barking at inanimate objects. I also love chasing chickens and having no idea what's going on.  About our family: My family is okay. They are nice to me but they don't let me eat garbage and watch tv all day.   Words to future baby Knowles:  I'm excited for new people to play with. I'm also excited for extra dropped food to eat.

Name:  Weezer   Career:​ Official guard dog   Favorite Food: Cereal and beef jerky   Hobbies: Laying on every pillow in the house, sleeping, sun bathing, chicken watching, sleeping, and eating treats.   Favorite vacation: Car rides to the dog park. About me: I love laying around and doing nothing. I can be emotional if I don't get enough pets and treats. I tolerate my house mate Sonny.    About our family: My family is great. They have lots of pillows and treats. They even let me sleep on the bed from time to time.   Words to future baby Knowles:  I will watch over you and protect you from anything that comes your way. I will love you and cuddle you....until you pull my hair. Then I'm outie.

Name: Cousin Chevelle Career: Being a little sister Favorite Food: Chips, chocolate milk, pineapple, French toast and treats Hobbies: Being the boss, love watching Trolls and Beauty and the Beast, playing outside and playing with toys Vacation: Being outside camping and playing in the water About Me: I'm wild, happy, very entertaining and love life About family: I have a mom, dad, a big sister and a dog. I love to chase 3 grandpas and 4 grandmas and lots of uncles and aunts and 3 cousins that play with a lot with me.  Words to Baby: I can't wait to meet you and get to play and eat treats together! You will have the best family ever!

Destiny: Cousin Destiny Career: Go to school, I want to be an artist Favorite Food: I love pizza and hamburgers and fries and pizza  Hobbies: Art, ride bikes, swim, camping, school, playing the piano Vacation: We camp a lot but my dream vacation is going to Disneyland About Me: I'm a very shy person. I love learning new things and playing with my little sister and I love going to school.  My Family: I have a little sister Chevelle and she keeps me really busy, and a dog named Chevy. I have 3 cousins that I play with all the time. I have four grandmas and three grandpas that spoil me lots!  Words to Baby: I can't wait to meet and play with you! I'm so excited to see you for the first time!

Name:  Uncle Tyson   Career:​ Following in footsteps of the family business and working on cars    Favorite Food: I'm pretty American, hamburgers, steaks, fries. If I had to choose just one it would be turkey steaks, potatoes, and rolls.   Hobbies: Golfing, dirt bikes, fishing, hunting, working in the yard, cooking camping, working on classic cars.    Favorite vacation: Camping and going to the sand dunes.  About me: I'm a very hard worker and would do anything for anyone, fun to be around and I'm a very busy body and always have to be doing something.   About our family:  My kids and my wife are everything to me. I have two children. The oldest Destiny, youngest Chevelle. I have one sibling, an older sister.   Words to future baby Knowles:  You will be one lucky baby to come to this family. We are excited to meet you and you will have the best parents ever!

Name: Aunt Teanna Career: I worked at Kents Market for 10 years. I loved talking and seeing people everyday. Now I'm a stay at home mom and I love every minute of it! Favorite Food: I love Mexican food the best but I'm not a picky eater. I pretty much love everything. But most important I love sweets! Hobbies: Shopping, camping, golfing, crafts, spending time with my family and more shopping.  Favorite Vacation: Me and my family do a lot of camping and we love it but my dream vacation would be anywhere where its hot, nice and on a beach.  About Me: I'm a very outgoing person. I love to make others happy, be happy and being with my family makes me happy.  About Family: I have a wonderful husband that I don't know what I would do without him! I have 2 beautiful girls Destiny, 10, and Chevelle who is almost 2 so they keep me busy! I come from a family at all boys, 2 older than me and 1 younger. So you can say I was very spoiled being than only girl.  Words to Baby: We all

Name: Aunt Becca Current career: Full-time student Future career: Speech Language Pathologist Favorite food: I don't know if I can say I have one favorite, but I do love anything that involves pasta and all forms of the beloved potato. Despite my being an adult, I also love pizza. Always a good choice. Hobbies: Running, singing, playing the piano, hiking, trying new things. I love any kind of sport, but I am currently very into volleyball, racquetball, and pickle ball. Favorite vacation: All of our vacations have been so fun. Of course, spending time together is the best part. I do have a few favorite vacations that top the list.  1-Hawaii-It was just so beautiful and peaceful there. There were so many natural wonders to see. Also, the Polynesian Cultural Center was one of the most fun places we have ever visited. We learned and saw so much! I would love to go back there some day.  2-Washington D.C.-My interest in D.C. was sparked when I was just 8 years old. We went on a day trip

Name: PaPa (Kris) Career: Upon graduation I attended a Technical School studying Diesel Mechanics. I then started at Vulcraft when the plant opened and was a Leadman there over the riggers. I helped my father-in-law on the side at his Autobody repair shop, and that started my love of automobiles and the career to which I have been involved for 35 years. We purchased the shop from him when he retired and I decided to leave the same name (Bobs Body Shop) in honor of him. Me and my wife have worked side by side for 30 years, running a very successful business. Has it always been easy - probably not, but worth it - definitely so. I have instilled this love of the Autobody business in my son and nephew who work by my side daily also. Proud to say it will continue on as a third generation business. Favorite food: Mexican is probably at the top, but I am a true meat and potatoes man. I love a good hamburger and like to try new things when we are traveling. Love pumpkin- chocolate chips co

Name: NaNa (Bambi) Career: In the past I have had the pleasure of working in the school district doing the lunch clerical job. Where I loved being able to get to know all the kids on a one on one basis. These relationships I made have continued on thru the years where I now see these kids married and starting families. My career took a change when my husband bought my fathers Auto Body Repair business 30 years ago. I have had the wonderful blessing of working by my husbands side managing the front office during these years. Favorite food: I'm probably a Mexican kinda girl. But love to try new salads and other dishes as long as someone else is fixing them! I would rather have a cookie or a finger treat rather than cake, pie, and ice cream (totally opposite of the rest of my family) Hobbies: My first and foremost is the love of yard work. Kris & I both grew up in families where beautiful yards where important. I love canning the great things grown in our garden and orchard,

Name:  Grandma Jenn Career:​  Wife, Mother, First Grade Teacher Favorite Food:  Anything Grandpa Knowles makes!  Just kidding!  I like good bbq, French dip sandwiches and salads.  I also like fajitas, but nothing too spicy. Hobbies:  Reading, finding new teaching ideas and techniques, playing board games, pickleball and a little shopping. Favorite vacations:  Europe tops my list because of all the history and it included a visit to see my sister and her family.  A close second is the Canadian Rockies.  Beautiful, breath-taking scenery!  I also love big cities.  So, New York and Chicago are memorable.  I loved visiting the Alamo and the River Walk in San Antonio.  Road trips are fun because you get to spend so much quality time with those you love and sing a lot.   About me:  I am goal oriented and like to succeed.  I love learning and teaching.  I enjoy helping others see and reach their potential.  I believe kindness is important and I am slightly superstitious in

Name:  Grandpa Knowles Career:  Supply Chain Management and IT Professional Favorite Food:  Too many good foods and cuisines to pick just one, although Chicken Tikka Masala is a go-to dish on the dinner menu at our house.  Fajitas also make frequent appearances on our dinner table. Hobbies:  Family adventures, running, cycling, music, travel, cooking, and many more Favorite vacation:  Hard to choose from the many good vacations we have taken.  The Europe vacation ranks up there with visits to Paris, Germany, Austria and Venice and Rome, Italy.  Also, I have loved all my visits to national parks, mountains, lakes, forests, and other beautiful places. About me:  The best way to describe me is comfortable and content with the life I have been blessed with.  My faith and my family are the two most important things in my life.  I enjoy my associations with family, friends and co-workers.  I love to experience the wonders in the world around me, including those natural a

Name: Mom (Shalee) Career: Special Education Teacher Favorite food: Mexican food for sure! Tacos, guacamole, salsa, all are so good. I also have a sweet tooth and love a good pastry. I really enjoy trying new things and cooking new, fun things. Hobbies: I read a lot and enjoy talking with others about great books. I love music and going to concerts. Traveling is definitely a passion. I have visited Ireland, Mexico, France, and Spain. I have also visited a good chunk of the US. I also enjoy being outdoors hiking, camping, fishing, gardening, and biking. Favorite vacation: Josh and I just visited the pacific north west and that was so much fun. It was nice to get some cooler weather. Probably my favorite vacation was right after college. Myself and two good friends spent about 5 weeks in Europe and it was so so fun. We had a great time and quite a few shenanigans. A few sentences about yourself: I am driven and dedicated. I work hard to succeed at work and at home

Name: Dad Career: College athletics-sales and operations Favorite food: I'll eat just about anything. I think so many different kinds of food are so good. I do have a soft spot for Mexican and Chinese but I also really like a good burger. Hobbies: I like being outside, gardening, fishing, hiking, and see all of the beauty around us. We also have four chickens that I like taking care of. I also enjoy sports and being physically active. Favorite vacation: My favorite vacation was a trip I took to Lake Tahoe as a young adult. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been and it was so interesting to see the area around it not being as pretty and then driving into the mountains to find a beautiful oasis. I had a similar experience on our trip to the north west coast. The best part about this, however, was being able to spend a week with my wife.  A few sentences about yourself: I love people and meeting new people with different backgrounds and experiences. I lov

Over the next few months we decided it would be helpful to do intros into our family. We want birth families considering us to know how great our parents and siblings are. We have truly been blessed with the best. We will start with Josh and Shalee before moving onto Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins. Thank you for continuing to share our story!

Since our first post we have had a lot of questions about our adoption journey. We wanted to answer those questions as much as possible. So here goes. Josh and Shalee present..... Our Adoption Q and A Q: Are you already matched with a birth family? A: No, we are hoping through family and friends sharing our story we will find a birth family who feels we are a good match.  Q: What agency are you using? A: We are not connected with an agency right now. We are hoping for a private, domestic adoption but are not ruling anything out for the future. Q: What age child would you like to adopt? A: We would like to adopt an infant if possible. But, we are open to consider all options. Q: What type of adoption (open, semi-open, closed) would you like to have? A: We would love to have an open or semi-open adoption, depending on the comfort level of the birth family. Q: Why are you adopting? A: For lots of reasons. We love children and want very much to have a

We are Josh and Shalee Knowles. We have two adorable puppies and a new house we are happily making a home. We were married in October 2015 and have hoped for children ever since that day. We are beginning our adoption journey and hope that you will feel the desire to share our story.  Josh works in university athletics and loves it. He gets to interact with sports fans all day and help people have a fun experience at the games. He works hard for our family and wants nothing more than to be a Dad. He enjoys playing and watching sports, fishing, working on our house, singing and listening to music. He attended Utah State and received his Bachelors degree in Psychology. He hopes to attend graduate school in the near future. He comes from a family of 6; two brothers and one sister. Shalee is a special education teacher. She loves teaching students and seeing the progress they can make. She is passionate about her job and her family. She has dreamed of being a Mom her entire life. S