Hi, we are Michiel and Arnold from the Netherlands! Thank you for choosing to hear our story and learning more about us. We have a huge desire to become parents and start a family.

Our love story began at the beginning of 2012, after we got together for a drink. From the very start, we felt that we had a special connection. As we started dating, we met up several times a week and had many good conversations. We both did our best to win each other's heart. And it worked! We moved in together in 2013, and our happiness was sealed in 2017 when we got married on the beautiful island of Ameland, Michiel’s hometown.

From the very beginning of our relationship, we knew that we wanted to become dads someday. We truly feel that we are now ready to welcome a child in our lives and give him or her all our love and attention. We cannot wait for the day that we become a loving family of three!

I have always lived in the countryside. I grew up on a dairy farm where I had a large degree of independence. I am convinced that this independence helped shape me into the person I am today, who can take care of himself, but also take care of others.

After finishing high school, I spent a year as a foreign exchange student in the US! I got to experience the typical American way of living and enjoyed going on camping trips with my host family, visiting the nearby lake or just having delicious cookouts. I also got to experience “prom,” was lots of fun too!

As a field hockey coach, I get to work with children every day. I really enjoy teaching children. I notice that they are very eager to learn and it makes me happy when we achieve great things together. Hopefully, I can also welcome a child into our family and help them discover new things, as well!

When I’m not out on the field hockey field, I enjoy cooking and trying new recipes. This usually works out very well, but sometimes not so much! That’s okay though, at least it taught me something in the process. Besides that, I love sports, going for a walk and taking weekend trips with Michiel.

“Arnold is an open and spontaneous, and the sweetest man you could wish for.” – by Michiel

I grew up on a small island, called Ameland, with my five brothers and sisters. Growing up on Ameland meant a lot of freedom in a beautiful, safe environment. My parents have always cared for us and raised us kids with a lot of love.

After having lived in a city for a number of years, I love living in the countryside again. I enjoy the space and all the opportunities to enjoy nature. That is why I am very happy working for a government organization where I help develop hiking and cycling routes and other touristic activities.

When I am not working, I’m enjoying those same routes, either by foot or bike! I also like to play volleyball, work in the garden and take care of our pets. I try to enjoy the little things in life and share them with family and friends. I also like to visit my family on Ameland, where I spend days on the beach or just catching up with old friends. Hopefully, I can share all of this and more with Arnold and a baby one day!

“Michiel is a very sweet man with a positive and warm vibe around him.” – by Arnold

After moving a couple of times, we bought a wonderful house in a child-friendly neighborhood in Ureterp, a small village in the northern region of the Netherlands. The area is known for it’s beautiful nature, with both forests and lakes. Within our village there are many facilities, such as shops, playgrounds and three great elementary schools. We love living in an area in which we can feel free and enjoy nature. It’s the perfect place to raise a family!

We live a spacious, semi-detached home in a child-friendly neighborhood. We share our house with our cat (Loesje), our two bunnies (Hannes and Guusje), and a couple of chickens. One of our favorite parts of the house is the lovely garden, where we often have a coffee together in the gazebo. We also love the nursery that we’ve put together in anticipation for the adoption. All-in-all, our home is a cozy place that we can’t wait to share with a child!

We both come from large families, who support us immensely in our desire to become parents. Our family plays a large role in our lives, as well as our friends. We visit them regularly for cookouts, birthdays, holidays or just to spend the day together. They are all really supportive to us and they can’t wait to welcome a beautiful child into the family.

We regularly have our sibling’s and friend’s kids over to our house and we always turn it into a party! We do a lot of fun things like swimming, baking yummy pancakes and playing board games. We even take them to Ameland to share the special places we know on the island! We’re excited to do these same things with a child in the future.

The Netherlands is a friendly country in Western Europe with a very diverse population. It’s a true melting pot where everyone can feel at home. Our healthcare system is accessible to everyone who needs it, and our education system is one of the best in the world.

Our country has some great traditions. We think these are very important and we love to share them with the people that we love the most. We celebrate Christmas every year with our families, but also birthdays, Easter, Kingsday and some local traditions, like Carnival. We feel it’s important to involve children in these special celebrations, so that they can grow up with these traditions and continue them.

We would also like to pass on some American traditions, because we think it is important that the child knows where they come from and also has a good and positive feelings about it. The American traditions will be an important part of a child’s life and identity.

Thank you for taking the time to read our profile book. We want you to know just how courageous we think you are for considering an adoption plan. Our greatest hope is that you find happiness and peace of mind with whatever decision you make.

We promise you that we will give a child a warm and loving home, a healthy lifestyle, a great education, and a large extended family to support them through life. We also promise to encourage them to follow their dreams and pursue any interests they may develop throughout life, so that they will grow to be a beautiful, kind and successful person.

It would be great to be able to meet someday and we hope to stay in contact throughout the child’s life. However, regardless of the level of openness that you prefer, we will always remind the child of the difficult choices you made so that your baby could have the life it deserves!