We’re the Bateson Family!

Thanks for stopping by and getting to know us! Scroll through to read all about us or use the yellow buttons to skip to a section. If you have any questions, feel free to text us or message us on Facebook/Instagram. 💛

Our Life in Pictures

A frequent occurrence- out to breakfast!

Brandon's Face LOL "I'm Married!" (October 2015)

Smiling faces near Daybreak Lake. The day we finished our Home Study!

OUR STORY (told by Torie)

It was summer of 2013. We both served as youth leaders for separate churches which both came to Colorado for youth camp. We were both on night duty along with several other young adults to ensure the teens didn’t sneak out of the cabins. It wasn’t love at first sight- to be honest, I couldn’t stand his v-neck t-shirt and TOMS shoes - but we connected well over the group conversation. It wasn’t until after youth camp that Brandon followed me on Instagram and began liking every single photo of me, that I got the hint. In October, our first official date consisted of a church event followed by IHOP for some late-night breakfast. (Brandon didn’t like breakfast food, but he liked me.) Right away I was so captured by his openness about God and the experiences he’d had. We spent that autumn falling in love, becoming best friends, and learning about each other's dreams and passions. Our first kiss took place at Christmas time on a horse-drawn carriage ride in downtown Salt Lake.

I was invited on a Disneyland trip with his family in August 2014, and I was totally convinced he was going to propose to me at the castle, but that would have been too cliché. In September, his family made arrangements for “family photos” in the mountains. Coincidentally in a place that Brandon and I loved to visit and watch the sunset. (I was a little suspicious as we were all driving up the canyon.) Sure enough, when I got out of the car, there he was waiting to propose to me.

Our Adoption Journey

Over our 13 month engagement and early marriage, we had many conversations about our future family. Adoption was already placed on both of our hearts independently, so when it finally came up, we knew it was part of God’s plan for our future family. For Brandon, he knew fostering/adopting was something he had on his heart from years of volunteering at a summer camp for foster children. For myself, I did have years of female-related health issues. Knowing that the road to biological children may be a difficult one, it led us to talk and pray about the opportunity to pursue adoption for all of our future children. We have always felt peace about this, and continued to seek God to prepare ourselves and our relationship.

We had been married just over 7 years, and were prompted to officially begin the adoption process after a fun trip to Disneyland in December 2021, we just knew our hearts were ready. Just under a year later, the week of Thanksgiving, we were contacted by Mama K, a wonderful woman who was choosing adoption for her son born just a few days prior. We cherished a few days of texting and getting to know her and then flew to Florida and met the most beautiful and perfect baby boy that would become our son. Life has been incredible adjusting to parenthood and our lives as a family of 3. We are so tremendously blessed to maintain an open adoption with our son’s birth parents and continue to grow our relationship with them. We send photos and updates weekly to them on a Cloud-based photo album, and exchange text messages. Social Media has been amazing to connect with them and extended biological family. It’s incredible to see how many people love our son!

We are leaving the door open to adopt more children, as we have a desire for a large family and would love to have kids close in age. We trust God with however and whenever that happens.

Thank you for reading a little about our story and for getting to know us.

TORIE

**AGE** - 31
**OCCUPATION** - Mom
**EDUCATION** - Some College
**RELIGION** - Christian
**HOBBIES/INTERESTS** - Being a mom, Pottery, Floral Design, Weddings and Events, Thrifting, Baking, Board Games/Card Games, True Crime Podcasts/Shows, Disney, Animals
**FAVORITE SHOWS** - Seinfeld, Frasier, True Crime/Investigation Shows, Disney Vlogger YouTube.
**FAVORITE FOODS** - Breakfast scrambles, Sushi, pretzels and popcorn!
**SIBLINGS** - 0 (only child)

About Torie (in Brandon’s words)

Torie is an intensely passionate person. She loves and cares for every single person she meets, even if she’s only known you for a few seconds. She’ll remember your birthday, favorite hobby, mother’s maiden name, etc, all from the first time meeting you. Torie loves God and her church with the same fiery passion.

My favorite things about Torie: She is organized and a planner. I love her loud laugh, her drive to get things done, she’s super easygoing with me, and she’s quick to forgive!

Torie is an amazing mom to our son Jude, she is nurturing and so attentive to his needs, and never settles for less than the best for him. She is totally rockin’ at Motherhood and bursting with so much love.

BRANDON

AGE - 33

OCCUPATION - Instructional Designer for Software Company (creates training videos)

EDUCATION - Associates Degree in Graphic Design

RELIGION - Christian

HOBBIES/INTERESTS - Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books, Cooking, Coffee, Off-Roading, Cars, Video Games, Building Computers, Space and Science, Technology.

FAVORITE SHOWS - Seinfeld, Gun and Car YouTube, Venture Bros.,

FAVORITE FOODS - A good steak, Al Pastor Tacos, Burritos, Indian Curry and Tonkotsu Ramen. Anything I can add hot sauce to.

SIBLINGS - 2 (older sister and younger brother)

About Brandon (in Torie’s words)

Brandon is SO GOOFY! He always makes me laugh. He loves God and has a huge heart for people especially regarding injustice or social issues. He is very analytical and ridiculously smart. He has a passion for learning new things (sometimes random useless info). Brandon is techy/geeky and an excellent problem solver. He is an awesome cook and amazing provider for our family.

My favorite things about Brandon: His sarcasm, gentleness and unconditional support for me and my hobbies.

Brandon is such an amazing dad to our son, and loves him so tenderly. He is so incredibly patient, silly and fun. (Only Brandon can get Jude to giggle and squeal so hard!) Brandon is an ultra-present and proud father. He will definitely be the one to help with math and science homework.

He insisted on doing The George Costanza pose

JUDE

HOBBIES/INTERESTS - Reading Books, Piano, Dancing, Clapping, Swings, Stuffed Animals, His dog Teddy, Going to the Library and Aquarium.

FAVORITE SHOWS -Mickey Mouse, Ms. Rachel, Pixar Cars, anything with animals or music.

FAVORITE FOODS - Bananas, Scrambled Eggs, Mom’s homemade muffins.

About Jude the Dude

Our little guy is so chill. He’s always smiling and loves everyone he meets. We are loving how active and adventurous he is getting. It is amazing and wonderful to see his birth parents’ features coming through as Jude grows!

OUR HOME & NEIGHBORHOOD

We bought our cozy townhome in 2020 and it has been perfect for us, with room for infants and toddlers. We have a large kitchen island for baking and cooking, plants that fill the windows, and areas dedicated to child play and sensory learning.

Our neighborhood is a rural-ish suburb about 30 minutes outside of Salt Lake City. It is clean, safe, and full of parks, playgrounds, walking/biking trails. We have tons of fun places to eat and shop — all within walking distance or a short drive. Our absolute favorite thing is going to the Monday Night farmers market and food trucks. We have a favorite spot a few blocks away where we can see a panoramic view of the entire Salt Lake Valley. We enjoy going to the town rodeo or other events held at the town hall down the street.

**THE NURSERY**

Our neutral nursery theme is Sunshine because like the Sun, children add so much light and life to the world. While filled bookshelves and toy bins are a necessity, our favorite part is the photo of our son’s Birth Mama that we keep on display. We treasure her so much and want her to be visible and recognized by him as he grows.
We are excited to continue to fill up the spaces we’ve created in our home and our hearts for kiddos.

Teddy hitching a ride on our neighborhood walk

We have season passes to Thanksgiving Point - Full of museums and fun gardens.

THE DREAM HOME

A few miles west of us, the homes start to get a little more spaced out and many properties have horses or other animals. It’s so quaint and feels very much like a small town. The sage brush hills and winding roads give us such joy. This is where our heart is and we know that we’re desiring our future home to be more rural. Our hope is to soon have space where as our children grow, they can play in the dirt, pick veggies from the garden, and raise animals. Brandon wants goats and I’ve always dreamed of having chickens! It’s so fun to dream and we are excited for what the future holds or where we might be, but for now we are content and so blessed.

OUR FAMILY - Always Together

Since adopting our son in 2022, our household has been so rich with love and sweet times of cuddling and nurturing our wonderful boy. We try to keep it simple and not commit to very many activities during this stage, but we are at church every Sunday. We spend much of our time at home together, and make sure that we are equally sharing the duties when it comes to Baby. Our favorite part of the routine is breakfast! Brandon works 100% from home, so basically all of our meals are spent together.

We live within 10 miles of most of our extended family. Both sides are supportive of our decision to adopt. Our son is blessed with grandparents and aunts and uncles on both sides who love him dearly.

Grandma on Christmas with her Grand Babies

Splash Mountain! The whole family in one boat!

Father's Day with Dad and Brother Steven

Hanging out with dad by the fire pit he made. Brandon showing off his "Best Side"

Gamer boys. Don't worry, he got a turn too.

Brandon and His siblings, Bree and Steven

Grandpa (Brandon's Dad) and our baby niece sleeping.

Torie’s Family

I am the oldest grandchild and the only child of a single mom. She worked hard to raise me and to have everything I needed. With some help from my grandparents, I was able to participate in many activities like playing softball, violin, and having private horseback riding lessons. I grew up with my cousin living just a few blocks from me, so she and I were much like sisters. My closest relative besides my mom is my grandma. She graciously allowed Brandon and me to rent her basement for the first 4 years of our marriage and we are so blessed by her. My mom, Grandma and I enjoy going shopping and to restaurants together. They also share my love for breakfast food. (must be genetic) My total family can be counted using just one hand. Other members of my extended family stay connected over texts, social media, birthdays, and holidays. Over the last few years, I have made contact with my biological dad, who lives about an hour away. That relationship is growing and blossoming! My family is generally pretty quiet/simple people and not really religious, but they are supportive of my and Brandon’s lifestyle. Everyone is excited for us to adopt, as we will be the first on my mom’s side to bring great-grandchildren into the picture.

Brandon’s Family

I am the middle child of three, with an older sister and younger brother. I grew up in a tight-knit, Christian home with many vacations and Disneyland trips. My parents now have a large home and we are frequently over there for dinners, s’mores around the fire pit, and grilling/smoking meat with my dad. He is so excited to be a grandpa. My brother and his fiancée have 2 kids close in age to our son, and it’s so fun to see the cousins playing together. My extended family is big, loud and fun. Christmas and other holidays often involve several special gatherings with activities, food and the famous tradition of Rummy card games. If it’s your birthday, we have a special family dinner and you get to choose the meal and dessert. Grandma makes the best homemade apple pie and pecan pie at holidays. We are multi-generation Christian. God is not only part of our roots/heritage, but our daily lives. Any child we adopt will be very much loved by my big, crazy family!

GOALS + DREAMS

Be debt-free. We do not use or owe on any credit cards and are making progress on our car loan. We hope to have a future where we can be a financial blessing to others.

Buy a large home with land. Our hope is to have a property with room for animals, and gardening, with plenty of space to run and play. Torie would love a studio space for pottery and Brandon to work on cars or have a wood shop.

Have an RV/Camper. Utah and the surrounding states are full of beautiful parks. A few years ago, we rented an RV and went away for a few days to Moab (Southern Utah) It was one of the best trips we’ve ever done. We would love to be able to do that someday regularly with our kids and dogs.

Entrepreneurship and Further Education. We are very interested in business development and real estate. We’re unsure how these interests will play out but we know that it will be part of our future in some way. Brandon also has desires to further his education and dreams of one day being a teacher.

VIEWS + BELIEFS

Open Adoption - Our ultimate goal.

Our goal is to have a child-centered adoption, meaning we will always do what is best for the child. We understand that learning and understanding their adoption story is crucial to a child’s development and identity. To us, adoption means growing our family, not just with children. Our heart is to have a relationship with our child’s biological family however they desire, with open communication and possible visits. We know that relationships can be hard, but they’re worth the effort.

Faith - It’s not just about going to church.

While we rarely miss a Sunday, our faith is much more personal than gathering in a building. Our home will be a place where peace and joy are a priority and God will be present in everyday conversations. The life of Jesus is our example of how to show God’s love to all people. Sometimes that looks like praying together as a family or helping someone in our community. Our kids will be exposed to (and likely participate) in doing random acts of kindness for strangers, serving and doing life with people at church, and telling others about God’s love for them personally.

Political + Social Views - People first.

We don’t adhere to a specific political party, but select candidates that align best with our values. We will always be Pro-Life, but along with being Pro-Life, we are Pro-Mom and Pro-Family. We believe mothers should be able to raise children and accomplish their dreams. We support/donate monthly to our local Pregnancy Resource Center as we have seen first hand the amazing resources they provide for mothers and families with children. We believe everyone is entitled to quality of life and should have resources available to them to promote success.

Race - Adopting and celebrating culture.

We are open to any race/ethnicity for our future children. Our desire is to include their heritage into our family, teaching them about their culture and embracing it by learning new recipes or celebrating certain holidays. We understand the importance of creating opportunities for racial mirrors. While there is much diversity represented within our church family and close friends, the majority of our close family are white. Should we adopt a child of color, our efforts would be to embrace and celebrate their ethnicity always.

**Our Presidential Pups!**

Lincoln, our Australian Shepherd passed away in December 2023 - He was our first fur baby that belonged to Torie before we got married. He was such a great protector and was loving all the years we had with him. We definitely miss our “Old Man”.
Teddy Roosevelt is our rambunctious Corgi. Brandon dreamed for years of having a Corgi and we finally added our “Ted" to the family in 2020. This guy has the most hilarious personality and always has us laughing. We frequent the dog park where is bosses all the other dogs around. He’s funny, vocal, energetic and keeps us on our toes. Teddy LOVES our son and is very playful and protective of him.
Our dogs are named after U.S. presidents because Torie’s grandpa taught her a lot of U.S. History when she was a child, he also had a deep love for dogs and all animals - a passion of ours as well. Hopefully we can continue the tradition with some future dogs.
We enjoy having dogs and have dreams to own land for the fur kids - *and human kids* - to run and play. We would love to have chickens and maybe some goats.

Commit your works to the LORD [submit and trust them to Him], And your plans will succeed [if you respond to His will and guidance].

PROVERBS 16:3