We believe that humor is one of the best things in life. As Tony said in his toast at his brother's wedding last year, "…there are few things more beautiful and wonderful in life than laughter." We cherish the thought of welcoming a child into our lives and look forward to many moments of holding, playing, teaching, reading, consoling, and being a source of comfort. We believe a child should be provided with every opportunity for a good education. A child should be encouraged to follow their dreams and have the tools to grow into anything they want to be. We know we are good parents and love our child (soon to be children - we hope) unconditionally.

Tony Jill Job Description Environmental Engineer for a Consulting Engineering Company Stay-at-Home Mom & Part-Time Actuary (Works from Home) Education B.S. in Civil Engineering & M.S. in Environmental Engineering B.S. in Economics Favorites Hobby Mountain Biking & Cycling Hobby Reading Bedtime Story Charlotte’s Web Bedtime Story Green Eggs & Ham Cartoon Calvin & Hobbes Cartoon Peanuts Dessert Cheesecake Dessert Anything Chocolate Vacation Spot Ireland Vacation Spot Beach Children Noah-2 years old (adopted)

We will never forget when we first got the call to say we had been matched with a birthmother. From that moment on, we became more and more excited about the prospect of actually becoming parents. The night before Noah was born neither of us slept a wink - we were too thrilled and excited. Fortunately, we were able to be at the hospital the morning Noah was born. This allowed us to spend some time getting to know Noah's birthmother. Noah's birthmother was a courageous, young woman who truly thought she was doing the best thing for her son. We are proud to have been chosen by her to adopt Noah and admire her courage to make the difficult decision to place him for adoption. We regularly send her letters and pictures so she can see and hear how well Noah is doing. Through our own experience, we know first hand the beauty and miracle of adoption. Birthparents who decide to place their child for adoption are making a courageous and generous decision. To be given the opportunity to adopt a child is one of the most incredible things in the world.

In addition to our own experience, we also have a wonderful network of family and friends that have adopted or in some way been touched by adoption. This gave us great comfort and confidence when we first chose to adopt and makes us excited to adopt again.

Mule Ride at the Grand Canyon

We enjoy a healthy, active lifestyle. On one trip to northern Arizona, we had the unique experience of a January mule trip into the Grand Canyon. Because it was winter time, we practically had the entire Canyon to ourselves and we were able have lunch alone at the normally-crowded Plateau Point. We also enjoy vacationing in the Caribbean, where we snorkel at every opportunity. Jill loves to spot sea turtles since turtles are her favorite animal.

We love the great outdoors and frequent the nearby National Park for biking and picnicking. Tony mountain bikes whenever he gets the chance, which keeps him in great shape. On a recent camping/ biking trip, he and a friend came across a black bear cub deep in the woods. Instinctively, they both turned their heads to the other side of the trail to see if they could spot mama bear - luckily she was not to be seen! Jill enjoys relaxing around a camp fire, but takes a pass on the mountain biking and bear encounters.

For several years, we have played on a coed volleyball team. One year we won the championship, but we play for the exercise and getting to spend time with our teammates. We also love to ski and are fortunate to live just over an hour from a ski resort that we frequent for day trips. On occasion, we take a ski weekend a little further north.