We welcome you into our hearts. You truly are a special person for wanting only the best in life for your baby. Let us reassure you, your baby will always know where he or she came from, and of the love that surrounded him/her then and now. You will always be in the heart of this child and ours as well.

Mike Patty Job Description Supervisor of Transportation Department Registered Nurse Specializing in Pediatrics Education Some College Business Courses Associate Degree in Nursing & Certification in Pediatric Nursing Favorites Hobby Working on Cars Hobby Movies & Surfing the Internet Leisure Activity Sight-Seeing Leisure Activity Playing with the Dogs Sport to Watch Baseball Sport to Watch Baseball & Football TV Show King of Queens TV Show Days of Our Lives Type of Music Country Type of Music Pop & Country Children None

We have thought long and hard about this. We believe that children should always know of the love surrounding them, and that parents and others involved in their lives should be good role models for them. Children should be nurtured, supported, and encouraged to become the best person possible. They require a good education; they need to be shown how to live with good morals and values. They should always know the difference between right and wrong, and to make good choices in life. We do not believe that a television is a babysitter. Children should be outside playing with friends, playing sports, riding bikes, whatever they like to do. They need to learn how to be a leader and not be a follower in life. They need to learn how to be a team player and handle disappointments in life. And as parents, we will always be there to help them when they fall. Children need to find out what in life makes them happiest, and as parents we need to help them fulfill their dreams.

We celebrate New Year's Eve at a friend's house. They have a big party with lots of friends and children. The kids love to make lots of noise and dance around at midnight. St. Patrick's Day is when we have our traditional dinner of corned beef and cabbage. Our dogs, Shotzie and Mona Lisa wear green t-shirts and collars. Easter is spent with family either in Pennsylvania or Virginia. We have a huge gathering at the dinner table. For the summer holidays there are always lots of barbeques. Halloween is also a fun time. We have lots of candy for the neighborhood children and Patty takes Shotzie and Mona Lisa trick or treating with their friend's children. They are always dressed up in costume.

One of our most favorite times of the year is Christmas. This is a big part of our lives and our families. We decorate the entire house, inside and outside, the weekend before Thanksgiving. The Christmas tree goes up to the ceiling (9feet) and about 1700 multicolor lights are strung along with the ornaments and trimming. We share the tree from year to year. One year it will be all Peanuts/Snoopy ornaments for Mike and the next year it will be all burgundy and gold ornaments with trimming (to match the décor of the room) for Patty. There are lots of presents under the tree for Shotzie and Mona Lisa. We love to decorate the fireplace with a snow village and lights. Then we go outside and put lots of Snoopy, Santa, and Snowman inflatable's all over the front yard along with lots of other yard lights and decorations. We string lights all over the outside of the house and the driveway using close to 4,000 multicolor lights. It is so much fun! Then about 2 weeks before Christmas, we have a large open house party for family and friends. Our aunt comes to visit and we spend the entire visit baking. The house smells wonderful! We cannot wait to share this time with a child. Christmas to us is the most awesome time of the year. It is the celebration of family, friends, and life and most importantly of birth. Everyday with a child will be like unwrapping a gift, the most beautiful gift anyone could give us.

Mona Lisa & Shotzie -
Buddies for Life

Our dogs, Shotzie & Mona Lisa, are cherished by not only us, but by the entire family. They are considered the "granddogs" by the grandparents, and they also have many aunts, uncles, cousins, and lots of friends. We have had Shotzie since Thanksgiving of 1997. She was a gift to Patty from Mike, as they are both avid dog lovers. Shotzie has been spoiled from day one. We have always gone on weekend trips with her and lots of family vacations by car and plane. Shotzie is quite the traveler.

We adopted Mona Lisa in April of 2005 from the no kill shelter. She was dropped there at night in a box. She was very malnourished and abused when we got her. She needed two operations to repair a very large hernia. Grandma was visiting at the time and together we all nursed her back to health. Today she is a beautiful, affectionate and loving dog. She too is becoming quite the little traveler. Every weekend we all go out for "Family Day". We go for rides in the car to a lake or the beach where we all play. They love going for rides to McDonald's where they get a plain hamburger and then we all go to the park. Shotzie and Mona Lisa just love playing with children and getting belly scratches.