We hope that you'll consider us as a family for your baby. We are looking forward to meeting you. We'd love to meet you, talk about parenting, tell you about our world, and learn about yours. If you were to choose us as the adoptive parents of your baby, we would be very committed to staying in touch with you -to sending you letters and pictures several times each year.

Erik Kate Job Description Marketing Consultant Stay-at-Home Mom & Works Part-Time from Home for a National Non-Profit Organization focusing on Urban Education Education Bachelors in Economics & a Masters in Marketing (MBA) Bachelors in Women's Studies & a Masters in Education Favorites Childhood Memory Winning City Basketball Championship Childhood Memory Summer Vacations in Cape Cod Movie 300 Movie Ocean's Eleven Musical Group Beatles Musical Group U2 Thing to Cook Italian Thing to Cook Fresh, Healthy Food Vacation Spot Las Vegas Vacation Spot Cape Cod Children Hannah-4 years old

One of our passions is education. We both have Masters Degrees and Kate's is in Education. She has devoted her professional life to improving schools in low-income neighborhoods. Kate started out as a high school English teacher in an urban school district and then became a high school principal there. She stopped working full time when Hannah was born, but she remains devoted to the idea that every child in this country deserves a high quality education. She still works - although now it's much less often and from a home office - to close the achievement gap in public education. She is part of a non-profit organization and is doing her part to contribute to better schools so that all children have the same opportunities for learning.

Kate's passion for education and equality shows up in our home and parenting style, as well. We read with our daughter several times each day, explore nature, discover art museums and sculpture gardens, investigate aquariums, zoos, and historical exhibits. Hannah has a thriving vocabulary, an inquisitive mind, and is already reading many words. We are excited to continue all of these traditions with a second child - and look forward to the experience of watching the children learn and explore together.

Hannah attends a cooperative preschool. This means that the school, its leadership, maintenance, teacher selection, and classroom support is provided by parents. Erik serves on the school's Board of Directors, Kate edits the school newsletter, and both of us spend 1 day a month as the teacher's assistant in the classroom. We take turns with the other parents to do this so that all of us take equal part in supporting the teacher we chose and being a part of our children's education. The school gives us a wonderful sense of community and belonging. Many of the parents have become our friends and all of the children are great. We can't wait to have a second child to bring into the mix. Many of Hannah's peers have new baby brothers and sisters who will "grow up" to be classmates when they are three and four and we are looking forward to bringing somebody new to that group.

As our children grow older, they will attend public schools. We strongly believe that children from a variety of backgrounds, neighborhoods, and cultures should learn and grow together. As we start to think about what school to choose, we ask ourselves: Are the teachers well trained, supported, and supervised? Are most or all of the students in the school learning and achieving well? Does it feel happy and inviting when we walk into the school? Is the student population diverse? By answering these questions carefully, we will always ensure that our daughter - and her future sibling - will have the very best education possible.

At Our Cottage on Cape Cod

We love the outdoors. One of our passions in life is just being outside. We like to take little day hikes, poke around in the woods, play in the sand at the beach, chase fireflies at dusk, make art on the sidewalk with chalk, create "pizzas" with found leaves, twigs, and pinecones, and even just stroll through the neighborhood. Whether it's a day filled with activity or one that is more mellow and quiet, we usually end up out in the fresh air for as little as an hour and as much as the whole day.

One of our favorite things to do is to go to the beach. One of our favorite beaches is on Cape Cod. Our whole family and many of our oldest friends get together every summer for a reunion at the beach on the Cape where there's nothing but outdoors, kids playing, surfing with boogie-boards, singing songs by a bonfire, eating lobster and clam cakes and ice cream, and just relaxing and having fun outdoors with the people we love. We're looking forward to including a second child in this fun experience. There's so much that we see and experience at the beach - from the sea to the sky to the wide open spaces - that it is one of our happiest places to be.