Our hearts have gone into our dream of having a family. We want you to know that we will nurture, care for and raise your child in a loving home. They will have a life full of love and support from parents that are committed to providing a safe and happy home. We were always encouraged to follow our dreams and we believe all children should be encouraged to do that.

Ron Joanne Job Description Technical Service Engineer Stay-at-Home Mom Education BS in Chemical Engineering High School Graduate Favorites Hobby Reading Hobby Cooking Bedtime Story Curious George Bedtime Story Cat in the Hat Childhood Memory Sunday Dinners Childhood Memory Camping Sport to Watch Football Sport to Watch Football TV Show Seinfeld TV Show Friends Children Rob-16 years old, Zachary-2 years old

Being a parent is the most rewarding and important job that there is in the world. It means the needs of our children come first and foremost. Unconditional love and acceptance are second nature. A parent must carefully balance love and discipline, teaching their child the difference between right and wrong and always making sure that they know they are loved.

Our strengths would be teaching our children that there is good to be found in everything. Showing love is the easy part with lots of smiles, hugs and laughter. Patience is important and encouraging individuality is important. Open communication is something we would like our children to grow up feeling. Making sure our children know they can come to us with anything is very important. Laughter is the best medicine sometimes and we have so much laughter in our home! Your child would never have to question if they are loved.

Priorities can change over time as we go through our lives. We have maintained one consistent priority throughout our adult lives. Children and family have always been at the top of our list. Despite the heartache of three miscarriages and many years of infertility treatments, we finally added Rob and Zachary to our family through adoption. We have welcomed the boys into our family and have embraced the change we made to become parents to them. From wonderful holiday celebrations and the start of new traditions to simple days relaxing at home and playing games, we have loved them being here as much as they love being here. We have always discussed Robert's adoption with him and we'll do so with Zachary when he is able to understand what it means. It will be nice that all the children have that common bond and will be able to discuss their adoptions with each other when they want to. Joanne quit working so she could be home with Rob after school when we first got him seven years ago. She is still a stay-at-home mom and she spends time almost every day playing a game with Rob when his homework is done. Zachary now occupies her days with his activities before Rob gets home. Sometimes it's as simple as playing with a ball in the backyard or playing with some blocks in the house. She always manages to spend time doing things together with Zachary. It gives you an opportunity to connect with them and show them how important they are to you. Ron started coaching soccer and baseball and became a den leader for boy scouts when we got Rob. Ron always tries to spend some quality time with Zachary in the evenings. A walk to the playground, playing cars on the living room floor or even getting a bath and reading books before bed give them a chance bond together. They learn so much just by spending time with us and talking. Taking time to sit with a child and talk or play is so important. We've made Rob and Zachary a priority in our lives and would do so for any children that we bring into our home.

Christmas with Family

From the first Christmas we spent together, we decided that Christmas was important to both of us. We would spend it with both of our families, share each others traditions and make some new ones of our own. We decorate the house and make cookies in the weeks leading up Christmas and make sure everything is set for the big day. Ron's mom comes over for Christmas eve dinner and we watch a Christmas movie before going to midnight mass. She comes over again on Christmas morning for breakfast and opening presents while watching A Christmas Story on TV. Then we head over to whoever in Joanne's family is having Christmas that year after lunch. Being a family of eleven kids, they take turns hosting it. Everyone opens presents and eats dinner and we have activities for all the kids.

Another tradition we love is camping. On father's day, Labor Day, and on the kids' birthday weekends we go camping. We make it a four day weekend. We have a camper so we try different places and then pick our favorites to spend the special days there. We go hiking, biking or swimming or just head to the playground and we take our dog with us. We grill out for dinner and sit by the fire and roast marshmallows for s'mores. When Zachary falls asleep, the three of us head into the camper to play a game before bed. We look forward to including another child in our family traditions.