Dan’s Extended Family

Dan grew up in a small town right over the Philadelphia city border. His parents are working class people who believed in teaching their sons how to set goals in life and achieve them. Dan's parents have a tradition of hanging out with us on Friday nights. They are great for last minute babysitters and for help in any way we need it. Dan's mom will pick up Lilly from daycare and take her to ballet class. Dan has one brother who lives not far away. He is a frequent visitor. Lilly loves to play with Uncle "Gus". She has John (aka Uncle Gus) wrapped around her fingers. Dan's parents are very supportive in whatever we want to do. They want us and our children to be happy. All but one aunt of Dan's aunts and uncles are in neighboring towns. She and her husband have four adopted children. Dan's only living grandparent is close by in a retirement home. Nana loves to read books to Lilly.

Ann-Marie’s Extended Family

Ann-Marie grew up in Philadelphia. Ann's father is a machinist and her mother is a billing clerk. Ann-Marie's parents are very excited to be grandparents again and welcome your child with open arms and hearts. Ann-Marie is an only child and always wanted siblings. Her parents went through a failed adoption, but then became foster parents. Ann-Marie's parents live about 30 minutes away. While we see them less than Dan's parents, they do call often and love to talk to Lilly on the phone. Even though Ann is an only child, her parents are not. Ann has a very large extended family, with 19 biological aunts and uncles, and cousins totaling over 50. Ann is close with several of her cousins; they are more like sisters to her. Christmas day at Uncle Ed's is always a blast for all the kids. We even get surprise visits from Ann's grandparents. Ann's grandparents come to everything and we love them dearly. A few of Ann's aunts and uncles are only 5-10 years older than her, so she is close to them.

Our Home

We live in a suburban development in Pennsylvania about 60 minutes from Philadelphia. We have a 4 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom, 2 story colonial style single house with a 2 car garage and a fenced in yard. Our house is well equipped for children with a swing set in the back yard, a playroom filled with toys, and a jungle themed kid's bathroom. The spacious kitchen is perfect for family mealtime and family gatherings. Our house is currently puppy- proofed and pretty well child proofed.

Castle Playground at Neighborhood Park

Our development is about 13 years young and is swarming with children of all ages. We chose to live where we do for several reasons. Our neighborhood is vibrant with plenty of children everywhere. We love the sidewalks and street lights in our neighborhood. They are fun for us to walk our dogs and for our daughter to ride her bike or drive her Barbie jeep. Another reason is our school district. It is one of the best in the area. In fact, one local high school student won the national science fair competition and approximately 90% of graduates go on to college. The public elementary school is minutes from our house and only 9 years old.

While we have nearby farms for pumpkin picking in the fall and fruit picking in the summer, we're close enough to the city to have the best of both worlds. Culture and American history is all around us. Nearby there are several amazing playgrounds that we frequent with our daughter. Our neighbors are warm, friendly people who can't wait to welcome your child into the neighborhood and are thrilled with our plan to adopt.