Our Proud Parents

Ron comes from a very close family that is originally from the northern suburbs of Chicago. His parents have been married for 38 years and are now enjoying retirement, living on the family's 100-year-old farm in Missouri. Soon after his parents retired, Ron decided to move close to them to help them look after each other and to enjoy the benefits of country living. His younger sister, Amanda, lives about 3 hours away with her husband, Dave. Amanda works as a Special Education teacher and has just received her Masters' Degree in Education. After her husband completes his Ph.D., they are planning to move closer to her family to start a family of their own. Ron has a very close relationship with his parents and we visit them frequently, usually having dinner with them every Sunday. We always enjoy visiting and doing activities such as taking long walks, letting the dogs swim in the pond, and going trail riding in the woods. Ron's parents are excited to become first-time grandparents and show much love and support for our decision to adopt.

The Neighborhood Family

Juli is the youngest of three children. Her oldest brother Jeff and his family live nearby in the house in which she was raised. Jeff and his wife currently have six grandchildren and look forward to more additions to the family. Juli's middle brother was killed in a motorcycle accident in his early 20s, but he gave the family two beautiful little girls to love. Both adults, Crystal is now married and will soon be starting a family of her own. Meanwhile, Holly is finishing college and is currently looking for her "Mr. Right". Juli's parents were married for 46 wonderful years before her mother's death several years ago. Her father has since remarried a wonderful woman whom the entire family adores. They are both retired and spend their leisure time vacationing with family and friends, traveling the country in their RV, and boating. Juli's father comes from a family of six children. Family gatherings occur frequently and include lots of children, fun and games, tons of food, and most importantly, love. Everyone in the family, especially Grandma and Grandpa, are excited and supportive of our decision to adopt and they are all looking forward to having another baby to spoil.

Our Home

We live in a 90 year old house that is finally been made our home after 2 years of remodeling. Our "New" home is a single story with spacious rooms with high ceilings and lots of interesting old style characteristics. It has 2 bedrooms with an additional bedroom/office, 2 bathrooms, dining room and a family room where we spend most of our time together. The second bedroom has been setup as a nursery with a beautiful sleigh crib. Our home is on a corner lot with Juli's beautiful flower beds surrounding the house and Ron's lush green lawn that is perfect for playing on. The back yard is fenced in with plenty of room for a swing set and other play equipment.

Enjoying a Spring Day

Our neighborhood is very relaxed with family type atmosphere and is situated closely to our historic downtown area which is full of interesting craft and antique shops. We enjoy the cozy home town feel with many things to do including several parks and a new fully supervised aquatic center with a couple of water slides. The school system is outstanding with new computer & science labs and much community involvement with the student's extracurricular activities.