Randy is the second of two children. He has an older sister who is married and they have two children. Randy's sister cared for our daughter Ava during the day at her in-home daycare. Ava has just recently started preschool to gain a bit more structure in preparation for kindergarten. We feel so secure knowing our next child, too, will be cared for and loved by family while we work. Randy's parents live about a quarter of a mile from us so there are lots of opportunities to visit. Although recently retired from his full-time job, Randy's father spends a lot of time on the family's Angus farm. His mother is semi-retired, but is always available when needed. Randy feels blessed to still have his maternal grandparents. He is especially close to his grandfather who is a kind, funny and wise gentleman. While Randy's immediate family is smaller than Nora's, it has resulted in closer relationships with aunts, uncles and cousins.
Nora’s Family Near Our Home
Nora is the youngest of nine children (5 boys, 4 girls). She has been surrounded by children her whole life, having 20 nieces/nephews and even several great-nieces/nephews! Her parents still live in the town where she grew up. Her immediate family all lives within a 30-mile radius and, in fact, Randy and Nora have never had anyone besides family members babysit for Ava - they are all very involved! Hers is a close-knit, very supportive family and holidays bring together this spirited group for food, laughter, visiting, and Scrabble games. Nora is very close to her parents and feels they passed on their faith in God, strong work ethic, and the importance of family to all their children. The whole family is extremely supportive of our plans to adopt another child. They consider the addition of a child to the family through adoption as God's answers to many prayers.
Our House and Neighborhood
Our Beautiful Home-Great Yard for Kids!
We built our home in 2003 on a section of the family farm. Our beautiful, spacious two-story home has three bedrooms, three and a half baths, a large welcoming kitchen and an open floor plan. We own more than 20 acres, but our home is surrounded by a three-acre well-kept yard, including a new swing set, that is perfect for outdoor fun! We live out in the country, but have several nearby neighbors. Our town is small and so we consider lots of people to be our neighbors, whether they live next door or miles down the road. Our community is close knit, rich in heritage and largely centers around our parish. The importance of family is deeply felt and always emphasized. We have three parish events every year and there are other local activities sponsored by various clubs and organizations. All are family-friendly! Our children will attend the community's private Catholic school until high school and then will join a consolidated school district where they will get to meet kids from several towns in the county.
Swingset at Our Home!
There are numerous opportunities for kids to get involved with the community: soccer, t-ball and other sports; swimming lessons; youth choir, etc. We are close to a city where other activities can be easily accessed: movies, little theater, dance and gymnastics, skating and other sports, just to name a few. We look forward to raising our children in an environment so much like we experienced when we were children. We feel we are close enough to the city to enjoy what it has to offer, but are happy to live in a small town where we feel our children are very safe, valued, and have room to develop and grow as individuals.
American Adoptions, a private adoption agency founded on the belief that lives of children can be bettered through adoption, provides safe adoption services to children, birth parents and adoptive families by educating, supporting and coordinating necessary services for adoptions throughout the United States. For more information on American Adoptions please call 1-800-ADOPTION (236-7846).
