Beverly’s Stepmother, Brian’s Mother and Nephews

Beverly’s family lives five minutes away and we are all very close. Her father and stepmother live in a nearby town and her stepmom's parents live with them as well. Her sister, who also lives about 15 minutes away, has three children - Dylan, 3 years old; Joshua, 1 year old; and one on the way. Beverly also has two brothers, one is married with a 4-year-old son Jack, and the other, who is a former US Marine, is engaged. We spoil all our nephews and enjoy playing with them on a regular basis. An adapted version of duck-duck-goose (basically a game of chase) is the current favorite. Our family gets together routinely once a week for "Friday Night at Mom-mom's". This huge family dinner often includes cousins, aunts, uncles, and members from Brian's side of the family. We love getting together to play, talk, and hang out. It allows us to unwind from our hectic weeks and just catch up. Every one is extremely excited about our adoption and it is a frequent topic for Friday nights. They cannot wait for the new little one to arrive!

Brian’s Parents

Brian’s mother is a retired teacher and lives in New Jersey, although she visits and stays for prolonged periods. Brian's mother plans to move in with us permanently once the baby arrives. She is very excited about being apart of the new child's upbringing and has volunteered to help provide daycare. While Brian's father passed away a few years ago, Brian's aunts, uncles, and cousins all live in New Jersey and provide strong support.

Our extended families routinely get together for holidays, cookouts, or any excuse to share time together. Our traditional Christmas Eve gathering includes almost every member of the entire family. Our family often vacations together with the Jersey shore being the current favorite spot. It is not uncommon for a dozen or more families and their children to get together.

Our Home

We currently live in a nice suburb of Pennsylvania. Our house is a three-bedroom home with a large edition, which we call our "great room". The full sized basement serves as Brian's work area. The large fenced in yard, with a view of the woods and stream, serves as our dogs' playground. We have three very playful dogs that love to play with our friends' children. We enjoy many mornings sipping coffee on our garden patio and enjoying the scenic view. This is the home Beverly grew up in. We purchased it from Bev's father when we were married.

Our Patio

Our neighbors are very friendly and work very hard to create a sense of community. Our closest neighbors are nearly as excited about our adoption as we are. Many of the families in our community have small children and moms are often seen gathering together to watch the children play together. The neighborhood occasionally has block parties and there are regular events and parades in the center of town. The most popular are the Halloween costume and Christmas parades. Our town has lots of parks and playgrounds, a beautiful swim club (of which Bev's parents are members), and lots of fun places to visit that are within driving distance. We are so excited and cannot wait to explore our area all over again with our child. In addition to all of the cousins he/she will have, we also have several friends with small children, so he/she will not lack for playmates!

We are planning to move into a larger home once our child comes home to provide our family with even more space. We are currently deciding whether we will buy or build a larger home. Whichever we decide, we will be staying in the immediate area so that we remain close to our friends and family. All the area neighborhoods are very family oriented.