Kelli’s Parents

We are very blessed to have such loving families. They live within two and a half hours from our home and are all in the same vicinity, so we are always able to spend holidays and special occasions together. The families have known each other for a very long time and routinely do things together. We see them frequently and many times they either come spend a weekend with us or we go spend a weekend with them.

Eric’s Extended Family

Kelli’s parents have been married for 41 years. They continue to live on a farm so it is always fun to visit them and get out of the city for awhile. Kelli's father stays very busy with the farming and really enjoys having his granddaughter visit and ride on tractors and the combine. He is looking forward to having a second grandchild to share this with. Kelli's mother continues to work, but is always happy to take leave to spend time with her family or prepare for holidays which she loves hosting. Kelli's brother and grandmother only live a few miles from her parents so we see them frequently as well. They both love to spoil our daughter and are looking forward to us adopting another child.

Unfortunately both of Eric’s parents are deceased. His father unexpectedly passed away when he was only 12 years old and his mother just passed away a few years ago. As a result Eric really values his family and is committed to giving them the fatherly figure he had for only a short time. These situations have also made him very close to his younger brother. They communicate virtually every day and enjoy attending sporting events together. Having grown up on a farm as well, they enjoy doing outdoor activities together including fishing and mushroom hunting on property they own together. Eric's brother is married to a wonderful young woman who is a great aunt. We look forward to them having children so there will be cousins for our children to play with. Eric also has a grandmother who thoroughly enjoys having us visit.

Everyone is very excited that we have decided to adopt again and are looking forward to an addition to our family!

Our Home

We live in a two story home in a very family oriented community in Kansas. Our home sits on a street that is one block long and forms a T with streets on both ends. As a result it is a very quiet neighborhood and we generally know the people that drive by. The house has five bedrooms, a large kitchen that opens to a family room, and a nicely finished basement which is a great play area. It sits on an oversized corner lot with a large fenced back yard and has a small stream that runs on the north side of the lot. Directly north of the house is an elementary school which has a very nice playground and open lot where children play during recess and after school hours. With the elementary school so close there are always children in the neighborhood and activities going on at the school. In addition, both the junior high and high schools are less than two miles from our house.

Our Backyard

Our community has numerous activities for families. The city has a wonderful parks and recreation system with play areas and small outdoor water parks scattered throughout the city. There are a wide variety of activities offered for children to be involved with including soccer, baseball, softball, and swimming. We also have a wonderful YMCA which offers gymnastics, basketball, volleyball, and has a wonderful indoor family swimming pool.

In addition to these athletic activities our city also has a wide variety of events surrounding the performing arts. We have an art center and cinema and two other theatres devoted to the performing arts which continuously provide plays, live music, and other performances. Each June the city has a weekend festival where artists from throughout the country bring a wide variety of art to sell, musicians provide live music, and there are activities for kids. For a city our size we also have an excellent zoo and nature museum. Our city is only an hour away from much larger metropolitan cities with many more activities and shopping.