Stephen’s Family

Stephen is an only child and was raised by his mother and stepfather. His mom recently relocated to be closer to us so we spend a lot of time with her. Jill and Stephen's mom are great friends and love to go shopping, see movies, and enjoy Starbucks coffees together. There is always a lot of laughter and silliness when we hang out. We are also very close to Stephen's grandparents who live close by as well. During the summers we spend countless weekends by their pool enjoying barbeque and fun with all of the family. This has always been a tradition for Stephen as he grew up in the house next to his grandparents' home. His grandparents also have a vacation home in the mountains that we visit several times a year, especially when the leaves change in the fall. We watch movies, play cards and enjoy the local festivals in the historic downtown area.

Jill’s Extended Family

Jill was raised by a single mother and has one younger sister, Rachel. Even though Rachel lives far away, we talk on the phone almost every day and are extremely close. Rachel is married and has two children, Amanda who is three and Ryan who is just a few weeks old. We love to spend time with Amanda, and now Ryan whenever possible. Jill's mom also lives just a few minutes away from us, so grandparents will be a big part of our lives. The rest of Jill's extended family lives in the mountains of North Carolina. We try to visit them a few times a year so all of the kids are able to build relationships with their cousins, aunts and uncles. This is so important because Rachel and Jill used to spend every summer in the mountains with our cousins and extended family.

All of our families are very excited and supportive of our decision to adopt a child. They can't wait to welcome a new member to our ever-growing family.

Our Home

Three years ago we began building our home with plans of filling it with children. Much of the work we did ourselves with help from family and friends. We spent countless hours planning and decorating both the house and our yard and we are so proud of all our hard work! Our house has three bedrooms, a large kitchen and living room, two bathrooms and an empty dining room waiting to be used as a playroom. Our home is built on two acres so there is plenty of room for future games of baseball and soccer in the back yard. In the evenings we spend time on our deck enjoying the quiet of the country, but we look forward to the sounds of children playing someday.

The Foundation and Surrounding Trees

We live in a small rural town in Florida that is not far from the beach and several national parks. Each year our town hosts a holiday festival, complete with crafts, lots of goodies to eat, and of course a Christmas parade. The whole town turns out for this event so it has given us the opportunity to meet many wonderful families in our new community. We are also very excited about the soon to be built park and recreational facility about a mile from our home. It will be a great place for us to spend afternoons riding bikes, playing basketball, or enjoying picnics by the river.