Ornella’s Children: Lorenzo, Massimo and Lauren at Christmas

Ornella is the middle-child, with an older brother and a younger sister. Her brother is married with two children, both boys. Her sister is married with two children, boy and girl. Ornella has three children, Lauren who is 24, and Lorenzo and Massimo who are 21.

Although the kids do not live with us, they keep in touch every day - either by phone call, stopping by, or "texting" - one of their favorite ways of communicating. Lauren works full time and enjoys working out in the evenings and visiting family.

Lorenzo and Massimo are in their last year of college and will be graduating this year. They both work a part time job, enjoy playing soccer, and hanging out with family and friends. They have a wonderful relationship with Rich. The boys enjoy playing catch with him, and Lauren enjoys just hanging out and talking about anything at all - they all feel that Rich is a walking encyclopedia! And I do as well - in a good way!

Rich with His Mom and Sister at Christmas

Ornella's father was a general contractor, but has retired and enjoys gardening and watching the RAI TV channel! Her mother works as a seamstress and is the one that everyone runs to when alterations are needed. The whole family lives relatively close and talk on the phone almost daily. Ornella's parents have a traditional Christmas Eve dinner with the seven fishes, which everyone looks forward to every year!

Rich is the older of two children (by 9 years) raised by his mother following his parents’ divorce when he was 9. Rich and his sister were raised by their mother and Rich often babysat his young sister while his mother returned to college and went back to work to support the family. Rich is very close to his sister and mom.

Every Thursday night, Rich and his sister go out to dinner - they have been doing this for a long time. They really enjoy each other's company and they both value their time together. Rich and his mom call each other at least once a day, see each other every weekend and have dinner together at least once a month.

Our family and friends are very supportive and excited about our plans to adopt a child. This child will receive lots of hugs and kisses, and undivided attention by all.

Our Home

Our home is located where there is a strong sense of community and family. We chose the neighborhood for these reasons. There are lots of children in our neighborhood. The schools are up-to-date, well-funded, and possess low student-to -teacher ratios. We are very close to a 640 acre park where we enjoy walking and hiking.

At Our Front Door Ready for Halloween

We live in a spacious two story home on one half acre of land. Our house is situated on a cul-de-sac on a quiet street. The location is very private. Our kitchen flows in to a large family room with a fireplace. We have four bedrooms and two-half baths. The lower level is finished with lots of room to play! We have a deck and a swing set/play house in our fenced backyard.