Julie’s Family at Thanksgiving

Julie: Most of my family members live in our city or very close by. My mother and stepfather (also known as Nana and Papa John) are just a few miles away, and we visit each other once or twice a week. Graham is always thrilled to see Nana and Papa John (and vice versa), and he often spends the day at their house. My aunt and uncle live just a 40-minute drive away, and we all consider them to be basically another set of grandparents for Graham. My aunt has endless energy, and loves to run up and down hills with Graham and go on walks with him. Both my mother and my aunt are talented award-winning quilters, and Graham's room is filled with quilts they made just for him. They are excited to make quilts for a new baby!

My brother David and his longtime girlfriend Kim live in our city, and they are also enthusiastic members of the Graham fan club. My father lives in Florida, and is a proud grandpa from afar. We recently flew to Florida for a mini family reunion with my dad and his twin brother and sister-in-law - we all had the best time together! Graham has added so much happiness to my entire extended family - you can be assured that your child will be welcomed with equal joy and love.

Cousin Lia, Graham and Dave at U.S.S. Constitution in Boston

Dave: My large extended family lives in the suburbs of Boston, MA. I have five pairs of aunts and uncles, and ten cousins. We visit them a couple of times a year and we stay in touch through emails, photos, and phone calls. Every time that we visit, the entire family gets together for a huge meal and party. If it's a summertime BBQ, the men of the family end up whooping and doing cannonballs into the pool.

My father grew up in an Italian-American family - all of his grandparents came over from Italy. Julie is looking forward to learning the "secret" family recipes for anise cookies and other Italian specialties. However, she's not looking forward to learning the family recipe for calamari (squid) pie.

My mother recently passed away after a short illness, and we were all devastated. She was a devoted mother and wife, and an adoring grandmother.

My younger brother Chris followed in the footsteps of many of our relatives, and became a school teacher - he teaches high school history.

We have become especially close with my uncle Lenny and aunt Pat and their kids, because they are also an adoptive family. My cousin Lia was adopted from Korea. Danny is of mixed Caucasian and Asian descent and was adopted from the U.S. Jim was adopted from Colombia. All of them have been a big source of support during our adoption process and afterward.

Our Home

We live in a 4-bedroom house on a cul-de-sac in the suburbs of a large city in Missouri. We decorated the house to be warm, cheerful, and comfortable for every member of the family, including our two cats. We are close enough to the city to easily drive to museums and city festivals. Yet our suburban location offers us lots of nearby parks, a great school district, and very friendly neighbors.

Julie and Graham Playing Frisbee in the Yard

Graham is the star of the neighborhood. The day after we brought him home from Guatemala, several of the neighborhood girls showed up with armloads of gifts to welcome him! All of the neighborhood kids just adore him to pieces, and are so kind and patient with him. When we go outside to play with Graham, it isn't long before a few children come running over to play tag or to teach Graham how to catch a ball.

The city we live in has lots of fun places to bring children. We live very close to a small zoo, where we take Graham often. We also frequently visit the Children's Museum and the nearby nature center. Our favorite place of all is the local Botanical Gardens - we are garden members and visit all year long. It is a beautiful, peaceful place with plenty for adults and children to enjoy. We all love to be outside and get some exercise walking the paths. Graham especially enjoys feeding the huge koi fish in the Japanese garden.