Debby and All of Her Nieces

Debby: I have a very close and large family. I have two brothers and three sisters and they are all married with children. We enjoy hanging out during holidays, birthdays, and special times of the year. When we get together in the summer there is always a volleyball or baseball game going and it is usually very competitive. During the winter everyone likes to play cards or board games on the weekends and we all take turns hosting the events at our homes. My parents and siblings are only about 10-15 minutes away so it is very easy to get together often. Our family is very close knit and supportive of our decision to extend our family through adoption. During holidays we spend time going to different aunt and uncles' homes and still spend every Christmas day with my Grandma at her home. Everyone helps out and brings dishes to pass so grandma doesn't have so much work. When my whole extended family gets together it is about 60 plus people; a house full of laughter, chaos, and love.

Scott’s Extended Family Photo at Our Wedding

Scott: I have a very close but small extended family. We get together every Sunday with my parents, my sister and her family for supper and to play with our nephews. The rest of my extended family gets together on holidays and special occasions. Usually the older children are playing outside. Most of the adults will engage in a card or board game while others just sit and visit and catch up on whatever is new.

My favorite time hanging out with my extended family is usually Christmas time because I get to visit with my aunts, uncles and cousins that don't live as close as my parents and my sister. It is just nice to sit and relax and remember old times. Oh yes and at my aunt's house Christmas Eve, Santa always comes to visit. Even the big children get to sit on Santa's lap and get a treat.

Deer hunting is a big ordeal in my family. My dad, uncles, cousins and close family friends meet every year at my parents and we plan the hunt. After the long day of hunting my mom usually has a supper prepared for us. The next day we do it all over again. Lots of good stories are usually floating around the table.

My extended family is absolutely ecstatic about our adoption plan. They know how much Debby and I want to have children and can't wait to welcome the baby into our lives and theirs.

Front Yard of Our Home

We live in a smaller village in Wisconsin, with approximately 7000 people. We live on the outer end of town. Our back yard view is of a woods and it is very peaceful to sit and watch the wildlife come and look for food. Our family oriented neighborhood is filled with children (future play mates) and they are always outside involved in some activity. There are no fences surrounding any of the yards so all the children use the space as their own. We are fortunate to live in a city that has 3rd highest ranking graduates in the state. We are located 1 mile from the area schools and about ¾ mile from our church. All are in view from our front windows. The neighborhood parks and swimming pool that are full of play equipment for children are just a two minute drive from us.

Samuel’s First Halloween with Aunt Debby

We purchased our home in this area to be able to raise children in a safe, secure and lively neighborhood. We have 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms with a finished rec-room in the basement of our home. We remodeled every room in this house to update it and make it child ready. The best part of the location of our home is we are located close to both of our extended families. This makes getting together and spending time often with them easy.