At Mauri’s Sister’s Wedding in Mexico

Mauri is the youngest of 3 girls, the baby of the family. We are very close with the whole family, and spend holidays, birthdays, baptisms, and other events together as much as possible. Mauri's family lives in great parts of the country that are fun to visit: Texas, Colorado, California, and Kansas. Most recently we were all together for Mauri's sister's wedding in Mexico and it was Katelyn's first birthday. We all spent a week in Mexico and had a great time. Katelyn has 3 cousins that she loves to play with, ranging from 5 months old to 8 years old.

With Some of Steve's Family

Steve’s whole family lives in the same city as us, all within 45 minutes of our home. He is the older of 2 boys, and also has a half brother that is 9. Steve has 6 aunts and uncles and several cousins, which make for fun family get together's-games are always played and great times had at birthday parties, graduations, weddings, etc. Steve's mom lives close and we visit her often and vice versa. She is so thrilled with our decision to adopt again and thanks you for your brave and unselfish decision so that we can grow our family and she can have her second grandchild.

We visit Steve's father, stepmother, and little brother often where they live out in the country. They have a pond on their land, lots of open fields, trees, and a pool.

With Steve's family close and Mauri's spread out over the country we rotate holidays each year so that we don't always travel. We make special plans during the year to see those family members we won't see at Christmas and Thanksgiving. Family is so important to us and we would do anything for any member of our family and they would do the same for us. They are all so happy and eager to be there for us during this process and they all have a great admiration for you and what you are deciding for your child.

Our Home

The first time we drove into our neighborhood we knew it was home for us and a great place to start and raise our family. We live in a nice suburb in a large city in the Midwest that has a lot to offer, great character, and a wonderful place to raise children. We love the land our house sits on, it has a beautiful, huge backyard with mature trees and lots of room for jungle gyms and toys and games. There is a walking trail in the neighborhood that leads down to a huge park not far from our house that has a pond, a large play area with benches and tables to have picnics on. We take many walks down to the park with Katelyn, she has so much fun on the slides and swings and so do Mom and Dad! We have a neighborhood pool and another pond in the subdivision that is stocked with fish; you can fish from the gazebo and watch the fountain in the middle of the pond. There is an elementary and middle school within walking distance of our home that is in one of the best school districts in the state.

Neighborhood Pool and Pond

Our neighborhood holds pool parties, block parties, parades on the 4th of July, Easter egg hunts, Halloween parties/trick or treating, summer concerts in the park, and other holiday events. There are so many children in the neighborhood from newborns to early teens.