Ryan is the youngest of 3 children. He has many positive memories growing up with a single parent. His parents divorced when he was seven, and he lived with his mother, but spent every other weekend with his father. When spending time with his dad, his father took him on many vacations, and they always went to the cabin in the summer. This is where Ryan gained the love of traveling, and wanting to share this experience with his children. His father passed away over 6 years ago, but his legacy lives on in Ryan's values and his wanting to give the children those learning experiences. He is still very close to his mother and sisters, and they live just over 2 hours away, and we visit them often. They constantly turn to each other for support and advice. They are very excited about our decision to adopt again.
Athena and Her Dad
Athena is the youngest of 4 children. She has three older brothers and growing up, had to be just like "one of the boys". She was raised by her mother in a small town, but her grandparents and aunts and uncles all lived within a block from each other. This gave Athena the sense of "family" that she has today. She has many fond memories growing up and spending a lot of time at her grandparent's house. Her grandparents and aunts still live in that small town, and we visit them often. Athena's mom was a very amazing woman, who gave Athena the courage to stand up for what she believes in, and to never give up on something she wants. She was so excited for us when we adopted Ethan, and provided us with the strength and guidance we needed in teaching our son new things. She passed away just over two years ago, and although she is still very much in our hearts, the values she has instilled in Athena will live on in our children. Athena recently rekindled her relationship with her father, who lives in Florida, and we plan on going to visit him soon. Athena's family is also excited that we are adopting again.
Our House and Neighborhood
Our Beautiful Home
Our home is located in a very family oriented neighborhood at the end of a dead end street. There are a lot of children of all ages in our neighborhood. We live in a beautiful split level home with an open floor plan, and 3 spacious bedrooms and 1 ¾ baths. We also have a large family room and we are in the process of drawing up plans to add a 4th bedroom to our home. We have a large back yard that is perfect for rolling down the hill, or sledding down during the winter months in Minnesota. We are near many parks, schools and areas of interest. Our neighborhood has many playgrounds and walking trails.
Our Kids at a Local Parade
We love our community because of its diversity. It is full of many cultures, and we are constantly learning new things to make our community stronger. During the summer months, we like to get together with our neighbors and have barbecues. We are close with our neighbors and they are very supportive and excited about our plan to adopt.
American Adoptions, a private adoption agency founded on the belief that lives of children can be bettered through adoption, provides safe adoption services to children, birth parents and adoptive families by educating, supporting and coordinating necessary services for adoptions throughout the United States. For more information on American Adoptions please call 1-800-ADOPTION (236-7846).
