Allison’s Extended Family

Allison: I am the middle child, with an older sister and younger brother. My sister is married with three children, and my brother is married with children in the plan for the future. I was raised in a strict household, where my parents were actively involved in the things my brother and sister and I did. My parents have always emphasized the importance of family, and, therefore, family has always and will always come first. Holidays are always spent together, and a family trip is taken each summer to the beach. Currently, my parents live a mile down the road and are always around for support and help, whether it be with our children or a household project. My parents truly adore being grandparents and are thrilled with the idea of our family growing once more. I have three cousins that were adopted from Korea, and one cousin adopted from Vietnam, and my aunts and uncles love the idea of our family growing again by means of adoption. I think it is so special and unique to have such a close family and I believe that the love a close family generates leads to children who feel love for themselves as well as others.

Kevin’s Extended Family

Kevin: I am the youngest of three children, having an older sister and brother. My sister is married with two children, and my brother is currently single. My sister, brother, mother, and stepmother are all teachers. My father works in the billing office of a hospital. My family is very supportive of this adoption, and cannot wait to welcome another child into our family. My family spends birthdays and most holidays together and we enjoy talking about the past, playing games, and catching up with each other's busy lives. My father has four brothers and my mother has four sisters and a brother, so I stem from a very large extended family. I feel it would be exciting and rewarding to share experiences and love with a large family of my own.

Our Home

Our home is located in a wonderful suburban city where there is a great sense of community. In the summer, we enjoy swimming at our city pool, and in the winter, we attend the holiday festival. This festival includes the lighting of the city Christmas tree, an equestrian parade, and sleigh rides. Our family loves going to the city library all year round. The children's section has its own floor full of toys, books, and movies. We are also members of the local YMCA where we take advantage of the many classes offered, as well as simply going there to play. The YMCA sponsors an annual 4th of July race, picnic, and parade. The month of July also brings a very large Hall of Fame celebration, complete with a parade and hot air balloon festival. The city really comes alive during that time of year. In the fall, our family likes to attend the local high school football games. Speaking of school, our school district is excellent. They have wonderful state of the art facilities and we are proud and excited to send our children there in the future.

Our Neighborhood Park

Our home itself is a very spacious ranch home situated on nearly an acre of land. Outside, we have a large fenced in yard which slopes down to a creek. Our driveway is large, and is usually full of chalk drawings, bikes, and other toys. Our street is very quiet and our neighbors are all considerate and extremely friendly. Inside our home, we have a large living room perfect for birthday parties and impromptu family gatherings. We have an extra large family room which we designated as our toy room. The open floor plan of our house is perfect for kids to run around, play hide and seek, or just relax and read books.