Fun with Aunties

Mark’s brother is single and lives out-of-state with visits made every year or two. Fortunately Sandy’s three siblings all live within a 15-30 minute drive. We are very close to them and celebrate most of the holidays with some of them. Christmas is always celebrated together. Phone contact is kept several times a week with visits once to twice a month. Aunts, uncles and cousins attend our son's birthday parties and special events.

Halloween Fun with Mom and Aunties

As children, neither of us came from backgrounds where vacations were taken. Mark grew up on a dairy farm, and since the cows always need attention, only partial day-trips were possible. Sandy's parents took a trip once a year to stay with relatives that lived in a different part of the state. While our parents found other ways to enjoy our family time, we find it important to enjoy traveling and seeing the country that we live in to create great family memories. We make a point to travel someplace every year. We enjoy all the beautiful terrain of this country, be it the desserts of the southwest, the mountains of Colorado, the beaches of Florida to the lakes of the northwoods.

Our Home

We live in a wonderful metropolitan area. Our neighborhood is very family-oriented. We like having neighbors to our home for a barbeque and enjoy relaxing and having fun with them. Our back yard has a fence so our son is safe, yet allows us to visit and see the neighbors. Since we love to garden, we enjoy flowers from early spring until late fall. When people come to our home to visit, they describe it as quaint, cozy and warm. It is an older home with neat architectural detail throughout and has been fully remodeled. People can feel comfortable and relaxed when with us. Our house has plenty of room for children as we have four bedrooms, three full bathrooms and a recreation room where we have lots of fun.

Easter Fun

Throughout the neighborhood, there are many churches honoring varying faith beliefs. We are walking distance to two parks with children's play areas. One of these parks has an annual old-fashioned 4th of July parade; children decorate their bikes and wagons and are rewarded with an ice cream sundae. There is also an Easter egg hunt at Easter time with photo opportunities with the Easter bunny. Our neighborhood park association sponsors a safe Halloween night and gives awards for decorations and children's costumes. Our park and recreation department is outstanding with opportunities for play, exercise, learning, sports and socialization. Municipal services are excellent. Educational opportunities abound for private/ public education. We visit the children's museum, zoo and nature centers frequently as we subscribe to their memberships. Be it sports, the arts, nature, shopping and restaurants, our local community has it all. We also have an outstanding children's hospital in our area devoted specifically to the medical needs of children.