Kevin’s Extended Family

Kevin was raised in Southern California in a beach community and most of his family still resides in California, including Kevin's brother Craig and his wife and kids. Kevin and Crystal visit California every 2 years. Kevin's parents moved to the mid-west and now live in the same town as Kevin and Crystal. Kevin and Crystal's childhood memories with their grandparents have made Kevin's parents’ closeness a consideration for how their child will experience family life. Crystal will work part-time, and Kevin's parents will help fill the childcare needs by spending some afternoons with the child. No two people are as eager to be grandparents as Kevin's folks. "No need for daycare," they say. They are ready to spoil a child rotten-"And then send him or her back home to mom and dad."

Crystal’s Extended Family at Her Sister’s Wedding

Crystal was raised on a family farm in central Kansas. She has many fond memories of 4-H and watching baby animals arrive each spring. She returns to visit family, including the farm, several times a year and during holidays. Her parents are divorced now, but still get along well and gather together for special occasions. Crystal's sister, Holly, lives in the same community as Crystal and was recently married. Crystal is eager for Holly to provide cousins to her child. Crystal frequently visits her sister Amber who lives in Denver and they, along with their husbands, spend long weekends hiking and rafting in the Rocky Mountains. Crystal's sister Amber is eager to teach a new niece or nephew how to ski. Crystal's brother, Mason, who owns a restaurant not far from the family's farm, has 4 kids who have been asking for another cousin to play with for many years.

Our Home After a Snow

We live in a charming college town in Kansas. Our town has an old fashioned Christmas Parade with horse drawn sleighs, and an annual St. Patrick's Day parade with floats. Thousands of people attend the 4th of July fireworks display at a local park by the river. Because of the University there is a strong arts community, and a loyal sports fan base. Strolling through the streets of our downtown make us feel like we live in another time. People know their neighbors, and say hello. Our cozy cottage style home has been described by Kevin's aunt as "A storybook ginger bread house." The house reflects the charm of a past time period with arched doorways, hardwood floors, 2 fire places and a large back yard with tall trees.

Walking Our Friendly Dogs

In addition to the University, our cottage home is just a couple of blocks from the only all Indian Nations School (a 2 year college) in the United States. On our walks with the dogs we stroll over to this campus (a miniature version of Central Park) and enjoy the walking and running trails along with views of deer, coyotes, and raccoon-right in the middle of town! We often hear sounds of Native American students practicing drums and traditional dances. Our town also has a State Lake in the city limits where we enjoy picnics, hiking trails and bicycle rides. Kevin has entered several of the annual bike races out at this lake. We love our town and know that we picked a wonderful community in which to raise a child.