Jason’s Extended Family

We are both very close to our families and see them often. We feel that we are fortunate to have such a strong family to go to for guidance and support.

Jason: Family is the top priority in my life. My parents always made sure of that. They supported us in everything we did, never missing a game or performance. I still see them at least once a week, and my dad everyday. He is my boss. My younger brother and I get together regularly to play music. He's a drummer and I play guitar. My older sister is a writer and always has something new for me to read everytime we have coffee together. I have a large extended family, and we always make a point to see each other for every holiday, from Christmas to Labor Day. My entire family has been supportive and involved throughout the adoption process, and they all wanted me to say thank you for your selfless act.

Stephanie’s Extended Family

Stephanie: I grew up being very close to my family. I was born the yougest of two daughters to parents who have been married for thirty-three years now. My sister is a very strong willed person who has always been one of my best friends. To this day she lives within fifteen minutes of us and we usually see each other at least once a week for our "sister time". My parents are two of the kindest people I've ever known who have always been very supportive of the decisions I've made. We live about five minutes from them, so we get to see them often. Family dinners were the norm for us and I always enjoyed this time. I especially remember the weekly movie night the four of us had growing up. I grew up being very close to my grandparents on both sides. Especially my paternal grandfather who I often turned to for advice. I also have several aunts, uncles and cousins that I still celebrate holidays and special occasions with. My family is very involved and enthusiastic about the adoption process and they look forward to the arrival of a new baby.

Our Home

We bought our first home two years ago with the vision of starting our family. We were drawn to the neighborhood because of the amount of young families with young children. While Jason enjoys shooting baskets with the neighborhood kids in our driveway, we cannot wait until he is teaching our own child to shoot a jump shot. We live in a spacious three bedroom house with a large backyard that is perfect for play. The house has a cozy living room that is right off of the open kitchen where Stephanie spends a lot of her time baking. The neighborhood is safe and our neighbors always wave and say hi when they see us walking our dog.

Our Favorite Park to Walk Our Dog

We live in a suburb of a wonderful city, so we get the best of both worlds - the diversity and excitement of a big city and the togetherness of a small town. We are less than five minutes from state accredited schools and have two wonderful parks nearby that are always full of potential friends. We are also minutes away from a community center that offers sports camps and swimming lessons for kids. We attend a wonderful Catholic church that is within fifteen minutes of us that offers a huge sense of community and celebrates diversity and family. We are a short car drive from incredible museums, amusement parks, sporting arenas and a wonderful zoo. We both feel very fortunate to live in an area that we love so much. We were both raised nearby and look forward to raising a child in this area.