Dear Birth Parent(s),

We are very excited that you are considering our family for your baby. Thank you so very much for reading about our family.

We are Franklin and Alana, a fun-loving couple with two sons. We love being parents! Our children are truly the center of our lives, and we cherish every minute of every day with them. Our sons, Samuel and Izzy, bring so much joy and excitement to our lives. Whether it is working on the house together or cooking in the kitchen with mom, they are always smiling and talking about something.

We both have careers that allow flexibility and plenty of family time. Franklin is head of forecasting and inventory management for an apparel manufacturer. Alana works as an attorney for a health care company. Alana's office is a fifteen minute drive from our home, and Franklin's company allows him to work an early schedule so that he can be home at 5:00 p.m. every day. We sit down to a home-cooked meal together every night of the week, often with relatives and friends joining us.

Our favorite things to do are family things. We love celebrating birthdays, sharing holidays, cooking big family dinners and entertaining friends and family. Our family traditions include special Friday night dinners, family movie nights and summers at Myrtle Beach. On weekends, we enjoy grilling and eating on our deck. At night, our neighbors come over and we roast marshmallows in our back yard and eat them with a square of chocolate between two graham crackers. When it snows, we love to build snowmen and shovel crisscrossing paths down the driveway. In the summer, we plant a garden and grow our favorite vegetables.

We also enjoy many family trips. We like to go to the shore and climb to the top of the Sandy Hook lighthouse. We recently went to Disney World and are already planning a second trip next year. We also enjoy our annual summer vacation to Myrtle Beach and our December trip to North Carolina to visit Franklin's family.

Our dog Frances has been a part of our family for 9 ½ years. She loves to play with our sons and with our cat. She also likes to go on family walks. One of Frances' jobs is to "clean up" food dropped by our children during meals. If we're not careful, she will clean up the plates too! Our sons love having a cat and dog -- they dress them up in costumes, camp with them in tents in their bedrooms and include them in their tea parties. They both took some of their first steps holding onto Frances' fur for balance. Our pets love being part of our family and we love having them.

Our Promise to You

We promise that we will raise your child with the same love and attention as you would. We will teach her to know right from wrong, to show courtesy and to love unconditionally. We will support her in all her dreams and be there to help her as she grows.

We value education and we will support her and educate her into adulthood. We will provide the financial means and encouragement necessary for her to attend college and graduate school, as she desires. We will provide her with a religious upbringing.

We will teach your child about the love that is adoption. We will share with her the story of her adoption and, if you would like, pictures of her birth parents and relatives. We will tell her that she has two mothers who both love her very much. We will honor your child's race and heritage and will incorporate the traditions of your family into our family.

We will send pictures and letters to you several times a year, or as frequently as you desire. If you want to continue contact with us after the birth of your child, we would be delighted and will work with you in this area to honor your wishes.

Thank you for taking the time to read about us. We are excited and humbled about the possibility of welcoming your child into our family.

If you decide that we are the right family for your child, we would love to meet in person and speak with you over the telephone or by e-mail during your pregnancy.

Our best wishes,

Franklin & Alana