Andrea and Mark

I can only imagine that if I were in your shoes I'd want to know everything I could about the family I was entrusting my child to, so let me tell you a little about us.

I was adopted in 1969 to a loving family. I know in my heart that it had to be one of the most difficult decisions my mother had to make in her life.  To this day I appreciate the thought and caring that went into making that decision. I truly believe that she loved me so much that she did what she knew would be best for me despite how hard it was on her. It takes an incredible loving and unselfish person to be so giving.

My husband, came from a loving and supportive home.  His parents encouraged him to pursue his goals and dreams. He loved the outdoors and pursued doing everything he could outside. He rode dirt bikes, played football and baseball. He even went pro. Which made him travel a lot. Despite the travel he remained close to his family and when his father's health began to fail he came home to run the family business. This limited his ability to continue doing the things as a pro. He did what he could on weekends but, even then, family was his top priority. He is a loving and supportive father, with primary custody of his daughter. She is a ray of light in both of are lives as is my son, who my husband has embraced as his own.

Speaking to you straight from the heart, I love both our children more than I could ever say. For the past nine years we've been a family. They are the same age and it has been like raising two very unique twins; hard work but rewarding in so many ways. Just a look from either of them can make my heart melt. We go to all of their games, practices, plays and chorus concerts. If both of the kids have a game on the same day one of us is at the game. The great thing is that they our children are getting older they are 12 now and are already saying that when this child comes into our lives that they are going to be at all their games, practices and school events.

As a mother I know that the practical matters are important too, so I'd like to tell you a bit about our life in general. We live in a beautiful home, which, while in the suburbs, opens up to 52 acres of nature for all of us to enjoy. My husband and I feel that it is important for children to have both the comfort of home and lots of room to run around and play. This is especially true after a full day at school.

Education is another area that we feel strongly about. We made it a priority to live in an area with a top-notch school system and a college education fund was setup for them just as we would for any new child in our family.

Beyond classroom education we believe that children should have a variety of life experiences to round things out and teach them the importance of balance in life. Throughout the year we have friends and family over both for celebrations and to simply enjoy their company. We also take the kids on an annual vacation where they not only have loads of fun but also experience some place new. Then there is the 2 weeks every summer at camp, while its hard to have them away, they have such a great time learning new things and meeting kids from all over that we decided it was a must after the first year they went. They've made some truly wonderful friends through camp.

My husband and I have a lot of things in common. We love going to concerts we are still very young at heart. Most of the concerts are still rock to metal. We also have a date night every week. I know that sounds kind of strange, but we like to say, “hey I know you and I remember why I love you so much”. I would have to say my husband is my best friend. I know it is going to sound corny but I still love hearing his truck pull down the driveway.

Like my wife said, she is my best friend too. If I had a hard day at work I know I can come home and everything is better she will sit there and listen to everything I have to say. On my good days and bad. I know some men wouldn’t admit it but I also like date night. We still laugh together and have fun.

Both my husband and I like to get out with our friends. I love going to the movies and out to dinner. My friends and I have parties like tastefully simple and scrap booking parties. My husband goes dirt bike riding when he can and dinner with his friends also. We really like to just spend time with each other. Sunday night is my special night to relaxe. My husband cooks dinner and boy can he make a mean turkey dinner. And then we play a board game or a DVD game with the kids. After that he takes over and I get to go upstairs and take a nice long bath and read a book. This I am very grateful for, because we are running around all week long with activities for the kids. Please don’t get me wrong he has his down time too. We have three motocross tracks in our back yard. He goes and rides whenever he wants. My husband is a movie kind of guy so we rent a lot of movies from netflix. I like to watch TV. Some of my favorite shows are 90210, Ghost Whisper and CSI Las Vegas. We also have a beautiful game room. It has pinball machines, air hockey, fuse ball table. We hooked up a WII, x-box and play station.

When my husband and I were told that we could no longer have children we realized that it was only partially true - we could have another child of our hearts through adoption. We talked to the kids and they are so excited to have a new brother or sister. I guess at the heart of it what I really want you to know is that your child will be embraced into our lives with love and everything we have to offer as a family.

With Warmest Regards,

Mark and Andrea