Our Family and Traditions

Our love story began online, where we started talking through a popular dating site.  Our first date was like a fairytale. We were sure after our first date that we had found our soul mates. 

Growing up 8,677 miles apart, we thought we would have a lot of differences. We were surprised, we found we grew up knowing the same television shows and movies, enjoying the same songs, playing the same games. Our family values were very similar too. We celebrate the New Year, Birthdays, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, The 4th of July, Labor Day, Diwali, Halloween, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas and the achievements of family and friends.

Sam about Jess

Jess is loving, kind, generous, and honest. She is a natural with kids. At her place of work, Jess almost always can be seen attending to the needs of a child with a smile on her face. Jess parented her niece Maddie since she was three, and I can tell that Jess will be a wonderful mother! She is a warm person and prides herself in being a welcoming host. Jess is an excellent cook (I call her ‘Le Chef’). She can make a delicious meal with whatever available ingredients. I value her judgment and her passion for standing up for what is right. She is excellent at helping me see different perspectives and make difficult decisions. Jess also has a wacky sense of humor and reminds me to enjoy the lighter side of life.  I love her for an intuitive understanding of our needs and always wanting me to be a better person. I am fortunate to have her in my life. 

Jess about Sam

Sam is kind, intelligent, extremely giving, and loving. He is naturally peaceful and has a patient nature, which is very important as a middle school teacher.  Watching him work with his students makes me excited to be able to see him as a parent. I love the way he welcomes and takes care of others like they are his own family. Since the age of 9 years old, my niece felt so comfortable with Sam that she chose him as a father figure and Sam proudly accepted the role and is a strong advocate for women and girls. He has a great sense of humor and recently has become a master at “Dad jokes”.

Extended Family and Friends

Our extended family is a huge part of our lives. Jessica’s parents live minutes away and are readily available to help with whatever we need. We talk daily and have dinners weekly. Our niece also comes home from college for our family dinners and we get to catch up on her life too! Each year, we all go on a family vacation together.

Sam’s extended family and friends do not live as close but are also a huge support system. We stay in close contact through phone calls, social media and we try to meet as often as possible. 

We have an incredible support system and we truly enjoy our family and friends. They are all excited for us to be parents.

On Parenting

We look forward to sharing a safe and nurturing place in our family where a child can feel comfortable exploring the world.  We want to encourage an environment of honesty and open communication.  

We are extremely proud of the outcome of our niece Maddie whom we helped raise. She embodies all of the principles we wish to see in a child. She is a kind, caring, honest, thoughtful young lady who is strong, independent, intelligent, outspoken to injustices, creative, extremely talented and forgiving. 

From Maddie

I am a psychology major and neuroscience minor at Butler University. In my free time away from college I often come home on the weekends to spend quality time with Jess and Sam. Our favorite family activities range from discovering new places to eat, taking hikes, doing morning yoga and watching movies together. Jess has helped me to become the confident woman I am today and constantly supports me in my growth. I look up to her as a mother and can say without a doubt that she is my role model. Sam is an amazing teacher and support system and I know that whenever I need a hug and a bowl of my favorite spicy noodles I can come home and my day is instantly better. When we get together with the whole family we share big meals, update each other about our week and make each other laugh.  I am so excited to welcome a little one into the family and become a big sister. Coming from my own experience with both my grandparents as well as Jess and Sam raising me, I know how important it is to have two different age perspectives on life and look forward to bringing the advice and support that I can grant the new little one from the lens of a young adult in her 20’s. 

Our Home

We live in a large, peaceful 4 bedroom 2 ½ bathroom home in a quiet diverse suburban neighborhood with sidewalks. Neighbors can be seen daily walking their dogs and greeting one another. Our backyard is fully fenced where our two dogs love to play as our cat watches from her perch. We love that there are so many families with children who play together. There are excellent schools nearby and so many fun things to do in the community!

Thank you for learning about us; we are hopeful that we may be a great fit for you and are excited about getting to know you!