INTRODUCTION

Hello! We are Emily and Andrew from Chicago.

Thank you so much for taking the time to look at our profile and get to know us.

We love living in the city but also enjoy getting away to our house near the beach in Michigan. We have so much love between us and we are looking forward to sharing it and growing our family through adoption. 

Our extended family lives nearby, and we want our children to grow up close to their cousins, aunts and uncles and grandparents. We want to show our children the world, traveling near and far and having many adventures together. Most of all we want to build a life full of love and laughter with our children.

thoughts on parenting

Whether a son or daughter, we hope to teach them to be kind, just, open, curious, and bold.

• We hope to help them understand the value of hard work.

• We want our children to grow up being happy and feeling accepted for who they are. 

• We hope to teach them to be curious about new places and foods and open to people and ideas different than what they are used to.

• We hope that they will take their success and gifts and learn to use them to help, coach, and mentor those who need it and that they will develop deep and rewarding relationships.

“We want to thank you, with our whole hearts, for considering us. ”

about us

About Emily by Andrew

Emily is the most kind and genuine person I have ever met. 

I intentionally get up a little bit earlier than her in the morning so that I can come downstairs, make coffee and wait for her to follow me down shortly after. Every morning she comes down with a smile that lights up the room.

Emily is a special education teacher and has dedicated her life and career to serving the needs of others. Recently Emily has added the role of Dean to her duties where she helps organize and conduct counseling for higher needs students and families.

about us

About Andrew by Emily

Andrew is an all-around good and kind person. 

He always makes sure the people around him are taken care of. Whether that means spending all day cooking a brisket for a bbq, or waking up early to dig my car out of the snow and make me coffee. He is such a hard worker and he takes pride in being successful at his job. He also makes time for fun and is always planning a vacation or a gathering at our house. In his down time, he likes to golf, swim, play soccer, watch sports and spend time with friends.

home sweet home

We live in the Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago.

Our house is around the corner from a park and a few blocks away from a good elementary school. We love living in Chicago and it is important to us to live in a diverse city. We enjoy all that the city has to offer, going to Cubs and Bears games, seeing live music, going to plays and trying new restaurants. In the summer, you can find us on our back deck with our dog Abbey, gardening or grilling. In the winter, we love getting cozy around a fire in the fireplace. 

We love getting away to our lake house in Michigan. We enjoy going hiking in the dunes and hanging out at the beach at Lake Michigan. We also enjoy visiting nearby farms for blueberry, apple and pumpkin picking. If there is snow, we take our snowshoes to nearby trails and go sledding. We are so lucky to get to experience the city and lake life.

the people we love

We have been blessed with an exceptional family.

Emily’s parents affectionately known as Grandma Nita and Grandpa Ricky by our niece Lola, live 10 miles north of us. Lola’s parents, Emily’s brother Rich, and sister-in-law Maura, live about a half a mile from our house. We see Rich, Maura, and Lola a few times a week, and for extended periods as we co-own the lake house in Michigan with them. Emily makes it a point to have dinner with “Grandpa Ricky” and “Grandma Nita” weekly and we enjoy a mix of both Cajun and French cooking.

Andrew’s parents known as Mimi and Poppi, still live in Andrew’s hometown of Columbus Ohio, just a few miles from his brother Jimmy, his wife Katie, and their two boys, Jack (3) and Mason (2). Andrew’s sister Adrienne lives just a few miles west of us in Oak Park, with her husband Adam, twin girls Addison and Amelia (2.5), and son Arthur (18 months). We make an effort to see Adrienne, Adam, Addison, Amelia, and Arthur every other week (more in the summer), and as we enjoy barbecues, birthday parties, and Bears games together.

traditions and holidays

Growing up, the 4th of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas were special holidays.

Christmas, for the large gathering of family, we have enough people to sing the twelve days of Christmas at every Christmas dinner. Thanksgiving for the constant hum of the kitchen as each person would get their time preparing their dish and for the many different ways we explored to cook the turkey year in and year out. 4th of July was the best day of the year with the neighborhood float in the morning parade, followed by block parties with neighbors in the afternoon, and fireworks with family after dark. We love celebrating Halloween too, and each year we add to our collection of decorations and costumes! I guess you could say we love a celebration!

“We appreciate you considering us in your adoption journey.”

in closing

Thank you!

We hope to have an open adoption, where our child will know you as part of our extended family and how incredible you are to give us the chance at being parents. We are open to visits and sending updates and pictures, whatever you feel is best. In our opinion, the more love our child has in their life, the better.

With Love,
Emily & Andrew

contact us

We’d love to hear from you!