Hello! 
We’re Liz & Steve and we want to thank you for taking the time to learn more about us.  We look forward to the opportunity to share ourselves and our lives with you through open adoption.  Although there’s no way to imagine how difficult this journey is for you, we hope our words provide some comfort as you travel down this road.  And, should you choose to consider us as adoptive parents, we look forward to building an ongoing relationship that’s comfortable to you and to welcoming you and your child into our lives!

About Us …
We met at the neighborhood mailbox on Mother’s Day.  While chatting with neighbors two doors down, Steve strolled down the street with flowers in hand and presented them to his mother, Liz’s neighbor. The rest is history; we’ve been inseparable ever since. From the beginning of our relationship we’ve planned to raise a child together. Coming from large, loving families, we knew we wanted to share that with a child through adoption. With a solid relationship and a stable, loving home we look forward to sharing our love with a child and feel open adoption is how we are meant to grow our family.

Introducing Liz (by Steve)
Liz has worked as a marketing professional for years.  She loves to hang out with family, work in the yard, do crossword puzzles, work out and is always up for trying something new.  She goes out of her way to help anyone that needs it and doesn’t hesitate to get involved in people’s day-to-day lives.  She’s the oldest of six (five sisters and one brother) and I’ve never met a closer, more supportive, loving family.  A child could not choose a better family to be part of if they were able to pick it out themselves.  Liz is a caring and loving person who’ll be an amazing role model and mother to a very lucky child.  I’m so lucky to have Liz in my life and am completely in love with her.  I look forward to sharing our love, happiness and family with a child.

Introducing Steve (by Liz)
Steve is a professional golf instructor at a local golf course, just miles from our home.  He loves teaching and is very passionate about what he does.  He’s a loving, gentle man with a kind, compassionate heart.  He has a great sense of humor and comedic lines easily roll off his tongue, so we’re always laughing (or he's laughing and I'm staring at him with a questioning look not “getting” his attempt at humor!).  Steve is my soul mate, the love of my life and my best friend!

Steve has two great kids, Michal (13) and Cash (5). Michal’s a bright, kind, accomplished young man. He’s a great student (we’re working on high school applications as we speak … yikes!), is passionate about all sports and plays the drums & trumpet. He’s a nurturing big brother who has so much to offer a new brother or sister.  Cash is a warm, inquisitive, sweet five-year-old.  She’s a social butterfly and quickly makes friends.  She loves school, dress-up and has quite an imagination and sense of humor.  She adores her big brother and as a big-sister, will shower love on her new sibling!  Seeing Steve interact with his children, I know he’ll be a dedicated involved and loving father. 

Our Families
All of Liz’s siblings, except one (who’s in NYC), live locally, just a few miles from our home. Steve’s the oldest of three brothers who also all live locally.  Both sets of grandparents are within miles (Steve’s just two doors away) and between the two of us, we have 11 nieces and nephews who’re excited to welcome a new cousin into the family!  Our families are our foundation.  They infuse such joy, honesty, trust and love into our lives.  They’re not only family, they’re our best friends and we are so fortunate to have them surround us in our daily lives.

Our Lovely Libby
Libby was the first adopted member of our family.  She's such a great dog and is actually pretty darn smart (does everyone think that about their pet? probably!) ... we were actually able to teach her to ring a bell for a treat!  She’s a beautiful and gentle black lab/pointer mix and she eagerly awaits a new family member to play with!

What we do for fun …
In addition to laughing a lot (as mentioned earlier, Steve's a wannabe amateur comedian), tinkering on our house, working out and golfing (how could you have guessed?), we love spending time with family and friends.  We often congregate at each other’s houses for BBQ’s, meet at nieces and nephew’s games, or jot off for impromptu meetings with friends and family at local coffee shops.  Liz’s family has a summer home on a local island, and our families love to gather there throughout the summer to go crabbing, play volleyball and sit around the bon fire roasting marshmallows.  We enjoy traveling as a family and have gathered the grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends for trips to Tahoe, Hawaii and Alaska.  Holidays are also a favorite time as our extended families (great aunts, uncles, second and sometimes third cousins, etc.) gather to celebrate.  It’s common to have over 35 guests at Thanksgiving dinner and more than 50 on Christmas Eve waiting for Santa to arrive to greet the children.   We just got the "Family Feud" game and are starting a new holiday tradition this year ... game show night!  With a bunch of boisterous, competitive family members, it should be really fun (and loud)!!!

Home Sweet Home
We live in a great residential neighborhood in Bellevue, Washington, just minutes from Seattle and blocks from acclaimed schools, churches, the farmers market, the lake and parks.  Our house is on a quiet, family-filled street where neighborhood children congregate outside to play (often joined by our dog Libby who’s become a four-legged friend to all the neighborhood children).  Both of us grew up in this same neighborhood and frequently run into old family friends, relatives and former classmates around town.  We love our location as we’re only steps from Steve’s parents and a couple miles from Liz’s.  Rarely a day goes by when we don’t see one of the four grandparents, aunts, uncles or cousins.  We actually joke about Liz’s mom’s regular “drive bys” to see if we’re home.  If we’re not, that’s ok, she’ll often stop by Steve’s parent’s for a visit instead. We have the best of all worlds … the comfort of a smaller, close-knit community and easy access to the culture and amenities of the big city. 

As Parents
We are committed to raising a happy, healthy, unconditionally loved child and are dedicated to giving them a childhood full of happy memories. We believe in the importance of daily gestures that show love in common everyday moments … whether waking them from sleep with a light kiss in the morning, telling them “I love you to the moon and back” as they head off to school, snuggling on the couch to read a book or just giving them a wink as they sit at the table doing their homework. Your child will never doubt the depth, breadth or strength of our love for them. We value the importance of education and involvement (whether in school extracurricular activities or community participation) and will be there to support your child in all of these areas. We’ll encourage them to pursue their interests, develop their passions and reach for their dreams. And, most importantly, we’ll be there with unconditional love, guidance and support, whatever path(s) they choose to follow.

Why Open Adoption …
We believe the benefits of open adoption, for all parties, cannot be underestimated and we welcome an ongoing relationship at a level that’s comfortable to you.  We’re committed to offering your child a life of unconditional love and nurturing and, as part of that commitment, want them to always know the depth of your love for them and sacrifices you made for them.  We’ll raise your child to be proud of you and the decision you made for them and look forward to learning more about your hopes and dreams for both you and your child’s future.