Hello
- WE ARE -
JESSICA, CLAUD,
AND JOSEPH
from Upstate New York
dear
BIRTH PARENTS
It’s nice to meet you.
Thank you for getting to know us a little.
We appreciate your courage, that you are making the hard and loving decisions to provide the best situation for your child. If we are the adoptive family that seems best to you, you will always be welcome as a part of your child’s life and our lives. We will happily share updates and photos, and we can find ways to stay in touch that work for all of us.
We have been happily married for ten years, and while we have not been able to grow our family biologically, we were incredibly blessed in 2021 to adopt our son Joseph.
He has been a great joy and gift to us for two years, and with his sweet and empathetic personality, we all have a lot of love to share with another child.
We live in a nice old house with a big backyard bordered by woods to explore, and our small town is perfect for curious children. We have a racially diverse, caring, funloving and supportive family. Our golden retriever, Mandy, has been a good “big sister” to Joseph and would welcome another playmate.
- about -
us
We fell in love over two main things: our shared values and laughter. We have so many inside jokes that we constantly finish each other’s thoughts. One time when we were dating, we decided to meet at Dunkin’ Donuts. Only one problem: between our neighboring towns there were three Dunkin’ Donuts and we went to different ones! As you can see from the photo, we finally got it right.
Our home and marriage are defined by love, trust, forgiveness, dedication, and a lot of humor. Now that we have Joseph, life is even better because you never know what will make him laugh. Lately, it’s the idea that his teddy bear can drive a car (but then we tell Joseph that “Mr. Bear” needs a license, and the giggles go on and on)! We have been very happy in our family of three, but sharing joy and a love of life with another child would make a good thing even better.
- how -
we met
We met in Sunday school when we were teenagers, and according to Claud, he was already hooked! After college and the military, we reconnected on Facebook and decided to catch up. We went out for cheesecake, and the rest is history. We were married the next year.
About
Jessica
Jessica is a very loving and caring person. She is a terrific wife and a terrific mother to Joseph. She is definitely a woman of many talents. Between tending to her teaching responsibilities and managing the house while I’m at work, she also makes time to help those in need. She and Joseph visit friends and family members who need encouragement, and she is just available when you need someone to talk to. She is also gifted artistically. One of the first things that attracted me to her when we met was her singing voice. Now she shares this love of art with Joseph in the form of crayons and sidewalk chalk, and singing songs together. These are the character traits that make me love her more each day and we are very excited to be sharing our love with another child.
- WHAT I DO -
for a living
Jessica currently teaches a single high school English class each year – a job she absolutely loves – and has had seventeen years’ experience teaching middle and high school students. She left full-time teaching to accommodate Claud’s schedule and spend time with him, which made becoming a mom to Joseph a smooth transition. She loves being a stay-at-home mom and wouldn’t have it any other way.
About
Claud
Claud is great with kids – patient, attentive, easygoing, self-sacrificing. He loves to wrestle with Joseph or watch him dig in the dirt with his excavator, and he can change a diaper or read “Green Eggs and Ham” with the best of them. Claud is one of the kindest people I know, and he genuinely enjoys helping others. He will slave away for hours making chicken barbecue for our extended family, making it just right, and then clean up afterward. He gives great horsey rides to our cousins’ little ones, he works hard at his job, and then he gives a great deal of himself when he’s home. He is a good daddy, but he is also a purposeful father.
- WHAT I DO -
for a living
Claud works in a production plant making automobile parts. It’s a great company with good benefits and a consistent work schedule. Claud works evenings, so he is available during the day for any important appointments and for play time during Joseph’s most active hours. Hopefully, in a few years he will be able to move to the day shift, just in time to be available for afterschool activities.
MEET
Joseph
We adopted Joseph as a newborn, and he has been the joy of our lives. He is creative in his playing – a toy golf club can be a drill, weed whacker, jack hammer, and a saw in under two minutes! He spends a lot of time with other kids of various ages throughout the week and so far he is proving to be very empathetic with kids who are upset, gentle with babies, and fun-loving with older kids. He has also taken to changing his teddy bear’s diaper and sharing his snacks with him. All he’s missing is a live-in playmate and partner in crime.
OUR DOG
Mandy
We got our first dog, Mandy, as a puppy eight years ago. She had six years to be our baby before Joseph came, but she loves having a kiddo around to play tug of war and to drop crackers around the house. And for his part, Joseph loves “Mandy kisses”!
OUR
Home
We live in upstate New York in a small town where there is a nice sense of community. We can walk down the street to the library or a couple of parks, and while we are in a rural setting, we are a short drive away from several major cities with lots of opportunities for adventure. Our immediate family and much of our extended family live nearby, which is great.
- OUR -
hobbies
Claud likes to write music and play guitar, piano, and drums. He watches historical documentaries on YouTube and plays baseball and NASCAR on the Playstation. Jessica likes to write letters, spend time in the garden, and read (although she hates suspense and often reads the end of the book early on). With Joseph we build things, play outdoors, make homemade pizzas, and go visiting family and friends locally and in other states. We also love going to our local Chinese buffet (and Joseph can never get enough egg rolls!) There are a lot of wonderful small towns and cities around with different activities to try when we want to do something different – art museums, farm tours, mini golf, picnics by the lake, etc.
- OUR -
FAVORITES...
ANIMAL
CLAUD: Eagle
JESSICA: Hippopotamus
JOSEPH: Bear
GAME
CLAUD: Wii Play
JESSICA: Scrabble
JOSEPH: Memory
CUISINE
CLAUD: Mexican
JESSICA: Italian
JOSEPH: Chinese
SPORTS TEAM
CLAUD: Stewart-Haas Racing
JESSICA: New York Rangers
JOSEPH: New York Rangers
CHILDREN'S BOOK
CLAUD: Green Eggs & Ham
JESSICA: Doctor DeSoto
JOSEPH: Curious George
PLACE TO GO AS A FAMILY
CLAUD: Tractor Pulls
JESSICA: Our local Rail Trail
JOSEPH: The Sciencenter
our
Tribe
We are blessed with a loving family and a supportive network of friends.
CLAUD is bi-racial with five older half-siblings and an enormous extended family. We spend every Sunday afternoon having dinner with Claud’s uncle and cousins and then head five minutes up the road to see Jessica’s dad.
JESSICA is an only child and her mom is deceased, but her dad is thrilled at the prospect of another grandchild to love. He is a gifted toy repairman, and he loves to scour the thrift stores for bargains which he fixes up and modifies. Jessica also has a large, very closeknit extended family. Between our two families, there is always a birthday party, baby shower, or a cookout on the calendar. When we can, we also love visiting family in other states.
Jessica has belonged to a book club with three close friends for many years, and she takes Joseph to a lot of play groups where there are other mamas who share a desire to raise curious, kind, and fun-loving children. Claud enjoys going to ball games with friends (and now Joseph), barbecuing at cookouts, and playing music with fellow musicians each week. We truly have an amazing tribe!
- OUR THOUGHTS ON -
Parenting
We want to teach our children to love others, the way our Heavenly Father has taught us to love, by helping those in need. Joseph is thrilled just to give someone a card that he colored himself, and he brings so much joy to others just by being around them. We really try to CHERISH every day that we get to be parents. We will strive to help our children discover what they’re good at and where their interests lie, and we believe in the importance of life-long learning through books, outdoor exploration, creative activities, and time spent with diverse people of all ages and backgrounds. We want to create wonderful memories as a family and help our children to grow into compassionate, hard-working, wise, and independent adults.
IN
Closing
Thank you for spending a little time with us.
We understand that you can only learn so much from some pictures and words, but we are happy to talk with you any time if you would like to get to know us better. Whatever the circumstances, this is a difficult decision, and you are certainly in our prayers as you travel this journey. We can’t promise a perfect life for a child – no one can – but we can promise that in our home, your child will be cherished and provided for, and they will know that they were loved from the very beginning.
WE WOULD LOVE TO
HEAR FROM YOU!
