Shelly and Gregg
Thank you for the opportunity to introduce ourselves and tell you about our family. We are Shelly and Gregg. We are grateful that you love your unborn child so much that you are willing to consider an adoption plan for him or her. We are already parents to a 10-year old daughter, so we know that words cannot express the love between parents and child. We have plenty of room in our hearts to love another child and are excited about building our family through adoption.
We met in college, became friends and started dating. Soon after graduating college, we got married in a beautiful beachside wedding in South Carolina surrounded by family and close friends. Over the next few years we settled into our careers and purchased our first house where we started our family. We currently live in a cul-de-sac neighborhood in the suburbs of Pittsburgh. Our neighborhood is filled with children of various ages who often play together in large groups. We have annual block parties, holiday gatherings and attend organized Pirates and bowling events. We chose this community because of the school district's great reputation and close proximity to parks and libraries. Our home is situated on a nice size lot with a large backyard. Often the kids catch ball in the yard, shoot basketball in the driveway or play on the swing set.
We think that our greatest responsibility as parents it to ensure that our daughter- and any other children we are fortunate enough to have-knows God and that she is loved by us. Faith and family are the foundation of our lives. Honesty, integrity and respect are our core values. As parents, we provide a stable and nurturing environment filled with fun and unconditional love. The most important thing to us is that our children are happy and grow up to love and respect others.
About Shelly: I grew up in a suburban community in Pittsburgh. My father worked in sales and my mother was a stay-at-home mom until we were adolescents. When we were older she entered into the real estate business. Growing up, I was very close with my parents and siblings. I have one older sister and an older brother. We spent summers together outdoors swimming, fishing or camping. Our annual camping trips are the fondest memories of my childhood. We slept in a large tent, held nightly campfires and water skied during the day. My parents instilled deep family values that have been passed onto my family. After I graduated high school, I attended college in Pittsburgh and earned my bachelor's degree in Business Administration. My home-based sales position allows tremendous flexibility to manage my work schedule around family events and our daughter's school and sports activities.
About Gregg: I also grew up in Pittsburgh with my mother, step-father, brother and sister. My step-father managed a large grocery store. My mother was a stay-at-home mom until I was in middle school and then was employed by a physician. My older brother and sister provided constant companionship as we grew up together. We often played stickball and football with other neighborhood children. Our annual 3-hour drive to Lake Erie for vacation seemed to take forever when we were children. We couldn't wait to fish, play on the beach and enjoy the playground. Campfires with our grandparents were our favorite part of the day. My job as an airline pilot affords a lot of vacation time to enjoy similar family activities as I did when I was young. I am very fortunate to have an average of 15 days off a month. Our favorite vacation spot is Hilton Head, SC where we were married. We visit there several times a year usually with family or friends.
About Ashley: I am 10 years old and will be entering Fourth Grade. I enjoy spending time with my family; participating in sporting activities such as softball and basketball; Girl Scouts and playing with my friends. My favorite subjects in school are Math and Spelling. I am so excited about the possibility of being a big sister and look forward to the day when we bring a baby brother or sister home.
We enjoy spending time with our families. Both of our families live within a few miles and are involved in our day-to-day activities. Grandparents on both sides join us regularly for our daughter's basketball games in the winter and softball games in the summer. Family lunches, dinners or going for ice cream usually follow the games. We are fortunate that both our families join together to celebrate holidays and important milestones. Our favorite family activities include just about any outdoor sport. Depending on the season, we often go swimming, miniature golfing, sled riding or snow skiing.
Through adoption we can build our family and we believe all children are precious gifts. You would be giving us the greatest gift imaginable to adding to our family. We are working with The Children's Home, which is a licensed, adoption agency and they can be reached at 1.800.961.7704 or 412.441.4884. A counselor is available 24 hour a day to provide more information.
Warmest wishes,
Shelly and Gregg
