Brad & Buddy

Our Daughter

Emma is our first and only child. She’s a toddler who was born right at the beginning of COVID and joined our family by adoption at birth. She came as a surprise at a time when it was tough to find diapers and formula and nobody was really sure how to avoid COVID, but our friends and families rallied to help us. We were lucky to be able to work from home and we spent the first several months of her life in the house together most of the time during the early months of the pandemic. It was a challenging way to learn how to be a parent, but we’re so grateful for that time together as a family. Emma is a very sweet-hearted, happy girl who loves Peppa Pig, the big kids in her life (who she bosses around!), and having “parties” with her stuffed animals. She can’t wait to be a big sister and we think she’ll be great at it.

OUR HOME

We live in a diverse, urban neighborhood very near where Brad grew up. Our neighborhood feels like a small town within a big city, but one that welcomes people of all backgrounds, ethnicities, income levels, and beliefs. The house we live in was built in 1918 and is a cozy home, with hardwood floors, big windows, and a HUGE backyard. Lots of kids live nearby and there are two big playgrounds in walking distance. Our favorite panadería is a few blocks away and our church, where Emma goes to parents’ day out, is a short drive.

OUR HOBBIES

Our family loves to spend time together outdoors. Brad’s parents live on a working cattle ranch about two hours from our home and Emma loves to visit, play in the dirt, and watch the cows, deer, and wild turkeys that live on the ranch. Brad’s sister and her family live in Colorado, and we spend extended visits with them hiking and enjoying the mountains. Closer to home, we all love to swim (Emma included!), cook out with friends, go on long walks and bike rides in our neighborhood, and go to shows at a community arts space down the street that we both helped start. Individually, Brad likes teaching Emma in the kitchen, running, and throwing parties. Buddy loves to read about history and is a big gardener and landscaper.

Parenting Philosophy

We are both active parents who want to raise good people who are kind, generous, and compassionate, and look for ways to serve others. With Emma, we’ve boiled this down to the rule that, in our family, we are “kind and helpful.” We aren’t “strict” parents and we believe that kids have a right to act like kids in public (they should be seen AND heard), but we do challenge Emma to realize how her choices affect those around her. For example, running and screaming on the playground with a bunch of other kids means everybody has more fun and is great. But running and screaming in church or at Christmas dinner with her grandparents means someone else has less fun. We are big believers in the importance of reading with kids and also in letting kids have independent play to build their imaginations. Our family has a strong work ethic and as our kids grow up, we hope to show them that their own hard work can pay off for themselves and others. As parents, we know that kids thrive with love and consistency, and constantly strive to act in a way that shows that our kids will find both those things in our family.

Our Pet

We have always been dog owners until very recently, when Lucy, our very loved 14 year old bloodhound, passed away. We’re taking a break from dogs right now to focus our energies on Emma and (hopefully!) her soon-to-be new sibling. But once all the tiny humans in our house can use the bathroom without help, we hope to be back in the pet business. Buddy and Brad grew up with dogs and have really happy memories of childhood pets.