Shaun & Ethan In Pennsylvania

WATCH OUR ADOPTION VIDEO

We met in 2011 and were married in 2017 and since then we have developed both a deep understanding and love for one another despite our very different backgrounds. Shaun grew up in a small town in Northeastern Pennsylvania with three siblings, whereas Ethan grew up in a suburban town outside New York City with a much younger sibling. Shaun’s extended family lived within walking distance of one another, and Ethan’s was spread all over the world. Despite our differing backgrounds, we have not only grown together, but also learned life lessons from one another that have helped us become better people individually, as well as a stronger couple.

When we first met, Shaun was already a seasoned teacher for 10 years. Ethan had just started in education. Although Shaun has been in the same position for over 20 years, he has always been incredibly supportive of Ethan’s career moves. We have four pets – two dogs named Daisy and Dory as well as two cats named Grayson and JoJo.

There is no doubt that we love to travel and since we are both educators, summertime is always filled with trips, barbeques, and hobbies. Together. we have been to Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Egypt, South Korea and Japan. Ethan has family all over the world, so he has been to a few more including the United Kingdom, Kenya and India. Shaun loves amusement parks and Ethan had not been to many as a kid and even had a fear of rollercoasters. So, the first couple of years of our relationship, we went to every amusement park in the tri-state area and, after riding nearly 100 roller coasters, Ethan went from being deathly afraid of roller coasters to now capable of having a full conversation on one! We know our child will make memories of fun and adventure that will last a lifetime.

Finally, we are both religious and would love to share our faith, commitment to justice and caring for others with our children. Shaun is an ordained minister in the Old Catholic Church and even baptized Ethan in the waters of the Jordan River! We know our church community will be overjoyed to welcome our new family member(s), and our children will be surrounded by love within and outside our home.

We live in 7 bed, 3 full and 2 half bath home. We have plenty of room for children! We also have a pool and almost four (4) acres of land so there is plenty of room for outdoor activities (and we can't wait to build a swing set and a treehouse with kids). We are just a 45 minute drive from downtown Philadelphia where, as a family, we can enjoy museums, theaters, concerts and sporting events.

Our neighborhood is a very safe and quiet suburban community. According to Niche Rankings, we ranked amongst the Top 100 suburbs in the country and our schools rank amongst the top 2% of all school districts in the country. Our local elementary school is quite diverse and our high school has some wonderful facilities for the community including sports field, a large theatre, and even an Olympic size swimming pool.

Ethan is adopted, so he knows well the challenges an adopted child can face. His mom works as a professor at Drexel University, lives only 45 minutes from us and can’t wait to be a first-time grandmother. She is eager to babysit her future grandchildren and I am sure she will be great at it! She loves going to festivals, live shows and museums, so our child will definitely be exposed to some diverse culture and traditions. Ethan is also close to his uncle Matt, who is his mom’s brother, and his aunt Cheryl. His uncle is in the military, so he and his wife are stationed at bases all over the world.

Shaun’s parents are retired and live near his siblings in Northeastern Pennsylvania. His mother used to work in retail and his father was a custodian in the local school district. Although neither went to college, they instilled in him the importance of an education. Shaun was not only the first in his family to go to college, but even got a Doctorate! Both his parents are grandparents many times over and can’t wait to spoil another grandchild rotten. Shaun also has three siblings, all of whom have kids, so our child will be entering a large family full of cousins! It is no surprise
that family is awfully close and love playing games, going to sporting events and spending time together especially during the holidays.

We are very involved in one another’s families and dream of sharing traditions with our own little ones. We love hosting summer barbeques and Thanksgiving and love decorating the house (inside and out) for Christmas. While we are always up for a project or visiting a new land, we also enjoy a simple night out at the movies, going to a musical or simply taking an afternoon mall trip to hunt for a good bargain.

Ethan grew up loving LEGOs and now one of the rooms in our house is a library full of books and LEGO sculptures of world landmarks. Shaun loves mystery and doesn’t miss an opportunity to sign us up for an Easter scavenger hunt, a haunted house during Halloween, or a good ol’ fashion mystery dinner theater performance.

As a same-sex couple, we have always dreamed of having a family and have a lot of love to offer. We plan to give this child even more opportunity than either one of us has ever had. Our lives would not be complete welcoming little ones into our home.