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]Matt & Vicki]

introducing...

We are Matt and Vicki and we are grateful for this opportunity to introduce ourselves to you. After a few years of fertility treatment, we decided that adoption was the right path for us. Vicki’s favorite babysitter as a child was adopted and one of her favorite families to babysit for in high school included an adopted child. In more recent years one of Vicki’s cousins and some of our friends have adopted so we know what a wonderful experience adoption can be.

We were both raised with traditional values which we will share with our child. We value a love of learning and curiosity, education, a concern for others, and community-involvement, and believe that all of these things

can be fun. We both enjoy reading because of the time our parents spent reading with each of us. Family meals were a daily ritual for both of us growing up and we have continued to eat at the dining room table as a way of connecting on a daily basis. Matt enjoyed his experiences with team sports and if our child has an interest in sports we will encourage that, as we will an interest in music and the arts. We also believe in having clear expectations for how our child should behave and that children learn from their failures as well as from their successes. We want our child to have fun and know that s/he is loved by her/his birth parents and family, as well as by us and our family and friends.

our thoughts on values & parenting]

Hello!

We met in 2002 at a mutual friend’s party. Vicki had gone to school in South Carolina with him and Matt

played basketball with him in Boston. Vicki felt an instant connection to Matt because her family’s closest friends live near where he grew up in northern Virginia. For three years we had a great time dating while we explored Boston restaurants, cooked together at our apartments, went to baseball games, watched college football games, and visited historic sites and museums. We were married in 2005 in Massachusetts.

(and our happily everafter!) about us (how we met...)

]Matt is an architect and Vicki is a librarian

who plans to work part time once we have a child. We enjoy going to historic houses due to our interest in history and Matt’s career.

our workIn the yard of a historic home in Vermont

meet vicki!

vicki's favoritespuzzles

the color blue

homemade pizza

Tiramisu

the beach

Washington Redskins

coffee ice cream

reading books

The Sound of Music

Thanksgiving

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I attended college in Massachusetts, and then went to graduate school in South Carolina. After a few years of

working in the museum field I moved back to Massachusetts in 2002 and started a career as a librarian.

Baking is one of my favorite hobbies. I often make the dessert for family parties and holidays. I look forward to making cakes for our child’s birthday!

Growing up I made many trips to Arizona to visit my grandparents and I am excited to take Matt and our child to see places that I explored with my grandparents. We also plan to visit Washington, D.C. when visiting Matt’s parents and other family in Virginia and New York City when visiting my parents on Long Island.

One of my favorite childhood books was set in the Metropolitan Museum of Art so I loved going there as a child and look forward to sharing the book and the museum with our child. Watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade on TV is still a tradition for me and I hope to take our child to see the parade in person one year.

Both of my parents spent a great deal of time on the beach as children. Growing up on Long Island, I loved going to the beach to walk along the sand and look out at the water as well as swim and play in the sand. Although we don’t live on the water now, there are beaches nearby and I look forward to sharing that with our child.

My mother was a religious education teacher in our church preparing second graders for their First Holy Communion until I took over her class in high school. I look forward to being involved in our church’s religious education program when our child is old enough to participate.

]Handmade gifts from coworkers after I told them we’d begun the

adoption process

At the Denver Botanic GardensA windy day on a nature trail observation tower

Impatient to get to the beach on Cape Cod

Vacation means extra time for reading

About Vicki, by Matt- Vicki will be a great mom because she will infuse fun and learning into everyday activities. When we first started dating, Vicki would try to coordinate her clothes to fit the themes my nephews picked for their birthday parties. When our friends visit with their children, Vicki is happy to read a story, take a walk over to the neighborhood playground or come up with a game or activity on the fly for them. She is patient and understanding. She is a compassionate person and her friends often turn to her when they need to talk about their problems.

meet matt! ]

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BBQ

Washington Redskins

reading magazines

basketball

the color green

homemade pizza

Memorial Day

Cookies & Cream Ice Cream

Charleston, SC

the morning

matt’s favoritesI went to college in Virginia to study architecture where I met one of my closest friends, who is from Massachusetts. After

graduation, a job opportunity led me to Massachusetts which is now home to me.

Growing up, I often helped my father in the garden and as a homeowner, I enjoy taking care of the gardens and larger vegetation around our home. I look forward to sharing this knowledge with our child.

Cooking and grilling are two things I also enjoy doing around the home. I especially love to grill at Thanksgiving as I smoke the turkey for everyone when it is our turn to host this holiday with extended family. I have worked on many different projects in my career.Currently I am working on a 48 story apartment building in the New York City area. I have also worked on college and government buildings, hotels, a factory, and a hospital. I enjoy exploring different types of buildings and structural systems so that I can learn as much as possible about architecture.

In addition to yard work, a few of my recent projects around the house include: rebuilding the trim and lattice on our front porch, refinishing some furniture, and installing a new dishwasher. The first spring we lived in the house, I built a trellis in our backyard with one of my brothers.

]Matt with the only Vice President

from South Carolina

With some public art in a town on the North Shore of Boston

One of the dozens of lobsters we saw on our honeymoon in Halifax, Nova Scotia

The reward of a short hike in Vermont

About Matt, by Vicki- Matt is an amazing cook and I’m always impressed when he turns leftovers into a completely new meal. He researches restaurants before we go on trips—on a trip to South Carolina for a friend’s wedding, we had a lot of fun stopping at a place featured on a TV show we watch. He is patient and an excellent mentor to younger employees in his firm, traits which I know will make him great at teaching our child new things. When we take our nephews into Boston he takes us to look at new buildings and construction sites and explains the building’s architectural significance in the context of its surroundings. His interest in building things has inspired him to make forts for our cat and I know he is looking forward to making them with our child, in the house and in the snow.

We enjoy traveling and because of our different experiences in life, feel it is an opportunity to

learn more about each other while also learning about another part of the country or world. We like to have a mix of activities whether it’s our honeymoon in Nova Scotia, a weekend trip here in New England, or someplace farther away like Colorado or Florida. Our trips often include activities such as hiking, time on the beach, visiting historic houses or museums, exploring the local shops (Vicki collects pottery), and trying out the restaurants.

We enjoy spending time with our nephews. We take them into Boston to a museum or college sporting event (lacrosse, basketball, ice hockey), and lunch or dinner for their birthdays. It’s fun for all of us and something we look forward to doing with our child. One of our nephews has an interest in cooking so he often helps Matt when family gatherings are at our house. Our other nephews both enjoy running. Matt ran cross country in high school so they often talk about running. We also enjoy spending time with our friends’ children; Vicki can always be counted on to read a story and Matt to play a game of catch or throw a football.

We’ve made lots of friends over the years and after living in so many places, our friends are quite spread out geographically. We enjoy spending time with those who live in Massachusetts and visiting those in New York and Virginia when visiting our parents. The rest we are always happy to host when they come to Massachusetts, we visit when we can, or we stay in touch through email and phone calls. We like to have people over for dinner and parties, and look forward to our child being a part of this network of friends and family.

our interests &

baking

gardening

running

“hobbies

grilling the thanksgiving

turkey

We look forward to exchanging emails and

photos as the child we share grows into an adult so that while you learn about her/his life, she/he learn will about you as well.

about adoption

yoga ]

]

our wonderful family!Matt grew up in northern Virginia, the fifth of six

children with four brothers and a sister. Vicki grew up on Long Island and is an only child. We’re lucky that Matt’s sister and one of his brothers along with their families all live nearby so we see them for birthdays and holidays. We see our parents in Virginia and New York for Christmas every other year so we have a second New England Christmas every other year. Two of Matt’s brothers and Vicki’s family’s friends still live in Virginia so we see them when we visit Matt’s parents.

Our parents come to visit often and we visit them another time of the year when we don’t go for Christmas. On trips to our parents’ homes, we enjoy visiting places that were special during our childhoods.

One of Vicki’s uncles is the deacon who officiated at

our wedding and will baptize our child. Vicki has special

memories of him at religious ceremonies in her childhood

and we look forward to him sharing in the spiritual

life of our child

Backyard football with his brothers and nephews

With Vicki’s mom and dad when her mom received a teaching awardVicki with a cousin and her son in Boston

With two of our nephews at a family party

]With Matt’s family on vacation

Rink side seats at a college hockey game Matt with his mom

With Vicki’s grandfather

Matt playing with one of our nephews when he was young

Alright, gourmet BBQ sauce!

We have a very friendly cat named Zoe, who loves to play. She takes a great interest in our neighbors’ and friends’ children so we know she will enjoy having a child in the house. She loves the forts Matt builds her out of Christmas boxes.

Zoe on the stairs

meet Zoe, our friendly cat

Zoe enjoying her custom fort

welcome!

We bought a house in 2007 and have enjoyed making it a home. Our house

is an older home but was updated before we bought it. As with any old house it requires continuous attention and we have completed several projects ourselves. We love the original woodwork and front porch. Matt has turned our yard into a beautiful garden.

Once we had a house we decided to stay home for Christmas every other year so that we have our own holiday traditions—they include baking lots of cookies, Vicki’s aunt’s eggnog muffins, and a day trip in the area.

home sweet home

]We put our Christmas tree in the opening between our living

room and dining room so we can enjoy it whether we’re watching Christmas movies or eating dinner. We often buy

ornaments as souvenirs so we are reminded of our vacations

A few years ago we joined a farm co-op and share our weekly produce with friends. We’ve enjoyed discovering new vegetables and finding new ways to prepare zucchini and eggplant, among other

things. Vicki tried freezer jam for the first time last year. Our membership includes several hours working on the farm. It’s a family-friendly co-op and members are encouraged to bring their children to help out and learn about the farm. We look forward to sharing this with our child.

we Aour community!We live in a wonderful small town near Boston with

lots of families with young children. The library has regular story times which Vicki is looking forward to attending with our child. The recreation center has children’s activities and swimming lessons at the town pool. We have a playground within walking distance and a great hill for sledding in the winter. The Memorial Day parade comes very close to our house. Vicki has fond memories of marching in her local Memorial Day parade as a Girl Scout and looks forward to marching as a parent if our child is involved in Scouting. The annual Fourth of July parade is a major event with bands from out of state, local politicians, antique cars, and floats of little league teams. It goes past a great local ice cream store so we always enjoy some ice cream while we watch. We enjoy the convenience of being able to take the train into Boston for a game or a day at one of the museums.

We enjoy the many parades in our town!

Zoe can’t be bothered to sit for a picture on the couch

Relaxing on the front porch where Vicki can admire her hydrangea bushes

We hope that this has given you an idea of what our life is like and what sort of life we hope to provide for our child. We will provide your child with lots of love and support, and we are committed to doing our best to

raise your child to live life with joy and sincerity—one which will make you proud of him/her.

We understand that you have a lot of difficult decisions to make and are thankful for your consideration of us as the adoptive parents of your child.

We wish you peace in whatever decision you make.

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we thank you

]to contact us

]

If you would like more information, please contact Hausmann & Hickman, P.A. at 561-732-7030 or toll-free 888-812-3678

Adoption@AdoptionAndSurrogacy.com

Our website: vickiandmattadopt.com