1. Thank you so much for taking some time to review my album I have put together information that I hope will be helpful to you: 1.Information about me 2.Information about my family 3.Information about my home and neighborhood 4.Testimonials from a friend who appointed me legal guardian to her daughter 5.Letter from my friend’s adopted daughter 6.My pledge to you Note: you will notice that I tend to change my hair style and color a lot. But you can always recognize me by My big smile!

2. I became an aunt when I was only 12 years old. So for most of my life I have been helping to raise children! I am SO fortunate to have 12 nieces and nephews (7 boys and 5 girls). All of them are waiting to meet their new Cousin. Your child will be loved by a large family. A good place to start in getting to know me: I’ve had lots of training in raising children

3. My parents can’t wait to meet their new grandchild My dad wanted you to see him being goofy with his grandchildren – I thought I’d share a nice one of us as well. My dad took this picture of me and my mom in front of a favorite Restaurant last summer

4. My Home: The kitchen is the heart of my home My earliest memory is standing on a step stool by the kitchen counter helping my mom to bake. No wonder my home has two Large kitchen counters. I keep waiting to bake tollhouse cookies with your child or cook with him or her just like I’ve done with my nieces and nephews (see the picture below) I love learning how to make new Things. This past spring I went to a to a cooking school & learned how to make pasta from scratch. Cooking with two nieces at their home

5. I live in a sweet little house with two decks and a lovely backyard. I think it is so cool that I live in a city where I can walk to everything and yet have grapes growing on my deck! I have two crab apple trees, raspberry and blueberry bushes in my backyard. I grow herbs that I use when I cook – last summer I made a lot of pesto from the basil I grow on my deck(yum!). Next up is learning to make grape juice from my grapes – for your child! Steps leading down to my garden My home is in the city, but has the feel of the country Grapes!

6. In school I frequently had solos in the choir and for a while I was part of a folk trio that performed around New York City.. The Role of Music in My life My parents tell me that the first time I performed I was only 2 years old. I was in a music store and knew the song they were playing. I sang it so loud that everyone in the store stopped to listen to me and to applaud. From that moment on I loved to perform. My performing now takes place in the shower, or you can find me singing along to my ipod. I am looking forward to singing and playing guitar with your child. Music and song will always be part of your child’s life in my home

7. When I was growing up we didn’t have a lot of money to go on fancy vacations. So my parents would pile us all into the car and head to the mountains to go hiking or to the closest lake. I have taken this love of nature and exploration and now try to go to beautiful places when I go on vacations – either close to my home or far away I LOVE spending time in the great outdoors Since my parents are both educators they always encouraged us to try out new things. I hope to share this love of adventure and the quest for life long learning with your child

8. I love what I do and that I get to work with a diverse group of people. I chose my field of training and human resources carefully because it is Important to me that my work aligns with my core values of helping people to grow. I have coached many people and even after they stop working with me, many call me for career advise. My parents both worked while I was growing up and taught me that it is possible to balance work life and family life. This picture is very special for me. When I left my last job to take a new job, my team threw me a surprise party. They made these shirts for us to wear and even produced a CD with a rap song about me as their leader. (I am second from the left in the back row). I strive to find meaningful work and maintain life balance

9. In addition to the family I was born into, I am blessed with a large extended Family of close friends. I am lucky to be an aunt and honorary aunt to so many – and your child will have Many playmates! My friends’ kids are an important part of my life

10. After our daughter was born, my husband and I felt that it was important to identify a legal guardian for her should anything happen to both of us. Most people in our situation might turn to close family relations for such an important role. However, we chose to name Brenda as our daughter’s guardian. This choice was quite easy for us, because we knew that we could trust Brenda – that she’d honor our wishes with how we wanted our daughter to be raised. We knew implicitly that she would raise our daughter in a loving home. We also knew that she’d make sure to give our daughter opportunities to learn about the larger world, encourage her intellectually, and give our daughter the important direction that she would need to grow into a mature, responsible young person. We never once regretted this decision over the years. Testimonial from Kim Why my husband and I chose Brenda to be the legal guardian of their daughter

11. Hi. My name is Hannah and I wanted to tell you why I think Brenda would make a great mom for your child. I was adopted from the Ukraine when I was Only 8 months old. From the time I came home Brenda has been in my life. She is really cool ( I call her Beyonce – because we like to sing Beyonce’s songs together– especially Halo). This year she became my tutor – and believe it or not – she actually makes it a fun experience. She has promised me that I can be her Mothers helper. I can’t wait to meet your baby. Recommendation from my friend Hannah

12. Last Sunday I took a walk around my neighborhood and tried to capture It for you so you can see why so many people think it is one of the best places in America to raise children. People here walk or bike to everything: library, stores, child friendly restaurants, great playgrounds and we even have healthy ice cream trucks! I live in a neighborhood that has been voted one of the best place to raise families in the North East

13. I am also lucky to live across the street from a Fabulous community garden. As a member I can compost, share in the crops, and hang out in the garden There are shared plots where People grow vegetables The members Work together And volunteer to Take care of the Garden – and they Bring their kids To the sand box Or to picnic

14. Now that you’ve learned a little bit about my life, my family, my home, and my fabulous neighborhood, I wanted to share with you why I want to adopt. I am lucky to have a large number of Friends and to be part of an active Faith community. I always assumed that I would get married and have the same kind of wonderful marriage my parents have. When my last relationship ended I realized that more than anything I wanted to be a mom. And while I would still love to find a husband I wanted to move forward first on becoming a mom. When it turned out that I wasn’t able to have a baby I decided to adopt. This made sense to me because I grew up with two adopted cousins and have a lot of close friends with adopted children. I feel really good about this decision and can’t wait for the day when it becomes a reality. How I decided to adopt By the way, my friends Adam and Sofia (to the left of me in this picture) just had twin baby girls – who can’t wait to meet their New friend!

15. My promise to you: I will love your baby to the best of my ability I will cherish your child as the gift that I know he or she will be Your child will be surrounded by a loving caring warm circle of friends, family and community I will honor your decision and the trust and faith that you have placed in me I am open to maintaining a connection that works with your needs