Colleen & Josh

Dear Birth Mom, 

It means the world to us that you are even reading these pages about us – some complete strangers. We are grateful that you are here, taking the time you need with this incredibly difficult decision.

We can only imagine how overwhelming the emotions and feelings you are going through must be. We hope that in getting to know us, you find not only comfort that we would be a supportive and loving home for your child; but also, a support system for you. We want you to know that we will support you in whatever capacity you feel comfortable with if you choose to continue your adoption journey with us.  

We hope that our adoption journey aligns with what you imagine for your future child. And if not, we would just like to wish you peace and courage to know that whatever decision you make for your child will be the right one. 

With love and gratitude,

Colleen & Josh

About Colleen

Written with love by Josh:

Colleen is an adventure-seeking, hardworking, dedicated, and loving stepmom to two teenagers, two dogs, two chickens and a duck! She enjoys working in our garden, crocheting, painting, and trying anything new she finds interesting. She sucks us into a new hobby at least once a year =) 

She grew up in Upstate New York with her younger twin siblings and parents Mark and Jennifer. Colleen and her siblings are annoyingly close ☺. Colleen and her sister Michelle have sister dates often where they test out new hobbies, make bread, make new kinds of food, or steal the kids for one of their adventures. Honestly, it’s great to come home to a new meal or some homemade bread, and the kids love a good surprise trip. Michael, Colleen’s brother, knows that Colleen will cook for anyone that’s in the house so he shows up at least once a week and acts like one of the kids. It was obvious to me when we met that Colleen valued her relationship with her family a great deal.   

Colleen went to school for Early Childhood education at the University at Buffalo and it is crazy how she always seems to have the right answer when it comes to the kids (don’t tell her I said that!). Colleen is really passionate about making sure the boys are set up for success in their future and also that they know that if anything goes wrong, we will always be there for them.  

After graduating, Colleen became a nanny for a couple of years and talks often about “her kids” from back then. She got to care for five children from newborn to 10 years old and she still says that it was the best job in world.  

Now, Colleen is a store manager of our local grocery store, and she continues to show her caring and devoted self to her employees every day. She calls them “her kids” and makes sure that they are not only happy with their jobs but are happy as individuals. She is an incredible leader and has taught me how to be more caring and compassionate in my work as well. 

Making A House A Home

We live in a small community in Upstate New York that we originally chose because it allowed us to stay close to Josh’s boys and our extended family. We live in a four-bedroom home on just over half an acre, where we have built a life centered around family, community, and growing together. 

One of our greatest passions is gardening. Shortly after moving in, we started our first family garden. What began as a small project quickly grew into a way of life. Today, we have a 3,000-square-foot garden, a greenhouse, and a fully fenced backyard. We grow many of our family’s favorite foods, preserve hundreds of jars each year, and even share our harvest with friends, family, and neighbors. This year, at Emmitt’s request, we planted 100 popcorn seeds to grow his favorite snack! When we were asked what our favorite room in the house is, both the boys laughed and said, “probably the greenhouse if that counts”. And they are probably right – that or our open-style kitchen and dining area. We spend most of our days off in the garden or kitchen area either growing food, making food or eating good food! Emmit is definitely the garden buddy and is always up early with us watering or getting all the animals fed. Alec is more of the chef in the house and is always helping cook or bake something delicious.  

The local school district has been another important reason why we’ve chosen to live here.  The boys have had opportunities to participate in sports, clubs, and activities while being supported by dedicated teachers who truly care about their success. We are grateful to be part of a community that invests so much in its children. 

Our town is always bringing people together through community events, local traditions, and activities for families. We enjoy visiting the local farmer’s market throughout the year, attending seasonal events, and supporting community fundraisers hosted by the fire department. These experiences have helped create many special memories for our family. 

Holiday Spirit!

Just like our love of hobbies and interests, we love to celebrate anything and everything! We of course celebrate traditional holidays like Christmas, Thanksgivings and Birthdays. But we also add in half birthdays, first day of the seasons, Earth Day, dogs’ birthdays, Groundhog Day, and pretty much any reason to make a fun dessert. Our favorite by far is Christmas. We plan basically all year so we can have wonderful family time and presents for everyone, and we try to make the season last as long as possible. It’s safe to assume we are one of those families that have their tree up before Thanksgiving. Some of our favorite traditions are making homemade cookies for all of our employees. Between the two of us, we have over 50 employees, so you can imagine how many cookies we end up making every year. The kids love helping with this because we end up spending days in the kitchen together just hanging out and listening to Christmas music. Because traditions are so important to us, we would want to know what holiday tradition is important to you – we would like to pass it on to your child and would be honored to include it in our holiday celebrations.