As parents, we both feel strongly that providing a safe, supportive and love-filled home is very important to raising healthy and happy children. A child should feel loved and secure while having loads of fun and enjoying life! We are actively involved in our children’s lives and provide opportunities for our children to have many experiences and pursue their varied interests. We also believe that a fun-filled learning environment at home is essential. This means helping with homework and encouraging activities such as reading, art, music, sports and imaginary play. Humor and being goofy with our children is loads of fun for us. When children are having fun, they have less time to be grumpy!

We believe each child deserves some one-on-one time with us, so we make a point of setting a side a weekend where we spend time doing whatever Jack or Jordan wants – going to a movie, camping, swimming, having fingers and toenails painted, having favorite foods and more. While we spend time with one child, the other is with grandparents having special time as well. It’s loads of fun for everyone!

We live in Sonoma, CA, in a beautiful country setting. The town is family-oriented and our neighborhood is quiet. Our home is perfect for a growing family, and the backyard is where we spend most of our free time outside playing with our children, gardening or playing with our dog, Rascal. We live at the end of a short gravel road which is perfect for riding bikes and scooters. We frequently take walks and bike rides where we are sure to see a wide variety of animals, including geese, jackrabbits, deer, cows, pigs, horses and llamas. You’d think we live in a zoo! We are close to friends and a wonderful school, so playdates and after-school activities are commonplace in our home!

We love being physically active and being together as a family. Any weekend, you’ll find us playing basketball or baseball outside, coloring with sidewalk chalk or working in the garden. It’s not unusual to also go on walks or bike rides in our neighborhood, and in the summer going on hikes or getting a backpacking/camping trip in. John has instilled a love and respect for the outdoors as he has camped and hiked his entire life (including with the Boy Scouts) – his first backpacking trip was before he could even walk!

We spend a lot of time with our extended families as well. We are fortunate to have our parents and siblings nearby, so we are able to share holidays, birthdays, school plays, games and more with one another. Our families also have cabins to which we can escape. Nancy’s family has a rustic cabin in the Sierras where we build forts, fish or just listen to the wind in the trees and sit by a bonfire at night. John’s family owns a “shack” in Glen Ellen where he spent his summers as a child and is still a nice and close refuge for the family.