- New York -
Hi there! We are Brandy, Phil, and Ryan from New York! We also have Nico and Fiji, our dog and cat, who are equally as important as us humans! As a family, we love adventure, fun, spending time with the people we love, and making memories - being outside, even in the winter, is one of our favorite activities! We have a ton of traditions that we carry out each year, including apple picking, cutting down our Christmas tree, and taking yearly family pictures at the same location.
Hi! As you can see in my picture, I'm a runner (a term I still use pretty loosely because it's so new to me) and I ran my first half marathon in October of 2022! I love animals, ice cream, tropical places, word games, and spending time on self-care. In terms of work, I am a licensed clinical social worker, and I have my own practice where I guide people towards finding their best selves. I work part-time so that I am able to be a hands on mom the rest of the time. Those days are filled with the other things I enjoy - being active with my son, going on adventures, and learning all the new things together!
Hi, I'm Phil! My main hobbies and interests are working out and using my hands to do projects, fix cars, and woodworking. I have made many of the decorations and pieces of furniture we have in our home, and have big plans to build a treehouse in our backyard soon! I enjoy relaxing at the beach, sitting in front of the fireplace or firepit, and being outdoors - whether that's visiting a nearby animal farm, going hiking in the woods, or taking a family bike ride. I work as a Deputy Sheriff and my schedule rotates, but I work day time hours, so I am always home for dinner with my family. Being a dad has been such an amazing experience for me, and I enjoy every moment with our son, and being able to watch him grow.
We can only imagine what you are experiencing while you consider a decision that is best for you and your child. We genuinely admire your courage and strength for the steps that you have already taken in this process, and we have so much respect for you in all the decisions you have ahead.
It is our promise to you that, should you choose us, your child will grow up in a home full of love, adventure, support, fun, encouragement, laughter, and with an amazing big brother!
Even if your road doesn’t lead to us, we hope that you will take care of yourself and follow your heart throughout this process.
Thank you for reading!
~Brandy, Phil, and Ryan
Our parenting style uses positive communication, routine, and emotional awareness over the use of consequences and punishment. Whenever Ryan is having a strong response or reaction to something, we encourage him to take some deep breaths or step away from the situation until he is able to talk with us about how he is feeling; together, we work through his emotions and help him to either solve his problem, or move on to something else. Having a daily routine with structure helps Ryan know what to expect from his day, and we have found that this can be very useful in encouraging positive behavior. We have raised Ryan to be very independent, and that comes from us giving him autonomy and letting him learn from his own experiences at a young age.
We live in a quiet, very diverse, and woodsy neighborhood that we joke is like the setting of a Disney movie because of all the wild animals we see running around. We have a safe, fenced in pool and a swing set in our back yard, a trailed woods down the block, and a community lake about a mile away. One of our favorite playgrounds is a quick 5 minute drive away, and we love visiting the animals at the local ecology center. The elementary school is right in our neighborhood, and we plan to be walking the kids to and from school when the time comes! Our house has 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a play room, living room, and den – plenty of room for kids to play and run around!
We have a room waiting to be filled with baby supplies and a sweet little boy or girl! Everything we used with Ryan has been saved and is ready to be used again, so we feel like we are pretty prepared! We haven’t purchased nursery furniture yet, but we do have a bassinet that the baby would be sleeping in at the beginning, anyway. We’re so excited to decorate another room!
Our dog, Nico, is 5 years old and is a Treeing Walker Coonhound mix; he is a bit quirky, but is amazing with children, and has such nurturing instincts around babies. We go for walks with him every day and take him on family adventures as often as possible.
Our cat, Fiji, is 11 years old, and she is a typical cat – affection is okay only when SHE wants it, and she spends most of her time hiding from everyone. But she always shows up when she smells freshly cooked chicken!
