Hello! We’re Eric, Justin, and Adrienne, or “AJ” as we call her. We first met at a bowling event nearly ten years ago and the next day we had our first date. We immediately connected on so many levels and discovered that we shared the same dream of becoming parents someday.
Adoption was always our first choice for growing our family, and shortly after getting married we dove headfirst into the adoption journey. Learning more about the experiences of other adoptive families, we continued to see how love, rather than DNA, is what truly makes a family. Talking with many amazing families only strengthened our belief that this was the path meant for us.
After a long journey filled with ups and downs, an incredible birth mom found and chose us and our lives were forever changed when we welcomed AJ into our lives. We were often told that with patience and faith the right child would find us, and that’s exactly what happened. Now we’re ready and excited to not only open our hearts and home once again, but to introduce AJ to her future sibling and begin the next chapter of our family’s story!
About Eric
Bio: Eric is extremely grateful to have a career as a musician. He has played piano around the country as well as performed on Broadway, and now he loves teaching kids how to sing and put on their own musicals. He is also very passionate about his roles as Justin’s husband and Adrienne’s Papa. For hobbies he enjoys running, growing indoor plants, cooking homemade meatballs with spaghetti squash, and often finishes the day with a crossword.
Fun Fact: As a kid Eric loved to entertain and taught himself how to juggle. He also performed magic tricks at school talent shows and made balloon animals for local birthday parties and church events!
About Justin
Fun Fact: One day Justin hopes to open a coffee shop/bookstore for everyone who believes that there’s no better combination than a good book and a great cup of coff
Bio: Justin is proud to be a musician working full-time on Broadway, but he is even prouder to be Eric’s husband and AJ’s dad! Although always a music and theater kid at heart, Justin is also a huge movie nerd who enjoys everything from Hitchcock to Horror to Disney animation. He also enjoys finding new and delicious recipes from all over the world and believes that food has the power to both nourish and heal one’s soul as well as their body.
About AJ
Bio: AJ is a very happy and curious toddler who loves Bluey coloring books, lining up her mini animals, making towers out of blocks, and anything that has to do with Winnie the Pooh. She also likes to climb up to the piano bench and bang the keys with both hands while singing her favorite Disney songs. And Cheerios are her favorite food group.
Fun Fact: AJ’s birth mother was also adopted, so adoption actually runs in her family. We’re grateful to have a relationship with her birth mother as well as with her lovely birth grandmother.
– Eric & Justin
Our Lives
Working in the arts makes our days wonderfully varied, often filled with new friends, new students, new music and new adventures. Since becoming parents and moving to the suburbs, we now find a new balance in the routine of family dinners, watering our garden together, park visits, backyard bubbles, Dr. Seuss books, and living room dance parties. While our kids will naturally grow up surrounded by singing, dancing, performing, writing and other creative outlets, we’re excited to encourage them to discover different activities as well, whether they be team sports, school clubs, academic endeavors, or whatever sparks their own curiosity, interests, and passions. One of the best things about where we live is the diverse, multi-cultural, and unique blend of families within the area. In fact, our new neighbors just next door adopted their own children years ago, and have welcomed and inspired us as we settle into our new neighborhood and
community.
Our Family
Our families are big, wonderfully diverse, and we couldn’t be more grateful for the love that’s shared among everyone. Justin’s father was born in the Philippines, while his mother is Mexican American, having been born and raised in Texas where his parents and extended family still reside. Eric’s parents and his brother’s family of five reside in the Midwest, not too far from Chicago. Between our families there are countless aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews who we love to visit, and who very often make the trip out to visit us. We’re also fortunate to have a close-knit community right here on the East Coast. Family traditions are particularly important to us, whether decorating for Christmas, honoring our ancestors for Día de los Muertos, apple picking during the fall, or simply honoring the changing of the seasons. We can’t wait to create new traditions together as our family grows.
Final Thoughts
We’re so grateful for you taking the time to consider us. We promise to love your
child unconditionally, with every part of our hearts, to make them smile often, and to show
them all the music and magic this beautiful life has to offer. We also promise your child will
know how much they are loved by you, and that they grow up feeling safe, secure,
supported, and encouraged by us every single day.
