We are Brad and Tim along with our daughter, Leslie. We live in Hermosa Beach, California! We are so thankful that you have chosen to take the time to learn more about us and get to know our family. Together, we have traveled the world, tackled home renovations, and created a life we look forward to sharing as we grow our family. We cannot begin to understand the courageous decision you are making, but we are filled with gratitude and will dedicate our lives to creating the best life for your child.
Dear Birth Parents...
Our Journey with Adoption
Family has always been a top priority for us, and we have dreamed of raising children together since we met. Our parents have taught us the value of creating lasting memories and strengthening relationships with our family and friends. We were blessed to adopt Leslie and begin our journey as a family. Now we look forward to sharing that blessing with her in a brother or sister if chosen by you.
This is Our Story
Since our first date, our relationship has been filled with world travels, house projects, crafts, glue guns, glitter, and a lot of love, with a little bit of magic. After dating for six years, we took a magical trip to Paris, where on a picnic at the Eiffel Tower, Brad asked Tim to marry him. Little did Brad know, Tim had planned to pop the question too! It was a surprise double engagement that neither of us were expecting. Five years after our wedding, we traveled back to Paris and had a picnic at the exact same spot, but this time as a family with our daughter Leslie. We feel so lucky to be able to share our adventures as a family and create lasting memories together. Our lives are filled with love, and that’s pretty magical in itself.
Introducing Tim, by Tim
I grew up in Ontario, California, with two loving parents, Tim and Brigitte, and one awesome older sister, Thalia. As a child, I loved airplanes, maybe because we lived next to an airport or maybe because my mom was from Germany. My love for airplanes never left me, so I applied to be a Flight Attendant. I love my job and I have been flying for almost twenty years. My job inspires me because it allows me to travel and experience new places filled with culture and traditions that I get to share with Brad and Leslie. All of our travels have become richer with Leslie and I can’t wait for her to have a sibling to share them with.
It’s really a great feeling to be a Dad and watch your daughter play under the Eiffel Tower, laugh with other kids in the Bahamas, or simply snuggle up next to you on an airplane. Because my job is flexible, I get to spend a lot of time with Leslie, and as she approaches pre-school, I’m so excited to watch her play with paint, glitter, and glue because I can’t wait to explore all of those things with her too.
About Tim, by Brad
From the moment I met Tim, I knew he would be the most amazing father. Tim has a magical way of finding humor in everything, the reason I fell in love with him. It takes a special person to turn the most trying parts of their life into something to laugh and learn from. His creativity, drive, and commitment to himself and family, inspire me to be better everyday. I am so proud to be his husband and raise children with him. He consistently teaches Leslie to dream big, believe in herself, and most importantly, to laugh.
Introducing Brad, by Brad
I grew up in Hermosa Beach, a small town in Southern California that feels like vacation most of the year. I was lucky to become an older brother twice. First to my brother, Andy, born five years after me, and second to my sister, Jessica, adopted at the age of five. My parents, Mike and Marla, renovated their house, building it from the foundation up, laying the groundwork for me to become an architect.
I love my job as an architect for Walt Disney Imagineering because it allows me to be creative. Disney is family-oriented, and supports me growing my family by making my job flexible. I treasure that I get to share the projects I work on with Tim and Leslie and see the magic through their eyes. I am excited to watch Leslie’s creativity grow and help her find new ways to express herself. I know she will be a great sister, and I can’t wait to share my experiences as an older sibling with her.
About Brad, by Tim
Brad is the person I aspire to be. He's smart, active, and full of love. I see him teaching our growing family how to cook, bake, change the car oil, build something for the house, or fixing anything that is broken. Why? Because those are just some of the things he’s taught me. I love my husband because it doesn’t matter if you’re coloring inside the lines or outside the lines, to him, it only matters that you’re coloring, and Leslie and I both love that.
He is a great father because he not only makes a learning experience an inspirational one, but he also makes every experience a memorable one filled with value and love.
List of Favorites!
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor
Brad: Butter Pecan
Tim: Rainbow Sherbet
Favorite TV Show
Brad: The West Wing
Tim: The Golden Girls
Favorite Type of Food
Brad: Italian
Tim: German
Favorite Vacation Spot
Brad: Shaver Lake
Tim: On a Cruise Ship
Favorite Singer
Brad: Carole King
Tim: Celine Dion
Favorite Dessert
Brad: Carrot Cake
Tim: Cheesecake
Favorite Disney Movie
Brad: The Sword in the Stone
Tim: Hercules
Favorite Pizza
Brad: Margherita
Tim: Pepperoni and Black Olives
Favorite Band
Brad: The Eagles
Tim: No Doubt
Meet Leslie
Leslie was adopted at birth from Maryland. She is an extremely social child, waving and blowing kisses at everyone she meets. She enjoys swim lessons, prefers salty foods over sweet treats, and loves to dance. With our family nearby, she gets to play with her younger cousin often, and has shown she will be a great sister.
A Few of Our Hobbies & Interests
We love to craft! Painting, glueing, and adding glitter is just who we are and it always feels great to give a loved one a personalized gift.
Taking cooking classes for date night is also something we like to do. So far we’ve learned to make bagels, dumplings, tamales, cheese and even donuts! Now, it’s our family’s tradition to have homemade donuts on Christmas morning.
Also, because Brad works for Disney, we’d love to visit all of the Disney theme parks. So far we’ve been to eight out of twelve of them and we think Leslie loved Disney Paris the most. Maybe it was the French food, maybe it was the kid friendly rides, or maybe it was all the magic. We just can’t wait to share all of these things as our family grows.
We Love Our Beach Home
We've been so lucky to call Hermosa Beach, California home for the past ten years. With Brad’s architectural vision, and both of our hard work, we have turned our beach bungalow into our dream home. Living in a small town, with our home only a few blocks from the beach, we often run into our friends, family, and neighbors riding bikes, eating at local restaurants, or walking the pier. Summer is our favorite time of year, with free concerts and movies shown on the beach. Living near L.A. gives us the opportunity to make memories at the beach, mountains, and desert but best of all, because of our careers, we get to share the perks of Disneyland and travel with our growing family.
Our Village
Tim's parents live in Ontario, CA, a short distance from our home. Weekends are often spent eating his dad’s famous barbecue and his mom’s famous cabbage salad. Tim’s sister, his two nephews, Richard and Michael, and his niece, Selena, often join us for a game of cards, or to relax by the pool.
Brad’s parents, brother, sister, and extended family have all stayed close to Hermosa Beach. His brother and sister-in-law have a baby boy who Leslie is very close with. His parents, who have both retired, love spending time with their grandchildren. We often go over for dinner followed by family time around the fire pit.
Holiday Traditions We Love
Christmas has always been an important holiday for us and our families. When we adopted Leslie, we wanted to make sure we honored her birth mother’s family traditions as well. In our conversations, she mentioned that her family always had coconut cake at Christmas. Each year, no matter where we are to celebrate the holiday, we make sure to have a coconut cake as a little something special to share with Leslie as part of her adoption story.
Tim’s German heritage is something that he and his family have always celebrated. After our first trip together to Germany, we decided to host Oktoberfest to celebrate with our family and friends. We love that we get to share the unique German food and traditions with everyone. We have so much fun transforming our house with decorations and German music.
Annual Family Camping Trip
Brad’s family has been camping at the same lake every year since before he was born. Tim quickly joined the tradition, learning to water ski, and enjoy time on the family boat. Each year, we get to join extended family for a week of lakeside fun and quality time together. We were so happy to get to share that tradition with Leslie and look forward to the tradition continuing with our growing family.
Our Thoughts on Parenting
The opportunity to start our family through adoption has been our greatest blessing. It has given us the chance to share our values and traditions with our daughter while incorporating traditions from her background as well. If given the opportunity, growing our family would only enrich those connections. We have so much to share as a family and we promise to love, protect, and provide for your child. They will always know their life story, beginning with you, and your selfless love for them.
In Closing - We Thank You
We have prepared our entire lives to raise children, and are excited to have the opportunity to grow our family if chosen by you. We look forward to getting to know you and continuing on this journey together. Thank you for considering us in this courageous decision, we are filled with love and gratitude.
Brad & Tim