Lisa & Sylvia
Dear Birthmother,
We are Sylvia and Lisa, and along with our two children Kai and Lulu, we are so grateful to you for taking a look at our story and for making the courageous and loving consideration to consider adoption. We are honored to be a part of this process with you.
We’ve talked about creating a family since we first met. Lisa has always known she wanted to adopt, so when we decided to start our family, we knew that building our family through adoption would be the path for us. We feel we have so much love to give to a child, it just seems right to share it with someone whose birth mother chose us specifically.
We recognize that you are faced with making an important decision. Thank you for considering us!
About Us:
Lisa loves being near the water and working with animals. Her big, adventurous family has taught her to love travel, and (being the daughter of a flight attendant), she loves to host people for dinner and make everyone feel at home in the house. She’s also very involved in the kids school and activities. Lisa’s favorite family travel spot is the lake near Yosemite where we camp every year, but when we get the chance to travel a little further, she loves Mexico, so she can practice her Spanish and enjoy the local food and culture. Lisa’s vision of a happy home is one in which the kids and their friends and families are always in and out for visits and after-school time.
Lisa works part-time from home, and spends most of her time being with the kids and animals, participating in school activities and working with a local organization that supports families with young children.
Lisa’s extended family is large and very connected. Her older brother lives nearby and is an involved uncle that Kai and Lulu love to hang out with or go on adventures such as hiking and bicycling. Lisa’s cousins, aunts and old family-friends are often visiting or coming along on family trips. Many people in her family are airline employees, either retired or current pilots and flight attendants. There is a strong sense of adventure, travel and community among her family.
Sylvia loves being outdoors and active, working with her hands, and learning new things. Whether working as a bicycle mechanic when she was younger, volunteering at local farms, or cycling from San Francisco to LA for charity, she’s especially happy when she is in motion. She often is out helping Kai and Lulu learn to ride or exploring local parks and hiking spots with family and friends.
Sylvia also works from home. She works for a large company that provides great flexibility and benefits, which are amazing for having a family.
Sylvia's family lives across the globe! Her dad spent much of his life between the Philippines and the US and has retired in our town so he is now close and is a loving “Lolo” (grandpa in Filipino culture). Sylvia’s brother recently moved back to Michigan and most of her extended family are living in San Diego, California, the Philippines, and Australia. Her mom (the kids’ “Lola” or grandma in Filipino culture) lives right next door and is a big part of our family. She is a retired pediatrician and a great family anchor.
The Kids:
Our son Kai is 7. He is curious, bright and loves learning. Kai is a sweet big brother and a good friend to those in his class. Even though he’s only in first grade, he is a big man on campus, and the teachers and other families love his way of being a good friend to others. We were blessed to adopt Kai at birth, and we love to share pictures and stories with his birthmother in Georgia. He loves the snow and will watch nature shows any time he can.
Our daughter Lulu is just 6 months younger than Kai, and is artistic, joyful and a nurturing sister. Lulu has a special love for the ocean and all forms of water. She is particularly excited to become a big sister and help with a little one. Lulu has a lot of energy and loves to run, climb and swim. She often can be found climbing trees or making up stories with her brother, or swimming in grandma’s pool.
Quote from Lulu: I can’t wait to get to be a big sister to a new baby! I promise to love baby forever and help them walk in the sand at the beach!
Quote from Kai: I can teach my new baby sister or brother all about dinosaurs and hot wheels and everything they need to know since they are just a baby!
Our Home & Community:
Not many people have heard of Ojai – It’s a small town between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, and we fell in love with it as a safe, family-centered town with a connected community and lots of nature. We love our place because we are surrounded by trees to climb, creeks to explore, and friendly neighbors with our local school right down the road.
We love to read, garden, and visit the farmer’s market and community places in our town. While there is work to be done, at the end of the day there is always time for a sunset dinner in our garden, a bike ride with the kids, and time together.
Though we live in a small town, we have a fantastic school system and music and arts programs for all ages. We are just blocks from a sweet small primary school where the kids went to preschool and continue in elementary. We are active in the school, so we get to be on campus often and enjoy school performances, singing and outside play.
We are so lucky to have found wonderful family friends in our years living in Ojai. Our best family friends live just up the road, and they have two young kids who get along well with Kai and Lulu. Their family is Mexican/Korean and so we enjoy sharing meals and customs.
Our yard backs up to a beautiful orange orchard, and we have plenty of yummy things growing in our own garden which we enjoy and share with our neighbors. We spend most of our days outside - picking fruit, bicycle riding, or playing with the animals.
We also get to experience the best of city life, with a large extended family just over the hill in Los Angeles as well as in San Francisco.
Our Family & Friends:
Both of us are very close with our siblings and extended families, and our friends also play an important role in our lives. We each have circles of friends from school, work and our childhood who we refer to as our “chosen families”. We really believe that families are created in many ways—so what is most important to us is the love, community and support we share with the people in our lives.
CLOSING:
We are so grateful to be considered for this most incredible role as your child’s adoptive parents. We have loved becoming parents to Kai and Lulu, and are ready (and hopeful!) for another sweet baby to join the family.
As parents, we promise to:
• Love your child endlessly as they become their incredible selves
• Support them in all their learning, growing and experience in life
• Be a calm, kind, supportive parent and role model in relationships, and when things are difficult, to always stay in it together
• Be connected to friends and family who are supportive and good role models
• Make sure each of our children feels cared for, seen and heard fully, and loved unconditionally
We can’t wait to share our love of life, learning, adventure and community with our children, and Kai and Lulu are excited to be helpful and nurturing siblings and part of your child’s journey.
We would be honored to be a part of your journey and promise to give your child a life full of possibility, love, adventure, and family.
With love and gratitude,
Lisa and Sylvia