Mar. 10, 2022 Fun week! Amelia upgraded her skates and Mike signed up his first ultramarathon! We love cheering each other on in our hobbies and can’t wait to support kiddos in their hobbies. 

Mar. 15, 2022 Every year for the last few years we’ve made a yearbook capturing some of our favorite moments from the previous year. Our 2021 yearbook just arrived in the mail today! We look forward to continuing this tradition for years to come. 

Mar. 21, 2022 Fun, busy weekend! Kicked things off with a little hockey, followed by a quick trip to Buffalo for March Madness! Mike has always wanted to go to a March Madness game and one of the students from Amelia’s last school was playing in the tournament— double win for us! We look forward to sharing experiences like these with children.

Mar. 23, 2022 Dangerous things happen when you leave Mike alone… like acquiring a free piano! We’ve both been having a lot of fun playing with our new find! 

Mar. 29, 2022 FUN FACT: We are fan owners of two professional sports teams! One is an NFL team, and one is a professional soccer team. We decided to invest in the soccer team because we recognized it as an opportunity to be involved in the growth of soccer in a city we love. Previously, while living in Tampa/St.Pete, Amelia was involved in the reestablishment of the Tampa Bay Rowdies, and we thoroughly enjoyed watching their growth and development over the years. We are thrilled to now be a small part of getting a new professional team up and running, and we look forward to supporting them for many years to come. When the opportunity presented itself to buy stock in the Green Packers, we also jumped at it! Even though they aren’t one of our primary teams, how can you not love them?! 

Apr. 4, 2022 Way to go, Mike!! This past weekend Mike ran his fastest half marathon ever! In just over a month, he will attempt to run his first 50k ultramarathon. 

Feb. 16, 2022Unwinding after work with a fun game and movie night <3

  Feb. 17, 2022Throwback Thursday: On this day in 2018 Amelia presented a dance showcase of quite possibly the most diverse group of high school students you’ll ever see. In all she had 50 students from across the globe, the majority of whom had little to no previous dance experience. There were football players, lacrosse players, dancers, and those who were just looking for a safe space to express themselves. In her four years coaching at her last school, Amelia took the dance program from a hodgepodge activity that served as the catch-all for kids who got cut from other winter sports, to a program that involved a full quarter of the school. Amelia is forever thankful for the opportunity to work so closely with this incredible group of students <3

Feb. 20, 2022One of our silly family traditions is monster cookies on Daytona 500 race day!  When we were dating, Mike would occasionally surprise Amelia with a monster cookie from our favorite bakery before a race. Over time, this became tradition and a “mandatory” part of watching races for us. Mike has always enjoyed racing, and both of Amelia’s grandfathers were involved in auto racing, so in 2014 we made the day trip from Tampa to attend the Daytona 500 in person.

Feb. 21, 2022Slipped out for a mid-day skate session and lunch, compliments of our AHL team! Loved getting a behind-the-scenes look and having the opportunity to skate on such nice ice.

Feb. 23, 2022Kicked off our anniversary celebrations by attending a performance of My Fair Lady!

Feb. 25, 2022We celebrated our 10 year anniversary with a quick trip to Niagara Falls <3 

  Feb. 13, 2022This weekend Amelia traded in the Western NY snow for the Puerto Rican beaches and rainforest to celebrate the wedding of her best friend/“little sister”.

Feb. 5, 2022Did a little exploring this morning at one of our nearby parks. Perfect snowshoeing weather!

Feb. 2, 2022For Christmas Amelia got a Cricut, and she has been having a blast creating all sorts of things for our family and friends.

Jan. 30, 2022Made our way to the ODR for a little morning skate! We can’t wait to share the ice and the awesome parks we have around here with little ones.

Jan. 29, 2022This week we closed out our birthday marathon month with Mike’s birthday!  He had a blast spending time outdoors and enjoying one of his favorite local meals.

Jan. 22, 2022When it is -2F and Mike wants to go ice fishing… at least we know the ice is good! Also, he’s lucky Amelia loves winter.

  Jan. 17, 2022Woke up to quite the winter wonderland and took full advantage of it! At last check, we got about 13 inches of snow, and it is still coming down!   

  Jan. 16, 2022January is a month of birthdays in our home! Last weekend we celebrated Mosby’s birthday, this weekend we celebrated Amelia’s birthday, and next week is Mike’s birthday!

Follow us on Instagram (@ameliaandmikeadopt) to see what we've been up to lately!

  Today we celebrated Mosby’s birthday with a ride in the car (his favorite!), some new toys, and treats 🎉 We are so thankful to have this little guy as part of our family. 🐶🐾 ❤️

We had a busy weekend trying to squeeze in a few more house projects before winter! We finished putting the first coat on the deck and then split and stacked some more wood for the fireplace. 

Getting in the holiday spirit! Excited for all the trick-or-treaters tomorrow night! 🎃 🕷 👻

A couple days ago we picked up this botched DIY “shabby chic” piece from the curb and brought it back to life with a good sanding and some fresh paint 🤗

Just a little photo dump from our Thanksgiving staycation! We love all the cooking and time spent with family, especially this time of year 💕

Mosby has made himself right at home in the guest room lately 😂 Resting up for all the excitement of Christmas!! 🐶 🎄

Merry Christmas! We spent the day with Amelia’s parents and FaceTiming friends and family who we couldn’t be with this year. Mike is very excited about one of his gifts— a team signed banner from our local AHL team.🤩 Hope everyone had a nice Christmas!

Mosby loves that Amelia gets two weeks off for Winter Break! Lots of extra walks and snuggles 🥰🥾

Snowy Sunday up here in Western New York, and we’re enjoying every minute of it 🤗❄️

Enjoyed a date night at the comedy club last night (David Koechner). Nothing like some laughs to start off the new year!

Solid win for our hockey team last night, and a beautiful (cold!!) walk back to the car.

  Felt good to be back in the barn and watching hockey in person again! Today we enjoyed a great season ticket holder event and the final preseason tune up of our local AHL team before the new season gets underway.

Check out the adoption profile video Amelia made about us :) 

October is here, which means it’s time for Halloween and fall decorating! Today we made our annual trip to the farm store we like to get our pumpkins from. Excited to share traditions like this with little ones <3

These cooler temps have us excited for fall hikes and campfires!! 

A few weeks ago we popped down to Virginia to visit with Mike’s family. We love living up north, but we always enjoy a quick trip south!

Treated ourselves to a mid-week date night last week and saw @catsthemusical 

On top of being season ticket holders for our local AHL team, we’re lucky to have other great sports teams and stadiums nearby! Last night we cheered on our local minor league baseball team in a nail biter of a game!

What a great Fourth o f July weekend! We had a blast spending so much time with close friends and family. Can’t wait to share these experiences and incredible people with a little one ♥️

  Spent our Saturday morning driving out to some local farm stands to pick up some goodies!

Today may be the “official” #BringYourDogToWorkDay, but Mosby and Mike have spent the last 335 work days together since Mike has been working from home! All this working really tires Mosby out ;) 

Summer is here, and this hot, humid weather feels more like Singapore than New York!  Before we moved to NY, Amelia’s career was in admissions for independent boarding schools. Her work used to take her around the world where she would travel domestically and internationally to meet with prospective students and families. Now she prefers to keep work closer to home, but we still fuel her travel bug with family adventures of our own!

  One thing you might not guess about Mike is he loves astronomy! He has his own telescope and loves stargazing and watching other night sky events. He looks forward to sharing his love of the stars and science with little ones someday, and he can’t wait to take them to our incredible local planetarium and the Udvar-Hazy Center when we take our trips down to Virginia!

Perfect end to a busy week! Cruising on the lake with friends <3

These guys are just so in love <3 

Had a little extra time this morning, so we decided to squeeze in one of our favorite pastimes, “trunk breakfast”, at the lake before heading to work.

Amelia and Mosby crashed Mike’s morning reading time in the hammock— not sad about it ;) 

We love adventures and exploring. On this day in 2015, Mike undertook a solo bike trip on the C&O Canal in Maryland aiming to tackle 186 miles over two days. He knocked out 86 miles on day one. Unfortunately, mechanical issues prevented him from finishing the ride on day two. It’s still one of his favorite memories, and we continue to explore the outdoors and trails around New York and elsewhere as a family.

Lunches are ready! One of our favorite things to do together as a family is cook! We often spend an afternoon or evening meal prepping for the week ahead.

How beautiful is this trail near our house?! This is one of our favorite parks in the area. It is a 240-acre nature preserve full of plants, wildlife, and multi-use trails we enjoy year round.

  The other night we enjoyed a FANTASTIC production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat by a local theater group! It is SUCH a fun show and one that Amelia always has a soft spot for. Joseph was the first musical Amelia performed back in high school, and it was a turning point in her love of the arts. After burning out on competitive dance, this show helped her meet new people, love dance, and have FUN performing again!

Last night we enjoyed a free outdoor “Shakespeare in the Park” performance. As a family, we really enjoy supporting the arts— from plays like the one we saw last night to the many galleries and music venues our region has to offer. Last night’s performance was especially fun as it was a dual-language performance, featuring actors using American Sign Language alongside speaking actors. We love the diversity and inclusion our city offers for all people.

Happy #nationaldogday Mosby!!

Wow, what a fun past few weeks!! We closed out our summer with lots of time with family and friends. We’ll try to get you caught up over the next few days, starting with pics from Amelia’s sister’s bridal shower!

For Labor Day weekend, we were thrilled to have a visit from our good friends Jacqie & Casey!! We haven’t seen them since we left Maryland. We’re so thankful to be able to connect with friends and family, both near and far.

Squeezed in some end-of-the-season boating a few weeks ago! Mike and Joe went fishing in the morning then picked up the rest of the gang for a cruise around the Bay.

Fun fact: Mike works in finance now, but his favorite job was working as a barista in Washington DC! Amelia loves the drinks he whips up at home <3 Mike’s go-to coffee orders: Hot, dark roast, black or a cortado. Amelia’s go-to coffee orders: unsweetened iced coffee with cream (regardless of the time of year!) or a cappuccino.

Nothing like a little time outside to recharge after the work day <3 Hope everyone is getting the week off to a good start!

  Mike has always enjoyed sports and fitness. Growing up he played baseball and soccer, and in recent years, he started playing hockey and running. In May 2021, he ran his first half marathon, and this morning on Father’s Day, he ran his first in-person 5k since the pandemic. Mike is so excited to cheer on little ones in their own endeavors, whether it’s sports, the arts or other hobbies and passions.

*Fun Fact Friday* Dance has always been a central part of Amelia’s life. She started dancing at the age of three. As she grew older and more experienced, she found success competing locally, nationally, and internationally. Amelia continued to dance her way through college, performing and choreographing at the University of Tampa, where she was the recipient of the Up and Coming Choreographer Award. She has experience teaching dance to students ages 3-18+ in Florida, Virginia, and Maryland. “Dance is a universal language. I love the freedom it gives you to express yourself and the way you can explore different roles and characters through it. It also makes me listen to and appreciate music on a deeper level. I also love the hard work and dedication it takes to pull off a seemingly effortless performance. Most of all, I love the people and the connections I have made through all my years of dance. I look forward to sharing my love of the arts in general with children.”

  Apr. 18, 2022Yesterday we enjoyed some quality time with Amelia’s parents who came over for Easter dinner. We love hosting and look forward to welcoming more people to our table as we grow our #familythroughadoption.

Apr. 25, 2022Amelia officially earned her Adult 1 and Adult 2 figure skating badges over the weekend! At first, she was worried about looking stupid or being judged by all the people who sit in the stands, and she would mentally question if she was “too old” to start figure skating. But then she remembered SHE is the one, out of all those people, who is actually willing to put herself out there and try something new.Does she mess up? Yes.Does she fall down? Absolutely.Is she getting better? Heck yeah!But most importantly she’s having FUN!Don’t let the fear of failure or judgement stop you from trying new things, and remember, it’s okay to not be good at first (or ever!) if you’re having fun.

May 7, 2022As of this weekend, Mike is officially an ultramarathoner! He CRUSHED his 50k (plus a little bonus!), calling it a day at 32.5 miles. It was a great day with lots of love and support from friends and family near and far, including Amelia’s parents who came to cheer him on to the finish.