Family & Home

Our 4-bedroom, 3 bathroom, ranch style home is next to an elementary school with a large, open field, many bike paths, two large lakes,  parks, jungle gyms, a dog park, and the Westminster light rail station. Our corner lot features two front yards, a back yard, and an oversized two-car garage, filled with sporting, outdoors, and camping equipment. Laurence brings organization and structure to the household, also doing the cooking, while James maintains the yard, keeps the home filled with living plants, and handles most of the cleaning.

The home was fully renovated in 2020, each room furnished with a modern-rustic approach incorporating James’ Alaska heritage and passion for the outdoors, with Laurence’s eye for modern, minimalist design. Our open concept, high-ceiling living areas feature contemporary finishes and decorations from our worldly travels. The approximately 130 square-foot nursery will be just steps away from our bedroom, the master bathroom, and the kitchen. We have a three-year-old pet Red Iguana, Apollo, who lives in a large terrarium just off the kitchen. Apollo loves to crawl out of his cage and bask in the sunlight during the day, occasionally cuddling up with one of us when we are working in the living room. 

James has one sister, Cassie, a 38-year-old social worker who lives with her wife, Meredith, a financial planner, in Portland, Oregon. James’ mother, Carol, is a farmer in Vermont and lives with his aunt, and his father, Larry, is a safety consultant in their hometown of Juneau, Alaska. James has a retired stepmother, Rebecca, who lives in Eugene, Oregon. James has several cousins, aunts, and uncles who live in Colorado and he visits them often. James is extremely close with his large, blended family, sending them handmade cards and gifts for the holidays throughout the year. 

We are close with our families, who are all very excited and supportive of us growing a family. Laurence’s mother and James’ stepmother are beyond excited to become grandparents and have been waiting for this day for years. James’s aunts and uncles live close by and are equally excited. Laurence’s mother plans to be very involved with our child’s life, including providing care a couple of days during the work week. 

We have a very large, eclectic friend group in Colorado, many of whom have very young children or who are on a similar timeline as us. With our friends, we love to entertain in our home, go to concerts and music festivals, host group camping trips, ski and snowboard across the continent, host overly competitive board game sessions, and go out to restaurants. 

Laurence has one brother, Marc, a  45-year-old physical therapist, who lives with his wife, Eva, a homemaker, in Astoria, Oregon, with their two children. Laurence’s retired mother, Diane, lives in Centennial (and is in the process of moving within a mile or so of us), and his retired father, Joel, lives with his wife, Louise, in Pfafftown, North Carolina. Laurence’s 98 grandmother, Irene, lives in Los Angeles, CA, with her husband, Howard, and Laurence will visit her two to three times per year. 

We visit Oregon at least annually to see our siblings, their families, and James’ stepmother and love staying with them and spending time with their children. Occasionally, we will travel to Los Angeles or Oregon for Passover, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or other holidays to spend time with Laurence’s family. James’ family participates in a nationwide annual family gift exchange, with over 20 participants. Laurence and his mother will host an annual Passover seder for his close friends to share stories of courage, resilience, and freedom. We host an annual holiday party with our friends to share our interfaith traditions, reflected in our annual, diversely decorated “holiday bush.”