Welcome! Meet:

Sean + Anna

Food Scientist / Part-Time Stay at Home Mom and Part time Food Regulatory Specialist

New Jersey

Caucasian

Catholic / Christian

All About Sean & Anna

Sean: 

Sean, the oldest of two in a close-knit family, has a natural ability to make others feel welcome. His charm and quick wit draw people in, and his knack for storytelling keeps them engaged. Whether making people laugh with a yarn, offering kind words to brighten someone’s day, or ensuring everyone feels included, Sean has a way of bringing joy to those around him.

Sean’s easygoing and warm nature comes straight from his father, who also happens to be Finn’s favorite person.

At home, Sean is a hands-on parent who treasures the little moments, especially dinner and bedtime with Finn. Whether crafting in his woodshop, telling bedtime stories, or experimenting with new recipes, Sean thrives on creativity. He loves the outdoors, particularly anything related to the beach.

Sean’s playful energy, combined with his deep love for family, makes him a steady, loving presence and a source of joy in our home.

Anna:

Anna is caring, empathetic, and creative. After adopting Finnegan in 2022, she left her career to focus on motherhood—a role she considers her most rewarding journey. Anna is passionate about fostering learning and creativity, ensuring Finnegan has engaging activities to help him grow, often creating them herself. She even started a toy library in town, giving families access to developmental toys and activities, blending her love of community with her dedication to helping children thrive.

She fills Finnegan’s days with curiosity and fun, crafting games, exploring nature, and joining in learning activities. As a mother, Anna sees herself as a guide, helping her children discover their strengths and best selves in a home filled with encouragement, creativity, and joy.

Why Adoption?

From the start, we dreamed of creating a home defined by love and intention, knowing that relationships—not biology—are what truly build a home. While we initially hoped to have both biological and adopted children, infertility made it clear that adoption would be our only path forward. Rather than feeling like a compromise, this realization deepened our desire to build a family where our children would feel safe, cherished, and encouraged to grow into the amazing people they are meant to be.

In 2022, we adopted our son, and the experience has been life-changing. One moment that stands out was meeting his birth parents for the first time. We were nervous and excited, unsure of what to expect. As soon as Anna saw the birth mother, they both burst into tears and hugged, even before introducing themselves. That hug felt right—it was a moment of connection that words couldn’t capture. Sharing a love for our son has created a bond with his birth family that feels both unexpected and incredibly meaningful.

Because of the difficulty and length of our journey to find our son, we feel the miracle of his presence every single day. Watching him grow fills us with gratitude and joy. Adoption has taught us how beautiful it is when people come together with intention and love for a child. We aim to honor the courage and strength of birth parents by committing to providing a nurturing, and supportive environment for our child.

These experiences have shaped how we approach parenting—with patience, openness, and empathy. We want our children to feel secure, valued, and free to be themselves, knowing they are loved and supported unconditionally. Adoption is more than a way to grow our family; it’s a gift, and a journey that connects hearts in ways we never imagined.

Family & Home

We live in a small, family-centered town that feels both vibrant and welcoming. Our home is a five-bedroom house with a large backyard perfect for gardening, playtime, and gathering with friends. The heart of our home is the kitchen, where we cook meals together, play games at the table, and connect as a family. It's a space filled with laughter, music, and everyday joy.

Our neighborhood is the kind where people wave hello on walks and kids ride bikes down the sidewalk. We’re within walking distance of parks, nature trails, a library that hosts kid-friendly events, and a weekly farmer’s market. The many community events give us lots of opportunities to connect and feel part of something bigger. We love how easy it is to spend time outside and how often we run into familiar faces.

We are lucky to have a strong network of both biological and chosen family. Sean’s side is large, warm, and tightly knit with holiday gatherings often including 20 to 50 relatives. Everyone stays connected across states through visits, calls, and family vacations. His parents are incredibly supportive and very involved in our lives. Anna’s family is smaller, and while some relationships have required healthy boundaries, she remains close with her mother and extended family and values the role they play in our lives.

Together, we’re building a home grounded in unconditional love, creativity, and empathy. Our family includes our son Finnegan, who we adopted in 2022, our playful dog Ash, and our affectionate cat Maize. We cherish the small moments: snuggling during bedtime stories, weekend hikes, dance parties in the kitchen, and are excited to share these experiences with another child.

How others describe me

Anna on Sean:
Sean is the kind of person who can make anyone feel welcome. He’s funny, thoughtful, and has a way of putting others at ease with his kindness and quick wit. He’s endlessly creative, whether he’s telling bedtime stories, building something in the woodshop, or experimenting in the kitchen. Watching him with our son is one of my greatest joys. He’s an involved, playful, and deeply loving father. Sean is also grounded, generous, and the kind of partner who shows up fully for the big moments and the small ones. I feel lucky every day to build a life with him.

Sean on Anna:
Anna is a nurturing, empathetic, and incredibly thoughtful person. She’s the kind of mom who turns everyday moments into magic, making up songs, creating art projects, and helping our son discover the world through play and wonder. She’s also a deep thinker, someone who seeks meaning in everything she does and builds real connections with the people around her. Her strength and heart inspire me. Anna’s love for family, her creativity, and her deep sense of self-awareness and purpose make her not just an amazing partner but an extraordinary mom.

how we met

How We Met

Some love stories start with fireworks, but ours began with the warm glow of friendship. We met at work, where we encouraged each other to explore new possibilities and step out of our comfort zones. Sean stood out to Anna for his empathy and creativity. He had a way of making everyone in a room feel seen and valued. For Sean, it was Anna’s individuality and nurturing spirit that drew him in—qualities that showed her care for others. Our friendship grew from these shared values and deepened because of mutual respect, openness, and support. Sean’s passion for food sparked Anna’s decision to become a food scientist, while Anna inspired Sean to take bold steps in his career, helping him grow and succeed.

Those same bold steps moved Sean across the country for a promotion. For a time, we lost touch, and life took us in different directions. During a road trip, Anna and her friend passed near Sean’s new hometown and they decided to meet up. That visit changed everything, igniting a spark that had been waiting for the right moment to catch. One unforgettable evening, we found ourselves dancing on the beach, listening to music, and feeling like we had come home. It was at that moment that we realized how much we truly meant to each other. 

Our love grew across the miles but truly blossomed when Sean moved closer to home. The transition from friends to partners felt effortless, thanks to the strong foundation we had built on honesty, mutual respect, and trust. After a year of dating, Anna was surprised when one morning, during their island vacation, Sean caught her and asked her to be his partner for life. It was the perfect culmination of our journey from colleagues to friends to soulmates.

Advice to Future Child

Always be kind to others and to yourself. The world is full of possibilities. You don’t need to have everything figured out to take the next step. Ask questions. Make mistakes. Laugh a lot. We’ll always be here to remind you that you’re enough, exactly as you are, and that you are deeply loved, no matter what.

You come from a place of great courage and love. Never forget how your story began, with someone who loved you so much, they made an incredibly brave choice. We will honor that story always, and help you grow with confidence in who you are and where you come from. The world is better because you’re in it, and we’ll be cheering you on every step of the way.

Perspectives on Open Adoption

We believe having some level of openness is important, as staying in touch with birth parents can be meaningful and beneficial for everyone involved. We are open to emails, texts, video calls, and even visits depending on feasibility. 

We understand that the level of openness might evolve over time, depending on what works best for everyone. If our child ever wishes to meet their birth parents, we want that process to be straightforward and positive.

Favorites

Sean
  • Favorite Movie: Fast and Furious Franchise
  • Favorite Holiday/Tradition: Every Thanksgiving, my extended family, aunts, uncles, and cousins, now their kids come together for a big holiday celebration. It’s loud, joyful, and full of food and laughter. We’ve kept the tradition going so that the next generation can grow up with the same sense of belonging and family connection I had as a kid. Watching our son now play with his cousins the same way we did makes it even more special.
  • Hobbies/Interests: woodworking, cooking, playing board games, swimming, hiking, telling silly bedtime stories, exploring new recipes or local eats
  • Dream Vacation: A food and culture adventure through Thailand or Vietnam—sampling street food, exploring floating markets, and taking cooking classes to learn traditional dishes. I’d love to share that kind of immersive experience with our kids one day, experiencing the beauty of different cultures through food, history, and everyday life.
  • If I Could Choose a Superpower: flying
Anna
  • Favorite Movie: Inside Out
  • Favorite Holiday/Tradition: Growing up, New Year’s Eve meant staying up late playing board games with family, trying your hardest to make it to midnight. If you did, you got to run outside with the neighbors, banging pots and pans and shouting at the top of your lungs to welcome the new year. It was loud, joyful, and unforgettable—the kind of tradition that made you feel like you were part of something big and exciting.
  • Hobbies/Interests: gardening, arts and crafts, nature walks and hiking, board games and puzzles, volunteering in the community, creative storytelling with kids
  • Dream Vacation: A quiet cottage on a lush island with beautiful beaches and hiking trails, somewhere to relax, explore, and connect with nature as a family.
  • If I Could Choose a Superpower: The ability to heal others—physically and emotionally.

We’re here to help.