Erin & Richmond

We love getting together with our families and friends for a wide array of holidays and birthday celebrations. We also get very into our annual family Halloween costumes. We’ve done the outer space, Curious George, and Beatles themes so far. It will be so much fun to have another child to include in this creative tradition.

We live in a historic and updated 1913 home with a big backyard and dreamy playroom. We have four bedrooms and plenty of room for another child. Our neighbors have babies and children who love playing together in our fenced backyards, on our shaded front porches, and at the multiple playgrounds and parks. Atlanta is known as a “city within a forest” since we have more trees per capita than any other major metropolis. We live in the heart of Atlanta which is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in America. We often attend international festivals and take any opportunity to learn about and celebrate other communities and cultures. We also enjoy exploring museums and sites such as Zoo Atlanta, the Fernbank Science Museum, the Georgia Aquarium, Stone Mountain Park, the Woodruff Arts Center, Atlanta Botanical Gardens, and the Children’s Museum. All of these spots are close to our home, and we have family memberships to enjoy them any time. It takes a village to raise a child and we are so fortunate to have an incredible group of friends here in Atlanta and spread out in other states and countries. Several of our close friends have adopted children and we are all very much looking forward to welcoming your baby into our lives.

We are very close with our families and feel so blessed to have so many family members nearby. Richmond has a younger brother who is married, and they have a son who is two years old and another baby due this coming January. Our sister-in-law is the middle of three sisters. Her older sister also has a two-year-old son, and her younger sister has a one-year-old and a three-year-old. Since we all live within a few miles of each other, we get together often for the kids to play and for the adults to catch up. Richmond’s family has a mountain house in Tennessee and a lake house not far from Atlanta and we spend a lot of fun family times together at both. We take waterfall hikes, have tennis matches, and go on group golf outings. Erin’s mom also lives very close to us and built a wonderful, shaded playground in her backyard for her grandchildren. She is a loving grandma and baby whisperer and is waiting and ready to welcome your baby into her arms! Erin’s brother takes his uncle's role very seriously, and even though he lives in New Orleans, we see him often when he visits or when we go on family trips. We also FaceTime with him weekly.

Q: What will you teach your new baby brother or sister? A: I will teach them the names of all the trucks, the ABCs, not to run around the pool, how to sing and dance my favorite song “We Will Rock You,” and how to pretend to be firefighters. Q: What do big brothers do? A: Play with little kids and help them if they cry. Q: How will you help if the baby cries? A: Pick them up and hold them if they cry. Q: How will you help if the baby cries? A: Pick them up and hold them in the rocking chair.

Boyd is eager to love and support a little brother or sister. He has been asking for a sibling since he could speak. As the oldest cousin of five boys on Richmond’s side, he already has a lot of practice serving as a helper. Boyd loves to encourage and teach his younger cousins and friends, and we are filled with joy at the thought of Boyd becoming the best big brother to your baby. Boyd is kind, loving, adventurous, silly, and smart. He loves being read to and “reading” to his friends, family, and stuffed animals. He also enjoys spending time at his desk drawing, painting, working through puzzles, or building with blocks and dough. Boyd zooms around his variety of trains and trucks and pretends to put out fires as our home fire chief. Ever since he was old enough for the “Jolly Jumper’’ baby toy, Boyd has found great joy in jumping; he loves his trampoline, bounce house, and any chance to climb and jump on the playground. He leads his stuffed animals in conversations with each other and on make-believe journeys flying or driving around the house from Jamaica to Madagascar. (Two of Boyd’s favorite teachers are Jamaican and Erin served in the Peace Corps in Madagascar, so Boyd feels great kinship with his stuffed lemurs and reggae music). Boyd enjoyed attending our neighborhood Montessori school as a toddler and is now beginning in the three-year-old immersive French class at the Atlanta International School. Most of all, Boyd loves helping and is very proud of himself when he feels he has successfully helped someone or done something “big kids” do themselves. He delights in watering the plants, putting away the dishes, and cleaning up messes.

Richmond is the most thoughtful person I know. He puts great care and respect into everything he does and learns something interesting from everyone he meets. He is bright, quick-witted, level-headed, and reads a book a week. Richmond loves riding his bike, playing tennis and chess with his brother, and cheering on the Arsenal and Atlanta United soccer teams. My favorite sound is hearing Boyd and Richmond make each other laugh, and I can’t wait for us to have another child to include in the fun. Richmond and I were together for 10 years before we had Boyd. I didn’t think I could love Richmond more than I already did, but experiencing him as a father has made me fall in love with him in a whole new way. For someone who is so grounded and logical, I’m continually impressed by the way he and Boyd bring out each other’s imaginations. Many evenings after dinner and if it’s nice outside, he and Boyd go out “fishing” in our backyard with their fishing rods and straw hats. While we have a large and lovely backyard, there’s no water. They use their imaginations to cast and reel for fish, and even put their hats on their faces for a little “nap” since that’s part of the fishing ritual. As big as Richmond’s mind is, his heart is even bigger. I was raised by a strong single mom and was lucky to have incredible examples of secure relationships in my extended family who all lived nearby. However, I had never lived in a home with two parents who loved each other. I thank God every day that Richmond did. His parents served as an almost perfect example of how to love each other, themselves, their children, and their community in a well-balanced way. Richmond has taught me and been able to lead our growing family through his steadfast and unconditional love. I am so excited to see his heart expand even more when we welcome your baby into our family.

Imagining Erin as a mom is why I fell in love with her. She is a fountain of enthusiasm and has a limitless commitment to serving those around her. Erin can turn any humdrum activity into something special for the family. Silly mood and crawling around on the floor? Erin invented “mommy mountain,” and now our son loves to pretend he’s a mountaineer climbing the tallest peak in the world. Erin is deeply empathetic and very intentional about instilling values into our children’s daily experiences and growth. Boyd’s bookshelves are filled with stories of courage and inclusion and resilience. Erin is a giver and a lover and an unstoppable problem-solver. She is resourceful and creative. For Boyd’s second birthday, Erin somehow combined his three favorite things (Curious George, trains, and Jamaican reggae music) into a pool party, creating a memory that he still loves to talk about. Judging by her singing voice, Erin may also be tone deaf, but that doesn’t keep her from starting impromptu song-and-dance parties in our kitchen or insisting that she and Boyd sing Taps before bed. Erin is naturally a leader and a community builder. It was no surprise when our son’s teacher asked her to be the class mom and organize the communication and activities among all the other parents. She has always thrived on bringing joy to the lives of others. Erin was a summer camp counselor for six years, volunteered in the Peace Corps after college, and became a filmmaker to tell uplifting stories of hope and opportunity. She wins awards and speaks at conferences and leads large teams on difficult projects. But none of those things compare to how wonderful she is as a mom.