clay and haris - the adoption alliance · haris new year’s favorite tv show clay killing eve...
TRANSCRIPT
C L AY AND H A R I S
T H A N K YO UWE ARE S O G L A D YO U FOUND OUR PROFILE.
we are
H A R I S AND C L AYfrom New York
hello and
WE ARE FULL OF JOY BUT STILL HAVE ROOM IN OUR HEARTS TO NURTURE AND LOVE ANOTHER CHILD
W e don’t take adoption lightly and can’t imagine what you are going through. We have been through the process once before with our daughter Ella. We are lucky to have a great
relationship with Ella’s mother and father. We think she is ready to be a big sister. Let’s just
say that her sharing game is showing lots of improvement.
We pinch ourselves every day that we get to live in a lovely home and community and travel regularly
to spend time with our supportive families. We live close enough for Haris to commute to New York City for work but far enough to have a big, wooded backyard and some space to breathe and play. Our two dogs, Tanzen and Prada, round out the picture. We can often be seen playing in the yard or
checking out some of the trails or restaurants in the area.
W E A R E R E A DY TO
S H A R E O U R L OV E
W I T H A N OT H E R C H I L D
A N D T H A N K YO U
S O M U C H F O R E V E N
CO N S I D E R I N G U S F O R
T H AT P R I V I L E G E .
OUR WEDDING DAY
We met six years ago. Clay
chose the restaurant and put
on his most fashion-forward
outfit. As soon as Haris s epped foot
inside, he turned around and said, “This place is too
loud...and what’s the deal with those pants?” You see,
Haris is as honest a person as you’re going to meet.
He is loyal and puts honest communication first. Cl y
could tell Haris was a straight shooter. He followed him
away from that noisy Mexican restaurant, and we’ve
been following each other around the world ever since.
O U R S TO R Y
WE GOT MARRIED IN NEW YORK CITY
THREE YEARS AGO.
A CLOSER LOOK AT U S
WE LOVE TO MAKE EACH OTHER LAUGH
VISITING HARIS’S FAMILY IN SWEDEN FOR NEW YEARS
Our families came from all over the world to
attend, and this meant the world to us because
family comes first or us. We had a procession of
nieces and nephews as part of the ceremony, and
we even had our niece and nephew cut the cake.
We wanted to set the tone for the rest of our life:
kids are the future, so they defini ely matter today.
We adopted Ella two years ago in Texas. We are so
lucky to still have a relationship with Ella’s mother
and father. We moved out of the big city and now
live in Upstate, New York in a picturesque little,
historic village. Once Ella got used to the dirt
and grass, we all settled into our quieter, more
serene home life. We are ready to welcome
another child into our life to run around outside
with Ella and play with the neighbor kids on our
quiet, dead-end cul de sac in the summer time.
WE MADE A QUICK TRIP UP TO MONTREAL ONE
WINTER TO EXPLORE A NEW CITY
HOW WE
MET
H aris is from Bosnia and Hercegovina. He
moved to the U.S. when he was sixteen.
Haris is a self-starter. He taught himself
English and started working right when he
got to the States to provide for himself and his
family. Family is very important to Haris. He is dedicated to open, honest communication and wants very much to share his life story with his children, a life story that involves surviving a civil
war and keeping family together at all costs.
H A R I Sa little about
ELLA & HARIS SPLASHING AT A POOL
HARIS GETTING HIS MUSEUM ON
Haris is a managing director in the city
but has always valued a good work/life
balance. He works from home two days a
week in order to stay rooted with his family;
a family he wants very much to expand.
DO WHAT YOU L OV E WHAT YOU DO
HARIS OFFICIATING A CLOSE FRIEND’S WEDDING
HARIS’S COWORKERS DRESSED UP AS ELVES
HARIS WAS EXCITED TO SHOW CLAY ONE
OF OUR FAVORITE CITIES, SARAJEVO
C L A Ya little about C lay is from a
farm in Ohio
and wants
to raise a family
with similar honest,
Midwestern values:
Don’t be afraid to get dirty. Put
in an honest day’s work. Be kind.
Clay is eager to welcome a new child into their lives and can’t wait to spark his or her curiosity and creativity, too.
WE HAVE AT LEAST ONE PICTURE PER SUMMER WHERE CLAY IS IN
THIS EXACT SAME SPOT
Clay is a teacher through and through. He is currently on a leave of absence from his actual teaching job (middle and high school) and has been staying home to take care of Ella for the past year, but
he can’t seem to take the teacher
hat off. Whether they are walking in
the woods or playing in Ella’s room,
Clay is always trying to spark Ella’s
curiosity. And curious she is. She asks,
“What’s that?” about 500 times a day.
DO WHAT YOU L OV E WHAT YOU DO
ALL SMILES
CLAY AND ELLA DOLLED UP FOR A HOLIDAY DINNER
CLAY’S SILLY SIDE CLAY TEACHING
W e live in a quaint, historic
village in New York. It’s a picturesque, wooded
cul de sac where the neighbor kids ride bikes and play on each other’s swing sets. There are tons of hiking
and outdoor activities to enjoy up
here, and we are also close enough to
be able to enjoy the cultural activities
New York City has to offer. W E L I V E D I N N YC F O R A L O N G T I M E , S O I T I S I M P O R TA N T F O R U S TO B E C L O S E E N O U G H TO TA K E A DVA N TAG E O F A L L T H E C I T Y H A S TO O F F E R , TO O.
W e have two tiny little dogs. Tanzen is a Miniature Pinscher.
He thinks he’s a very big, tough
guy, but he’s actually a softy. He likes cuddling
with us on the couch and letting Ella rub
heads with him. And food. He really loves
food. Prada is a fi teen-year-old Pomeranian.
People still think she’s a puppy. She’s young
at heart and loves nothing more than to be
petted...continuously, all the time, forever. Like
she’s annoyed we’re not petting her right now.
O U R H O M EAND CO M M U N I T Y
this is
Meet Our Pets
WE HAVE 4 ACRES TO EXPLORE IN OUR UPSTATE HOME
PRADA TANZEN
ENJOYING THE VIEWS OF THE
ADRIATIC FROM OUR SUMMER
APARTMENT IN CROATIA
FAVO R I T E F O O DCLAY CheeseHARIS Chocolate
FAVO R I T E H O L I DAYCLAY 4th of JulyHARIS New Year’s
FAVO R I T E T V S H OWCLAY Killing EveHARIS Drag Race
W e love to explore and travel. We visit
family in Oklahoma for Thanksgiving,
family in Sweden for Christmas and
New Year’s, and spend our summers in Croatia
with family. We also love exploring our local area.
There are tons of local antique shops, restaurants,
and outdoor activities.
We are both avid readers, and Clay also loves to
write. Haris took up baking recently, and Clay
cooks. But let’s face it, neither of us is winning
any contests anytime soon.
F O R F U N
what we do
OUR FAVO R I T E S
WHY SO SERIOUS, HARIS? PARIS IS FUN
GRABBING A BITE AT ONE OF OUR FAVORITE LOCAL SPOTS
FAVO R I T E H O B B YCLAY ReadingHARIS Baking
FAVO R I T E S E A S O NCLAY FallHARIS Spring
FAVO R I T E D E S S E R TCLAY Chocolate with Peanut ButterHARIS Chocolate Everything
DATE NIGHT IN GERMANY
WEEKEND TRIP TO SEE FRIENDS IN DC
Haris’s mom and dad live in
Florida, so we get to see them a
few times a year. Ella loves “Nena”
(Haris’s mom). She’s the go-to
babysitter of choice. Haris also has
cousins in Sweden we see around
the holidays. Then Haris’s entire
family gets together every summer
in Croatia. There are tons of nieces
and nephews on both sides, and
they all have one thing in common:
They adore Ella and can’t wait for a
new addition.
OUR FA M I L Y
AN ENTIRE GENERATION OF CLAY’S FAMILY AT A WEDDING
HARIS AND HIS COUSINS ARE
LIKE BROTHER AND SISTERS
CLAY’S WHOLE FAMILY STRIKES A POSE
WE LOVE TO TUBE IN CROATIA
CELEBRATING ELLA’S 1ST BIRTHDAY IN CROATIA
W e are blessed to have mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters,
cousins, nieces, and nephews all over the world that we often get to see. Clay’s family lives mostly in
Oklahoma. Ella says, “Neigh,” when
you ask if she wants to Facetime
with grandma because grandma
has horses! Clay’s sister also lives in
Oklahoma with her family of fi e,
and we get to see them when we
visit for Thanksgiving. We give the
best presents by the way.
and friends
W e don’t take parenting lightly at all. We believe in
nurturing the child and bringing out their unique
qualities. We are raising Ella to be considerate
of others and aware of her own feelings. Education is very
important to us. It played a major role in making us the men
we are today, and we try to instill the love of learning into Ella.
We also value the power of the family meal. It was even in our
wedding vows that no matter how big our family becomes,
Clay would continue to cook and Haris would continue to do
the dishes. Sitting around the table together at dinner time
is an important way we continue to share in each other’s lives
and grow our bond as a family.
PA R E N T Sus as
E lla is the ultimate big sister in waiting. She loves her baby
dolls and is in constant motion
tending to them. She is strong-willed
but utterly kind and considerate. She
puts her toys away and is more likely to
share the bells in music class than to
take them for herself. Oh, and bubbles...
just like every other child, she loves
bubbles. Luckily, we have plenty of
bubbles for a little brother or sister.
E L L Ameet
READY TO BE A BIG SISTER! LEAF PEEPING GRADUATION DAY AT GYMNASTICS
ELLA’S FIRST CHRISTMAS
ELLA HAS A LOT OF LOVE IN HER LIFE
T hanks again for reading our profile. We take the commitment
of parenthood extremely seriously and thank you for even
considering us with that responsibility. Open, honest
communication and family are extremely important to us. That’s why
we are looking to grow our family through adoption. We would love to
get to know you better!
T H A N K YO U
in closing
W E WO U L D L OV E TO H E A R F R O M YO U ! I F YO U H AV E A D D I T I O N A L Q U E S T I O N S F O R U S O R WO U L D L I K E TO S P E A K TO U S , P L E A S E
CO N TAC T T H E A D O P T I O N A L L I A N C E B Y CA L L I N G 1-800-626-4324.
W E CA N ’ T T H A N K YO U E N O U G H FOR GETTING TO KNOW US BETTER, AND WE
HOPE WE’VE ANSWERED ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE.