Chris and Dana are both 31 years old, and their biological
daughter Addison is 4 years old.
They both earned a Bachelor's degree from Michigan State University,
and Dana also obtained a Master's degree from the University of Michigan.
Chris loves putting his education and experience to work every day as a structural engineer designing buildings. Dana is a stay-at-home mom and has been since Addison was born. Dana truly enjoys her time at home with Addison and looks forward to continuing staying home once a new child joins their family. Previously, Dana worked as a social worker providing support to children and families. They are financially secure and stable.
They are Catholic. This family lives in Grand Rapids, MI.
This family is Caucasian and wishes to adopt a child, or sibling group, age 0-4 of any race or ethnicity. They hope to have an open adoption but fully respect the boundaries requested by the placing parents.
Hello! We are Dana, Chris and Addison. We are a warm and loving family exited to grow through open adoption. We love being parents more than anything in the world and can't wait to welcome more children into our hearts and home. We have always dreamed of having a large family, imagining years and years of watching amazing little people grow into beautiful big people. We can’t wait for our daughter (Addison) to experience what it is like to have siblings and for all of us to experience the joy of our family expanding.
About Chris (by Dana): Chris is my husband and my very favorite person. He has an amazing way of connecting with others and makes people feel so comfortable in his presence. He is the happiest most optimistic person I have ever met. He is a wonderfully amazing husband and dad who brings such happiness to all those around him.
About Dana (by Chris): Dana is my wife and she makes me the luckiest person in the world every day. I fell in love with her for so many reasons, but most of all because of her unbelievable passion for children and family. Dana is creative, caring, and giving and finds peace and happiness making those around her feel special and appreciated. Dana’s honesty and loyalty make her an amazing mother, wife, and friend.
About Addison: Addison is our 4 year-old sweetheart. She is a loving and sensitive little girl who is very perceptive of the world around her. Addison loves to play at the park, swim, ride her bike, read books, listen to music, sing, dance, cook, play games...and most of all play dress up! Addison is a kind and caring little girl who talks nonstop and has an active imagination that keeps us on our toes. There is nothing we love more than being parents and watching this little person grow before our eyes.
Our Marriage and Our Family: Our Foundation:
Dana and I met in our dorm at Michigan State University in 1999. We got married in September 2003 and have now been married for 7 years. We are best friends that cannot imagine life without one another and share a very open and honest relationship. Our marriage is our family’s foundation and our commitment to one another is present every day.
Disclaimer: Although we share many highlights and happy times of our lives in this letter and on our websites, we want whoever is reading this to know that we are real people and have our ups and downs like everyone else. We make mistakes, we sometimes fail, we get crabby and tired, we sometimes say things that we don’t mean, we don’t exercise enough, and we love desserts a little too much! We are real people, leading real lives and only hope to have the opportunity to share our lives with more children. Thank you for taking the time to learn more about us!
Warmest Regards, Chris and Dana
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Fusce tempor arcu ac urna. Fusce congue eleifend mi. Pellentesque metus sem, elementum eu, rhoncus sed, gravida sit amet, nulla. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean condimentum, odio quis pharetra dignissim, diam nisl dignissim diam, eu interdum magna erat sit amet felis. Etiam non felis at urna tempus luctus. In ullamcorper nisl congue elit. In convallis nibh vitae justo. Quisque ac lectus vitae sem consequat sagittis. Donec turpis nisi, feugiat sollicitudin, fermentum vitae, volutpat sed, ligula.
We believe that families expanded by adoption are special and should be honored. Our children will always know their birth and adoption stories and the wonderful way we became a family.
We have very positive feelings towards adoptions that permit openness and believe that openness in adoption is crucial to the emotional well-being of all those involved in a particular adoption.
We feel that an adopted child gains a great deal from having a relationship with his/her birthparents and also benefits from seeing a positive relationship develop between the birth parents and adoptive parents.
While we hope to have an open adoption, we first and foremost fully respect the boundaries requested by the placing parent.
Our family and friends play an enormous role in our life and make us the people we are today. We spend a great deal of time with family and friends – everything from large family vacations to frequent dinners with our neighbors. We have learned so much from all the wonderful people in our life and we cherish all the memories we have gained over the years. Our family and friends support us unconditionally in difficult times and are there to join us while celebrating good times. Nothing is more important to us than our family and friends.
We live in a very family-friendly community and have many friends with young children in our neighborhood. We have a pool, park, baseball field, soccer field, tennis courts and an elementary school right in our neighborhood. The three of us have so much fun just being together, playing around the house and enjoying all that our safe, welcoming neighborhood has to offer.
We put a great deal of energy into filling our days with enriching experiences – both inside and outside of our home. We enjoy spending time within our community by frequenting museums, farmers markets, parks, restaurants, libraries, malls, bookstores, the zoo, Meijer Gardens, etc. We place a very high value on education and hope that our children will develop a true love for learning. We feel that real life experience is the best way for children to learn, explore and grow and we try to provide much opportunity and many resources to help encourage that learning.
Together Chris and I enjoy fixing up our house, cooking, going out to eat, watching our favorite TV shows, watching movies, discussing current events and planning for our future. Individually, Chris loves to watch college football and basketball (especially MSU!) and also enjoys playing hockey and golf. Dana enjoys catching up with friends, reading, cooking, baking, writing, and gardening.
We want our children to have experiences that challenge them, physically and mentally, in a warm and supportive community of family and friends. We’ll encourage them to be creative, kind, thoughtful and considerate. We’ll do chores together and play together. We’ll sing, dance and laugh. We’ll celebrate holidays. We will cook together and we’ll eat together. We’ll support our children when they struggle, applaud them when they do well, and guide them when they make mistakes. We will love them every single day.
