A Letter from Chris & Maggie
We’re Chris, Maggie, and Belle-Rae an energetic military family from Florida. Most days you can find us with our extended family, exploring nature parks, or marveling at a gorgeous sunset at the beach near our home. We were blessed to adopt Belle-Rae in 2019 and have loved watching her grow into a caring, outgoing toddler. We have so much love to share and are thrilled to grow our family again through adoption!
Our Story
We met nine years ago in an interesting twist of fate at work. Maggie’s boss told her about a tall, sweet man she just hired and predicted he was Maggie’s future husband. Sure enough, that was right! We formed an instant friendship that blossomed into a lifelong romance.
Maggie knew from a young age that she would not be able to have children, so adoption has been in her heart for as long as she can remember. She shared this with Chris on their first date and adoption became a part of our plans from that day forward. After being married for three years we started our adoption journey and were blessed, in 2019, to adopt our daughter, Belle-Rae.
We spend our time with family, cooking, attending church, and enjoying the outdoors. A day spent kayaking, camping, or fishing is always a happy one. We love splashing at the beach with Belle-Rae, taking her on hikes, and visiting the zoo and aquarium. Some of our favorite parts of the day are family walks around the neighborhood and our evening ritual of blowing bubbles in the backyard- all things we look forward to including your child in.
Meet Chris
Chris is a man of great integrity who’s devoted, loving, and humble. His patience and calming presence are as apparent at home as they are in his work as an insurance claims adjuster. He’s also a U.S. Air Force reservist and works as an Aircraft Maintenance Crew Chief. He has a heart for serving his county for the past 13 years and we’re so proud of him! One of the neat things about being a reserve family is that we never have to move, but we have the honor of serving and get to experience the benefits of military life.
Chris has a natural gift for woodworking and can fix just about anything. He’s athletic and loves to run. Belle-Rae really enjoys joining him from her jogging stroller on their multi-mile adventures! I know he looks forward to sharing his love of God, family, and country with our children.
Meet Maggie
Maggie is a kind, intelligent, vivacious woman. She’s one to throw surprise parties, start dancing on a whim, and twirl sparklers on the 4th of July with the kids. She loves meeting new people, always looks to the bright side, and serves with pride as a volunteer military family advocate. I’ve never seen her happier than when she became a mommy. Maggie and Belle-Rae have fun-filled days at home visiting parks, playing outside, reading, laughing, and singing. Some of Maggie’s favorite hobbies include yoga, cooking, and spending time in the outdoors. All things that she loves to share with our daughter and that she looks forward to sharing with our next child. I know her faith and compassion will be reflected in our children too.
Our Home in Florida
We live in Maggie’s hometown in Florida which has kept its small-town charm and relaxed Florida vibe, all while growing into a diverse, thriving community. We built our home in 2019 and are nestled perfectly between beach life, the country, and the city. It’s warm and modern with three bedrooms and already has a nursery ready for your child! Much of our time is spent in the backyard where there’s plenty of room to run and play. Our home is in a close-knit community where we can walk to trails, parks, and our community pool. The best part of where we live is that most of the wonderful people we call family are just miles from our door.
Our Daughter and Family
Our sweet Belle-Rae joined our family through adoption in 2019. She is a bright and curious toddler with an infectious laugh and incredible wit. She lights up whenever she sees other children, is very affectionate, loves making people laugh, playing in the water, reading, and anything that makes noise. We know she will be a loving big sister.
Our extended family is large, loud, incredibly loving, and all so excited to welcome your child into the fold. We celebrate together every couple of weeks with birthdays, holidays, or milestones. We host most of our family gatherings and it fills our home with constant laughter.
Our Promise
We promise to guide your child into becoming the best version of themselves. We will teach them to spread joy and love in the world. They will know God’s grace, unconditional love, stability, and lots of fun. Kindness, respect, family values, and self-esteem are all things that we will work to instill in them. We are excited to share with your child all of the beauty that life has to offer and for them to join us on outdoor adventures, movie nights, family trips, and laugher in everything we do. We look forward to sharing in all the joys of your child’s life through letters, pictures, and visits.
If you would like to learn more about us, please call or text Lifetime at 1.800.923.6784.
Learn More About Chris & Maggie
| Chris | Maggie | |
|---|---|---|
| Our Education | Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration | Bachelor's Degree in Paralegal Studies |
| Our Professions | Insurance Claims Adjuster & U.S. Air Force Reservist | Stay-At-Home Mom |
| Stay-At-Home | No, but works civilian job from home | Yes |
| Our Racial Background | Caucasian | Caucasian |
| Some of Chris & Maggie's Favorites | ||
| TV Show | The Office | The Office |
| Movie Genre | Military history and documentaries | Any cheesy 80s movie |
| Holiday | Christmas ~ Decorating, enjoying delicious food & family get-togethers | 4th of July ~ America, fireworks & hot dogs |
| Food | Baked macaroni & cheese (His family recipe) | Watermelon |
| Way to Stay Healthy | Runnnig | Yoga & meditation |
| Weekend Rituals | Friday game/home movie nights, Saturday running club & Sunday dinners with the family | Church, spending time with family & reading the Sunday paper in print |
| Talent we want to share with our children | Woodworking | Cooking & party planning |
| More About Our Family | ||
| Our Special Interests | We’re pretty much inseparable, so it’s common to see Chris in an awkward yoga pose because he tagged along with Maggie to a class. It’s also likely that you will see Maggie trying to keep up with Chris pushing Belle-Rae in the stroller on a run. We love watching baseball, watching and playing golf, and attending country concerts. Spending time giving back to the community, particularly military-connected causes, is something very dear to both of us. It's important that we teach our children how to be of service to others and it will always be a priority to give them opportunities to join us when we volunteer. Travel is another passion of ours and we cannot wait for our children to join us on overseas adventures! Closer to home, nothing can top a trip to the Midwest to visit extended family. | |
| Our Faith | Chris grew up attending a Bible Church and Maggie was raised Catholic. We've attended different churches as a couple over the years and found our home with a warm, welcoming Presbyterian church in our town. Instilling a sense of faith and understanding of God’s love throughout a child's life is of the utmost importance to us. | |
| Our Family | Our extended family is large, loud, and incredibly loving. There is always a reason for celebration with this bunch! Every couple of weeks a birthday, holiday, or milestone brings us all together. Our home is the center of most of our family gatherings and is filled with constant laughter. Our friends and family cannot wait to wrap their arms around another child and welcome them home. We also have three friendly, playful cats, Bonnie, Jovi, and Maddon. They add another level of excitement to our day with their antics. Belle-Rae has really bonded with them and it’s amazing to see how protective and loving they’ve become toward her. | |
| Our Neighborhood | The sidewalks in our neighborhood are full of friendly neighbors enjoying walks, stopping to chat, and hosting block parties. There are holiday celebrations, decorating contests, egg hunts, and even a Santa parade that rides right past our house! We’re blessed to live in a community that has so much to offer families and children. | |
| We Prefer a Child Who Is... | ||
| Age of Child | Newborn | |
| Twins | Absolutely! We have plenty of room in our hearts and home for two more children. | |
| Gender | Either! | |
| In Closing | ||
Thank you for taking the time to get to know us. We look forward to getting to know you too! We will always honor the openness that you desire and are happy to share more details about our life with you. We promise that your child will experience a lifetime of love. They will always know the beauty of the roots and branches of their family tree and how adoption has blessed us all. |
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