David and MacKenzie
Location: Michigan
Ages: 38 and 38
Religion: Christian
Professions: Elementary Principal/Elementary Principal
Other Kids: 4
Preferences: African American/Bi-Racial, Either Gender, Newborn up to 3 years of age
How We Met: MacKenzie’s friends from high school became David’s friends in college. After we both graduated from separate schools, our paths crossed and we began dating. David proposed at the restaurant where our first date was, and we were married on June 20, 2009. We were both teachers at the time, and enjoyed many summers off together. Our favorite place is the beach, and we are lucky to live on a small lake with a beach right in the backyard.
Qualities We Love, Admire and Respect in Each Other: One of the best things about David is how he makes us laugh. He is so goofy, and he knows how to get each one of us to smile. He loves our children so deeply. He plays basketball with each of them, which he played in high school. We have a lake in our backyard, and one of the kids’ favorite things he does is come running out of the house and flying into the water. He plays for hours with them, tossing them in the air, paddle boarding with them, and learning to fish alongside them. If our kids are interested in something, he quickly learns all about it so it can be his “thing” too. He is a dedicated family man, and works hard for the ones he loves. MacKenzie’s best characteristics are that she is talented, strong, and smart. MacKenzie is an amazing mom. She is patient and funny and protective and has so much love to give all of our kids. She has a hidden talent of being a really great writer. Another thing to know about MacKenzie is that she has so much love to give. She makes each of us feel special in our own way. She is an advocate and for her that starts with a deep love for people, especially her people.
Our Hobbies and Interests: We are a family that is on the go. We love to travel together, we love taking adventures close to home, and we love to play. One thing that is important to us is that we do it together. We love to experience things with all our children by our side, and think everything is just a little bit more fun when we’re all together. Our kids play soccer and basketball, so we spend our weekends cheering each other on. We love to do puzzles and play Uno. We live on a small lake, so we also love to swim and play on the beach together. We enjoy hiking trails with our yellow lab, Mari, and we love taking her to the dog park together.
Why We Want to Adopt: When we started our family, we knew adoption was going to be part of our family journey. We adopted our twin boys, Kingston and Kyrie, from Ethiopia, followed by the birth of our biological children Ezra and Justice. As we grow our family once more, we know adoption is a part of this journey, and here we are. Adoption is something we celebrate in our family. Our children know that family includes those in our house, our birth families, and our extended families. Most importantly, they know that we are bound by love.