We have a very diverse set of interests! They run the gamut from sports to theater and travel.

Nathalie's passion lies in the performing arts. At least once or twice a year she performs in theatrical productions whether it be plays, musicals, or operettas. She cannot wait to be our child's first music teacher and support him or her if they wish to pursue the arts either as a hobby or professionally. Chris also gets involved in Nathalie's productions by assisting back stage.

If Chris could live outdoors, he most likely would! Growing up, it was sports almost all year round, his favorite was always cross country. That has led to multiple marathons and races as an adult. Nathalie has joined him for two 5Ks, so far!

Being active is something very important to both of us. No doubt having diverse activities will widen our child's skills, interests, and we will take our queues from them as to what they wish to pursue.

Traveling and visiting new places (and revisiting old!) is something we love to do whether it be a day trip, a long weekend, or a two week trip to Europe or South America. We hope to instill in our child an unending love of learning and exploring.

Nathalie could write up a long list of things she loves, admires, and respects about Chris. She will try to keep it concise! In terms of the practical; Chris is very handy around the house, very logical with finances, and cooks mean chili! Now for the sentimental; she loves Chris' sincerity, humility, and his loyalty to his family and friends. He is very thoughtful (i.e. always waiting up for her when she comes home late from rehearsals and brings flowers following a performance), and she loves his quirky sense of humor! He grounds her with his steady and patient presence while always making her feel safe. She is grateful for his support and unconditional love.

It's difficult for Chris to list everything he loves about Nathalie as that would go on forever, but he'll try and keep it short. He loves that she is the kindest and most caring person that he has ever met. He loves that she never stops thinking about how she can help others and that she will go out of her way to do so. He loves that she's an incredibly talented singer and actress and that he gets to go see her shows. He loves that she buys him cards for no other reason than she felt like it. He loves that she was willing to marry him and let him spend the rest of his life with her.

Adding to our families has always been a dream of ours. We have so much love to give and experiences to share with our child, and cannot wait to do so! The looks of awe and wonder on the faces of our nieces and nephews as they develop are engraved in our minds and to see that and be a part of those moments in our own child's life would mean that much more.

Our dream for our child is that he or she develops into a kind, faithful, confident, and happy adult. With God's love, the love of his or her birthparents, extended families, and the two of us, our child will be able to tackle any of life's obstacles. We will teach him or her to love the world around them and to never stop learning and exploring. Most importantly, he or she will never be in doubt of our unconditional love and support.

We live in a suburban development with lots of families. The local schools are less than a mile from our house and are easily walkable. There are parks as well as pools nearby for recreation during the summer as well as nature trails for exploring year round.

Our home is a two story townhouse with a finished basement as well a deck. We have both a music area for Nathalie as well as a gaming area for Chris. We spend most of our time in the living room as it is extremely cozy with it's direct sunlight and electric fireplace. There are two large bedrooms and we can already imagine the spare room becoming our child's when he/she is old enough. Another favorite area is our deck where we have a grill, a vegetable garden, and where we love to sit under the awning on nice days.

We have wonderfully dependable and helpful neighbors who we love to hang out with and whose kids will be fast friends with our child.

We both come from large close-knit families, both of which mostly live within an hour's drive of us; this allows us to regularly get together for special occasions or for a lazy Sunday brunch.

When Nathalie's family gets together there is always music playing and plenty of food to be found. Usually before the end of the evening a game of charades may break out and if the weather is nice they may take out the croquet set and play a few rounds. However the get-together cannot end with out going down memory lane and reminiscing about times past.

With Chris's family we can always enjoy homemade meals cooked by his mom or baked goods by his aunt. There is always a lot of activity whenever the nieces and nephews are around, whether it involve arts and crafts or a made up game played in the yard everybody is always active. When we leave Chris's mom always makes sure to send doggy bags home with us.

Between our families we have a great balance between the artistic (Nathalie's side) and the athletic (Chris's side).

We are blessed that our families are incredibly supportive of our adoption and that they are also excited for us. They will undoubtedly play a major role in our child's life and we are grateful for that.

We cannot fully express our immense gratitude to you. We are honored that you have chosen to read our profile and hope you were able to get a good glimpse into who we are, our families, and how we have come to choose adoption.

We also wish to acknowledge your tremendous bravery and sacrifice. During this beautiful but challenging time you are going through you are choosing who to bless with your child. Please be assured that your child will be loved beyond words and will have all the support, education, encouragement, and opportunities that are within our power to give. Your child will never be alone. Welcoming him or her into our family is welcoming your child into two beautiful large families sustained by love and faith.

You will also be part of that family and we are very open to having regular contact with you whether it will be via FaceTime, emails, letters, or visits as we're able to arrange them. We will also make sure to provide you with plenty of photos! One thing is for certain, there can never be too many people to love and support our child, the more the merrier! We will make sure our child knows where they come from, their heritage, and that they were adopted because you loved them so much and because we were praying to have them join our family.

We will raise our child so that he or she is centered on a firm foundation of Jesus' love and mercy. We so look forward to teach our child how to pray and Nathalie will absolutely will teach him or her all the hymns she used to sing when she was a cantor at her church. With faith, love, and family, nothing can shake our child. He or she will be strong and confident in themselves because of what you have done for them as well as the upbringing that we will provide.

We look forward to encouraging our child and helping to guide him or her in any activity or interest they may pursue. Regardless of the path they choose they will have our unconditional support as well as that of our family.

The world will be open to our child! Traveling nationally and internationally is something very important to the two of us and we can just imagine the fun adventures we will go on as well as our child's face as he or she experiences things for the very first time. Whether it is taking them hiking in the mountains, building sand castles by the sea, or visiting new cities or towns they will have plenty of amazing experiences.

Finally, we would like to share this quote from Mrs. Doubtfire: "If there is love, dear, those are the ties that bind, and you will have a family in your heart forever." No matter what, you will always be a part of your child's life and your connection will never be frayed or forgotten.

Sincerely,

Chris & Nathalie