We are a family of three, looking to become a family of more.

Christiana grew up on a horse farm in a little Massachusetts town (though the horses were boarders so she wasn’t allowed to ride them!). Ben is a New Jersey man, from close enough to NYC to go often into the city. We met in graduate school one summer and became study buddies… and you can guess the rest. Now we live in Western Michigan, where we moved in order to work together at Hope College. Ben teaches Psychology and Christiana teaches Literature. We both love working with young people.

We’ve been married for 7 years and we prioritize keeping our relationship strong with dedicated time, care, ice cream, and nerdy research into “marriage hacks.” In early 2021, we welcomed our daughter Verity into our lives and we absolutely adore her. She’s now a funny, affectionate 2-year-old who loves people and has boundless energy – a friend told us we gave birth to the Energizer Bunny.

That same year we bought a house in Holland, Michigan, where our jobs are. It’s a great town for kids with big sandy beaches, tons of playgrounds, farms to pick your own fruit, restaurants, performances, a fantastic library, and of course the yearly Tulip Festival. There’s a lot of Dutch stuff in the town’s marketing (no surprise given the name), but we were pleased to find that people from a diverse range of backgrounds live here and really care about being here and building a welcoming community.

Due to health complications, Verity will be our only child by birth. We know she would really like some company, so we are excited to find her a sibling (or siblings!) through adoption.

And that’s where you come into the story :)

Random Facts to Get to Know Us

Christiana: In my free time – when not playing with, feeding, bathing, reading to, and otherwise entertaining our daughter – I love to work on writing my novel, bake, spend time outdoors, read books, and watch movies. I consider myself a creative person and I try to be a caring one. I put my energy into things that help other people feel happy or appreciated, whether it's a love note, a loaf of pumpkin bread, or a thoughtful response to a student email. I love fantasy, science fiction, humor, and I’m a sucker for romantic comedies. I come from a really close family, and this is a huge part of who I am. Although we don’t live nearby, I talk to my parents often and text with my siblings every day. My eight nieces and nephews are pieces of my heart, and they are so so so excited for us to adopt a new baby cousin. Our family gatherings are all about games, Mediterranean cooking, and extremely loud conversation.

Ben: I enjoy hiking and trail running, traveling, listening to podcasts, and watching (and teaching my daughter) soccer. I am also a big animal lover. When I’m not watching Youtube videos of more exotic creatures, I really enjoy going for long walks with our rescue dog, Penelope, and playing with our two cats, Twig and Bingley. I grew up the youngest in a family of four. I was fortunate to be raised in a loving environment that prioritized faith, hard work, and unconditional support. It took me many years of studying to get my PhD, and several more years after that to get a job teaching that I love at a great college. I would not have been able to achieve this without the encouragement my family provided over that time. My parents, recently retired, are eagerly awaiting the chance to encourage (and spoil) a second grandchild!

Verity: Loves music, dancing, being silly, playing outside, and Bert & Ernie from Sesame Street. Has a million books and wants them read to her over and over. Every night at bedtime prayers, she thanks God for her friends, cheese, and Cocomelon.