Meet the Families

We met in person on a chilly night in mid-October 2015 at a restaurant & bar.  Our conversation flowed effortlessly back and forth, all the while making fun and laughing at each other’s jokes. One date led to many, and we developed a solid relationship based on love and respect, mutual happiness, and lots of laughter.

In mid-January 2017, Mark privately proposed before one of our regular weekend date nights out in town. We soon moved in together, decided why not renovate the entire downstairs of the house, and started planning our wedding day amongst the chaos! On April 28, 2018 we took our vows in front of our family and friends then hit the dance floor after to celebrate.

Every day we continue to build upon our relationship and learn and grow together. We can’t wait to start a new chapter by sharing our love as a family through adoption!

Mark is a federally certified aircraft mechanic. His mechanical aptitude also comes in handy at home, and friends and family often call him for help with their own home improvements and repairs too!

Mark’s favorite hobbies are fixing lawn mowers, snow blowers, boats and cars. He is a master corn hole player, a Bruins hockey fan, and enjoys history and Harry Potter. To stay active, Mark participates in CrossFit and likes to work in the yard. He is really family oriented and never skips a chance to join a BBQ with his cousins.

Mark is incredibly quick witted and makes everyone laugh. He is always positive and sees the world as half-full. He’s well rounded and a self-less individual who will stop everything he’s doing to help out a friend in need. Most of all, Mark is a kid at heart, and our nieces and nephews are always looking for him to run around and play as soon as he walks in the door.

Kate is a Senior Administrative Assistant for a group of regional and national wealth management directors in the finance industry.  She is a hard worker, devoted to her team, and is highly regarded for the quality of her work and the leadership she provides to her peers.

Kate is an adventurous, creative and a compassionate person. She is a great listener, and provides sound advice to those in her life when asked for her opinion. For activities, Kate loves to dance, swim, and visit museums.  She also enjoys reading in her downtime, art and photography.

Kate adores spending time with the children in our life. She gets joy from reading to our nieces and nephews, and always incorporates fun art and learning activities for them when babysitting.

Kirra is an essential member of our household, and we basically consider her our furry four-legged daughter. She is a 10-year-old black lab mix with a gentle and playful demeanor.

In June 2009, Mark adopted Kirra at six months old from a local rescue shelter. Mark and Kirra are inseparable, and Kirra quickly became Kate’s buddy too. Kirra has been around babies, children and adults alike. She’s definitely a people dog, and has a very social personality.

Some of Kirra’s favorite things are camping with Mark, watching T.V., truck rides, and walks. She also loves chasing squirrels, giving her paw for treats, playing with her stuffed animals, and digging holes in the backyard.

Together we make a great team by balancing out our strengths and weaknesses. Kate brings out the artistic side with art, music, reading and writing, while Mark brings out the analytical side with math, mechanics, science and avionics.

Some of our favorite things to do as a couple is travel and explore new places.  We also like working around the house, kayaking, seeing concerts, comedy shows, and movies, and trying out new restaurants just to name a few.

Our familes are overjoyed with the prospect of helping us welcome a child into the fold. Kate is the younger of two siblings. She is very close to her older brother who also lives in Massachusetts with his wife and two children, age 6 and 2.

Kate’s side of the family tends to get together at her parents’ house for cookouts, birthday parties and holidays. Each March her parents gather the family over for a traditional Saint Patrick Day’s boiled dinner. We create leprechaun traps together for our niece and nephew, and everyone always drools as her mother’s homemade Irish soda bread comes out of the oven.

Mark is one of six brothers in a blended family.  Mark has two older biological brothers, one Filipino brother who was adopted by his step mother as a baby, and two younger half-brothers. Mark and his two older brothers are extremely close and live within driving distance. His adoptive brother lives in Tennessee, and his older half-brother lives locally and makes sure to get together with the family during holidays. His youngest half-brother is a Seabee in the Navy, and always stays in contact with the family.

Mark’s father and step mother live in Texas, but fly up to Massachusetts on a regular basis to visit. Mark’s father is American, but his biological mother, who passed away when he was a child, was Filipino.  Mark and his older brothers are extremely close with their extended family on their maternal side, all of whom are warm and welcoming.

Mark’s extended family has many parties and loves being together. There is always guaranteed to be a platter of homemade eggrolls on the table and laughter heard throughout the house.  His family is really close knit, and all of the cousins consider themselves to be best friends.

We live in a culturally diverse city right outside of Boston, MA that is host to many businesses, family neighborhoods, schools, public transportation, and the beach. We have a cozy home with a spacious backyard.  It’s an “Old Style” house with one and a half bathrooms, three bedrooms, a kitchen and a living room. We are located in a neighborhood with families that watch out for one another, and we feel lucky to live in such a quiet neighborhood.

Down the street is a newly developed elementary school with a football field, track, playground, and tennis courts available for school and community use. We also conveniently live in walking distance to downtown where the local city hall, post office, shops and restaurants lie.

With so much located around us, it serves as a great area to have a family!