Family

Meet Blake & Makenna

A video message from Blake & Makenna

Call or Text us
Learn More

A Letter from Blake & Makenna

Hello!

Thank you for taking the time to look through our profile. We are a fun-loving, adventurous family of three from Illinois. We’ve been happily married for eight years. We are involved parents who believe that the more experiences you have, the more you can learn from the world. As much as we like staying active or planning fun or new things to do as a family, we also love our quiet evenings watching movies and eating popcorn just as much. We look forward to sharing with you more about our family. We would be honored to provide your child with love, safety, adventure, and joy, and hope to get to know you through the process!

About Us

We met through work in 2010 and were married a few years later in a destination wedding. You could say that our marriage started with an adventure, and it has been one ever since! The first few years after we married, we concentrated on finishing up schooling and establishing our careers. When we decided that we were in the right time of our lives to expand our family, it took nearly two years to have our son. We have always known that we wanted to raise more children, and this is what has led our hearts to adoption.

Any chance we get we are doing something outside or trying new things. We try to take a few trips a year, with one being long distance travel. Our family rule is, “if you are someplace new, you try something new.” Traveling let’s us experience different cultures and great food! We believe in immersing our child in experiences and have taken him  everywhere we go. We look forward to sharing new experiences as our family grows through adoption.

Our Home in Illinois

We live in a three-bedroom ranch house, in Illinois, with an open floor plan and a finished basement. We have a fenced-in back yard that backs up to a park for easy access to the playground. Our home is close to cities and country spaces. In any direction we head there is always something to do!

We share our home with two dogs: Kalb, our chocolate lab, and Dee, our new puppy who is in training for bird pointing. We also have our carnival goldfish, named Bobo.

About Blake, from Makenna

Blake is a Continuous Improvement Lead, which means he teaches lean practices to others. His greatest strength is his willingness to learn and push himself to try new things. He takes great pride in making things from scratch, whether it is trying a new recipe in the kitchen or a doing a practical woodworking project for our home. He enjoys camping, woodworking, and listening to podcasts.

Blake is a great dad, always willing to teach our son something new, help build (then destroy) any tower they dream up, and play outdoors whenever they can. I love him the most when he is having an emotional moment with our son and teaching him nontraditional forms of masculinity.

About Makenna, from Blake

Makenna is an HSE Lead, supporting sites in health, safety and environmental operations. She is one of the most thoughtful and hard-working people I know. She has always supported me in anything that I wanted to do, or try, and always goes out of her way to help others. She is the “hostess with the mostest” and has a way of predicting what others need before they even know.

Makenna is the most patient mother, always wanting to find the root cause of what is causing our son to get upset, and always finds creative ways to get our son moving and feeling better. She is my everything and is dedicated to providing our family happiness, stability, and above all, love. For fun, she enjoys traveling, going to auctions, finding creative ways to update our home.

Our Son & Our Family

Branch is our very energetic four-year-old who loves to play outside, do puzzles, and play superheroes. He will talk to anyone who will listen and loves playing with friends in the neighborhood. He loves our movie nights and could eat popcorn anywhere, anytime. Branch is excited about having a new sibling and becoming a big brother.

Our family is excited about our adoption plans and have been supportive during this process. They live throughout the Midwest, with Makenna being from Michigan and Blake from Iowa. We talk to them frequently and usually see them bi-monthly. We tend to play games and relax when we are in Michigan and go hiking and antique shopping when we are in Iowa. We are always with family during the holidays regardless of the distance.

We have been blessed with the best neighbors and formed a family away from home. We have just as many family traditions with them, such as Santa visits, Easter celebrations, and awesome Halloween parties, as we do with our immediate families.

Our Promise

We promise to provide a loving, safe, and comforting environment for your child. We promise to help them achieve their dreams and provide them with every resource they need for success. We promise to be active in your child’s life as well as to always be active together as a family. We promise to take them camping, go on excursions to the zoo and such, as well as read to them and provide them a fulfilling everyday life. We look forward to learning your hopes and dreams for your child and how we can incorporate them into their life.

It would be an honor to get to know you! If you’re comfortable, we’re willing to share an open adoption, and keep in touch through your child’s life. To learn more about us, please call or text Lifetime at 1.800.923.6784.

Learn More About Blake & Makenna

  Blake Makenna
Our EducationBachelor of ArtsBachelor of Arts
Our ProfessionsCI LeadHSE Lead
Stay-At-HomeNoNo
Our Racial BackgroundCaucasianCaucasian
Some of Blake & Makenna's Favorites
What did you want to be when you grew up?An Optometrist Marine Biologist
Favorite place you've traveled as a family?Anywhere campingOur cruise vacation in the Caribbean
What is your favorite dinosaur?PterodactylTriceratops
What is your favorite book of all time?It's Your ShipThe Hobbit
What is the best paid entertainment you've ever seen?HamiltonHugh Jackman One Man Show
What is the best dessert you have ever eaten? Any Carrot Cake Chocolate Pudding from the Principle in Kalamazoo
Favorite holiday meal to cook for the family?Thanksgiving - Pheasant Pot Pie Christmas - Prime Rib
More About Our Family
Top 3 Family Trips

1. Cruise in the Caribbean
2. Disney World and meeting Buzz Lightyear
3. Road trip through Door County, WI

Top 3 Family Books to Read

1. Tickle Monster by Josie Bissett
2. Any Elephant and Piggie book by Mo Willems
3. The Book with No Pictures by BJ Novak

Top 3 Favorite Family Movies

1. Encanto
2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
3. The Princess Bride

We Prefer a Child Who Is...
Age of Child

Newborn up to 5 years old

Twins

Yes!

Gender

Either boy or girl

Sibling Group

Newborn up 5 years old

In Closing

Thank you for reading through our profile and learning about our family of three. We are excited about adding to our family and becoming a family of four. We look forward to sharing our lives with another child and the adventures that come with it. We are willing to have an open adoption and look forward to answering any questions you may still have about us.

Call or Text us