Bennie & Katie
Hi! Adoption is already part of our family's story, and we are excited and hopeful about growing our family again. Our home is filled with love, laughter, and plenty of little adventures--and we are honored to share a glimpse of our life with you.
A letter to the birth parents
Dear Expectant Parent,
Thank you for taking the time to learn a little about our family.
We know that looking through profiles like ours is only one part of a much bigger story—your story and your child’s story. We do not pretend to know what this season of your life feels like or what decision is right for you. We are simply grateful for the opportunity to introduce ourselves.
We are Bennie and Katie, and we are already the very lucky parents of our son, Oliver. Adoption is not an abstract idea to us. It is part of the story of how our family came to be, and it has shaped the way we think about parenthood, family, and love.
Becoming Oliver’s parents taught us that adoption does not begin with us. Our child had a story before the day we met him, and the people who loved him before us will always be part of that story. We want Oliver to grow up knowing where he came from, knowing that he has always been deeply loved, and understanding that there can be many people in his life who love him without any one of those relationships diminishing another.
We would want the same for another child entrusted to our family.
We hope to raise our children knowing that they are loved, that their lives have meaning and purpose, and that loving other people is one of the most important things we are called to do. We also want them to be curious about the world, brave enough to explore it, and secure enough to know that home will always be a safe place to return.
We love experiencing life together, whether that means exploring somewhere new or simply following Oliver out the door when he excitedly announces that he wants to go “oooouuuttttsideee!” We spend a lot of time outdoors, going for walks, exploring parks, playing in the yard, and finding little adventures wherever we can.
Travel is also a big part of our family. Oliver is not even two yet and has already logged over 12,000 miles with us. We love introducing him to new places, people, foods, and experiences, and we hope travel will always be something our family enjoys together.
Our home is full of music, dancing, books, and a lot of laughter. Katie is a teacher, and we are raising Oliver bilingually, which has been such a fun part of watching him grow and learn. He loves music and dancing and is usually happiest when he can be moving, exploring, or making us laugh. We love the big adventures, but just as much, we love the everyday moments of being together and watching him discover the world.
If our family becomes part of your child's story, we would want your child to know that his or her life did not begin on the day we became a family. We would speak about adoption openly and lovingly. We would honor the people, relationships, history, and experiences that are part of who your child is.
Most importantly, we would promise to love your child for exactly who he or she becomes—not for some version of a child we imagined beforehand.
Thank you for giving us the chance to introduce ourselves and for learning a little about the family we have built and hope to grow.
With gratitude,
Bennie & Katie (and Oliver)
Get to know...
Bennie
Attorney by day, toniebox DJ by night
Bennie helps families as an Estate Planning Attorney. He loves the outdoors and is an avid fisherman. He claims to be an unapologetic nerd who likes to reacher stocks and investments, but most recently took up golf.
"Bennie is a great listener and truly caring. He clearly values time with his family and friends and gives himself generously. He is an amazing father and friend."
Katie
Teacher
Katie teaches English as a Second Langague. She loves music, painting, and reading a good teen novel. She speaks Spanish fluently and is now learning American Sign Language.
"Katie has a big heart and is an incrediable mother. She sees the best in everyone and brings out the good in people."
Our Community
Our household consists of the two of us and our son, Oliver. We have tried to build our home around a simple idea: children should have strong roots and plenty of room to explore.
We want home to be the place where our children feel completely safe being themselves—where they are loved, known, encouraged, and always know they belong. We value family dinners, traditions, celebrations, laughter, and all of the little routines that eventually become childhood memories. At the same time, we love getting out into the world together—seeking new places, people, and experiences.
We know Oliver will be excited to welcome a sibling, and he would be a big part of a new child's world. Adoption is already a normal and openly discussed part of our family's story, and we want that openness to continue as our family grows. We hope our children will grow up understanding that families are formed in many different ways and that each of their stories is something to know, respect, talk about openly, and be proud of. More than anything, we hope they will grow up as siblings who know they are deeply loved and who get to experience childhood side by side.
We live in a neighborhood filled with young families, sidewalks, streetlights, and playgrounds. It is the kind of neighborhood where kids are outside playing, neighbors know one another, and Halloween brings hundreds of trick-or-treaters to our street. We are also fortunate to live between Washington, D.C. and Richmond, giving us easy access to museums, parks, history, events, and plenty of opportunities for family adventures.
Our family stretches well beyond our home. Katie's parents live about three hours north on the beach, while Bennie's family lives about three hours south on the old family farm in the Virginia countryside. Katie's extended family is spread among Boston, Philadelphia, and New Orleans, with cousins in each city. That means our children will grow up with everything from trips to the beach and weekends on the farm to visits with cousins in different parts of the country.
Most importantly, there are already so many people in our lives who are genuinely excited about our family growing again. Our children will have much more than two parents cheering them on. They will grow up surrounded by grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and close friends who will celebrate birthdays, show up for milestones, spoil them appropriately, and—just as importantly—be there for the ordinary days in between. We want our children to grow up knowing they are part of something bigger: a family and community that loves them, supports them, and will always be in their corner.
We dance and play...
be it rain...
or shine.
Quick Facts
"Helping Daddy!" echos through our house daily. Oliver loves to sing this while he carries his dinner dish to the sink, helps sweep the floor, or otherwise joins in with everyday tasks. We want our children to participate along side us, learn, and feel proud of what they can do.
Foodie: Dinner at our house if a family event. Oliver eats what we eat, and we love putting something new on his plate just to see what he thinks. Sometimes it is a hit, sometimes we get a very clear toddler review. Either way, we want food to feel fun, relaxed, and adventurous for our children.
No bad weather, just bad clothes: We believe kids should explore the world--in sunshine, rain, snow, and everything in between. Our neighborhood makes spending time outdoors easy with playgrounds, parks, two pools, a splash pad, and lots of places to explore. We treasure every moment we can.
Our latest hobby is making spaces in our home places children can actually use. We have reading nooks on each floor and places to build, make a mess, and be creative. These days, a scuff on the hardwood feels less like damage and more like a small footprint of a happy childhood.
