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Hello! We are Ben and Katie. Thanks for taking time to get to know us! Ben grew up in Germany and Katie in Indiana. Ben came to the States to visit his grandparents and ended up staying for college and then grad school and then just stayed! We have been married for nine years and love going through this life together! We’ve especially enjoyed these last five years with our sweet daughter Ilse and this past year with our fun, active son Jude, who both came to us through adoption.
Ben is a viral safety scientist, and Katie is a stay-at-home mom with Ilse and Jude. We have so much fun spending time together as a family, around our house and outside, playing games, reading books, and having friends and family into our home on a regular basis. Ilse especially loves her cat, Otis. We all enjoy music, and Katie plays the piano. We are very involved with our church, and this is where Ilse and Jude have made many friends!
Ben’s brother and Katie’s good friend (who were dating at the time and are now married) introduced us. The four of us would get together to play cards. Soon, Katie was invited to join them in Michigan for Thanksgiving. It was there on a cold, snowy hike that Ben asked Katie out. On our first date, we went for a seven-mile hike. A year later, we got married. Our lives have only gotten better as each child has joined our family! Ilse is sweet and spunky and loves life and everything she does! Her favorite part of the day is when her Papa comes home from work and plays, tickles, and reads books with her in the living room. Jude is always on the move, and enjoys all things that move — trucks, cars, balls, our cat Otis. He thinks his sister is the funniest thing and she gets the best belly laughs out of him.
I always joke I married Katie for her common sense. Her ability to see things clearly, her strong work ethic, and her enjoyment of beautifying our home and working around the house makes her a great mother. Her general cheerfulness brightens our home and our days.
She is loved by the kids at church. Her gentle and personable spirit is very endearing and has proven invaluable when working with children, especially the shy ones or those with separation anxiety. Katie loves people. She is invested in those who come into her life and is able to genuinely cry or laugh with them. I know she will love our future child(ren) and be a good mother to them, as she is to our daughter and son.
One of the things that drew me to Ben was his thoughtful care of others. He takes time to process decisions with people and is a good listener. He strengthens me with his gentle and steady spirit.
He works hard at his job and does well, but time and again I see him put family first when he is needed at home. Time with family is a priority, especially in the highs and lows of life. But he also has a fun and playful side. One of the things I love most is watching him interact with Ilse and Jude. They love to tease each other, and he can make them laugh like no one else! He is creative in play and makes up stories and games that match their energy level!
Ilse is nearing five years old and just finished her first year of pre-school. She loves playing with other kids and pretending with her dolls and stuffed animals, which she calls her “children.” She likes to tease and be silly, and one of her favorite things to do is to get her brother to laugh. She is so affectionate — loves to cuddle and give kisses. She is such a good big sister and is excited to have another baby to love.
Jude is energetic, loves to be on the move, and so cheerful! He likes to growl and climb and wrestle stuffed animals, which he thinks is so funny. He adores his big sister! He watches her, follows her around, and laughs when she’s silly with him. He likes to swing and also finds amusement in chasing after the cat Otis, who is patient but sometimes has to run for safety! His current favorite word is “uh oh.”
We have a wonderful community of friends and family close by. Two of Ben’s siblings live fairly close and his sister often comes over to visit. “Tante” (aunt in German) is one of the kids’ favorite people! We have many friends through our church and often have friends and family in our home for dinner and visits around the firepit. We help lead the youth group at church and like that our home is a place the kids feel comfortable to come hang out. Katie has a close friend she gets together with often, an older woman who is like another grandmother to the kids. She loves to have the kids over and is always willing to come help Katie out at the house if needed. Ben still gets together with his two college housemates and good friends who both live in town and have kids the same ages as ours. Our families enjoy all get-togethers.
We live on a private gravel lane. Our yard is fairly large and surrounded by woods, which gives it that country feel, but we’re close enough to neighbors that we’ve gotten to know each other and keep an eye out for one another. A nice thing about our home is that we’re close to town. There are stores and restaurants just a few minutes away, a walking trail across the street from our house, a playground close by, and a library only a two-minute drive away!
We have not been able to have children biologically, but we are so grateful for the path God had for us through adoption. And as we both grew up with several siblings, we want to give Ilse and Jude the joy of another sibling as well!
Two of our greatest values in life is to love God our Maker and to love people. We want to raise our children with these values so they will have a respect and care for those around them and honor God in what they do.
Ben works for a company that gives him 10 weeks off for paternity leave when a baby comes. We are grateful that this will give him, and us as a family, time to bond with the baby!
Katie values teaching the kids new things and to enjoy the world around them. Reading books, playing outside, baking, listening to and teaching music, and learning German are all things they like to do together. Because German is Ben’s first language, she is working with the kids to learn it herself and teach them.
Because several of Ben’s family members are in Germany and Ben gets good vacation time off, we are able to travel out of the country for visits. We spent a month this past summer in Netherlands and Germany, and it was an amazing experience for the kids to see new places, meet their German relatives, and work on a second language!
Thank you for taking the time to get to know us a bit. We hope to get to know you as well. We are committed to raising our children to know their adoption stories. Your strength in choosing what you believe will be the best life for your child is a beautiful part of that story. We are praying for you!
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