Ben & Erin

Hi! We are Ben, Erin, and Monroe (and our lazy puppies Vinny and Ottis). Thank you for taking the time to get to know us. Our family lives near the Puget Sound in western Washington, surrounded by nature, water, and hiking – just the way we like it! Although Ben and Erin both grew up in the Midwest, we moved to California in our tweens and met later in life in San Diego. We decide to put down roots in Washington, a place where we get our fill of nature and a civic-minded community. It’s important to us that we live in a community actively engaged in making society work for everyone, whether that’s physically engaging in community development or simply having a political voice. We have a very peaceful home; there’s not a lot of hustle and bustle but we still have a lot of fun. Monroe, our biological son, is always in some kind of sport (he loves baseball and soccer currently). We love getting outside, whether that’s to camp, hike, or take our dogs to the park. When it’s too icky outside we bring the party in with cards, board games, puzzles, and jam/dance sessions in the living room. If it’s snowing we’re building forts, snowmen and looking for a good hill to ride down. This year we hooked Ottis up to a sled and mushed Monroe around the neighborhood – it was a riot! Ben is all about logic, numbers and philosophy. He loves nothing better than reading a book and talking about the deeper truths in life. Erin’s the creative and imaginative one in the family. She loves nothing more than a good dance party or expressing the beauty she finds in life through painting and art. As a team we work well; our core values align when it matters most to us. We both value speaking with kindness, listening, following through on promises (especially pinky promises), and keeping our home as a place of solace and comfort. We are total nerds about the things we like. We geek out on vinyl, love fantasy novels, never turn down a sci-fi, vampire or zombie movie, get competitive with cards & board games, and love to learn about new discoveries in science, space, or the inexplicable. We’ve always wanted a BIG family and have always talked about having both adopted and biological children, so when life threw us a curveball with multiple miscarriages and one unbeknownst miracle baby (Monroe) in between, we’re hoping to follow through on that plan. The joy we get from parenting has made us even more eager to add to our family; Monroe is super excited to be a big brother too! He can’t wait to show his siblings how to play sports, brush their teeth, and count. Our Italian family is filled with lots of love, kisses, and FOOD which is what family is to us – sharing our ups, downs, and everything in-between, with a side of pasta. We also fell in love with the notion of open adoption - that a child could be loved and cherished by a larger family and know their history firsthand from those who gave them their lives, which is essential. We are eager to expand more family into ours, build new traditions, and, of course, share many meals. Thanks again for getting to know a little bit about us, Erin, Ben, Monroe, Ottis, and Vinny

Ben & Erin