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ONTARIO ADOPTION PROFILE - KAREN AND BEN | |
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VIEW OUR MORE More pictures are included in our detailed profile CONTACTS:We would love to hear from you. Contact us at any time: If you prefer, you can contact our Adoption Social Worker, Mary Adele Blair:
Dear Expectant Parent(s) Thank you for taking the time to read our profile. We are so very excited to introduce ourselves to you and hope our profile gives you a good understanding of who we are as people, as a family and as hopeful parents. We have always had plans for a family and many of the choices we have made in our lives were based on building a family– our lives are filled with such an abundance of love and happiness that we can’t wait to share this with a child. The realization that we were unable to have children ourselves was painful, but we soon realized that our dreams of parenthood did not end there. We committed to growing our family through adoption and know that there is still a little miracle out there for us. We are filled with hope and pride at the thought of being parents and are open to adopting either a boy or girl up to 12 months of age, including twins. We are very supportive of the concept of an open adoption and see real importance in sharing from the very beginning the special way our family came to be with your child. We plan on creating a lifebook for the baby and welcome anything you wish to contribute. We hope you enjoy our profile and smile reading it as much as we did writing it. If you would like to get to know us better or if you would like any more information about us we would love to hear from you. Yours truly, Our Story We met in college in 1996 and from the very beginning we had a very special relationship. Almost immediately we became best friends and began noticing that this was not just your average friendship, something seemed bigger and stronger to both of us. It wasn’t until 1999 that we began dating. For almost two years we continued to date and our love continued to grow. Everyday seemed better than the one before. We were married on August 25, 2001 – a day that can only be described as magical. We shared this special day with our closest friends and family. Friends and family still, to this day, tell us how it was one of their happiest days too. The concept of marriage is very special and sacred to both of us and we take the commitment we made that day to heart. We share absolutely everything and take time to enjoy every moment together. Yes we still write each other love letters; yes we still hold hands and yes we still frequently surprise each other with small gifts and gestures to remind each other just how important the other is. Our wedding day was only the beginning of something truly special and everyday still seems to be better than the one before – we have a life filled with love, trust, laughter, and happiness. The glow and warmth we felt that day has only been magnified in the almost 8 years that we’ve been husband and wife. About Karen (written by Ben) I am so blessed to have Karen as my wife and best friend. She is the sweetest, most loving person I’ve met. She is 33 years old with a very attractive/fit physique. She has blonde hair and bright blue eyes that sparkle when she smiles her beautiful, warm smile. She has an uncanny sense of humour that keeps me smiling everyday and makes me laugh so hard that my ribs and face actually hurt. She keeps her family and friends close to her heart and would do just about anything to keep the ones she loves happy and safe. Children are drawn to Karen because of her bright personality and kindness. She has a natural, instinctive connection with children and the children in our lives absolutely love her to pieces. Karen is very intelligent, has a natural creative flare and magnetic personality. These traits lend themselves well to her career as a Creative Advertising Consultant. Her work is challenging and exciting, whether it’s writing radio commercials, designing posters, or directing videos for the jumbo-tron at an NHL arena, Karen’s creativity shines through. Karen also has a keen eye for decorating and updates the decor of our home with the change in seasons. From the bright colours and smell of flowers in summer to the sparkle and magic of Christmas in the winter, our house is always beautiful, warm and welcoming. Karen has traveled quite a bit and continues to make this a priority in our lives – from a road trip to the Grand Canyon to a cruise in the Caribbean, I’m lucky to have my very own travel agent. Some of Karen’s favorite things are baking, gardening, graphic design, reading, attending concerts and listening to music (a very, very, very eclectic taste in music), traveling, getting together with friends, running, rock-climbing and spending as much time outside in the fresh air as possible. About Ben (written by Karen) Simply put, Ben is the most wonderful man that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. His boundless energy and endless patience never ceases to amaze me. Always smiling, Ben is intelligent, curious and an excellent teacher of life. He is constantly learning about the world around him and sharing his new knowledge with me. He truly appreciates life and finds enjoyment in even the simplest of things. Health and fitness are very important to Ben. He is always active–whether it’s running, swimming, rock-climbing, working in the yard, or just walking the dog. Ben also enjoys camping, getting together with friends, attending comedy shows, reading, and cooking. Ben is an excellent cook and makes up new recipes often. Everything he makes is healthy and delicious. Ben has a very close relationship with his family, and we enjoy regular visits with them. Ben’s best friend is his brother and they are a big part of each other’s lives. Above all, family takes top priority in Ben’s life. Ben has strong family values and morals and is a natural nurturer and protector, traits which lend themselves well to his career as a Police Officer. After several years on patrol, Ben is now putting his strong skills and ability to teach to work as a highly respected police trainer. Ben is almost magical around children. He is the most favourite person to almost all of our friends’ children. They absolutely adore him. When we get together with friends and their children, Ben spends the time playing with the kids, teaching them things, reading them stories and tucking them into bed. If our neighbour’s daughter even glimpses Ben outside, she starts running toward him, excitedly yelling his name. To see Ben with children is truly special and heart-warming to me. With Ben’s combination of kindheartedness, caring and patience he would easily be a natural father, a role I know he couldn’t be better suited or prepared for. Our Home We have our very own little slice of heaven that we call home. We live in a large 3-bedroom high-ranch style home, on a 3-acre, partially forested lot in a small village about 30 minutes from downtown Ottawa. We are less than 10 minutes away from schools, a hospital, stores, a community centre, library and parks. We have a large front yard and an enormous back yard with a beautiful in-ground swimming pool and more than enough room for a large play-gym and sand box and lots of room to run and play hide and seek. We have roughly 2 acres of forested property that we’ve cleared a number of paths through – we walk our dog on these paths and frequently see wildlife such as deer, wild turkey and rabbits. We have a bonfire pit in the yard and enjoy getting together with friends and family for bbq’s and fires year round. Our neighbourhood is small, safe and quiet. We have about 25 houses on our street, the majority of which have children ranging in ages from infant to teenager. We enjoy a tight-knit community feeling on our street and are so lucky to live next door to our best friends who have a 3-year old daughter whom we are very close to. Sometimes time seems to stand still at home. The summer days are spent in the sun by the pool and the winter nights are spent cuddled up by the warm fireplace. Who needs a cottage when you can call this home?! Your child will have his or her own bedroom, which is large and brightly lit by the morning sun and is right across the hall from our room. Your child will also have his or her own spacious play room that he or she can call their own to build forts and play with toys in. We bought this house with family in mind and can’t wait to fill it with the smiles and laughter of a little child. Our Family We spend as much time as possible with our family. From the big traditional holidays of Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter (which are always full of fun, laughter and, at the very least, one huge meal together) to a simple night in with a movie or a board game, we never go long without seeing each other. We feel this relationship is a gift – a gift we dream of sharing with a child. Both sets of our parents are still very happily married and have very loving and supportive relationships that we admire and aspire to. They have always been there for us and are excitedly waiting to love a grandchild with all their hearts. Everyone in our family is excited at the possibility of us raising a child and they are all so very proud we have decided to adopt. We will give your child four loving grandparents, three proud uncles, two (soon to be three) gushing aunts and a baby cousin that will be born any day now – all of whom can’t wait to start doling out the hugs and kisses. We have one more, very special member of our family as well. Our dog Rookie. He has been described as our shadow. Whatever we’re up to he’s always close behind. He is a sweet, loving and tender dog with what we’ve realized is a very soft spot for children. Rookie has been around children his whole life. He is so gentle with children and loves them equally as much as they love him. Favourite Traditions
Children in Our Lives Although we don’t have children of our own, we have been so fortunate to be a part of our friends’ children’s lives (and will soon become an Aunt and Uncle to our first nephew any day now). We’ve been there since their birth and have been able to share in all the big milestones from the first birthday to the first day of school. We have spent hours playing house, hide and seek and reading bed-time stories (and even have quite a repertoire of character voices down pat!) and have loved every single second of it. The children in our lives all have been told the special way we plan on building our family and they can’t wait for their new friend and playmate. We have learned so much from watching our friends parent their children and even more from watching our friends’ kids being kids. We are so very excited at the thought of being able to put what we’ve learned to work in our very own family. Fun & Friends We like to get as much enjoyment out of our time off as possible. Whether it’s spending our summer days pool-side and summer nights toasting marshmallows over a bonfire or winter mornings walking with our dog through the forest behind our house and winter nights cuddled up by the fireplace watching a movie, we like to take the time to enjoy these special moments as much as possible. We have a circle of very close friends who we love very much. We enjoy getting together at each other’s houses for dinner and card-games, or evenings out at a movie, concert or comedy show. Most of our friends have young children of their own and all of them are anxiously waiting to welcome an addition to our family. Both of us enjoy being physically fit and look for ways to achieve this together–such as running along the trails around our home or along the canal downtown, or something as simple as taking the dog for a nice long walk. At home we enjoy filling our house with music and laughter (and a lot of goofy singing and dancing while we make dinner). Fun Facts
Our Promise to You & Your Child We promise to provide your child with all the love, trust, nurture and support that a family could ever offer. We will always be there to provide your child with whatever they need, including an endless supply of hugs and kisses. We will do everything we can to help your child grow to have a happy, loving, life of their own. We will help your child feel as proud of the special way he or she came into our lives as we do. We will tell him or her just how much you love them and that it was because of this love that you made an adoption plan. We will keep our lives and this adoption open to you through letters, photos, phone calls or visits so you can remain a part of your child’s life. Thank you for taking the time to learn a little about us and regardless of your decision, know that we are proud of your choice to make an adoption plan and respect the strength and love it took to make it. Sincerely, |
Celebrating at a wedding.
Karen with our friend's daughter.
Ben is a magnet for children!
We enjoy spending time together outdoors.
Reading bedtime stories with a special little girl.
Karen always has fun with children!
Ben clowning around with family.
After finishing our first 10km race.
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