Welcome! Meet:

Brady + Carin

Market Manager / Child Life Specialist

Minnesota

Caucasian

Christian

All About Brady & Carin

Hello, we are Carin and Brady! We’ve been married for 13 years and are adoptive parents to our 8 year old son and 5 year old daughter. Our life together is something wacky, imperfect, and really beautiful. We are excited to add another child to our family, and we know we have more than enough love and warmth to share with another child.

Why Adoption?

Early in our marriage we started to try growing our family and dealt with infertility. Prior to getting married we had talked about adoption being part of our family, and we felt pulled to pursue adoption instead of continuing with medical treatments.

Family & Home

HOME: Our home is warm, safe, predictable, sometimes loud and messy, and most importantly full of love. Many cherished family memories are within our house walls in very "regular" moments- a meal at the kitchen table, a slow Saturday morning in pajamas, Friday movie nights, dance parties in the kitchen. 

NEIGHBORHOOD: We live in an established neighborhood with many large trees and older homes. In the summer, the bikes rule the road as many kids live and play in the neighborhood. We live among many families with kids, and also empty-nesters and grandparents. Our neighborhood is down the block with a large park with playground, tennis court, baseball field and basketball court. Our kids walk or rike their bikes to and from school. We also use our bikes for many bike rides to the neighborhood grocery store, restaurants, and library.

COMMUNITY: We have chosen to live in a community with ethnic and cultural diversity. Our school district played a large role in us deciding to live here, as the school is made up of a diverse group of students and staff, and the district is committed to restorative justice (helping kids “make it right” after they mess up or make mistakes) and anti-racist curriculum. 

FAMILY: Family is very important to us. We are grateful to have close relationships with our family members, including our parents, siblings, and cousins. Our kids know their grandparents, aunts, and uncles very well, and see their cousins regularly for “cousin camp” days.

How others describe me

MEET BRADY (written by Carin):

When I met Brady, I was immediately attracted to his huge smile. He is positive and easygoing, and quick to act goofy and make us all laugh. He is a “straight-shooter” and with such sincerity I’ve never had to wonder what he’s thinking. (This comes to his detriment at times in marriage!) He’s reflective and likes to talk about life, faith, and family, though he definitely doesn’t take life too seriously. He creates fun out of regular daily tasks, and he makes me laugh every day. He works really hard at all he does, including his marriage, parenting, career, and relationships. He shows up for people, and everyone in his life knows they can depend on him. He is a loving and engaged father, and I am eager to watch him raise and love another child in his care.

MEET CARIN (written by Brady):

I hear it all the time and couldn’t agree more- “Carin in a special girl, you are lucky.” Carin in a little person with a huge heart and is the most compassionate person I have ever met. She is passionate about reading and education, child and adult development, her people, and doing anything outdoors. Carin is socially engaging and treats people like they are the most important person in the room. She is a planner, and loves to host people at our home. Many of her family and friends often seek her out when they need someone to lean on, because she is a great listener and is such a solid friend. I have been lucky to have her in my life, and look forward to continuing to grow together. She shines as a mother, and I am really excited for this next phase of raising three children together.

how we met

How We Met

Brady and Carin met in 2005 during a semester studying in Segovia, Spain. We quickly became good friends, then started dating. A few years after dating, Brady proposed (Carin quickly said yes!) and we were married in 2009.

Advice to Future Child

You are always enough and never too much. You belong in this family and you are loved all the time and no matter what. We’ve got your back! You are a good person with unique gifts and talents- the world needs you, just as you are.

Also, keep playing, even into adulthood- don’t lose it! Creativity is awesome. If you’re in a funk, try a bath or a dance party.

Perspectives on Open Adoption

Our child’s birth parents will be acknowledged and celebrated with the utmost respect and gratitude. Our greatest desire is that our child will know and have a relationship with his/her birth family, as we believe this is a significant gift for the child that also extends to his/her adoptive and birth families. We hope that openness is part of our family story. We are more than willing to keep in touch with the birth family through emails, photos, phone calls, and visits. We look forward to discussing openness with birth parents and together collaborating on a plan. 

Should an expectant parent be interested in meeting us prior to making a decision, we would be happy to spend time with them so they can get to know us more. We would also be open to establishing a relationship with expectant parents prior to baby’s birth, if this is something they desire.

Favorites

Brady
  • Favorite Movie: Mighty Ducks
  • Favorite Holiday/Tradition: For our birthdays the “birthday boy” or “birthday girl” picks an adventure to go on that we all do as a family. The night before a kid’s birthday we decorate the table with streamers and balloons and tape photos of them on the wall. It’s so fun to see them light up and be surrounded by family first thing on their special day. If I don’t say so myself, I’ve made some pretty amazing birthday cakes, too! (Millennium Falcon was my best work.)
  • Hobbies/Interests: coaching our kids in Little League, reading sports news, grilling/smoking meats, trying to sneak in bikes rides or pick-up hockey games
  • Dream Vacation: Crete, Greece
  • If I Could Choose a Superpower: Fly, I love seeing hawks and eagles soar.
Carin
  • Favorite Movie: Mary Poppins
  • Favorite Holiday/Tradition: Christmas Day- we stay home as a little family unit, spend most of the day in our pajamas playing with some new toys and watching a movie
  • Hobbies/Interests: park and outdoor adventures with our kids, walks and hikes outside, reading, drinking tea, writing stories/poems for fun
  • Dream Vacation: North Shore in Minnesota is my favorite place- it’s on Lake Superior (huge lake) with rocks, waves, and enormous trees
  • If I Could Choose a Superpower: to be able to morph any place in seconds

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