Welcome! Meet:

Carl + Mary Beth

Expert Batchmaker / Regional Safety Manager

Kentucky

Caucasian

Christian / Catholic

All About Carl & Mary Beth
Why Adoption?
Gallery
Family and Home
How We Met
Advice to Future Child
Perspectives on Open Adoption
Favorites

All About Carl & Mary Beth

We are so grateful that you are taking the time to learn more about our family. We are Carl and Mary Beth from Kentucky. We are a creative, adventurous, fun-loving, responsible, and family oriented couple. We have one son, Wiatt, who is two years old and joined our family through adoption in 2020.

Carl enjoys any activity outdoors. You can find him on the golf course, taking Wiatt on walks, throwing cornhole with family/friends, flying kites on vacation, playing basketball with his nieces or kayaking with Mary Beth. Carl has a sense of humor and likes to make people laugh. He is a huge football fan and enjoys cheering on his team at the game with friends. Carl works as an expert batchmaker for a beverage manufacturing company. Mary Beth learned to bake in her grandmother's kitchen. She finds joy in baking and cooking for others. Carl and Wiatt sure love all the home cooked meals! She also enjoys being creative- you can find her sewing quilts, decorating cakes, or making crafts with Wiatt. She grew up swimming at the beach, the lake, and the pool and still has a love for the water. Mary Beth works as a health and safety professional. Her job allows her to have a flexible schedule and she can work from home.

Wiatt is like every two year old- very active. He loves to be outside, read books, climb, and loves the water. You can find him splashing around at swim lessons, singing and dancing, and cheering on his football team with Carl. His smile and easy-going personality are infectious.

You can find our family traveling both in and out of the country. Mary Beth was able to study abroad in college and that sparked her love for travel. Carl and Mary Beth have seen sites like Niagra Falls, the Grand Canyon, the Caribbean islands, the Rocky Mountains, Mount Rushmore, jungles in Central America and many beaches. Wiatt has already been to 8 states and 5 countries. We strive to always live life to the fullest as a family, even through the ups and downs. Because of this, our family has grown stronger through every step of our life together. We love spending time together as a family and would consider ourselves lucky to share our lives with another child.

Why Adoption?

Carl and Mary Beth both wanted to be parents from young ages. Mary Beth grew up the oldest of four girls and took care of her sisters a lot growing up. This sparked her desire to have a family. Carl grew up as an uncle at a young age and loved playing with his nieces and nephew. After 8 years of marriage, Carl and Mary Beth decided to pursue adoption to grow their family.

Our family has so much love, joy, and adventure to share with children. After being blessed by adoption in 2020 our family would like to open our hearts and home to another child. We would love for the children in our home to have the shared experience of adoption so they can talk through things and have each other as a support system throughout their lives.

Family & Home

Our family lives in a two story home at the end of a cul de sac in a diverse neighborhood in Kentucky. The kitchen is always filled with the smell of Mary Beth’s cooking or baking. The whole family loves to cuddle up in the loft to watch a movie or play a game. You can find Carl playing cornhole or grilling out in the yard. The whole family likes exploring the creek in the wooded area behind our backyard. There are several great parks nearby our home. Wiatt loves to swing and would be outside all day if he could.

Our neighbors come from many different racial backgrounds. We love having this diversity surrounding us. Kids are always playing together on our street and our neighborhood hosts fun events for families like Food Truck Friday, holiday parades, and movie nights.

Our family lives in the same city as Mary Beth’s family. Mary Beth has three younger sisters and a mom and dad.We spend a lot of time splashing in Mary Beth’s parent’s pool during the summer. Mary Beth’s sisters love to join our family on hikes and days at the park. The family has a lake house and time is spent there on the boat or around the campfire.

Carl’s family lives in rural Kentucky. He has two older sisters, nieces, a nephew, and a mom and dad. Time is spent visiting the family and they love to come visit our family as well. Wiatt loves spending time playing with his cousins. Carl’s family loves camping and playing card games together.

Wiatt’s biological family is an important part of our family. We have enjoyed visiting the zoo together, celebrating holidays and birthdays together, and spending time together at the park.

How others describe me

Carl as described by Mary Beth: Carl is the hardest working person I know. Whether he is at work, school, or home he always gives 100% of himself. This shows up in his relationships as care and willingness to go the extra mile for those he loves. He will work a challenging day and still come home ready to play with Wiatt. He is definitely a little kid at heart. He loves chasing Wiatt around, playing games, and getting into adventures with him. Generous is another word that comes to mind when describing Carl. He loves to make other people feel special. He is great at getting the perfect gift for someone’s birthday, or being thoughtful enough to volunteer his time to help others. When you first meet Carl he may seem quiet and reserved, but you only have to bring up sports talk to get him out of his shell. He has a great sense of humor and likes to make people laugh. Carl went from having very little in childhood to being a wonderful and successful man. He is strong, resilient, and motivated to provide for his family. He is a wonderful teammate in our marriage.

Mary Beth as described by Carl: Mary Beth has an outgoing personality. She really loves people and can communicate well with anyone she meets. She is optimistic and can see the positive point of view in everything. This gives her a wonderful outlook on life and makes her an amazing wife, friend, sister, and mother. She sees everything as a learning opportunity, not as a negative. Mary Beth cares deeply for others and always makes sure people in her life are taken care of. She puts other people first. She will go out of her way to make someone a birthday cake or take dinner to someone in need. She works so hard in everything she does. Mary Beth amazes me daily with how many things she can accomplish for our family in one day. She makes sure that Wiatt is learning and developing. I have seen her do more research as a mother than what she did in college, all so she can teach him new things and set him up for success. She puts together sensory bins for Wiatt, reads him books, and gets him outside to explore. Mary Beth is the best person I have ever met because she is genuine, caring, loving, and her personality is just so contagious. She challenges me to be a better person.

How We Met

Carl and Mary Beth met during their freshman year of college. Mary Beth worked the night shift in the dorm Carl lived in. After a long night shift, Carl offered to walk Mary Beth back to her dorm to ensure she arrived home safely. About six months later they started dating and the rest is history. Mary Beth and Carl have been together for 14 years and married for almost 10 years.

Advice to Future Child

Dear Little One,

The world is an enormous place with so much to do, see, and learn. Never stop exploring. We hope that you always keep a sense of wonder and curiosity to find the path in life that makes you happiest. We know there will be ups and downs no matter what path you choose. You are strong enough to get through those hard times and come out stronger. The lessons you will learn in the downs of life are just as important as what you learn in the best moments. We will always be proud of you. What is most important is that you are proud of yourself.

Perspectives on Open Adoption

The love that birth families have for their child is undeniable. We understand it cannot be easy to consider an adoption plan and are committed to having open relationships with our children’s biological family members. We believe that even though a family may not be able to parent a child, they still have so much to give in that child’s life. We are open to providing the space to let relationships with biological families grow. We greatly admire the strength and courage of all families who place children for adoption.

Open adoption has been the biggest blessing in our lives. It is wonderful for our son and any future children to understand where they came from. Open adoption allows our son to be connected to his roots. We are so grateful to have a relationship with our son’s biological family that grows every day. We include his biological family, update them regularly through a blog, and look forward to our time spent with them.

Favorites

Carl

Favorite Movie: Remember the Titans
Favorite Holiday/Tradition: Christmas. I enjoy driving around to look at Christmas lights with the family.
Hobbies/Interests: football, travel, corn hole, basketball, camping
Dream Vacation: explore Australia
If I Could Choose a Superpower: flying

Mary Beth

Favorite Movie: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Favorite Holiday/Tradition: Christmas. Carl, Wiatt, and I exchange an ornament each year that represents the year. We love looking at these on the tree each holiday season.
Hobbies/Interests: taking, travel, cooking, sewing, hiking
Dream Vacation: Mediterranean Beach Vacation
If I Could Choose a Superpower: super speed so I could get more done each day