Welcome! Meet:

Mark + Charlotte

Middle School Teacher / Stay-at-Home Mom & Tutor

Oregon

Caucasian

Christian

All About Mark & Charlotte
Video
Why Adoption?
Gallery
Family and Home
How We Met
Advice to Future Child
Perspectives on Open Adoption
Favorites

All About Mark & Charlotte

Hello! We are Mark, Charlotte and Madeleine, and we live near Portland, Oregon. Mark is a middle school teacher, Charlotte is taking a break from teaching high school to be a stay-at-home mom and Japanese tutor, and Madeleine is a fun-loving, caring and creative preschooler. Both Mark and Charlotte have lived in other countries (Mark lived in Turkey for a year; Charlotte lived in Japan for two years), and we enjoy experiencing different cultures. We love camping, canoeing, reading and cooking together. Our Christian faith is an important part of our lives, and we have a strong community of church, family and friends nearby. Some of our closest friends are also adoptive families. We love doing things like hosting meals, sharing a weekend away and celebrating holidays and birthdays together.

Why Adoption?

We both love kids and have always looked forward to being parents. After having our daughter we were unable to get pregnant again. We experienced secondary infertility and then an ectopic pregnancy. We long to invest our love in another child. Our daughter is also very excited to welcome a sibling into our family. In addition, we truly look forward to entering into a relationship with YOU through an open adoption, in whatever ways feel most comfortable to you.

Family & Home

Family is extremely important to us. We visit Charlotte’s parents weekly as they live nearby. We have a tradition of yearly camping with her cousins and their families in Oregon. Mark’s family is in Texas, Florida, and Georgia and we see them a couple of times each year and connect frequently through texts and video chats. Everyone is very supportive of us as we look to adopt.

We live in a simple ranch-style house with two cats and a large backyard. It is nestled in a quiet suburban neighborhood where Charlotte often walks, Mark cycles and runs, and Madeleine loves playing at the parks nearby. We have friendly neighbors of all ages, whom we hang out with regularly. We host a neighborhood ice cream social in the summer. We love to garden and enjoy growing raspberries, blueberries, figs, and seasonal vegetables. We are also active in our church where Mark volunteers in the children’s program and Charlotte sings with the choir. Madeleine is involved in Sunday School and children’s choir.

How others describe me

Mark is genuine, kind, and has a great sense of humor. Mark has so much expertise teaching and volunteering with kids, but he absolutely shines as a dad. He is gentle and fun, and loves doing projects with our daughter. He is my best friend and a constant source of strength and encouragement. - Charlotte

Charlotte puts her heart and attention into all she does, and cares for others deeply. She is a nurturing, creative mom who loves to show Madeleine how to help cook in the kitchen and dig in the garden. She serves others well through teaching, tutoring, organizing, and leading. -Mark

Our friends say:

Mark is “creative, fun, sensitive, thoughtful and gentle.” Charlotte raises their daughter “with purpose, structure and intentionality.” Both Mark and Charlotte “are rooted in a firm foundation of Jesus Christ and know that life is best lived in community. Any child would be so very blessed to be a part of the Benedict family.”

How We Met

We met online in 2016 and quickly found a shared love of travel, teaching, music, baking, faith, Hogwarts, hobbits and more! We were married in 2017 and have grown a strong trust in each other and a deep friendship. Being married is like finally coming home for us. Our marriage is a place where we can be ourselves, while also taking every opportunity to help each other grow and thrive.

Advice to Future Child

We want you to know and remember our unconditional love for you. We will love you when you are happy and when you’re sad; when you make good choices and bad. We will love you as a baby, teen and adult. No matter what, we will be there for you. Know this and rest in it.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your path straight. Proverbs 3:5-7

Perspectives on Open Adoption

An open adoption is the opening of our hearts and lives, not just to a child, but to the birth family as well. We believe that the ongoing process of maintaining openness is a way to love, support and honor the adoptee and the birth parents. As people who have lived in other countries, we recognize the great importance of culture, and an open adoption also allows us to fully honor and celebrate the adoptee's unique birth heritage, culture and life story. We know that this will be a journey with many twists and turns we cannot know, but we are committed to making our family a place where you are welcome, where your child thrives, and where we learn together how to walk this road of open adoption.

Favorites

Mark

Favorite Movie: The Princess Bride
Favorite Holiday/Tradition: Chex Mix at Thanksgiving
Hobbies/Interests: cycling, running, reading
Dream Vacation: a world tour
If I Could Choose a Superpower: to speak & understand any language

Charlotte

Favorite Movie: any of the Harry Potter movies
Favorite Holiday/Tradition: Thanksgiving. My favorites are dressing and pumpkin pie.
Hobbies/Interests: baking, crochet, sewing, reading, swimming
Dream Vacation: taking the whole family to Japan
If I Could Choose a Superpower: flying