Hi, we are Michelle and Ben!

Thank you so much for taking the time to get to know our family.

We don’t know all that you are facing, but we see how courageous you are, and how much you already love your child.

We hope that this will begin to give you a picture of who we are and how we live. After learning from doctors that we couldn’t have biological children, we felt called to pursue adoption. We adopted our daughter, Vanessa, in 2023 and now we are so excited to grow our family again!

We are not perfect, but our home is full of laughs, unconditional love, and lots of grace. We commit to providing a safe, secure and supportive home for your child. We commit to respecting whatever level of openness you desire, and will ensure that your child knows how loving and brave you are.

Our Story

We met during the summer of 2017 when we were living in Honduras, serving on a team doing local community outreach. We got to know each other by doing the dishes and eventually started dating. We got married at my parents’ home in a beautiful outdoor wedding ceremony the next year. Our wedding proceeded, despite the frightening forecast of rain, and a bear who made an appearance the evening of the rehearsal dinner!

After getting married, we lived in Kentucky for three years while Ben got his master’s degree, before moving to Virginia in 2021 to be closer to family. We have loved living in Virginia, where Ben now works for a local church and Michelle is a stay-at-home mom, as well as a part-time Communications Director. We love spending time together, whether it’s serving, going on fun weekend adventures or just taking a walk.

Our daughter, Vanessa, is such a friendly, fun and outgoing 3-year-old. She loves playing with other kids and learning the names of everyone she meets. We know she is going to be the most amazing big sister!

Home sweet home!

We absolutely love our bright and cozy home that has plenty of room to live and play. Our entire basement is a dedicated playroom where we spend much of our day with Vanessa, playing dress-up, pretending to cook in the play kitchen, and jumping on the trampoline. We have a great yard with a gate that opens right up to a neighborhood playground. We also love that our home is in a diverse, family-friendly neighborhood with a walking trail just across the street!

Our family loves connecting through meaningful conversations and quality time. We like to spend time at the dinner table talking about our highs, lows and buffalos (something random!) to hear about each other’s days. We like playing games, getting outside and just being silly together. We all love spending time with our dog, Belle, who is the gentlest, chillest dog you will ever meet. We always want our house to be full of smiles, laughs, kindness and thankfulness.

Meet Michelle

• I love writing, graphic design and crafting!

• Some of my favorite places I've traveled to are Honduras, Mexico, & Costa Rica, where I've been able to use my Spanish degree.

• I’m the chef of our home, and I enjoy trying out new dinner recipes or baking a special sweet treat during the week.

Meet Ben

• I love laughing and love to make other people laugh.

• I’m a big sports fan, especially basketball and Ohio State football!

• I love listening to podcasts and sitting down to read a good book.

Thank you!

Thank you so much for taking the time to learn about our family. We are honored by your willingness to consider us. We are praying for you to experience grace and love.

Michelle & Ben