Mark and Charlotte

Hi! We’re Mark, Charlotte & Madeleine (and three cats).

It is our privilege to introduce ourselves, and we hope to give you a glimpse of our lives as they really are. We see open adoption not just as adding a child to our family but also adding a family to our family, and we welcome you into that relationship. So, as you learn about us, please know that we are already cheering for you, whatever decision you make.

We’re both life-long school teachers: Charlotte is taking a break from teaching Japanese to stay home with Madeleine, and Mark teaches Language Arts to rambunctious middle school students. Madeleine tells us that she wants to be “a nurse to help babies.”
Mark and Charlotte connected over their love of travel, teaching, reading, faith, and tea. When we got married, we knew we wanted to be parents and were thrilled to welcome Madeleine into our family in 2018. Unable to have a second child and wanting to add to our family, we decided to pursue open adoption. We have several friends who have also had open adoptions and shared their experiences with us. We are looking forward to the growth, challenge, and joy of this life-long journey.

Family is extremely important to us. Charlotte’s parents live about thirty minutes away, and we see them weekly. Mark’s mom, dad, and brother’s family are in Florida, Georgia, and Texas, so we make sure to see them a couple of times a year. Our families are supportive of us and are excited about the chance to welcome others into our family through open adoption.

Mark is a caring, attentive, and fun-loving father who has a great sense of humor. Charlotte is a nurturing, creative mom who loves to show Madeleine how to help cook in the kitchen and dig in the garden. Madeleine has a sensitive heart, taking care of her pretend babies, feeding the cats, serving others pretend food and tea, and taking great pride in being a “big helper” around the house. We love baking, playing board games, camping, traveling, and getting out on nearby waterways in our canoe.

We live near Portland, Oregon, in a quiet, established neighborhood. Our faith is important to us, and we are active in a local church, where Charlotte enjoys singing in the choir and Mark volunteers in the kids’ program. Our friends and neighbors know our house as a place of open welcome, good food, and warm conversation. We love having people over to our house and regularly host meals, ice cream socials, and Christmas caroling.

If you choose an open adoption with us, our hope is that we could, together, create a relationship full of support, love, and open communication for everyone involved. We are fully committed to doing everything we can to make our family a loving and safe place. We welcome you to be part of our chosen family!
Sincerely,

~Mark, Charlotte, and Madeleine