Waiting Family Profiles

Home Location: Central MN

Family Status: Couple with Children

Children in Home: One

Child Ethnicity: African American, Asian, Caucasian, East Indian, Hispanic/Latino, Native American

Hello! We are Ben and Austen, thank you for taking the time to learn about us, we are so excited to meet you! We live in Willmar, MN, with our son August, and four pets – the cats, Emerson and Cricket, and the dogs, Franklynn and Kendrick.

Our Family

We have been together for over 8 years and have just celebrated our fifth anniversary as a married couple. Our relationship is built on a strong foundation of trust, respect and laughter. We were blessed to become parents 3 years ago with the birth of our son August.  As we adjusted to life as a family of three, we realized that our family was not yet complete.  After a lot of discussion, we decided to grow our family through an open adoption. We have family and friends who are either adopted or have children who are adoptees. We are blessed to be surrounded by a community that is very supportive of us and our decision to grow our family through adoption.

Our Favorite Couple Activities

• Hiking in state parks
• House projects
• Cooking together
• Traveling
• Going to concerts(all kinds!)
• Beer tasting

Our Favorite Family Activities

• Trips to see Grandma Debbie and Grandpa Greg
• Saturday Morning Pancakes
• Movie nights
• Long walks with the dogs
• Visiting Grandma and Grandpa at the lake
• Reading books and going to the library
• Game nights with friends

Ben(they/them) as seen by Austen

Without trying to be too cheesy about it, Ben is one of my favorite people in the world to spend time with. They are wonderfully kind, funny and are endlessly patient with a world view that is truly unique. When we first met, Ben was set on a path to get a Masters degree in Mathematics but luckily they found their true calling with teaching. Ben is one of the world’s natural born teachers and absolutely LOVES to teach math to their students(and they actually enjoy learning about it!).  I have rarely met someone who loves to learn about the world as much as Ben does (a trait they have passed on to our son). They are passionate and opinionated about the topics/people they care about and we always have the best conversations. Ben loves to take August and our two pups for long walks to “hunt” for squirrels and spend time in the backyard exploring. I like to think we are both fun parents but Ben really encourages the thoughtful, scientific side of our son and loves to teach him about the world.

Five Fun Facts!

• Ben loves to play chess(and is quite good!).
• They have run a marathon and several half-marathons.
• Ben has played upright bass for over 20(!) years.
• In addition to playing in orchestras, Ben also has a band with their best friend Forrest.
• Ben has the most eclectic taste in music, from classical to Polish death metal and everything in between!

Austen(she/her) as seen by Ben

Unlike my wife, I have no problems with sounding cheesy: I am endlessly blessed to have Austen in my life. She is my best friend, a wonderful wife, and a marvelous mother to August. What I love best about her is that she always has a project (usually more than one), and she never stops working on the things that improve our home, our marriage, and ourselves. She’s completely fearless about making decisions that will lead our family down a better path. Also, her kindness and compassion for others are truly endless.

She’s also a very good electrician, a career for her that neither of us anticipated when we met, but she takes pride in her work and I can tell that her job brings her joy.

Five Fun Facts!

• Austen has been to over 30 different countries, all over the world.
• She has a beautiful singing voice, and sang in choir all through college and beyond.
• When she was only three years old, she learned how to cross-country ski (and still loves it!).
• Austen is very good at home design.
• She is a self-taught woodworker.

All About August

August(Auggie) is a very active 3 year old, currently very into dinosaurs(specifically triceratops) and his stuffed monkey Darwin. He loves to read, make forts and roam our backyard looking for sticks. He doesn’t fully understand the adoption process but we talk to him about every decision we make and read books about the different ways families can form. He is really excited to be a big brother and has been practicing his hugs for his new sibling.

Our Friends and Family

We are very blessed with the friends and family that are in our lives. We both come from large extended families and have a strong connection with them. We are both close with our immediate families who are all brilliant humans who have helped make us into who we are today. They are so excited to meet another child to welcome into the fold. Most of our immediate family lives within a few hours drive and we spend many happy weekends traveling to see them.

Our circle of friends is small but mighty and they are each endlessly supportive in our adoption journey. We really believe that you can choose your family and without a doubt, our friends are our family.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for learning more about us.  We are both excited and a little nervous for this journey.  There are a lot of uncertainties but we are certainly looking forward to meeting you and seeing if our families would be a good fit for each other.  We can’t wait to welcome the youngest Anderson, and also you, into the fold of our little family

With love and light,

Austen, Ben and August

 

Getting in Touch

Email: [email protected]

Our case worker:Elizabeth Bohlken

Elizabeth’s email: [email protected]