Waiting Family Profiles

Home Location: Twin Cities Metro

Family Status: Couple without children

Children in Home: None

Child Ethnicity: Asian, Caucasian, Hispanic/Latino

We are Mark and Bradley

From a young age, we both dreamed of becoming parents. Although we knew early on that having children biologically was not possible, our desire to nurture, guide, and celebrate a child’s life has never wavered. We’ve always found joy in being around kids, whether it’s sharing laughter, watching them grow, or celebrating their milestones. These moments fill our hearts and remind us of the kind of love we’re eager to give. Thank you again for considering us.

Meet Mark

Hi, I am Mark, and I grew up in Pennsylvania. I am the oldest sibling of 3. Spending time with our family was a big part of growing up. We would always make sure to have dinners together on weeknights. I have the warmest memories of reading to both of my sisters when they were babies. I moved to Minnesota after college for my first job. When I moved here, I knew nothing about Minnesota and had no connections. During my first week here, I knew this was where I was meant to be and immediately felt at home.

I currently work in the medical field. When I am not at work, I enjoy being outside as much as possible. In the summertime, I enjoy hiking, walking with our dog, and discovering new running trails around Minnesota. In the winter, I get outside and enjoy some sunshine with activities like snowshoeing and hiking.

Meet Bradley

Hi, I am Bradley, and I grew up close to where we live now in the northern Minneapolis suburbs. I have loved growing up in the Midwest and am excited to raise a family here as well. Growing up, I would spend many weekends up at the cabin and still do to this day.

I am an accountant by day, but I spend as much free time as possible enjoying nature and being away from screens. Many of my hobbies involve outdoor activities, such as hiking and running. During the winter months, I also like woodworking, reading, and dedicating my best efforts to home renovation projects.

Our Story

We met online and soon realized we were meant for each other. After a few dates and messages, we quickly bonded over shared interests like running, music, and hiking. After about a year and a half of dating, Mark proposed to Bradley at the finish line of Mark’s first-ever half-marathon. We got married outdoors about a year later at Elm Creek Park with both of our families and friends around.

We love being outdoors, especially on warm sunny days. We often run through new neighborhoods, play tennis and other sports in spring and autumn, and spend much of our time hiking. As members of the Minnesota Hiking Club, we have hiked almost every state park in Minnesota, collecting a “password” at each location and earning badges for every 25 miles we complete.

On the weekends, we often go to the family cabin, where we enjoy playing yard games, watching movies, and chatting around the fire in summer. We enjoy traveling and immersing ourselves in different cultures and communities. For our honeymoon, we went to Australia and had dinner under the stars in the outback, where we socialized with diverse groups of people from around the world. Each autumn, we enjoy visiting apple orchards and pumpkin patches. We drink hot chocolate while snowshoeing in Minnesota winters to stay warm and active.

Each Christmas, our family joins Brad’s family to cut down their tree, then we have lunch and catch up together. We consistently prioritize engaging in a variety of date nights each month. Some occasions involve a simple dinner, while others include more elaborate activities such as attending a painting class or participating in glass-blowing workshops.

On weeknight evenings, we have an unspoken rule that we try not to sit down and watch TV until after 7:00 pm. If we have free time, we like to spend it together playing games around the kitchen table, doing yardwork, or simply sitting on the couch to read, do word searches, or just color. We have a 9-year-old white lab named Riley. She loves children, especially the ones who give her attention and all the tummy scratches. We enjoy taking Riley on family runs together and evening walks after work.

Where We Live

We live in the Northwestern suburb of Minneapolis in Anoka, Minnesota. During the fall, Anoka has lots of different Halloween activities, such as pumpkin weighing competitions and a huge Halloween parade that we attend yearly.

We have a 3-bedroom 2-bathroom house in a quiet neighborhood with many neighborhood parks, biking and walking trails. We are walking distance from our downtown (and favorite ice cream shop) and the nearby elementary and middle schools.

We love spending summer Wednesdays downtown, where there is a concert in the park, a farmers’ market, and a variety of local food trucks. Our favorite part of Anoka is the sense of community in our neighborhood. There are also a lot of regional and city parks within our county that we enjoy visiting on the weekends. We regularly attend our local church and appreciate the supportive community.

Our Support Network

We have a huge support network of family and friends in Minnesota. Bradley’s family lives within 30 minutes of our home. Additionally, we have a large support network in Pennsylvania, where Mark’s family is from. Even though they are far away, they are very present in our lives, and we share a close and supportive relationship. We are a very tight family who does a lot together, including spending most holidays together. We always try to prioritize family time through meals together, trips to the cabin, and more.

Our network is very excited about our adoption journey. Beyond our family support, we benefit from an extensive circle of friends; three couples have recently welcomed a child, enabling us to share experiences and learn from their insights. We also have a supportive church network, where we wish our child to be raised and foster their own spiritual growth.

Our Hope as Parents

We will encourage an open communication channel with the birth family. We would love to have the family involved as much as possible with the child, including school events and important life updates. We plan on educating the child at an early age about adoption and their birth parents by reading them adoption books, as well as talking to them about their birth parents and family members.

We will incorporate our child’s heritage into our daily life through food, books, and cultural events around Minnesota. We want the child to feel comfortable with who they are and where they come from.

Our parenting style blends authoritative and permissive approaches. Authoritative parenting combines warmth and structure, it means supporting and guiding children while maintaining clear expectations and boundaries. Permissive parenting, on the other hand, is more lenient and nurturing, emphasizing understanding and emotional support. We believe in finding a healthy balance, ensuring our child feels loved, safe, and secure, while also understanding that parents are responsible for setting limits. For example, we would encourage open communication about feelings and experiences, while also establishing clear rules around bedtime and screen time to help our child develop healthy routines and responsibility.

Thank you for considering our family for placement. We know this is a very difficult and challenging time in your family’s life. We will love, nurture, and allow the child to grow into our families, where they will have a strong support system behind them. Our approach to open adoption honors the birth parents’ preferences for communication. We are devoted to nurturing, guiding, and supporting each child so they can flourish and reach their potential.

For More Information

• Contact Us at [email protected]
• Contact Our CH/LSS Worker, Taylor Beers, at [email protected] or 651-255-2229

 

Bradley (left) and Mark (right) on our honeymoon
in Sydney, Australia

At the pumpkin patch with Bradley’s siblings
and their partners

At our wedding with Mark’s parents and sisters

At our Goddaughter Madison’s baptism