Ben & Darcie

We grew up very differently and with different traditions. We did not let go of any of our traditions though; we just combined them. Ben grew up in Ohio in a Filipino family. His mom was always cooking traditional Filipino foods and always had enough to feed the neighborhood. With his three brothers and one sister, gatherings were loud and fun. Darcie’s parents divorced while she was young. They both remarried, and she has two brothers, one half-sister, and seven step-siblings.
We have very large families full of people who are excited for a new family member. Our favorite family tradition we created is what we do at Christmas. We open one gift on Christmas Eve and have a large meal with anyone who can come over. We have a table of ham, turkey, sweet potatoes, and stuffing. We also have a table with steamed rice, fried rice, and lumpia. Our favorite meals are all together with both sides of our family. We would love to add some new foods based on our new child’s heritage.

Our family has been blessed by adoption in many positive ways. We always dreamed of having two biological and two adopted children. We have three children, two biological sons and one adopted daughter. We could not imagine life without any of them. We are so excited to welcome another little girl or boy into our hearts and family. Darcie has a half-sister on her father’s side whom she met as an adult as she was placed for adoption as an infant. Our family was able to locate her, and the connection has been great for everybody. We love all of our children equally and have so much more love to offer.