Choose A Family : Parent Profile
Chantal and Raphael
Hello!
We are Chantal and Raphael and live in the extraordinary mountains of the west. This is just a small glimpse into our lives and what could be the life of your child if you were to choose us. Your child will be loved and adored not only by the two of us but also by our large and loving families. We will teach your child to speak at least four languages and he or she will travel the world! We look forward to helping them ski and make snow angels, know the value of hard work and be surrounded by music, art and creativity.
We admire your strength and courage during this time of hard decision-making. Your child will always know about your generous and selfless act of love. We would be privileged to meet you and attend the birth to share in this miracle of life.
Our Decision to Adopt
Somewhere on one of our first dates, we were taking a walk on the beach and talking about a family and what our future may hold. It was surprising that we were both interested in adopting! We have always wanted children, so we look forward to the joys and miracles of adopting, and loving and raising a family together. Our entire family and friends are excited and completely supportive about our decision to adopt!
Chantal was born in Pennsylvania and when she was six months old she moved to Bruxelles, Belgium. Throughout her childhood Chantal’s family lived in the United States, Germany, Paris, Switzerland, and Japan. In addition to her first language of English, Chantal speaks French, Spanish, German, Japanese and Portuguese. She went to High School in Pennsylvania, then to college at Miami University in Ohio, with a major of Interdisciplinary Studies in dance and psychology and also studied Japanese at Georgetown University. Chantal ran and owned an award-winning theatre company in Los Angeles CA a few years ago. She has an entrepreneurial spirit and hopes to start a camp for overweight teens in the next few years.
Chantal as a Mother (by Raphael)
Chantal has a tremendous capacity to give love to any living being and she makes an investment with her whole heart and mind. She is compassionate, understanding, open and excited to share what she’s learned about the world with your child and guide them to be a loving, kind, generous and fulfilled human being. Chantal is non-judgmental and people feel safe around her. She feels that in order for a child to thrive, they have to learn to be responsible for themselves and how they are in the world; she thinks that structure is important. Chantal is completely invested in family; she’s dedicated and nurturing and constantly thinking about how to make everything better. She always takes good care of our dog, Missy, and of me, making me breakfast and lunch and even once fedexed me a chocolate birthday cake while I was out of town on business so I know she will take exceptional care of your child.
Chantal’s Favorite Things
Raphael of course
Eating fresh fallen snow
Performing in the theatre
Dancing, Acting, Singing, Writing
Being creative and doing craft projects
Laughing with my Sister and Mother
Skiing with my Dad
Eating a good meal
Chocolate and ice cream!
Love to curl up and read a good book
Create characters and voices while reading to kids
Compelled to travel the world & explore different cultures
Hanging out with my friends and talking about life
Help guide and champion people to pursue their dreams
Did I mention chocolate?
Raphael was born in Brazil and first visited the States in 2003 as a kid’s ski instructor. He has a degree in tourism with an emphasis in marketing and accounting from Faculdades Integradas Olga Mettig and is currently a partner in a property management business. He speaks English, Portuguese, Spanish and French (which he learned for Chantal when they were first dating). Raphael is most proud of when he developed a project to educate poor neighborhoods in Brazil on how to use the environment around them to better their lives. He also won a three-day cruise for first place in a Karaoke contest!
Raphael as a Father (by Chantal)
Raphael is a loving, patient, hard working and nurturing man and husband and I am the luckiest woman in the world because I get to share my life with him! He has a great wisdom and insight into people and life and can’t wait to be a father and to share in guiding, leading and showing our child the wonders of the world. Raphael has a unique ability to express himself, a great capacity to give love and to be playful or serious when the situation requires. He is a loyal and dedicated family man who has the strength of his convictions and knows the values and ethics he wishes to teach his child. Raphael grew up in a working class family where he saw his parents work very hard to make sure he and his sister had opportunities to go to good schools, be educated, and strive to earn a good life. I know he will give everything of himself to insure his child has all the opportunities to have a wonderful and productive life.
Raphael’s Favorite Things
Chantal
Missy
Skiing
Watching movies – especially funny ones!
Hanging out with my friends
Video conferencing with my family in Brazil
Playing soccer
Becoming a professional tennis player on the Wii
I love to sing and Karaoke
Enjoy working on the house
Love to cook
Wanted to be a dentist and an astronaut when I grew up
Favorite band is Pink Floyd – great guitar & keyboards
I grill a mean steak!
Play guitar
Go to the beach and boogie board
Play cards “buraco” with Grandma Vo
Fly kites on the beach
Go to church – mentor & leader of youth group
When We Met!
It all began 7 years ago when we met on the ski slopes where we both worked as ski instructors. Part of Chantal’s job was to escort Raphael dressed like Spiderman on the ski slopes to entertain the kids in ski school where I noticed how wonderful he was with all the children. He called me every day for a week until I accepted his invitation for a date. As we began dating, we realized we shared common values of family, and life, and compassion for others. Raphael keeps Chantal grounded and Chantal encourages Raphael to dream. We were so crazy about each other that we dated for about a year and then Raphael proposed.
Our Life
We love to play tennis (or ski of course) early on the weekends and then get our favorite chai latte and mocha and catch up with our friends on little adventures. We work out every day by running, lifting weights, hiking, biking, skiing, snowshoeing, or sledding (wait is that really a workout?). We try to find ways to volunteer our time helping take care of our friends’ kids. At nights, we love to snuggle under the blankets on our large red couch and watch old movies, read or hang out together. We can’t wait to have a child join in between us and watch all those wonderful Disney movies together as a family!
Making Room For Baby
We have structured our lives in such a manner that permits flexibility in our work schedules. With our own business we can have as much time off as we need to care for a child and can both participate in parenting duties. A little known fact is that Raphael was known as the “baby whisperer” in ski school because of his extraordinary connection with children. He could get any child to stop crying and make them feel safe enough to get them out to play and ski in the snow.Our Family
Traditions
Thanksgiving back east with Chantal’s family
Springtime in Brazil with Raphael’s family
Baking Christmas cookies as a family together and going visiting friends while we deliver them
Dinner together as a family every night
Walking Missy together & going over our day
Making Christmas dinner for our friends & family – a Brazilian shrimp stew
Moonlight snowshoes in the mountains
Going out in to the woods and cutting down our very own Christmas tree
Game nights with friends and family!!
Laughing and enjoying moments together.
Our Home and Great Neighborhood
We have both worked very hard for several years in order to prepare for our family; we saved to buy a house with a swing in the yard and a safe family car. We knew the minute we walked into our house that is was meant to be ours. Our home is so inviting and open with high ceilings, lots of bright sunny light and a view of the snow-capped mountains! Once inside it makes us want to smile and breathe easy. Our home has lots of room to run around with 4 bedrooms and one acre of land. We have lots and lots of trees for a child to climb and explore.
Our neighborhood is filled with children and fun activities for everyone. Our town and street are very safe: a place where kids can play outside. Not to mention it happens to be the most desired neighborhood in town because of the good elementary school we are within walking distance of! Down the block is a park with soccer fields, basketball & tennis courts, and loads of hiking and biking trails. We also have two kids’ playgrounds within walking distance. Who are we kidding? We’ll be holding their hands until they’re 18! ;-)
OUR WONDERFUL FAMILIES
We believe in living our lives with hard work, integrity and honesty, which was instilled in us by our parents. We were fortunate to grow up in supportive environments with good role models who encouraged laughter and pursuing higher education to enrich our lives. Chantal’s mother instilled in her a passion for life, an appreciation for nature and art and always read to her as a little girl which helped develop her imagination. Her father taught her how to ski, the value of hard work and to meet challenges head on. Raphael’s father instilled in him the value of pursuing an education to achieve a productive life as well as modeling a “never give up” attitude. His mother taught Raphael good manners, good morals and the idea that he could achieve anything in life if he worked hard enough. She also taught him to be respectful of others and accept self-responsibility.
Chantal has a younger sister who is her best friend and a sweet little half sister who is studying horsemanship in college. Raphael also has a younger sister and two younger cousins with whom he maintains a close relationship. Both of their sisters are expecting this year and we can’t wait to raise all of the kids together!!
Having a child in our lives will mean everything to us! We look forward to spending time every year at our home in Brazil with cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents! We will expose your child to the martial art of capoeira, drumming, teach them to surf, try African-Brazilian foods, and learn to fish at the family beach house. We will also spend time back east every year with friends and family and their children. Your child will have lots of aunts and uncles and grandparents who will love them, support their dreams, encourage them in their ambitions, teach them to act, play the piano, and ride horses.
MISSY – Our Sweet Dog
We adopted Missy about two years ago and she is the sweetest dog! She is a border collie mix and is black with a white tummy and the cutest four white paws. Missy is loving, yet independent, and especially loves to go on long hikes through the nearby mountains. She loves to play, jump and run around with us, but also enjoys her cozy naps on her plush little pillow in her favorite corner. Missy is so gentle when around our friends’ children and will be a great playmate for your child.
Our Promise as Parents
To give lots of hugs and kisses every day
To teach the value of life and its beauty
To tuck our child in and read to them every night
To give our child guidance, support and encouragement to follow their passions
To give a soft pillow
To teach respect and kindness towards others
To instill a good work ethic
To hold our child’s hand every day
To help your child grow and reach his or her full potential in life
SUMMARY
We cannot even imagine how difficult and emotional this time must be for you. But we want you to know that we would feel incredibly lucky and honored if you gave us the opportunity to raise your child in a loving, safe and nurturing environment. Your child will send you postcards from all the corners of the world with a smile knowing that he or she is loved by you and by us. Your child will learn to work hard, to play, to help others, to be strong and smart and proud of who they are and where they came from. We thank you for your strength and generosity, and the love of your child.
Thank you,
Chantal & Raphael
If you have an questions for us, or would like to talk to us about adopting your child, please contact an AdoptHelp advisor by Calling 1-800-637-7999 or clicking the "Contact Us" button below.
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