Nate & Jess

We are so glad you are here! We hope it’s clear how much we value being together as a family, celebrating big and small moments, holidays, traditions and trips, and enjoying full days of sports and activities. Our family mantra is to love God and love others. We feel called to adopt and are so excited about growing our family this way. If any part of our story resonates with you, we would love to connect. We pray for you and your child, waiting with open arms and unconditional love. In every aspect of our lives, we are ready for this adventure! Thank you for taking the time to learn more about us.

Our Story

Even though we grew up in different parts of the country, it didn’t take long for us to fall in love when our best friends/roommates, who were dating, decided to set us up in college. We got married soon after graduating and have been married for 12 years and counting. With our families living in different states, we forged our own path, creating what we wanted our marriage and family to look like and value. We now have two children and are excited to be on this adoption journey to add to our family.

Some of our favorite things to do together:

• Enjoying the beach, either along Lake Erie or off the shores of North Carolina
• Taking walks around our neighborhood and town with our kids and dogs
• Getting Mexican food on date nights
• Doing house projects
• Watching our favorite comedians

Meet Nate

According to Jess: Nate is my best friend, a super graceful spouse, and the epitome of a fun dad. We are complete opposites in so many ways, which keeps life interesting, but we are the same in all the ways that matter most. Nate loves sports, is always up for an adventure, the first one to help the kids and I try something new, and is a New England sports fan to the core. He is an amazing provider for our family, always pushing himself to be better at his job, making sure we have all we could possibly need, while prioritizing us over his job every single day. His work life balance is incredible, and the kids and I have never had to question if he will be present or show up for us. Nate is a super involved dad, the first one to volunteer to coach anything, and plays with the kids every single day. He is looking forward to holding and caring for our next child and sharing his passion for sports and adventure with them as they get older, ultimately helping him/her discover who they are meant to be. He is involved in a men’s Bible study and prioritizes prayer with the kids. Nate’s perfect day would involve being together as a family, tinkering on a project outside, playing tennis, and mowing his meticulously groomed yard.

Meet Jess

According to Nate: I have never met a person who cares about others the way Jess does. She is incredibly thoughtful, loving, and selfless. Because of this, she is an incredible spouse, mother, and friend. She is the main reason the house we have feels like a home and everyone who comes in feels welcomed and relaxed. Jess is a joyful, dedicated, stay-at-home mom who homeschools our two kids and has instilled in them a love of learning and reading. She has been able to create an entire community of families who also homeschool, and they meet up every week for field trips and other activities. In addition, she helps lead a ministry for a group of moms with school aged children (MomCo). It has been inspiring to see the relationships that have come from that. Jess cannot wait to do all of the little things that come with caring for a newborn.  Nurturing, snuggling, and reading to them are some of her favorite moments as a mom. She is so excited to get to teach another child and experience all of the firsts again. Jess is a homebody who loves doing Pilates, being at the beach, and unwinding with a good book or a Hallmark Christmas movie.

Our Family

As a family, we love Sundays at church, pizza for lunch, and cozy afternoons watching football. Our weeks are full of a variety of activities for our very active kids and time spent as a family, which we prioritize over everything. We are also deeply connected to the ocean and travel to North Carolina every year to rest and enjoy the beach. It’s a place where we feel immense joy and peace. We are involved in our church’s kid’s ministry, wanting to be known as a family who works hard and serves others in a variety of ways, and we focus daily on all of us growing more in our faith. Our extended families may not be local, but we do all we can to invest in those relationships. Our kids are champs in the car, and we love a good road trip! But we also love canceled plans and being at home, and it’s a good thing, because we are all home a lot!

Our kids: Our son, Liam, is 9 years old and loves drawing, playing all the sports, and doing anything active. Our daughter, Quinn, is 6 years old and loves ballet, Barbies, and all things princess. Both of them are beyond excited to adopt a baby! We talk about what life will be like with a little one every single day!

Our pets: Parker and Paisley, our retriever-spaniel brother/sister duo, have been with us from the start. Poppy and Penny, our little rescue kittens were a Christmas gift for our kids last year. All of the pets are great with kids!

Our Home in Ohio

We live in a 4-bedroom home on a beautiful tree lined street. We are in a small town, close enough to big cities for exciting events, but far enough away that we still have the small town charm. We have ample space in our home for however many more children God will bless us with through adoption. We love our big playroom and yard space for all sorts of activities. We also have a large homeschool room dedicated to educating the kids, with tons of light and cozy spots for learning. Nate has his own private office in the house where he works. Renovating this house into our dream home has been an unpredictable and thrilling journey. Ohio is such a wonderful place to live, with all four seasons in all their splendor. We love it here!

Our Promise

Becoming parents has been a dream come true for both of us, and we feel deeply passionate about adding to our family through adoption. Our two children are true miracles that we are grateful for every day. We were open to adoption before them, in between their births, and always, and we have been actively on this journey for 7 years. Adoption has never been a backup plan. Our family does not feel complete and the idea of adopting brings us so much peace. We know this is the right path for our family, and we cannot wait to see who joins us next. We would be honored to walk this adoption journey with you, knowing that you will always have a place in your child’s life. We promise to always be open and honest with your child about their adoption story. We promise to stretch and grow our family to learn the best ways to incorporate your child’s ethnicity, background, and extended family into ours. We promise to provide a safe home to grow up in, immersed in God’s love, with opportunities to become who God designed them to be. We promise loads of fun, laughter, adventures, and unconditional love. We cannot wait to meet you!

We’d love to talk or answer any of your questions. Please call or text Lifetime at 1.800.923.6784.

In Closing

We believe that everyone is adopted into God's family through faith and trust in His Son, and this act on earth is one tangible way of living out His love for us. We would love to talk more specifically about what an open adoption looks like together with you. Thank you for considering us!