Nate & Leslie
– Tennessee –
Ethnic Background
White/Caucasian
Nate is from Florida & Leslie is from Georgia. We traveled the country together for the first year and a half of marriage before settling down in Tennessee near family. Nate is the pastor of a church and Leslie is a stay-at-home mom and entrepreneur. We have one child who will be an awesome big brother and playmate. We also have an incredibly kind and fluffy 13-year-old cat by the name of "Catastrophe."
We are a fun-loving couple that cares deeply about our faith, our parenting, our health, our family and our friendships. We value quality time together, love, forgiveness, diversity and laughter. We do not shy away from hard work, difficult conversations or vulnerability. We plan to provide a variety of opportunities for our children through rich educational experiences, lots of travel, close sibling relationships and financial independence.
I love to learn and the process of learning. I hope to instill this in my kids because if they are fast learners who seek out knowledge, they will have a lot of opportunities in life. I value the talents and skills of other individuals. I believe there are multiple types of intelligence that add value to the world and as a pastor, I really enjoy helping others see how they have been uniquely wired and gifted by God. I like thinking deeply, craft coffee, good music and naps. I love the richness of fiction books, although I do not get to read them enough. I love kids. Being a dad and the pastor of a church with a lot of small children is a real joy.
I am fortunate to be in business with family so I work as much or as little as I would like and always take Zeke with me. This will be the case with future kids as well. My Bachelors is in Fine Arts. I love designing, painting, problem solving, and anything creative! I love reading about Psychology and Child Development; One helps me become a better friend, wife & stranger, and they both help me to be a better mother. Furniture arrangements, diaper bags, the contents of my minivan, myself and my parenting are all examples of things I'm constantly working to reform. My parenting philosophy is to show God's love by being intentional, empathetic, loving and fair with what I say, how I say it and what I do. Fairness is particularly important to me.
We live in a single-story mid-mod home with 4 bedrooms, two living rooms, a fenced in yard and ample space to grow our family. We believe that a child's "job" is to play and through playing they learn, so we have a room (the "den") dedicated to growing and shaping our child[ren] by way of play. Leslie intentionally provides the right opportunities for development based on the age and interests of the child.
Family is really important to us. We believe that your child will have a good life with us in this family of ours. They will know they are loved and they will know how to love others.
Nate has a younger sister, Laura, who is married to Matt and they have three boys. They are also planning to adopt. His parents have been happily married for 35 years and are semi-retired. They also recently moved nearby to be close to all of their grandkids.
Leslie has an older sister, Carrie, and younger sister, Nicole. Both are married and hoping to be parents soon. Her parents have been married for 35 years, own their own business and love to take us all on family vacations. They live 1.5 hours away on a houseboat but we see them often.
A typical day begins with Zeke and I getting up first. He plays in the den while I make breakfast. When he is ready for a snack or breakfast, he makes his way to the child-sized table and chairs we have in our kitchen. Some mornings we will eat breakfast together at his little table and dinner is typically all together at the dining table we built. Nate heads off to work after breakfast and Leslie takes over with whatever adventure she has planned for the day. Leslie has the flexibility to meet other moms for play dates at the park, zoo or visit with family but she is intentional about balancing the time around town with time at home.
Outdoor baths, water games and dinner with friends are just a few of our traditions. We also travel a lot.
Our church is a big part of our local community, it is full of young families with lots of children. We spend a lot of time together playing dodgeball, eating and fellowshipping. We take our faith seriously and as a result we have a strong community that loves and serves one another well.
Another big part of our community comes from the family business that my parents started 38 years ago. We have traveled and worked alongside some of the same people for as long as I can remember. Because of this business we have friends from all walks of life and diverse ethnic backgrounds. Our children will get to grow up in a positive atmosphere with a lot of examples of hard work, leadership and entrepreneurship.