Zoe & Jonathan

We met in a choir program at 12 and 13 years old and instantly became friends. We spent summers together playing basketball, spending time at neighborhood pools, and exploring malls. At 16 and 17, we decided to attend prom together, since neither of us had a date (totally platonic, right?).

After prom was over, Jonathan stated to our friend his now famous line: “Dang it. I think I like her.” This led to a few more weeks of constant hangouts until we took a walk along a beautiful river that runs near our local mall. We sat on a hill near the water, visited for a while, and ultimately confessed our feelings for one another. We dated for two years thereafter.

Both of us left our homes young. Jonathan moved out at 17 and Zoe at 18. Neither of us had much, but what we did have was an undying commitment to each other. We got married a month after Jonathan’s 18th birthday and have been building our life together for nearly 8 years since.

Our home is in a community north of Houston, TX. It sits next to multiple parks and is surrounded by walking trails. Our neighborhood is very well-connected and we love our neighbors. In our free time, we visit the pool often, walk around the local lakes, and play pickleball at the neighborhood tennis court.

We have frequent block parties where neighbors bring the kids together to jump in bouncy houses, play on slip and slides, and compete in water balloon fights.

We have a three-year-old son named Valor. We both come from big families and Valor has 21 cousins!

Jonathan is one of nine siblings and all his adult siblings are now married with children of their own. His whole family sings, so Fleming family gatherings are full of music. Zoe is one of eight siblings. Her whole family loves baseball, so we have a love for the Houston Astros that began in her childhood home.

We built our little family on several bullet points that we call our “family constitution.” Some of these items include saying I love you often, the value of hard work, and using our home to be hospitable. We love our home being filled with friends and family and never turn down a visitor at mealtime.

Our closest friends are like family to us as well. We have “family dinner” every Tuesday with some of our closest friends, a tradition that started in 2020 and has yet to slow down!

Jonathan’s brother-in-law was adopted from India as a child, and his example for us was that of the amazing blessing that comes with adoption. His circumstances were such that his biological mother could not care for him, but because of her decision and that of his adopted parents, he has been afforded wonderful opportunities in life. He now has three children and plans to adopt in the future. He inspired us to look into adoption.

We decided to begin the adoption journey in 2022 when we began fostering our son, Valor. He officially became part of our family at the end of 2023 when his adoption took place and it has been one of the greatest blessings of our life to watch him grow.