Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for considering us as a family for your child.
Crystal Lane, Jordan & Evelyn
Adoption is very personal to us (Evelyn joined our family through adoption and I, Crystal Lane was adopted at birth as well!), and we are truly honored that you would take the time to get to know us. The decision you are making must be an incredibly hard one, but we know it is a decision made out of love for your little one. We hope that through these pages, you will feel in your heart the love we have to share with you and your baby.
We are keeping you in our thoughts and wishing you peace as you decide what is best for your baby.
With love,
Crystal Lane, Jordan & Evelyn
OUR ADOPTION STORY
We actually started talking about adoption at the same time that our relationship was becoming more serious. As you get to know us through these pages, you will quickly see that we have a very deep and personal connection to adoption. You might even say, adoption runs in our family! I (Crystal Lane) along with my sister, were adopted at birth. For as long as I can remember, I had always talked about growing up and having a family through adoption. I made that dream a reality when I adopted our daughter, Evelyn, during my first marriage. And then, I met Jordan. To say that Jordan is a natural when it comes to parenting, is a real understatement. Jordan and Evelyn share the most wonderful bond. I also have a cousin who adopted two children from Uganda.
On my 23rd birthday, my birth mother contacted me - I had so many emotions but mostly one of gratitude. I was grateful for the life she gave me with my parents and also grateful to be able to connect with her as an adult. We have been able to form a close bond and my mom has been incredibly supportive. I am truly the luckiest when it comes to adoption and I would love to pass this part of my story on to Evelyn and your child one day.
OUR PROMISE TO YOU
We both come from families who love and support us, and they are excited for us to welcome another little one into our home. We value education, communication, diversity, and the arts. We promise that we will encourage your child to become exactly the person they are, and to express love and compassion to those around them. Respect and kindness are important to us. We will support them through all of life's ups and downs and they will always know our love for them. We promise that we will be parents who are involved, who love your child unconditionally and who will provide a safe family and home filled with love, security and fun adventures. We will care about their feelings, passions, and personality. We also promise that they will have the unconditional love of an amazing big sister (and best friend) in Evelyn!
Both my mom and my birth mom wanted to share their thoughts with you. I hope you don't mind them opening their hearts as well.
Both my mom and my birth mom wanted to share their thoughts with you. I hope you don't mind them opening their hearts as well.
Dear Birth Mother,
I understand where you are right now. I was in your place 40 years ago when I was pregnant with my beautiful daughter.
There is a reason why you are considering adoption and as painful as it is, it can be a beautiful thing. My saving grace was that I chose my daughter's parents. They were married and had stable careers and were wonderful, loving people who had so much to offer. All the things I was unable to provide to my daughter at that time in my life. I was able to check in with her mother from time to time and hear about how well she was doing in school and other activities.
Crystal Lane and I met when she was 23 years old. She is an incredible person. She has accomplished so much in her life so far. She got her PhD when she was 26 years old! I am so proud of her. More importantly, she is someone who cares deeply for others. She is the proud momma to Evelyn, who is now 5 years old! She and her husband, Jordan have a beautiful relationship and share the same religious and family values, which is so very important in a home. I am so fortunate to be a part of their lives.
Both Crystal Lane and Jordan have chosen careers that allow them flexibility and schedules so that they can be active participants in Evelyn and their future child's lives.
Please know what an incredible gift it is to your child and to this family that you are giving. Most importantly, for you, take good care of yourself. There is also a wonderful life ahead for you. May you have peace in your heart knowing that this couple is so very ready to add another little one to their family. I wish you all the best on your journey. You will be in my thoughts and prayers.
Love,
Helen
_____________________
Dear Birth Mother,
I can only imagine how difficult this decision must be - I was blessed to be the recipient by someone in your similar situation and words can't describe how blessed I have been. I thank God every day for Helen's decision. We have a bond like no other. I so respect the strength and courage that she displayed. Because of her sacrifice and loving decision, so many were blessed in the process. Crystal Lane has brought so much joy not only to me and her dad, but her grandmother and great grandmother. We are a very close-knit and hands-on family unit. I would like to share with you a little bit about my first baby.
From the time my daughter was a little girl, she has been incredibly loving and caring towards others. And even back then, she had been dreaming of adopting babies! Of course, when she was little, she was thinking in large multiples but now she would be thrilled to add one more to her family. I should also tell you that she was the best big sister when we adopted and brought home our second daughter, Tiffany.
Crystal Lane is incredibly smart, creative, talented and loving. She has been the most wonderful, devoted mother that any child could ever ask for. She worked overtime tirelessly at her job so that she could save up time off to spend that most important first year with Evelyn and will do the same for your child.
I was impressed with Jordan from the moment I met him, but he has absolutely amazed me when it comes to his loving and caring for Evelyn. He took to fatherhood immediately as if he had been doing it forever. I have never seen a more natural-born father. He will be such a blessing to any child.
Crystal Lane and Jordan already are fabulous parents to sweet Evelyn, and I know they are ready to welcome another little one. Our entire family will be so excited to welcome your baby into our lives and I can hardly wait to be a grandma again!
Much love,
Patricia
About Us
We met while we were both working at a college. We started as co-workers and as we got to know each other, we developed a wonderful friendship. Eventually, we fell in love, and we are now married and hoping to grow our family!
We both have graduate degrees in communication and are of course fascinated with all things communication... including a little healthy debating! Needless to say, we spend a lot of time talking.
Together, we enjoy playing cards and other board games, taking our dog to the park, going to the movies and cooking. We actually really enjoy trying new recipes. We attend church regularly. We actually go to the same church Crystal Lane grew up going to - it is the place that has made us feel more welcome and joyful than any other church we have ever attended.
We also love to travel! There is something really special about visiting new places and learning about different cultures. Getting to do it with Evelyn has made it even more wonderful. We are excited to travel as a family of four one day soon.
Meet Crystal Lane
Crystal Lane is organized, thoughtful, and the most genuine person I have ever known. She is my best friend and the best mother to our sweet Evelyn.
Crystal Lane is an extremely creative person. She writes poetry and stories, and has even created short films and music. Crystal Lane works as a college communication professor and has been at the same college for the past 15 years. She is very loyal! She actually has quite a bit of flexibility and is planning to take at least a full year off so that she can be a stay-at-home mom when we are lucky enough to welcome a new little one into our lives.
As part of her passion for all things communications, Crystal Lane is pretty functional in Spanish and even more fluent in American Sign Language. It has been amazing to see Evelyn learn both from her! As you can probably tell, I think Crystal Lane is truly the most amazing mother and I am lucky to be going down this path together with her.
Meet Jordan
Jordan is a truly amazing man - he is a wonderful husband and an incredibly loving and dedicated father to Evelyn. I love so much about him but the fact that he also has a passion (and studied) communication makes me all the more lucky!
Jordan never gave up on his education and his dreams. He recently graduated with his master’s degree and I am so proud of him and how hard he worked. During his studies, he was actually a nationally recognized competitive speaker!
Jordan is the kind of person who really listens to people and I know firsthand how much he values those in his life. Whenever Evelyn is having a rough day, she has an easy time opening up to Daddy to help her sort things out. And the same goes for me - I could never have dreamed of having such a supportive person in my life. No matter what is going on, Jordan is our rock.
In his free time, you will probably find Jordan playing board games (he loves all games but especially those that involve a lot of strategy!), watching action movies, and playing with Evelyn and our pup.
When it comes to work, Jordan is a communications instructor at our local community college. He will also have flexibility with his job and I know how ready he is to welcome a new addition into our lives. I see the kind of father he is to Evelyn and I know he has room in his heart for your baby too.
SWEET EVELYN!
Evelyn is our amazing five-year-old daughter and is the biggest blessing of our lives. Evelyn joined our family when her beautiful (both inside and out) birth mother made the brave choice to make an adoption plan for her daughter. I guess you could say that in that moment, I finally truly understood the love and gratitude my mom has for my own birth mother.
Evelyn loves to play make-believe with her dolls, and also likes playing with her Hot Wheels, and of course, being outside. She takes swim and dance lessons, and really wants to start gymnastics soon so that she can be like Simone Biles!
She is outgoing and loves her friends, family, and dog so much. Evelyn is so thrilled and beyond excited to know that she will one day get to be a big sister. She has already told us that she wants to help with feeding and dressing a new little one!
LINA
Our dog, Lina, is our fur baby. We rescued her when she was just a puppy and she is the sweetest little girl. Last year, we lost our Bernese Mountain Dog mix and that was a sad time for us. Lina has brought back many smiles (and cuddles) to our animal loving family. Lina loves to play and is also a very calm and gentle furry companion. We are so lucky to have her in our lives
WHERE WE CALL HOME
We live in a spacious three-bedroom house in southern California. Our neighborhood is safe and our school district is one of the highest-rated in the county. There are parks, playgrounds, and an amazing recreational center all nearby. We are also a short drive from a Children's Museum and Disneyland is not too far either!
OUR LOVED ONES
Crystal Lane's mom and birth mother are both very close by and Jordan's grandmother, aunt, uncle, and two brothers are just 20 minutes away. Jordan's parents and sister are in Arizona, and we have aunts, uncles and cousins in Oklahoma who we visit with as well.
We are incredibly grateful that Evelyn gets to see extended family on a regular basis. She shares such an amazing bond with so many people who love her to the moon and back. We also have close friends, many of whom have children, that we spend time with on a regular basis. Our friends and family are incredibly supportive of our adoption plans.
HOLIDAYS & TRADITIONS
Our family loves celebrating the holidays! We celebrate the big ones like Christmas and Easter with church services, visits with extended family, and big meals. We love to cook and bake together.
On Christmas Eve, we have a big family meal in the late afternoon, go to Christmas Eve service, then come home. Evelyn opens one gift (usually Christmas pajamas), then we all get into the car in our jammies, grab some hot Cocoa, and look at Christmas lights. On Christmas morning, we open gifts together, have brunch (orange French toast and asparagus wrapped in ham with cheese are our favorites), and usually laze around and watch a movie.
We also love to celebrate the other occasions, like Mother's Day and Father's Day. Sometimes the three of us will spoil ourselves with a fun breakfast in bed (or as we call it, a bed picnic!) or pizza for lunch.
We love each other and love to celebrate one another any chance we get. And we are so excited to create even more traditions as a family of four.
With Love
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for taking the time to get to know us and for considering us. As you can see, adoption is very near and dear to our hearts and we want you to know how much you and your child will be loved by us and our families.
We cannot imagine how hard this decision must be for you and we honor and respect you for making the best choice possible. May God bless you and your little one, and whomever you ultimately choose as a family for your child.
With love,
Crystal Lane, Jordan & Evelyn