Meant to be Sisters- Izzy and Emerson’s Adoption Story

Izzy and Emerson love playing outside. Their parents, Jon and Tara, prefer they play in the back yard for safety reasons, but the girls prefer the front yard. They would always sneak through the side gate from the back to the front, until Jon put a lock on the gate. 

“Once I heard some fumbling and came out and one of them was on a stool with a broom trying to open the gate while the other was on the lookout,” Jon remembers. 

Izzy and Emerson are two peas in a pod. They’re not only sisters, but best friends and confidants. You would never guess that Izzy and Emerson were both adopted and didn’t know each other for the first several years of their lives. It's clear that these two were meant to be sisters. 

Izzy’s Adoption 

Jon and Tara started talking about adoption as soon as they were engaged. The matching process happened quickly. Jon and Tara met a birth mother with whom they connected and had a lot in common. Their meeting with her was very easy and natural. Soon after, they received the call that they had been matched.  

Izzy was born in the middle of the night at a military base hospital.  

“It was unreal, meeting her. It was so amazing to be able to hold her and see her and see what she actually looked like. All those things that we had pictured—she was actually there,” Tara said.

Emerson’s Adoption 

A few years later, Jon, Tara, and Izzy were ready for their family to grow. The infant adoption process had been really taxing on them, so this time they decided to pursue foster care adoption. 

The adoption agency they used before had since closed. Working with Boys & Girls Aid was an easy choice for the family, who had a few friends who worked for the agency. 

Jon and Tara were one of three families who were being considered as potential matches for a little girl named Emerson. Emerson, or “Emmy” for short, was placed in foster care when she was two years old due to neglect. After a few days, she was moved into a familial placement. Although they wanted to, these family members knew they couldn’t care for Emerson permanently because of their age. 

Jon and Tara were devastated when they learned that another family had been matched with Emerson. 

“I remember we were sitting on the couch saying, ‘I wish it worked out with Emmy,’” Jon said.  

They thought that because Emerson was so close in age with Izzy, and they had similar personality types and interests, she would be a perfect fit for their family. 

As they were discussing this, their adoption clinician called with news— the family who was matched with Emerson had backed out of the adoption. The clinician asked if they were still interested in adopting her. They immediately said “Yes.” 

Since this was in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jon and Tara first met Emerson through a video chat. After a few more video chats, they were able to meet in person, but with masks. For Emerson, this process was confusing. Her biological family members were hesitant to trust Jon and Tara after what had happened with the previous adoption match, but Jon and Tara worked hard to build a relationship with them and with Emerson. They showed their new daughter that they were invested and ready to be the family she deserves.

Creating A New Sibling Bond 

As they waited for her to come home, Jon and Tara prepared Emerson’s bedroom and tried to make it feel like her own. Emerson picked out the paint color and began dropping off her belongings bit by bit. Emerson and Izzy had a lot of playdates and were already getting along well. 

The day Emerson officially moved in, she immediately ran inside to play with Izzy. Having her own room didn’t last long, because after a week the girls decided they wanted to share a bedroom. They connected very fast, and their bond has only continued to grow. 

Izzy and Emerson have brought so much joy, laughter, and energy to the family. Together, the four love going on adventures and exploring. 

“Lazy Sundays don’t exist anymore,” Jon said. “It’s always, ‘What are we doing? Let’s go!’” 

Emerson loves to be active and outside. She’s more reserved and can take a while to warm up to people, but when she does, she’s very kind and sweet. She loves reading and animals, and wants to be a vet when she grows up. 

Izzy is creative. She likes dance, music, and art. She’s outgoing, funny, and has a lot of friends. She’s affectionate and loves to cuddle. She wants to be a teacher when she grows up. 

Like any siblings, Izzy and Emerson know how to get on each other's nerves, but they’re still very close.  

“I think they know better than we do how to get each other out of a funk,” Tara said. 

They love scheming and being mischievous together, like the time they gave each other haircuts and then tried to cover it up by throwing away the hair before their parents saw it. Unfortunately for them, Emerson’s short bangs gave them away. 

“These kids deserve love, and they deserve it all.”

Open Adoption Advice 

Jon and Tara said that patience and trust are very important to have during the adoption process.  

“The process can be grueling and tiring and emotionally draining, but you will be placed with the right situation,” Jon said. “Trust that it’s going to happen.” 

It’s also important to be willing to keep your child’s relationships with their biological family when it’s safe to do so, they said. 

“You have to go into it realizing it’s not just a child you’re bringing into your family, but it’s their whole family that you’re bringing into your family, as well,” Tara said. 

Finally, know that nothing will go the way you expect it to go, and that’s alright. They recommend trying to enjoy the ride. 

“These kids deserve love, and they deserve it all,” Tara said. “If you can be that person, be that person.”