TAKING US TO BRAND OLE' NEW PLACES

Ok - so fostering..... I looked up the meaning and here you go:
Fostering: to care for or cherish
I looked and there was nothing noted about PERMANENT PLACEMENTS or FAST TRACKING! Darn! I was so hoping to see that! We got another call from our agency and they talked again about "P" - telling us that he may need a more permanent placement. WHAT? We were told to think of this weekend like a trial run and to meet him and on Tuesday we will know MUCH more......
Hmmmmmm -
BUT WHAT IF WE GET HIM FOR ONLY A MONTH OR TWO - would that not just HURT so bad and how are my kids going to respond to loss...... the social worker tells me that they will respond the way they see it modeled.....by me! So again - time to be strong!
I hear "P" is adorable and really sweet! I honestly can not wait to hold him and love on him! Kind of nervous - VERY SCARED - REALLY EXCITED - ALL IN ONE
SHAKEN IT UP!
Till Tomorrow.......

TOMORROW

We get a little boy TOMORROW - he will be with us for four days and then go back to emergency placement until more info is left on him - we are excited and nervous all the same. If his situation becomes more permanent - we will possibly get him long term. My heart and head both tell me that he will not be with us after these four days - but what a neat way to get indoctrinated into being a foster family! He is a baby - so that will be somewhat new and we are thrilled to be able to love on him and the kids are all fighting over who gets to hold him first...... more to come!

WILL THAT COMPLETE YOUR ORDER?

Ok - So our license is active as of September 16th - no calls yet - I have heard it all depends on life's circumstances and it is KILLING me not to just call and "check in" - but there is a small voice in my head that says to wait and that God has great things planned and not to rush or orchestrate things (hard for me). So I am trying to be calm, relax, ignore the phone - or nto run when it rings... so on and so forth!
Then my youngest little guy says to me right before school, "mom, I think I want to order up the baby for today". PRECIOUS! So cute how they think.......
ok - I need to CLEAN and get ready for when the call does come...

BEAUTIFUL BABY GIRL!

My brother and his wife just had a beautiful baby on Sunday - only two days ago - I had the AWESOME opportunity to be there for the birth and it was nothing short of amazing. What a miracle this little peanut is! A complete gift from our heavenly father!

GOT A VERY SPECIAL EMAIL!

So today was different than any other sort of day. I felt a more urgent need to get tasks done throughout the home - especially Sophie's room, which will also be the room to our foster baby when he or she arrives - I even started typing an email to Youth For Christ to check on my license and then stopped midway because I figured "let it go - you will know soon enough..." - WELL - we got home from soccer practice to this wonderful note in our email inbox:

Hi everyone,

Today we welcome four new families that have just been licensed into our TYFC circle of licensed families. They are:
(our names were right under this "they are" announcement along with four other couples....

Congratulations to these families and may God show us the right children to place with them.

Steven D. Hastings
Health and Safety Coordinator
Tacoma Youth For Christ
GOD IS AWESOME!
PRAYING.....

LOVE THAT BACK TO SCHOOL FEEL!

I just love the fresh smell of school supplies - the new outfits - the new backpacks and the anticipation of a NEW YEAR! I am so looking forward to this NEW YEAR FOR US!

SUMMER TIMES - THE BEST TIMES OF ALL

LOOKING BACK AT THESE REUNION PICS MAKES ME REALIZE THE REASON FAMILY IS SO SPECIAL!

FRIDAY AND FRIED!

So today we went for our weekly speech appointment for S at childrens. This typically takes one hour at the hospital, but today we did a swallow study (1 additional hour) and a CT on resp. system functions (another hour) - SO we spent almost the whole morning at the Hospital - THE GREAT thing is that S is making slow strides in her speech and air quality. THE NOT SO GREAT thing is that the therapist that did the study today thinks that S may need a food therapist for aversions...... WHAT IS THAT?
Another thing I guess.....and I am so not going to fixate on it.....because it is just that, another thing. S seems to eat fine - and she has been telling me recently that eating is "boring" - I so wish I could feel that way!
Still beginning to consider that this child we will parent is just miles from us. My heart is beating at a different speed - wanting to meet this little one.
I honestly CAN NOT WAIT!
NIGHT NIGHT

Embracing LIMBO

So - Got a call from our agency letting us know that our time is drawing near - WOW! They talked to us about what we were looking for (maybe how high our pain threshhold was) and to let us know that they are beginning to look for children that are in need of a family! SAY WHAT? ROCK OUR WORLD! This is a sudden thing - I mean we began the process in April so it is not like it happened over night - but it certainly feels somewhat like overnight - We feel ill prepared and over prepared. We feel excited and nervous - We do not know what the future will bring - WHAT A GREAT PLACE TO BE IN.......LIMBO!
I am beginning to try to change the control freak part of me and embrace limbo. Not knowing what will happen tomorrow can be edgy and exciting - not having every spare moment planned out - allows us to let life take us on a journey instead of going through the motions of routine. I like structure - and I like predictability - I like to be able to count on things - but limbo does not allow that. I like to name and create what I WANT and make demands THAT I NEED and decide WHAT I CAN HANDLE - Limbo does not allow me so much control.
Embracing limbo is hard.
Embracing limbo is really exciting too.
We need prayers - prayers for a baby who needs love - stability - nurturing - lots of kisses and hugs and big brothers and sisters who will love on this baby like it has never been loved before.
Then the voice says - you may not be able to keep this baby - this baby may not be yours - this may break your heart - this may be so hard..........LIMBO!
But guess what? If this precious baby does not end up in our family, it will be because his/her birth family has been able to say (and prove to an extent) that they want to be able to love, nurture and care for this sweet angel.
THIS IS NOT ABOUT ME - it is not about how great or useless I am - it is not about me being a better or worse mommy. I am not in competition with a birth mommy. Already I am praying for her - praying that God WOULD restore her - God WOULD heal her - God WOULD be REAL in her life - that the powerlessness that she feels will be refueled by a God given power that is beyond any measure. This is a God thing - This is a call. I am not to designate - but to obey and participate! I am called.......to be in...........LIMBO!
Sometimes I chuckle at how funny it is that the most controlling of people (ie:me) tend to be placed in uncontrolable circumstances..... teaching opportunities - chances to grow!
THANK YOU LORD FOR ALLOWING ME TO GROW IN LIMBO!
I can not wait to see where limbo takes this family of mine!

A NEW DAY HAS COME....

SEPTEMBER 4th - now was that not one solid week ago? That was the day that our paperwork with homestudy attached was sent to DSHS to give us a license to foster. This seems like it has been a God plan from the beginning of time and honestly there are moments when we wonder what in the world we are doing.
We assume that it will be a month or so before we hear anything from anyone. We are to sit patiently and pray and be at peace. My type A crazy woman persona has a challenge with this - but God is teaching me to be STILL and know that HE HAS CONTROL and everything will be ok.
The kids are all excited and we can not wait to experience the love of caring for a child without a home, and welcoming this baby into our home - letting him or her know - this is their home too.
We would love to assume that our first placement will be a forever placement - yet we feel a tremendous burden for the birth families who desperately need God - need stability and are almost as helpless as the child(ren) that they have neglected.
We are going to be able to touch the lives of many through the life of one. What a PRIVILEGE! What an exciting ADVENTURE! Are we CRAZY?????
Is not 4 kids enough? I have had people ask this and I must stand in utter agreement that four (especially my four) are a HANDFUL! They are all personaility PLUS (HMMMM where do they get that...) - but our hearts are heavy - they are burdened - they are hard pressed for the children who are hurting and alone.
Our next generation will reap the rewards of children who are loved or will harvest the sadness of neglect and rejection from those who were never cared for. We both are simply tired of turning our heads to reality - assuming "someone else" will do what we should do and talking ourselves out of what is right because right is hard.
Soooooo - we wait - we wait for a baby. Maybe a teeny baby - maybe a big baby - maybe a boy baby and maybe a girl baby (maybe twins - Just kidding!) - Maybe a darker skinned baby or maybe a lighter skinned baby - no matter what baby God blesses us with - we will certainly be blessed.
We hope you journey with us as we foster in faith!
Adam and Lisa