Has it really been that long?

It's pretty crazy how with our first placement 8 months seemed like an eternity and with this placement, we can't believe it's been 6 months already! It's also interesting how completely different each placement has been. We are very excited right now because there may be a permanent plan in view for the kids in our care (not us)...and they are a great fit (in our eyes), but we all know how much control we have (none)...all we can do is lift them all up in prayer and hand it over to God because even above the courts (GOD IS IN CONTROL)!!!!! Thank you Lord for taking Our Hearts and transforming them in our care so they can be ready to transition in a healthy way! We love you and thank you for this time with these kids...now the timing is in your hands:)

Blessed to remain informed

We have been updated regularly/monthly or so, keeping contact with the Bio-Mom of our 1st placement resulting in my hubby going to a baptism for the oldest one this Sunday.  I'm so thankful!

Is this IT? ...only He knows:)

New developments have us looking at VERY long-term care for our current placement, we'll know for sure in about 2 weeks...interesting!

Awesome words from an Awesome week!

Up, Up and Away we go, into the great beyond!
Whereever we go and whatever we do, we can Trust in God all along!
We will fly, we will soar, anything is possible!
We will rise through the storm, Everything is possible with God!
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You, You, You, You can trust God!
You can take Him for His word and give Him your heart!
You, You, You, You can trust God!
It doesn't matter who you are, You can trust God!

You don't have to be the Fastest, Strongest!
You don't have to hold your breath the Longest!
You don't have to be a star, it doesn't matter who you are!
You can trust GOD!
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Oh be careful little eyes what you see
Oh be careful little ears what you hear
Oh be careful little hands what you do
Oh be careful little feet where you go
Oh be careful little heart who you trust
Oh be careful little mind what you think.
For the Father up above is looking down in love
So be careful little ............. what you ..................

The Angels are Singing or Another Angel has Earned It's Wings...however that saying goes!

My nephew is staying with us and the other night during Night time story and prayers, he asked me if I remember when he asked Jesus into his heart?  Absolutely!  So it started conversation among the two kiddos staying with us and one said he had asked Jesus to live in his heart a couple years ago and the other said she never had, but that she wanted to ask Him today!!!  WOOHOO!  So I asked if she wanted me to lead her in prayer and she said yes, then I asked if one of the kids wanted to do it and I would just help out if there was anything else that might be good to say.  WELL, her brother wanted to lead the prayer and it was so SIMPLE and yet he covered every MAJOR point that should be understood when giving your life to Christ:)  What an unbelievable joy...thank you Lord for the honor of being in the presence of another little heart turning to YOU!

Be Careful What You Pray For...or not:)

Well, I've laughed, been in tears and been in sweet awe of God this week as it has been shown very clear to me that our third placement is an answer to many years of prayers by ME!  Ever since I was fresh out of college, I felt a calling to work with special needs kids.  BUT it wasn't until two years ago that I worked my first special needs project...and that boy still has my heart.  CRAZY though how that boy prepared me for what is now in my home.  Thank you God!

Placement #3: In Progress!

We met the two of them this morning and I was melting before they even said HELLO:)  I guess that one social worker was right a while back when she said that sometimes you just KNOW it's a fit.  Well, we reported that all went well and within the hour they were asking us to pick them up tomorrow afternoon!  Sounds good, we'll start our next adventure tomorrow afternoon:)  Thank you Lord for the navigation to this point!

Weekend of Joy!

We got to have our third 2-day visit with our original placement...what fun! We got a lot of information that made us hopeful for a long-term relationship with some great kiddos!

This is a First!

We got a call today about a brother and sister sibling set!  We are so very excited, BUT we are only the backup plan.  This is the first time we've been a backup plan and it's kind of annoying, because we'd like to meet them already, but that won't happen unless the other parents don't work out and of course we want whats best for the kids...but WAIT we shall do!

Plascencia Beach Fun Camp Begins Next Week!

We were wishing, and hoping, and thinking, and praying that we would have a house full of family kiddos for the summer and it wasn't looking too hopeful for a while, but THEN we realized nobody plans like I do:) Slowly, but surely our calendar is filling up for the summer! Praise God for the children, although we better not get caught calling some children since one of our nephews staying with us is now 17! Wow, how time flies.

Praying for Placement #3

Well, we've never stopped praying for Placements #1 and #2 since they've left our care and fortunately we've been able to receive updates on how they are doing.  This is not always the case, as it took 6 months for us to hear an update on Placement #2 and we weren't sure we ever would, but we knew we could still pray so pray we did!  Now after this hiatus, we are ready to roll for another placement, so following my brother's wedding and our hopeful few days off together at the end of the month...we are reopening our home to the next placement! We're both very excited and are praying for the entire situation that will be put before us. Thank you Lord for staying by our side!

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UPDATE:
Well, we got a call before we even left for the wedding and met two beautiful little girls, 4 and 5 years old.  After receiving a ton of information about them, we prayed about it over the long weekend and after much thought, prayer and care for ourselves and the girls...we have decided not to take them in.  So onto prayer for our next placement.

Refreshing Update about Placement #2

Heard very positive updates about Placement #2 and where he is at now! I'm so happy to hear that he is in a setting that matches what we thought he needed so much better than we could provide! He is reportedly doing better than he's ever done for the past several years and even more several placement moves-Praise God!

We Finally Got EASTER w/the Kiddos!

I remember last year, I was SO bumbed because Easter was the first fun holiday we'd have the kids and just before it...they began longer visits with their bio-Mom.  We had them the day before and day after, but I really wanted them on the day of.  I know the "day of" doesn't mean as much as we sometimes make it out to be, but it was my FIRST opportunity at a holiday in the Mom Role:)  Well, God had me wait and this year, we got them for OUR visit on Easter!  It was fantastic, we only had the kids for 24 hours literally, but it was the best 24 hours in quite some time!  We definitely made the most of it and I left them in tears - OF JOY!  I am SO thankful for how well they are doing and their Mom is doing and that we get to be a part of seeing all that happen.  Who knows how long we'll be able to remain a part of their lives, but we are taking all we can get for the season!  Seeing a story like this is SO comforting and makes it all the more exciting to be a foster parent again!  I look forward to our next adventure, in HIS time.

Not Fosterinig...Yet Still Kid-Satisfied

I'm going to be a Futsal/Indoor Soccer coach for the little guys again this year even without any kids playing!  I am also looking into helping out with the local 4-H club, attended my first meeting.  I have also still been working in the children's nursery at church...Kid-Fixes everywhere:)  Our family is bringing three kids this weekend plus we'll have the three foster kiddos for a day so we'll have six kids to do a mini-Easter hunt with on Monday:)

Yes Lord, Yes Lord, Yes, Yes, Lord

I'm trading my sorrows
I'm trading my shame
I'm laying them down
For the JOY of the LORD!

I'm trading my sickness
I'm trading my pain
I'm laying them down
For the JOY of the Lord!

We sing
Yes Lord
Yes Lord
Yes Yes Lord
Yes Lord
Yes Lord
Yes Yes Lord
Yes Lord
Yes Lord
Yes Yes Lord
AMEN!

I'm pressed but not crushed
Persecuted not abandoned
Struck down but not destroyed
I'm blessed beyond the curse
For HIS promise will endure
And HIS JOY's gonna be my STRENGTH!

Though the sorrow may last for the night
HIS JOY comes with the morning!

This song immediately came to mind this morning as I got a message from our "3 Kiddos'" birth mom!  We had just talked about asking to see the kids for a couple days during their Easter Break since things went so well over Christmas Break, but I hadn't contacted her yet.  WELL!!! She contacted ME this morning and asked if we'd like to sign them up for a Vacation Bible School this summer and keep them for a week...I don't care what the reasoning is..............................YES!  So I also was able to ask for them during their break and we get them again! I am so overflowing with JOY and thankfulness right now, I am SO unbelievably blessed with the way this relationship is going...we'll take it as long as we can!  AMEN.

Praise the little BIG things:)

We just heard that our first 3 kiddos and their birth Momma will all be getting baptized this weekend!!!  Praise God for what he is doing in their lives and how he is using those kids to touch their Momma's heart.  I love you Lord and praise you and thank you for their experience this weekend and may it be memorable as well as a moment for a change in their lives and hearts!

Thinking, Pondering, Nurturing, Trying to Enjoy this time for myself...

It's hard NOT having kids in your house when you have gotten used to it!  I am trying my best to be patient and enjoy this time while I wait for God's timing for us to get kiddos again:)  I have learned more about myself in the last couple months than I probably would have learned in a life-time if I kept getting kids under our roof so I guess God knew what He was doing...as is ALWAYS the case:)  I always continue to research and read about Fostering and Adoption because one can NEVER know enough to be prepared for the next moving target that is thrown her direction.  So I thought I'd attach some interesting links if you're interested in the whole story, but I was fascinated.  John Lennon and Marilyn Monroe, among others, were fostered in their youth.  Several other celebrities fell into that list due to family relatives taking them under their wing including Cher, James Dean, Steve Jobs, Willie Nelson, etc, but these two really caught my attention because they are the stories I am familiar with even all these years later.  The sadness of always wanting the birth parents connection no matter how crazy that life was and always wanting what you can't have so searching for it in sad ways throughout life.  Kids being neglected and the results of that neglect always lead down a similar handful of paths no matter where we are in time.  Kids need parents!