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Just in Time for Christmas
Family and Friends, Since we started our foster/adoptive parenting journey 20 years ago, we have discovered a lot about raising children wit...
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We are studying "the ocean" as our theme for this month. I am all about creating as many hands-on activities for the kids to eng...
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Window Clings Purchased from Oriental Trading Company We have been learning about the solar system this last month. I found some wond...
We were foster parents for 9 years and have adopted 2 sons and fostered 22 over that time. We closed our license nearly 2 years ago. It really is an experience, getting those first placements and all of the uncertainty that goes along with it. We were fortunte that we were able to keep our very first placement (he's almost 12 now) and when he was 21 months old we were blessed with an unaccompanied newborn (parents walked away at the hospital). We had little ones in between and after, and loved them all. Now, these two boys keep me so busy (we had 4 older kids too, although most are grown now) and we have special needs as well. I just love them to pieces though, even with the challenges.
ReplyDeleteDawn,
ReplyDeleteWow! I can't imagine fostering 22 children within 9 years. Happy you were able to adopt also. It truly is an indescribable experience, challenging but rewarding. We feel very fortunate that we were able to adopt all 4 of the children (3 were bio siblings) who came into our home as foster placements. I guess God knew I would have a difficult time letting go. Are you also homeschooling? I will definitely have to take a look at your blog. Thanks for stopping by.
Nicole: WOW OK so I commented on your VUR post, came to this one and realized I've been here before! :) Yes, we are in our 14th year of homeschooling. We have special needs too. I didn't have any trouble letting go of the little ones because all but TWO went to family members, which is how it should be. One boy we had our hands MORE than full with (he was 2 and so was our youngest and those boys clashed a lot) and we were blessed to help transition him to a wonderful adoptive couple and attended his adoption. It was awesome. The other was our one heartbreak, a sweet little girl we had for 4 months and planned on keeping. She is the only one who broke our hearts. We didn't take a regular placement for a year after we lost her. We had a few respite placements but that was it for a long time. We all grieved. I know now that the Lord knew what we needed.
ReplyDeleteYes, He always knows just what we need and when we need it. I realized after coming back to this page that I still need to finish updating our {complete} adoption story. I have been focusing so much on the homeschooling aspect that I haven't completed this page. We have adopted 4 children and are officially done. We like to say we got a "paper snip". Homeschooling and keeping up with the multitude of "extra" needs our children have definitely keep us on our toes. Glad to hear from you again! Maybe we should collaborate on a project.
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