Never say never

  When we started this journey to become foster parents a little over a year ago we had a clear plan in sight.  We would take anyone 5 yrs old and younger in hopes of adopting them figuring it would be easier to bond with a small child.  Like the saying goes, "If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans " - (Woody Allen).  Because here we sit with a 11yr old boy in our home and it is looking like we will be taking in a 13 yr old girl.  Victor, the 11 year old,  has been with us since the beginning of the year and is an awesome kid.  We have our struggles for sure, mostly getting him back on track with school and learning to trust us to be the adults and for him to just be a kid.  To hear the things he has gone through and what his 11 yrs of life have been is heart breaking.  But with our help and the help of his awesome counselor we are hopeful he will continue to grow and heal.

  The 13 yr old girl is named Destiny.  She is a gorgeous young lady and has made leaps and bounds in her progress.  She is currently in a special foster home that is a lot more structured and has helped her make the progress she has achieved.  She has an awesome counselor too.  We have been meeting with her and will begin the transition of her moving into the house by the end of the month.  She is a typical kid, likes, clothes, shoes, arts and crafts and has been doing very well in school.  She is a bit nervous about changing schools and living out here in the mountains when all she has known is the city.  But we truly believe that this peaceful place we have is therapeutic in many ways.  Animals are great ways for kids to feel a connection and without having to deal with adults and the quiet and sounds of the mountain are calming.

  And if that isn't enough crazy we are also in the process of adding 3 boys to our family.  They are all brothers and their ages are 5, 8 & 9.  The 9 year old, Nathan, will more than likely be placed with his father who lives in another state but will stay with us and his brothers until he is.  He is also a history and military buff so he is already excited to hear that Travis is in the Air Force and we have already made a promise to take him to the base to see the helicopters.  The 5 year old, Angelo, is a character and has a big personality and likes to be the center of attention but is a very sweet little guy.  And finally the 8 year old, Anthony, he is having the toughest time with the change.  He is the more emotional one of the bunch.  They are a great group of kids and the treatment foster parents they are with now have done a wonderful job of getting them through their treatment plan and learning to control emotions and anger.  As well as get them on track with school.

  It still amazes me everyday how resilient and strong these kids are.  We are blessed to be able to be part of their journey and can only pray we are able to bless them.