What to Expect

Hello Everyone!

I know its been a long time. Many of you have been waiting for updates. We are very close to being licensed. All we have left is our home study, which we are hoping will be done either this coming week or the week after. Joshua and I are each having our own freak outs as we prepare to change everything about our lifestyle to accommodate the kids we will have in our home. I've been cleaning and organizing like crazy. Joshua has been...silently bracing himself.

Since we are getting closer to getting placements, we thought this would be a good time to let everyone know what to expect as well as to let you know what we expect from you.

1) No pictures on social media: In order to keep the kids and families lives confidential, we are unable to post any pictures of them on social media and we ask that you do the same. Those of you who are close to us will be able to meet the kids and if/when we adopt them then we will post pictures.

2) We can't tell you why they have come into care: Also for confidentiality reasons we can't tell you why the kids have come into care. There are many reasons why. The only ones who will know the details of the case will be Joshua and I, the kids Caseworker, their Guardian ad lietum, their Attorney and their families. If for any reason the kids happen to tell you something that you think we may not be aware of, we ask that you please tell us and no one else.

3) Please don't ask us about adoption: As I've mentioned in another post, we are plan C for the kids. Because of this we will have no idea what will end up happening for these kids, and it is likely we will not adopt every placement we take as most of them will end up going back home. Most importantly, please don't ask about adoption in front of the kids. Its not fair for them to have all the big people talking about their future.

4) If there is gift giving, parties, or other such activities, the kids are included: We simply expect that you treat them as you would our biological children since that is how we will be treating them.

5) Please allow us to discipline them: You will probably see some strange behavior from the kids and interesting discipline techniques from us. Please know that we are working with professionals to help the kids develop the skills and behaviors they need. Their needs are unique and require unique approaches. If you see something that you feel we need to address, please tell us and we will handle it.

6) Love them: These kids are ours, and we hope that you will love them just as you would our biological kids. They are special and are deserving of our love and support.

We want to thank everyone who has helped us, donated things to us, and to all of you who have kept us in your thoughts and prayers. We will let you know as soon as we have more information to give.