The Curious Caves: Sample Platter

I'm going to combine several different topics into today's blog, so you will be getting a little bit of everything. Think of it as a sample platter from your favorite restaurant. :)

We finished our foster parent training classes last Saturday! We learned many things in a short amount of time. The Hubs describes it as drinking from a fire hydrant.

A majority of our paperwork is done. In fact, enough of it has been completed that we were notified yesterday that we are rapidly moving toward the top of the homestudy list. No joke, they told us that we are within four to six weeks of verification. That means the state will have approved us and deemed us ready to receive kids into our home. We are still trying to take that time frame in... are we really ready?!

On the subject of paperwork, I have decided that it is much like sleep for a pregnant woman. Let me explain. Although I do not have first hand experience of trying to sleep while pregnant, I hear it can be very difficult. I have heard it said that your body is just getting you used to not having much sleep from here on out. I do have first hand experience with the large amount of documentation that has been needed to receive our foster home license. I am saying that the state is just getting us used to filling out paperwork for the duration of our time as foster parents. There is going to be a lot to keep up with.

I'm going to give my first "do not" advice to you as friends and family of foster parents. Actually, it's more of a "don't expect us to..." As we get to meet these precious little ones, we are going to be very careful about what info we share. We are the guardians of them and their story, and if we don't pass the story on to you, then you don't have the pressure of also being a guardian. It keeps you safe, us safe, and most importantly keeps the kids safe. I know a lot of you are faithful prayers and we are jealous for your prayers, but please offer them on our behalf even if you don't know all the details of what we are dealing with or where our kiddos come from. The Lord knows and we will trust Him with that!

In my last post I talked about a video series that can help anyone interested understand the concept of Therapeutic Parenting. There's some good info there. I also included a sweet song by JJ Heller. I'm loving her stuff so much right now... I can't resist sharing another one. :)

My last soapbox of the day, I promise! Love is necessary for what we are going to be doing as foster parents. But love is not enough. We are incapable of loving someone to the point of healing. We will love them, yes, but we will also talk to them, listen to them, set boundaries for them, meet their needs, provide positive experiences and relationships, and do our best to parent them. Our love is finite and fallible, but we know The One whose love is steadfast, unending, and perfect. "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." 1 John 4:10

A few pictures to finish off the sample platter today. We've done more landscaping and had a couple of adventures.