Life Turmed Upside Down

My husband and I were first time foster parents.

We enjoyed our careers and thought we had a wonderful life together, but something was missing.

After a year of tying up loose ends and getting to the place we needed to be, we enrolled in the foster care program.

We were supposed to receive 2 legally free children, a 4 year old boy and a 6 year old girl. We were so looking forward to this. The day they were to arrive something came up and they ended up living with their grandparents. Although we were happy they would be able to stay with family, we were also saddened by what we thought would be the beginning of our family.

Then... just 2 hours later we received a call from the DCFS office. "We have a 6 week old baby that needs immediate placement". My ears perked up. A baby? I thought? we have nothing for a baby. we were planning on a 4 year old and 6 year old. we have no crib.... nothing! but.... a baby!  of course I was excited beyond belief and accepted.  the woman on the other line said, "but wait before you say yes..... there is another beautiful adorable sweet little girl who is 15 months old".  That only increased my excitement.

The girls have now been with us since the beginning of August 2009.

We adopted them on August 30, 2010.We adore these two little creatures who have totally and completely turned our world upside down.  We traded ceramic figurines for figures of Dora, traded blown glass for blowing bubbles, we traded fine china for plastic compartmental trays.   We traded beaded macrame for stuffed animal pet nets.  Traded lunches with friends for visitation with family, as well as favorite restaurants for McDonald's and Denny's.  We left behind being on time to running late everywhere we go. We left behind Friday night movies for NiHao Kia-Lan and Wonder Pets.

We traded the life as we knew it to one that is filled with love beyond belief! And we wouldn't want it any other way!