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Our foster care journey

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Our foster care journey has... not yet begun. We started this process in July. Early July. It's now almost Thanksgiving. So that kind of sucks. I'm ok not having a placement yet, but not being licensed is freaking me out. Can't I just have that paper, please? So I can check that off my to-do list?

I've checked off everything else. We're just waiting on the state to come out and look things over and check off our boxes. That's all. But it's taking too long.

Brendon and I went the other day to get our TB test done (our agency requires it) and as we were leaving we were talking about how weird it is that we've been done with training for so long and nothing has happened. And the excitement is gone.

We're still excited, we're still on board, but we're not anxious anymore, you know? The system has lost our engagement.

I'm sure we'll get it back in January when we actually do become licensed and when we get to meet some kids and when things get rolling. For now we are just bored. And waiting.

In January I signed us up to volunteer to take a group of teens from a group home around the zoo for a day. Chaperone them I guess. I'm really hoping we meet a kid there who just blows us away and who we know will be the perfect fit for our family. I can dream, right?

In the mean time we are planning a Christmas to top all Christmases. But I'm pretty sure I saw that every year. But this year I'm so excited I've allowed Christmas music to start playing in my car--and Thanksgiving hasn't happened yet! Yeah. That excited.

We are going to St. George, Utah for Christmas. It's nothing exotic or spectacular but I love it there. I love the small town feel and the beautiful mountains and all the affordable kid stuff.

We're leaving on the 22nd and booked a reservation at the North Pole Experience. The girls are going to love it! We get to take a trolley to Santa's workshop and help the elves make toys. We get hot cocoa. We get to meet Santa! It's going to be awesome! (Or at least it better be for the price we are paying...)

After that we'll head up to St. George and grab some groceries and stuff and spend the next 5 days exploring the town, making crafts, and generally spending time together. I don't think I can fully express how excited I am.

This is our first year doing Christmas on our own but I'm already thinking if this goes well we may have to do it again next year. Specially because we will have a new addition to our home who may appreciate not being SURROUNDED by a huge family and endless, established family traditions on Christmas. Maybe he'll want us to create some traditions of our own. Or maybe he'll want to stay close to home so after dinner he can ride off and find his friends and spend time with them instead. I don't know.

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