We’ll be verified for foster-to-adopt, however, our main goal is to be true foster parents. This isn’t our main plan for growing our forever family but we know we could never turn our backs on a child that has been in our care should their situation change.

While we would love to be able to take in kids of all ages we feel that our home and family are best suited for children between 0-5 years old. Fortunately, we can adjust this at any time should something change in the future.

That’s kind of the goal! We want to love all of the kids we care for with our whole entire hearts whether they are with us for one day, one year, or forever. Reunification is always the number one goal in any placement situation and while we know we are going to be torn apart and devastated, we always want what’s best for all kiddos.

It is definitely going to be hard. Fostering has been a constant topic of discussion in our relationship and I think this question can get some people hung up on the negatives. We have a great team we are working alongside to give our kids the best care we can. We have trust in them and ourselves to lean on each other. The road is going to be tough and at times we are going to fall to pieces but we are in this together and we will continue to prioritize our mental health, and lean on our family and friends throughout this journey.

Yup! We have thought about this for a very long time. We have made this choice as we feel this is what is best for our family at the moment. We would love to be able to have you by our side through it all but you don’t have to be involved if it makes you uncomfortable.

Children enter the foster care system for many reasons, but ultimately children enter foster care because they or their families are in crisis. This can be anything from abuse and neglect, to parents falling on hard times and being unable to care for their families. We strive to approach every story with a tremendous amount of empathy and understanding for the situation, both for the children and their parents.

First, let us start off by saying this, in all caps because it’s important. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A “BAD” KID. From infancy, children are taught how to get what they need for their physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing. When a child doesn’t have those needs met consistently, they struggle to form healthy attachment styles with their caregivers which leads to deregulation, trust issues, behavioral concerns, and even mental and physical health trouble.

Children in the system have been through a massive amount of trauma and have learned their own ways to get their needs met, often times in unhealthy ways. The goal for each kiddo in our home is to lead with trauma-informed care. This means taking a step back to figure out the “why” behind a behavior and ways to address the underlying issue. In practice, this means giving lots of opportunities to get it wrong without fear of punishment and teaching the right way to handle things. Our goal is to build trust with each kiddo we have in our lives and make sure they know they are safe, loved, and will always have their needs met.

There is often a ton of fear around how to interact with your foster kid’s biological family. There is a huge importance placed on ensuring each kid maintains a bond with their siblings, parents and even extended family when possible. We don’t have all of the answers but we do have a lot of empathy. We only get a small glimpse into these families and can’t even begin to understand their stories. It’s important to us to try our best to maintain a co-parenting relationship with the biological family and include them in the kiddo’s life as much as possible, even from afar. Of course, this wont always be possible but when it is, we look forward to it!

Just like you would any other kiddo! It’s important for these kids to feel a sense of normalcy so play dates, outings, and get togethers are always great. We are excited to have a community around us that is so supportive and will be open and loving to every kid that comes to us.

We do ask that you refrain from asking any questions about the circumstances of their placement to them or around them. They have been through the unimaginable and we want them to feel like any other kid who is loved and accepted just as they are.

First and foremost, your support and kind words are a huge blessing. As we step into this next chapter in our journey, we are going to need a community of people we can lean on for love and support.

Preparing for such a wide range of ages, including sibling groups, can be overwhelming and costly. We have been super grateful for those who have kept us in mind as they are clearing out their kids toys, clothing, totes, etc. If you have anything you’d like to donate to the cause or sell, please let us know!

We’ve set up a Support page on this site with links to our registries should you feel drawn to help in that way. We’ve also started collecting gift cards to places like HEB, Target, Costco, Walmart, etc., as we plan on taking emergency placements. This stockpile of gift cards will be a huge help for those 3am calls for kiddos with no clothes, diapers, formula, etc., so if you’d like to contribute to the stash, let us know!

Once we get a placement, our world will be turned upside down with the initial doctors appointments, meetings with our care team, school setup, etc. Maybe check on us and make sure we’re still alive? We are also happy to accept offerings of dinner, house care, and/or just a shoulder to lean on.