Started reading the first book and love it

So we were given homework we have to read 4 hours worth of books from a list we were given (she brought one that i decided i would read even though it will take more then 4 hours) and then after we get a placement we have to read some sort of book that goes with the child in our placement for another 4 hours we can also do an online class or watch a video I chose the book and Jon is going to attempt to read it to but he is not a big reader. So he might do the Internet class instead. The book I am reading right now is called Parenting the Hurt Child helping adoptive families heal and grow. It is really good so far and I am only on page 50. It has all kinds of stories and tells you different situations and why the child acts the way they do. I have done a lot of research on attachment disorders because most children that are in foster care have some sort of attachment disorder and this book really tells you how those attachment disorders come about and how you can help the child heal. I think this is a great book for everyone to read. People might think twice before staring at a child in public that is throwing a tantrum because if you do not know them they you do not know where they came from. They could have been a foster child or not in a good home. Or even children adopted internationally and where in an orphanage. It is so sad to think of what happened to these children that make them the way they are and it really is not their fault the way they act. It is not them just being naughty it confuses them but it is how they have learned to respond. Any ways I would recommend this book to everyone if you know someone who is doing foster to adopt, fostering, or just straight adopting or already has this book can help you to better understand the way their child might act and why and also help you so you can support the parents and the child in the right way. We will be buying a copy of this book so if any of our friends or family want to borrow it and read it just let us know! There are a few other books I'm going to read one is called Parenting with Love and Logic and I am not sure what the other one is called I will let you guys know how those are when I'm done with them. If anyone has any other ideas for books that we should read let us know!

First homestudy!

We had our first home study last night! It went really good our social worker is very nice. She asked us a few questions and went over her check list to look at stuff like our birth certificates and proof of insurance and so on. Then she looked around our house a little bit. The only thing we have to do to our house is to take some brackets down in the bathroom that are for a towel bar that fell down so we either have to take the brackets down or put the bar back up. We also have to take our classes probably in early May and we have a few hours that we have to read a book about children in foster care, do a program on the Internet about it or watch a video. And we have to get finger printed. We also have another 2-3 home studies and now we are excited for them :). Home studies and the process of foster to adopt it different in every state. If you have already been through the home study and so on what was it like in your state?

Lifebook

We have to make a lifebook for our future foster to adopt child/children to look at before they are placed with us so they know some things about us and our family and friends and so on. I am posting these in case anyone needs any ideas to make one of their own. So here is what we have so far! We are not totally done yet.

Pictures of bedroom and living room

Here they are! Pictures of our future foster to adopt child/children's room and some of our living room (with our new couch and chair)! The bedroom was pink and purple when we moved in we repainted it blue and brown a few months ago and the room theme is beach/surfing. There are a few pink and purple things left in the room the light and a rug if we get placed with boys those will be replaced with blue and white ones. Also there are Hannah Montana stickers and they will be taken down if we get placed with boy. Let us know what you think!

 Bedroom door

 Entrance to the room (the curtain will also be replaced if we get boys)

 art work

 cubical storage :) its all quiet stuff to do

 bunk beds with surfer stickers

 closet

 more storage and drawers and those are gloe bears

 new couch and chair

 living room

that's the other side of our living room

Cleaning and organizeing!!

This morning we went to pancake breakfast with my mom and grandma and now we are cleaning and organizing our house to get ready for our first home study! We installed the carbon monoxide detector that we bought the other night and then found out we need another one for the basement. We have the smoke detectors in all of the bedrooms. Now we are vacuuming and dusting we have a Siberian husky so there is always lots of husky hair :). I am also going to do some last minute organizing in the bedroom that we set up for the foster to adopt child/children. I will take some pictures after we are all done and post them for everyone to see! Here are a few pictures of Akira our Siberian Husky.

 Brain Freeze!!

 These two are when Akira was about 4 months old

Hanging out with family!

Tonight we are hanging out with my parents, sister inlaw, brother, and adorable baby niece Lily :) she is so cute and 8 months old :) :). My dad is frying out and we are just hanging out watching tv and watching baby Lily crawl around and play poor baby is teething! We are also getting out my moms easter decorations and Lily is having fun playing with them! Here are some pictures of our Niece!

Foster to Adopt!

We will be posting on this blog as our foster to adopt journey continues. Right now we are at the point of the home studies and we will be haveing our first home study very soon! We also have the bedroom done and set up so we will be posting pictures of that soon also!