Belated Christmas With the Kiddos

Link to more photos. 

Along with some acrostics:

Excellent at making legos.

Demon Slayer fan.

Wants to go skating with Grandpa Nathan and Nana Lisa.

An amazing, caring and patient big brother. 

Really good at explaining how to play games, such as Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza.

Dances with glow sticks.

Friendly and loving to other people. 

Really loves dancing and gymnastics.

Always kind to animals.

Nature lover like her mama.

Nail technician extraordinaire. 

Interested in sewing clothing.

Excellent at styling hair and making bracelets.

Willing to listen to Pirahnas Don’t Eat Bananas over and over again. 

Identifier of chickens and their personalities.

Loves telling silly knock knock jokes. 

Likes building. 

Interested in cooking, chemistry and crafts.

Able to read books to Nana Lisa.

Mixes up random ingredients to see what will happen sometimes.

Great at climbing.

Interested in helping make meals. 

Nature loving kiddo.

Not letting feeling sick keep her from smiling and having fun with her family. 

Interested in books, which makes Nana Lisa (the librarian) very happy.

Excellent at keeping up with her older siblings.

And the kiddos made this one:

Nice to everyone.

Apple colored lipstick

Necklace helper.

Amazing storyteller

Loving

Igloo person (because I'm of Swedish heritage and rarely feel cold)

Silly

Awesome 

Holding on to Hope

We do our work with vision. And we do our work with hope. 

We who are foster care advocates will have days of disappointment. We will weather waves of grief over those we have lost, and those we worry that we are losing. 

We will also have experiences that fill us with deep, fierce - and, in that moment, fearless - joy. 

There will be times when we are able:

• To witness a wrong that we experienced and be a force in that moment for making things better. 
• To empower the formerly voiceless and listen to the amazing and powerful things that they have to say, and the recommendations and solutions that they have to offer. 
• To help plan and facilitate impactful opportunities, and witness the synergy of bringing others together. 
• To see the smiles on their faces and feel the warmth of love fill our heart. 
• And so much more.

Let those moments imprint themselves upon your heart. Capture them in photographs. Hold them tight in your heart and remember them when a day seems dark and the world feels full of apathy. 

We - have - hope.

Belated Thanksgiving With The Kiddos

 Link to more photos.

Edward's birthday gift

Edward making LEGOs

Frannie and Carly

William: "I can chew my hair now!"

Ginny loving her ice cream.