About Me:

Hello there, and welcome to my blog!

My name is Kaley. I’m a twenty something (for a few more months) living in Waco, TX. 

Here is a collage of my life through the years:

Top row:
Me as a precocious and bubbly toddler, then as a sassy six-year old with a Skip-it.
Bottom row:
Emphasizing my shiny forehead with the only hair-do I knew how to do in middle school and then in the midst of staring contest with my dog, RGIV.
I'll save the 4th grade bowl-cut photos for another time.

I am a coffee-loving social worker who enjoys spending time with friends and family, doing any Pinteresty-craft project (with varying degrees of success), playing the ukulele, and sleeping.

I don’t get a ton of time to do those things these days, however, because I am also a foster and (as of May 2016) adoptive(!) parent.

I officially started my foster care journey in 2014- intending strictly to foster because a) I knew there was a big need for foster parents in my community, and b) I was single and didn’t feel prepared for the full, forever commitment of parenting. Truth be told, when I accepted my first placement in September of that year, I was relieved when I was told it would be short term- just three of four months.

Then I actually met the kid, and everything changed. Literally. Everything. 

I picked Little Man up from the hospital when he was two days old, and at some point within the first year decided to petition for custody. (That’s a much longer story than I can tell in its entirety here since it’s not fully mine to tell- it is also Little Man’s and his biological mom’s.) Our adoption process was full of ups and downs and steps forward and steps backward and plenty of just standing in one place waiting- as most adoption journeys are- but twenty months after I met him, a judge made Little Man (now J-Bear) my official, legal son! Sometimes it still catches me off guard when I realize this adorable kid has my last name and is stuck with me forever. I like to think that makes us both pretty lucky, though.

http://mollywinnphotography.com/blog/2016/09/love-makes-a-family-waco-family-photographer/

After the adoption was finalized, we took a few months to rest and enjoy life as a little family of two. We had a pretty busy year, after all- we traveled, celebrated birthdays and weddings, and we purchased a house and had it renovated on a HGTV show. (There’s a solid chance that’s how you found me, actually.)

Here I am watching myself on TV. It was a weird experience. 

In October of 2016, we opened up our home to new placements again. Within a week, I received a call about a 12-year-old boy, who arrived at my house an hour later. That’s T. He’s vibrant and energetic and very different than a two-year old, so I’m learning a lot about life with boys- especially because, about six weeks after T arrived, his brother (T2) joined us, as well.

So, in case you’re not doing the math, I am the only female in a house of three boys. (Four if you count the dog.) It’s interesting and exhausting and lots of fun. It also means there’s one bathroom in my house that I’m too terrified to enter. (Are all boys like this??)

In an effort to stay sane, I write here- when I can find/make the time. It's the space where I get to share the adventures of my (very) ordinary life. I pour bowls of cereal for breakfast before shuttling kids to day care/school, pick them up and help with homework, give rides to basketball practice, read the same books so many times I have them memorized (I can do Goodnight Moon in English and Spanish), and attempt to keep my frozen to homemade meal ratio at least kind of close to balance- just like a lot of parents out there. But fostering has taught me (among many other things) that an ordinary life can be quite an adventure.

So thank you for joining me on this one! I hope it entertains you and (at least occasionally) makes you laugh, but mostly I hope it helps you see foster care in new ways- or resonates with you if you are on a similar adventure.

My goal is to honestly share the ups and downs of my journey as a foster parent so people can get an idea of what it's really like- rather than what they might imagine it to be. 

And, who knows? Maybe it will even inspire a few folks to get involved with foster care in some way. (There are a lot of options out there – just in case you’re interested.)

If you ever have any questions about foster care- or if you just want to say hello- please feel free to leave a comment or send me an email! I love meeting new people. (Especially when I can do so from the comfort of my couch and while sitting in my llama pajamas. Real talk.)

Thank you again for taking the time to join me in this adventure! I hope it encourages you on your own in some way.

All my best,

Kaley

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