Sibling Visit

I have so many emotions and feelings that I'm not sure where to start to unscramble them all. So I guess I'll say first off we are not going to be keeping this darling little baby Jaren. He has an aunt in Illinois that is trying to get checked off by DCFS to obtain custody of him. That is as long as rights are terminated with the parents which hasn't happened yet. That could still take a month or two so we may have just enough time to find a great hiding place to take him to. :)
Jaren has 7 other siblings in the foster care system. They are all fortunate enough to be together in one home. Recently it was determined that the parental rights on all 7 children would be terminated. Jaren is a separate case because he went in to custody only recently.
Today was our scheduled day to introduce the 7 older siblings to their newest brother. They range in age from almost 1 to 10 years old. I was excited to meet them and see a little more what little Jaren would grow up resembling. I didn't realize though what an impact the visit would have on my heart.

Alex
Meet Alex, the oldest of the Harrington bunch. He is only 10 but has taken on the huge responsibility of being the care taker of his younger siblings. He's a neat kid. While all the other kids lost interest and wanted to go and play Alex stayed to help feed the baby and visit. He didn't say much though I could tell he had a lot on his mind. His foster mom commented about how sad he seemed and continued to ask him if he had questions for me or her.

Jaren and his big brother Alex. Two of the cutest boys I have ever met.

The caseworker for the kids was at the home when i got there and I gathered that she had been talking to the  kids about how they wouldn't be reunified with their parents. It seemed they had talked about it before but I could tell there had been questions about why Jaren got to live with their Aunt and didn't get to stay with them etc. So many difficult items for such young children to try and understand. Some times I wonder why the state does the things they do the way that they do it. 

After meeting all the kids my heart ached to hold Alex the same way that I have cuddled his little brother in my arms. I hurt for him and knew he was confused and sad.  I wanted him just as much or more then I have wanted Jaren. I want him to have a happy home and realize how neat and loved he really is. Before I left I asked if he would like me to send pictures of Jaren and he immediately looked at his foster mom and asked if she'd give me her email. 

Misty the Foster Mom

I knew I was about to meet an extraordinary lady when I first found out she had invited 7 needing siblings to come into her home. I mean one or two changes the dynamics of a home pretty fast, but 7! How do you prepare your home, your physical well being, your life! for 7 children of different ages and needs all at the same time?

Misty showed me how much love really is in a Christlike heart. Not only does she have the 7 siblings she has a total now of 15 children living at home. She had 16 until her 18 year old moved out surprisingly about 2 weeks ago to live with her biological mom.

Here are all their kids missing the youngest two that they are still working on pictures for

I found out that Misty and her husband were unable to have children so 7 years ago they started fostering and have now fostered over 30 children and, with the addition of the 7 Harrington children, will adopt 16. She has 5 children under the age of 5.

This is becoming really long and I hope I'm not all over the place but I felt something after leaving that home. I felt a renewed dedication to love two very special little boys. I felt a gratitude to Braylon's parents for really trying to work out their problem and get their little guy back, I felt a dedication to do what my Heavenly Father needs me to do and I felt a lot of love bouncing around inside my heart still waiting for me to let out.
I may not adopt 16 children in the next 7 years but the Lord has given me a heart full of love to share and I hope to pass it along.

Just for fun here are some of the other siblings. I'm missing one of the older brothers.