What a Great Two Years It Has Been!

I remember July of 2008 very well.

You see, my grandma died and we went home to South Dakota for her funeral. Then the two young siblings that we were fostering were up for adoption. We had to let them go because we felt that we could not handle two children since we are in our 50s.

I still remember the first couple days without them. I paced the floors and felt so empty and at one point, I wanted to punch the wall.

That Wednesday we had a meeting with our licensing specialist, Lindsay, and she saw how hard it was on us and she did what she could for us. Later that morning, Lindsay called to tell me that even though she knew we were not quite ready to take in another child yet, they had an emergency placement for a six-month-old boy. Mark and I both decided that it wasn't fair for this baby to be put in a group home when we had a crib ready to go. Little did we know that was the night our lives would change forever.

That little baby, Kobi, was so scared and really had no clue where he was or who we were. Of course he was too young to understand what was going on. I can't even imagine what he was thinking.

We nurtured Kobi and we loved him as if he was our own. I know they say don't get emotionally involved. But how can you not get emotionally involved? This was a baby who needed love and support and we were determined to do that for him.

In September of 2009, we got a call from Kobi's caseworker, Hilary. She called to tell me we were going to have a Thanksgiving baby. I was in shock when she called and then when I realized what she was saying, I cried and cried. I immediately called Mark and our daughter. We were all so happy.

We all walked proudly into court on Nov. 24, 2009, and gladly welcomed Kobi into our lives. Kobi had a ball with the judge because when the judge announced that Kobi was to become a Maley, he let Kobi bang the gavel and that was that. We walked out of court with our son.

Here we are two years later. Each year on Nov. 24, we "Celebrate Kobi" to let him know how loved he is. This year the 24th falls on Thanksgiving and I can't help but think about how special it is going to be.

We have watched Kobi go from a scared and unhappy baby to a friendly, happy, sometimes shy little boy. And his imagination? Well, all I can say is that it is unbelievable!

We have gone through some bad things that a child Kobi's age goes through, like the temper tantrums and illnesses.

Let me tell you though, the good outweighs the bad by far. Kobi's favorite story...me telling him how he came to us. My favorite thing to do with Kobi...snuggling.

We never thought it would be possible for us to ever have another child other than our daughter but here we are - doubly blessed.

We have so much to be thankful for this year and we have already established so many good memories with our two children and friends. We look forward to the many years to come and to anyone who thinks they are too old to take a foster child in, please think again. Wouldn't you like to start building memories? Trust me, you won't regret it!

Happy Thanksgiving all!