Really you have 6 kids?

I always love when people ask "how many kids do you have?"  My response varies but normally is something like "6 kids right now."  And normally their faces drop!  Right now?   Which normally allows me the opportunity to share our story of fostering and adopting.
For the last week we have been a family of 8. We are doing respite care for a 3 & 2 year old.   While it takes a little bit of logistics to get things together these two little kids fit right on in.  My kids adjust well to having new kids in and out.  I am very proud of them and how well they do and how much they step up.  I feel that we are teaching them about serving others and caring for theses that need a safe home while their family figure things out.  And like respite care, we are helping other foster parents.
Somethings that we had to do to get ready. We switched the crib and the toddler bed putting the crib in the boys room and the toddler bed in the girls room.  While their suit case just ended up in the boys room, I found a crate to put their dirty clothes in.  I have different plastic bins with different age toys in them.   So we got out two bins- funny thing is the older kids have fun playing with them too!  Other than putting car seats in the care, we were ready to go.  Because I want to try to keep kids schedules as stable as can be, LeAnn went to her mommy day out.  But it made my afternoon schedule a little crazy, cause I had pick up at 12:30, 1:30, and 2:30 pm.
My favorite part of this respite care was when we went to the Chinese Buffet with 8 kids (we two visiting that day) and yes we were that family whom all our kids were well believed and listened and I was very proud of them!