We spent this Mother's Day volunteering with Foster Care Counts. They organized an event to honor foster mothers and their families. It was amazing! The event was held at this gorgeous property in Topanga Canyon; we arrived there early Sunday morning with countless other volunteers. It was so nice to see families spending their "Mother's Day" volunteering together. Isn't that such a great idea?
At the event, foster moms could get their hair and make-up done, get eyelash extensions and/or have mani-pedi's. And then, once they were all dolled up, they went over to the photography tent and had family photos taken. Too cute. There was also a "boutique" tent filled with gently worn clothing; families could go "shopping" in there and left with bags of goodies. Of course, there was plenty for the kids to do as well...games, rides, a huge bouncey house and a petting zoo. The kids were so excited; it was really fun to see. And let's not forget the grub. Wolfgang Puck catered and did not disappoint; the food was delicious!
But let's get back to the petting zoo. That's where Biff and I spent our time yesterday. We helped unload the animals and set up the pen. Then we waited. And then...Bam! Cotton candy covered sticky fingered kiddos everywhere! It was fantastic. And HOT. And exhausting. But so so fun!
My favorite questions of the day:
Lady, what is that? That's a piggy. Why is it dirty? Well, because it's a piggy.
Hey lady, can I ride it? What? No. Why? Because it's not a pony, silly. It's a goat.
It was fantastic. And aside from a couple of sour apples, the kids were all so very sweet. It was fun to see them loving on these little animals. Being so gentle. Wanting to take them home with them.
They were thinking of these animals the way I was thinking about them. I wanted to take those kids home with me that night and give them tons of snuggles too.
The more research I do, the more interested I am in foster care and adoption. At this point Biff and I are just gathering information but I've got to tell you... If and when it's right for your family, it seems like such a gift. A gift you give to the child and a gift those children give you.
Sooooo if a foster mom or dad ever comes across this little blog of mine and lands on this here post, I just wanted to say... I salute you. Thanks for all that you do. And to all the moms who have no legal rights and aren't always called "mom"... Happy Mother's Day.
I'm not yet sure what the future holds for us expanding our family, but if we do go down the road to foster/adoption, I plan to document it here. We shall see. Either way, volunteering yesterday was a great experience and we will likely be back next year. Check out the Foster Care Counts website to find other ways that you can help.
Tomorrow, I'll be back to share a new project I'm working on and hopefully, later this week, I'll have made some sneak-peek worthy progress on the dining room garden wall!
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