What's next?

Remember this post http://torirayle.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-promise-house.html?

It was all about my newest adventure, living in the Promise House. Before I moved in, we knew a couple would be returning to COTP to be the long term house parents of this space in early 2016. I was just filling in in the interim. Well, its early 2016 and they will be arriving on Monday.

 I'm so excited for the kids to have someone in their house who can think up assistive devices and make them out out whatever he can find. I've come up with ideas, but do not know how to make them. I'm really glad these kids are going to have a nurse caring for their day to day needs who can see their medical needs I may passover and who will advocate fiercely for them to get the care they need. I know Wilson and Sheila will love them dearly.

I have so enjoyed living in the Promise House and getting to know these kids and nannies more over the last nine months. It has been so great to watch them grow, to care for them when they were sick, to have the nannies care for me when I was sick, to comfort each other when Wadley passed away, and so much more. The nannies have told me so many times over the last few weeks that they will miss me and make me promise to come visit. Luckily, our houses are only several yards away from each other. My only regret in living in this space, is not having enough time with these people because of all my other responsibilities.




What's next?

I am excited to say that this weekend I will be moving into the Life House. I will be living in there with 10 children; 3 almost two, 6 two year olds, and a three year old. I am really lucky to already have a relationship with these children, to already have them yelling my name when they see me across the yard, and to already love them.

We will be busy with so many toddlers in one place, but I am so excited to make it as much of a home as possible. I'm already envisioning how to make their rooms more roomy and how to expand their diets to introduce them to food they may eat when they are with their forever families. I'm excited to really get to know them - the good, the bad, the ugly, and the adorable. I look forward to teaching them so many things just by doing life with them.

I'm also cutting how much preschool I teach by about two thirds. This will allow me to continue teaching, but will give me more time to invest in the lives of the littles I live with. I'm excited about this transition, but it is bitter sweet as it is hard to give up one of my classes to someone else.

Stay tuned, as I'm sure we will have many great adventures as a family with 10 toddlers.

*Children of the Promise has given explicit permission for the posting of photos on this site. Photos taken of children in the care of Children of the Promise are not to be posted publicly without explicit permission given by Children of the Promise.