Mother of Seven + 2

Dear Amber Girl, Today's your birthday-- Eight years old.  You have grown so big over the past five years. How well I remember the first day I saw you.  We pulled into the McDonald's parking lot where we were to meet a foster family to pick up you, Mikey, and Troy.  The van door slid open and there you were, blond hair hanging in your baby blue eyes.  You climbed out of your car seat and held your chubby little arms out to me for help down from the van. You stole my heart that day.   You called me "momma" upon sight.  How you knew, I do not know.  Just six weeks after you came to us, you asked me if I would pray to Jesus that you could stay here forever.  My heart hurt because I so desperately wanted to promise you that you would never leave, but we didn't know if that would be possible.  Holding your little hand I will always remember your bedtime prayer.  "Dear Jesus, pease can I stay her porever and ever.  Amen."...

I believe the stealing for Michael started as a result of losing so much.  As the children moved from home to home, they lost not only people they loved but often times possessions.  For the first year Mikey was with us he would ask over and over when he would get his things that were left at previous foster homes.  We were able to get some of his things and that seemed to help.  However, when we finally just had to tell him that some things were gone and he would just need to be thankful for what he had here, he was very upset.  Michael has found security in things.  In fact, he struggles to throw even a candy wrapper away.  Many times I have had to clean out his room when he is not around because it was so emotionally traumatic for him to have me go through his things and get rid of the broken toys and trash. One of his chores for awhile was to empty the trash cans, but we quickly changed that job because he dug so many "treasures" out of the trash...