Goodbye AJ and Kristen

This was our first time saying goodbye to our children, it was very hard.  We had Aj and Kristen for a year. We did not feel like their mother had really listened to CPS. She continued to party and not follow through on positive parent behavior. Unfortunately, the very hard lesson I had to learn was, it doesn't matter what I think! I am not their lawyer, their CASA, their CPS rep, I am their mama and I can't make legal decisions. . . only mama ones. So, their legal decision was made and my sweet ten year old and one and a half year old would be heading home. We got them all packed up and drove to meet their family at McDonalds (why is this always the meeting place, I have no idea). We packed in a year of new clothes, toys, books, games, and even his bike. The entire trade took about two minutes and I tried very hard not to cry. After a hug,  AJ climbed into the truck, sobbing, and reached for my hand. He told me he loved me and I repeated it to him. This sweet boy, what would lie ahead for him? I cried. I had made a scrapbook with pictures and lots of writing about his time with us. It told him how proud we were, what a strong young man and great big brother he was. He held it tight in his lap and drove away.