Every night, without fail, as soon as we start cooking, the kids migrate to the kitchen, like there’s a secret siren alerting them to make their way to the center of the house as soon as we turn on the stove.

Today was a big day for us!

After taking the foster care courses and having our first placement, we’ve realized more than ever the need for this amazing (and sometimes flawed) system. But how can we all help these kiddos more? What can we do that will make a difference? We asked our case worker, Rachel, what she thinks the biggest needs are for the foster care system and how we can all help, and here are her seven suggestions:

A few weeks ago, we asked you over on Instagram what questions you had regarding foster care, and today we’re answering as many as we can. You sent a lot (which is amazing btw! we love how curious you are about the system!) so be on the lookout for more of these types of posts in the near future. Let’s get right to it…

A few weeks back, the middle kiddo we were looking after walked downstairs carrying a blue sharpie in his hand, with the marker smeared across his chest (when he was supposed to be napping). Our stomachs sank.

If there is one thing that fostering three kiddos showed us over the course of three weeks, it’s that people will surprise you and go above and beyond…

Not sure if it’s because we’re stressed or excited or what, but every night, once we put the kids to bed and they’re all sound asleep, we sneak off into the kitchen and…

An alternate title for this post could be: A Bunch of Photos of the Back of the Kid’s Heads While They Stare at Fish.