Gotcha Day

Our Family’s Takeaway On This Foster-World Holiday…

GOTCHA DAY * GOTCHA DAY * GOTCHA DAY

Two years ago today there was a little boy that came to sleep under our roof for the first time

…and he has never left since.

As a matter of fact, his sister came to live with us just over a year later and has never left since.

It’s kind of a hard thing to celebrate Gotcha Day, and all the emotions involved are not easy.

But nothing is easy in foster care.

I celebrate to magnify the addition of a child to a safe home.

I celebrate to show that child we are happy he has been brought into our home.

I celebrate to remember that day that we said “yes” to the Unknown, and what that one act of courage has done to our lives.

I celebrate to bring sweetness into a hard situation.

My foster babies know that I am so, so sorry for what has happened to them, that they cannot live safely with their mom and dad.

They have watched me pray for their parents and siblings and all connected families, believing for health, and healing and prosperity over all their lives.

They have heard me encourage them in their hurt and anger and loneliness and grief.

And they know today is not a day that we look at all that has been lost for them… but rather, all the moments of healing and memories of new victories and peace and milestones we choose to look at.

We all have our own reflections on this day, and a part of me wanted to just glaze over it and call it done. God knows we already had enough drama and candy and sugar buzz this week. And the potential emotional backlash from what comes this way after bringing up something that may still haunt them with dark memories they may have not yet made peace with? A little bit risky, to say the least.

But to see my Little Buddy’s face light up with joy and excitement at his cake, and Little Sis screech excitedly at the table about her “Gotcha Day” coming in a couple weeks, and then finally my baby boy Caleb Richard belt out a round of “Happy Gotcha Day” to the tune of “Happy Birthday” was enough to take the cake.

Literally.

So here’s to more Unknowns and more Gotcha Days in our life. We have come so far and continue to choose to bake the cakes and pour on the candy and sing.

Because foster care is hard. But choosing to celebrate the goodness is good.

And that’s something to be celebrated.

And something we will never regret.

I originally made this for my son for his second birthday after I saw it on Pinterest once upon a time. It just looked like so much goodness and happiness in one single cake, I had to try it for myself. Little did I know I would be creating it years later for our foster babies as we celebrated their Gotcha Days. May it bring you as much happiness (and sugar rush!!!) as it has brought us!

Sometimes the easiest (and cheapest!) way to make this is to grab all your supplies from the Dollar Tree. When I am too tired or too strapped for time to run through Walmart, I find that running in to Dollar Tree gets me everything I need to make this cake, (they even carry eggs!!!) and I ultimately sepnd less because, well, #walmartclearance.

Here’s How We Party With Our Gotcha Day Cake:

Ingredients:

1 double layer chocolate cake frosted with chocolate frosting
– (use your favorite kind)
3 packages of 8 Snack Size Kit Kats
-(we used two and did the waterfall effect)
1 package of Sharing Size M &M’s

That’s it!

Make your cake, cool and frost it.

Use your little helpers to unwrap all the Kit Kats.

While still sticky (don’t wait or the frosting will dry and not stick the Kit Kats!), press the Kit Kats onto the side of the cake until full.

When finished, grab handfuls of M & M’s and drop liberaly all over the top of the cake. (You will feel like it is wrong to have so much fun… but it is so much fun…!)

Super Creative Tip of the Month: If your husband and son didn’t grab enough Kit Kats in the store, you split the total of Kit Kats on each side of the cake and use the M & M’s to create a super special waterfall effect.

Source: Tara Wall and Company

If you’re feeling fancy, you can add ribbon all around, (you can see where we did in Caleb’s birthday cake just up above), but it won’t stay long because there is no way a cake this fun will last very long in any home!

I would love to see all the fun you guys have with a cake – and a celebration – like this!!!

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