[lucyjoy]

I would suggest reading Greg keck's Adopting the Hurt Child.

With teens, it's important to know if the teen wants to be adopted or not. Sometimes they do not and get pushed into it.

I would be careful adopting children older then your youngest. Younger children often mimic older children and teens in the system have often seen, heard, and exeprienced things they may not realize aren't okay for an 11 year old to hear or do.

I'd also suggest preparing your other kids for the things that could occur so they know to come to you or how to handle situations that may arrise. While not all kids are abusive, there is always a risk of a child hurting another child. Having your other children be aware that the new kids coming in may have experienced abuse and how to deal with any advances or abuse toward them should that happen.

Good luck