Great posts! If you are considering adopting older children, check out
http://www.adoptuskids.com--that's the website the Children's Bureau, a federal agency, runs that is dedicated to the adoption of children from foster care. Also check out the North American Council on Adoptable Children. They put on a FABULOUS conference every year. Next year it's in Philadelphia. You can get information from your state's foster parent association. The Dave Thomas foundation also provides information on adopting kids from foster care. Read Parenting the Hurt Child by Gregory Keck and Regina Kupecky, and Our Own by Trish Maskew.
The positive side of adopting from foster care is that you can make an incredible difference in the life of a vulnerable child, you meet other foster parents, who are a wonderful group of people--giving, resourceful, loving, hard-working, and a great sense of humor. The most positive side is the children, of course! The negative side is dealing with an unresponsive and dysfunctional bureaucracy, an uncomprehending and unsupportive general public, and a lot of heart ache. There is the heartache of the children's difficult past, the heartache of watching them battle their demons, the heartache of limited resources for kids, the heartache and confusion of the LOOOOOOOOONG time it can take to get a placement. But then, it could happen REALLY fast. It is unpredictable, and a lot is out of your control.
Most of all, this is a calling. If this is your destiny, I think you will find it deeply rewarding and enriching. Good luck! You will greatly increase your odds of success if you educate yourself as much as possible on the process and the potential challenges. This forum is a great resource for information and support!