Yeeehaaaaa!!

TEXAS!! So as most of you know from my last post we got back late Friday night from our week in San Antonio TX. We had a blast! It was so stinking hot but that didn't stop us. The kids visited with their friends and played their little hearts out while the Mommies chatted, planted, decorated, chatted, had our morning coffee/dr.pepper, chatted, and shopped. One afternoon we even put the kids in room time, watched a movie and ate ice cream!! Now that is what I call vacation! Mark was a trooper watching the kids three times while Sara and I went on a late night shopping trips. Lucy and Graci were rarely seen with the exception of putting on a show or two for Sara and I. We all took a trip to the Alamo and the river walk. Apparently all of our rain in St Louis followed us down there, our third night there they had their first rain in months! We had so much fun, so I thought I would share some of my fav's and not so much fav's about the state of Texas.
Lets start with Fav's
My friend lives there, Taco Cabana, Double Daves, The bbq place I can't remember, the texas made ice cream brand I can't remember, Yes I know the last four things have been food but really it was all that good!, the sky (it really is bigger in Texas!), the speed limit (80 mph people!!), how kind the people are, ladies are still treated like ladies there (I didn't open my own door once there), most of the Targets are Super Targets!!,  all the historical buildings, SOME of the landscapes, and last but not least the cowboy hats!! (I love these things, I have always wanted it to be acceptable for me to wear one out and it is there!!! and you don't have to be going line dancing or mowing the lawn!
My not so fav's about Texas
My friend lives THERE, the heat, everything is dusty (my personal hell), my feet are always dirty when I wear flip flops, it is too hot to wear anything other than flip flops, spf 60 is not enough to keep me or Lucy from getting sun burned down there, the design of the roads (I just don't get it), that you can drive for hours and see no gas stations, it is really hard to have a garden there unless you like cactus, no one wears much clothing (reference heat), they don't have Aldi's, and my friend lives THERE!
So that about sums up Texas for this newly found out, true blue mid west girl.
Pictures to come!

We are still here.

I am sure many of you have given up on me and my blog that is never up to date. It has been almost a full year since I even felt a pull to post anything. Well... I am back if for nothing else than that I don't want to forget this journey God is taking us on.
Quick update...for those of you who don't know we are no longer adopting from Ethiopia. The government there has had lots going on that was slowing adoptions down dramatically. Three years and lots of prayer later God has redirected our path. There is no doubt in my mind God has caring for orphans/foster care children as a long term part of the Younce's story. Where that will take us is the part of the story we are unsure of. Three weeks ago we started foster care/domestic adoption classes. Two weeks ago we were approved for a program called Safe Families. Safe Families is a program to help families through tough times by caring for their children for short amounts of time, in short it is a net to help families keep their kids out of state foster care. Two weeks ago we took in our first set of siblings. It has been hard, sad, fun, and a growing opportunity for all of us. Maddux being the baby of the family took it the hardest, but by the end of the first week the prayers coming from my two children's mouths brought me to tears. They were full of thankfulness, humbleness, and a plead for God to turn their heart from their sin. After just 2 1/2 weeks our Safe Family kids feel like they belong here. Saturday is their last day here and we will all be sad to see them go but will pray for them and their family as they head back to Mom and Dad.
Graci and Maddux are now just two weeks from turning 6 and 8! Last Saturday we dropped them off for their first real trip at Grandma's. They are at Jim's Mom's house in Chicago for her churches VBS. It was good for them even though Graci was a little nervous about being so far from home for so long. They are having a great time and getting to spend time with aunts, uncles, and cousins that they typically only get to see for a short time.

Here on the home front I am doing laundry and getting everyone packed to head out on Saturday for Texas!! On Saturday morning my Mom, Graci, Maddux, and myself will all be driving 13 hours to visit my Moms friend in San Angelo, the next morning the kids and I will head out to drive another 3 hours to my girlfriend Sara's house for the week! I am so looking forward to seeing her, catching up, and relaxing! Jim will stay home to work and get some more work done on the house. Well in a nut shell this is the last six months of our never boring lives!!

This is the Younce/Elliott kids at the Pacific RR tracks. A historical steam engine made a stop in town so we all walked down to take a look and get some lunch. It was fun but very loud and sunny as you can see from this hilarious picture of the kids!

Paige and Graci.. so big.

Sam and Maddux, best buds!

The old steam engine!