Home sweet Home

I got home from Texas last night and it has been so bitter sweet. I came home to find beautiful flowers, a relieved husband and some pretty excited kids waiting for me. I missed them all so much!

                                                    

While ministering to my friend the whole trip was ministering to me. The slower pace, the empathetic listener, the laughs, and the easiness of a friendship that just seems to put all right in the world. Sara and I have been doing a bible study over the phone for the last few months, what a gift it was to sit on the couch across from her and pray and go through it together! I am so grateful for modern technology that gives me the ability to still see her. I am grateful for a husband that will take up my torch along with his own within our household in order for me to leave. Most of all I am grateful for friendships that breath with the sisterhood we hold in Christ.

2012...

A quick catch up....

Jim and I continued doing the safe family program through December of 2011, when it came to a quick hault due to our first foster placement. We loved safe families and will probably return to doing it someday, but for now our plate is very full. Right now we have two more kiddos that keep me on my toes!! Foster care has been one of the hardest things I have ever done, but God is good, and he has sustained us and provided for us every step of the way.

We have had a great year thus far. Graci and Maddux started Crosspoint Christian school last year and we have been thrilled with it and are so thankful God has provided for them to return next year!

Soon we will be full swing into summer and I am very much looking forward to lazy days with less running! We don't have much planned but I am sure it will fill up before we know it so I am going to soak up every minute of it while I can!

Today I am in Texas, visiting a dear friend that in a just a few short hours I must say goodbye to once again. The trip has been a sweet time of fellowship has left me thankful to the Lord for providing the time and resources to get me down here. We have talked, laughed, cried, and visited until the hour is to late to keep going. I think of the way the Lord has woven us together so tightly and my heart spills over with gratitude! I pray that one day God will bring her back to St. Louis but for now God has her here and I know He has great plans for all of the Drinkards no matter where they are.

Mixer!!!

Ok it has been tooooo long. I am going to try to stay with blogging this time. We have had so much happen it will be hard to catch up but I am going to try! For now I am trying to win a kitchenaid mixer from Pennyhoarder.com though!! So here is my post that will give me 25 entries! I will be back though.....soon.....promise.....

first day at school!!!!

Today was the kids first day at their new school. Maddux wasn't sure but was beside himself excited about everything when I picked him up. Here he is with his backpack that I think weighed as much as he did!

Handsome guy....

Graci my little social butterfly was so very excited for this day. She bounced out of bed this morning and skipped her way into her classroom. It was all she had hoped it would be and more she said.

Big Third Grader!!!

 So cute and so early! Ok I know the one below is almost the same picture but look how pretty their eyes look and the sunrise in the back round...

No pictures allowed...

A couple days after we got home from Colorado we received three more children from safe families. I wish is was legal to post their pictures because I have some of the greatest pictures of our kids with them. Life was extra busy while they were here but joyous. I realized that week God was revealing to me what my true capabilities were as a mother and that what I could handle with Him beside me was much more than I anticipated. I was touched by the way my children interacted with them (most of the time) and Jim and I realized we need a bigger van. We were blessed to have them the time we did. Although it was only a week and a half they left a lasting impression on my heart. We were so glad to get to see them go back home but the were and still are deeply missed.

and the very next day.... Colorado

I am not kidding literally we fed the slumber party ladies breakfast, sent them on their way, packed up, and left for Colorado around lunchtime. We drove to an area near Winter park and stayed with some friends at their parents vacation home. We had an absolute blast! We played games, made lots of yummy food, built bonfires, had smores, hiked, and just hung out, it was great, Thanks Mahoneys'! If you haven't been to Colorado you are missing out! I have never seen such amazing views, clouds, trees, mountains and sunsets in my life!! We took over 1000 pictures when it was all said and done...here are some.

This was driving in... I think it was Oklahoma.

 A waterfall we stopped to see on our way up the mountain.

 We went to a rodeo our first night there....

 and of course there was a rodeo clown.

 Maddux was gonna try mutton busting (riding a sheep!) he decided after watching the others get trampled by the sheep he wasn't going to do it (I didn't blame him!).

 Our friends son Trent wasn't gonna let a little trampling stop him...

 he hung on for a few seconds and he too got trampled but there were no tears, he loved it!!

 This is all the kids getting ready to chase the sheep and get a ribbon off of his tail. The rodeo clown thought it would be good for them to warm up by doing push ups.....in the mud!! His response to the whole crowd ooooooing at his idea, "ya'll are the ones you sent em out here"! Notice the one child not even coming close to the mud, I will give you one guess who she is!!

 And the chase begins!! Poor sheep.

Maddux's new friend and favorite part of the whole rodeo. 

 The next morning Jim and Faith got a glimpse at our early morning visitor right outside our living room window!

Maddux and Graci sitting in a funky tree on our first hike.

 The top of our hike that day was an amazing waterfall!

You would never know it from her face but she is loving playing on the sandbar. This is Evie our friends youngest. She was a hoot she shot these looks at people randomly all week long!


One of the views on our hikes, amazing!

and another.

 The next day the daddies took the kids fishing... Maddux the animal lover was a little unsure of a fish actually outside of a tank.

 The Mahoney boys with one of their fish.

 Maddux waiting for a fish.

Graci and our friends middle child, Maggie having a little girl time on the rocks.

 This was the day we headed to the top of one of the mountains the view were indescribable.

 The top of the mountain was about 40 degrees colder than the bottom, Graci is demonstrating exactly how cold it felt with shorts on.

  Maddux at the top.

I kept the window down most of the ride up the mountain due to the crazy amount of pictures I was taking so Maddux covered himself quite well with Jim's coat.

 and Graci tried to with my sweatshirt but it wasn't quite as big.

 and Jim was just being cool.... as usual.

I mean seriously!! That looks like a painting!!

 Graci and Maddux playing in a pile of snow on one of our hikes.

 One of the lakes we hiked around.

 Family picture!!

 The kids rock climbing.

 Somewhere along the way Graci learned to flash gang signs in pictures??

 Graci and Mommy

A picture of Jim and I, a rarity!!

Maddux and Daddy

 The whole crew!! Younces and Mahoneys

The elk thought our van was quite interesting.

 Sunset on top of the mountain.

This is an elk that Jim was trapped by on a outlook sight for sometime. The view wasn't bad as you can see so wasn't too upset. The kids and I had no idea what was taking so long so we sat in the car surrounded by a couple more elk that apparently likes us a lot.

Th

Yet another catch up...lets start with Graci's birthday party

So I finally figured out how to get pictures from my new camera to the computer so here is a months worth of events....


We celebrated Graci's 8th birthday on July 7th with a small good ole slumber party, the girls painted their own tote bags, ate pizza and cake and then disappeared for a long night of chatting, singing and dancing!

 Graci opening fashionista dolls, if you haven't seen them they are quite creepy they pop off at the collar bone and you can switch out heads on different body types... here she is opening one of many heads.

Graci got a real grown up camera, (mommy's old one), it is pink and takes video and actual quality pictures, she was pumped as you can see!