End of summer fun

It is hard to believe that summer is almost over. This summer turned out differently than we thought it would in the spring. We had been so certain that Cardale would move in with Ryan and Jenn by mid June, at the latest. Obviously God has different plans. Cardale has spent the weekends with Ryan and Jenn this summer. We're glad he was able to spend that time with them, but I think everyone is ready to stop driving between Hastings and South Haven every weekend.:) Once again, I was so certain that the Winebrenner's license would open up this week, hasn't happened. We are going out east for a week and Cardale has to go to respite care. We really thought he would be with the Winebrenner's by now and he wouldn't have to go to someone else's home. Guess God has different plans again. Sorry if I seem kind of frustrated. I dislike feeling torn about our vacation. We had made plans to go now b/c Cardale would (most likely) be gone, Nate had the time off, and Caleb starts school after Labor Day. I know we can't bring Cardale with us b/c travelling with the 3 kids and staying in hotels, family member's homes, etc would not be relaxing at all. I just want God to tell us, "here is the date the license will open and when Cardale will move in with Ryan and Jenn." Have I mentioned it is hard to accept God's timetable sometimes?

In other news, we know that Isaac is still allergic to milk. I made mashed potatoes with milk and butter and gave some to him a couple weeks ago. His chin turned red and he started complaining that it itched. He has had a similar reaction to watermelon and cantelope recently. So now we try to eat our watermelon in secret b/c he really likes it! My sister isn't allergic to milk, but gets an itchy mouth after eating watermelon as well. I guess if you have seasonal allergies you sometimes have reactions to certain fruits. Isaac does have some seasonal allergies as well. Poor kiddo. I'm thankful though that his allergies aren't life-threatening. Usually some Benadryl clears up the symptoms right away.

Isaac did his first full-fledged nap strike today. He was in bed for 1 1/2 hours and didn't go to sleep. Even giving him books to read didn't help this time. Of course, he was a wreck the rest of the day. He is too young to do this! Although, I remember Caleb had nap-strike phases and eventually he started napping normally again. Have I mentioned that Isaac's vocabulary has taken off these past few months? People who haven't seem him for awhile are shocked at how much he's talking now. I love this stage of listening to him speak in sentences and describe everything. Of course, now he knows how to talk back too. :)

We are leaving on Saturday for Freeport. I am going to a Tri-County reunion. It is not going to be well-attended, which is frustrating since I've been planning it, but it will be fun to catch up with old friends! Then on Sunday we start driving to Rochester. We'll stay overnight at a hotel and then get to Rochester on Monday. After spending a few days with Nate's parents we're heading to PA to see his brother Reuben and family. Then we head home on the weekend so Caleb can start school on the 8th! We're looking forward to our trip out east as we don't travel that way very much. Should be a fun vacation!

An end and a beginning

Today was the court hearing. The judge decided to terminate both of his parent's rights. It was a very emotional experience this morning. We are so grateful the judge terminated the parental rights. His parents have not shown interest in his life and Cardale deserves a family who loves him unconditionally. It was hard to sit in court and hear all of the history leading up to this decision. I have many mixed emotions today. I know the right decision was made, but I am sad for what Cardale is losing. Someday he'll wonder why his birthparents couldn't be parents. However, I know God has a great future for Cardale. He is going to be surrounded by people who love him. I keep thinking of Jeramiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."

Now we are waiting for the state to process Ryan and Jenn's foster care license. As soon as that comes back, Cardale can move in with them. We are hoping the license comes in the next couple of weeks. Pray that we all have patience as we wait. Continue to pray for Cardale during this transition. Thanks to all of you who have supported us on this journey with Cardale!

Happy Birthday Isaac!

Goofing off for the camera
Cheese! With food in the mouth, yummy.
Is this for me?

He was trying to grab the candles and eventually he blew them out
Present from Grandpa and Grandma D- thank you!

Isaac turned 2 years old today! We celebrated yesterday and met my parents at a restaurant. Isaac is such a cute, silly boy and he loved all of the attention. Cardale was wondering why Isaac was getting all of the fun toys and he wasn't. :) Of course, Caleb wanted to "show" Isaac how all of the new toys worked. I made an Elmo cake for Isaac. He was very excited to see the Elmo cake. And yes, I made the same cake for Caleb's 2nd birthday. Maybe it will be a 2nd birthday tradition!

Isaac brings so much joy and silliness to our family. It's hard to believe he is 2 now. His vocabulary has taken off in the past couple of months. For a while we were getting worried, the only word he said for a long time was "uh-oh!" He calls Caleb "key-ub" and Cardale is usually "dell." He is getting quite good at his colors, most of the time.:) I love to watch Isaac playing with his brothers. He and Caleb have alot of fun by themselves and Isaac and Cardale are becoming much better playmates- a lot less fighting! I'm afraid Isaac won't know what to do with himself once Cardale leaves and Caleb is in school all day. Isaac has never had me to himself, although that will only last until Julia comes home. :) We thank God everyday for trusting us with Isaac!

A funny side story. I was babysitting one of Caleb's friends today. We were in the car and passed a cemetary. Caleb's friend, Wesley, said "graveyards are where monsters are buried." I'm thinking- ok, this could get interesting. Caleb replied, "No, graveyards are where elephant bones are buried and the hyenas live there and it's dark even in the daytime." Wesley's eyes got as big as saucers and he kept turning to look at the cemetary. I found this funny b/c Caleb wasn't trying to tell a scary story, he was repeating part of the Lion King. He has never seen the Lion King, but he has a LeapPad story that talks about the elephant graveyard. It made me laugh to hear my 4 year old basically telling a ghost story without meaning to. And yes, I did talk to Caleb later about who is really buried in cemetaries. :)

Happy Anniversary!

It's our 8th anniversary today! I wish I had a digital picture of our wedding to post. We look more 'mature' since 8 years ago and our love is more 'mature' too! Last year we celebrated our anniversary in CO at my family reunion. This year we celebrated close to home and had a great day! I got a pedicure/manicure today. Nate's company gave gift certificates to the spouses when Nate got his license last month. Very nice! My sister is here for a couple days and she watched the boys tonight while we went out to dinner. We love free babysitting!

I love Nate and I'm looking forward to many more anniversaries!

Her name is...

We have named our daughter, Julia Cho DeMaster! (Cho in Korean means beautiful). We also received this updated photo. She is 4 months old in this picture. Her hair is pretty funny right now. And for some reason in every picture we receive, her pants are hiked up to her armpits. :) She is a cutie though! Hopefully we'll meet with our social worker this week to get our acceptance paperwork submitted. It's much harder to wait for Julia now that we have seen this new photo. Just want to hold her and kiss those cheeks!

Other July pictures

Ready for VBS to start!
We were the tribe of Zebulun
Again, Caleb wanted nothing to do with costumes :)
Cardale tried to do the sack races
The boys greatly enjoyed playing in Jesus' tomb- does that seem weird?
Cousin Jack playing with the boys (I think the little ones have an oral fixation right now!)
Doug, Lisa, Hannah and Heidi
The college gang and their offspring
Ethan (Janna's oldest) getting buried
Pete and Naomi enjoying the sand
Isaac enjoyed the pit Nate dug for him
I just think this is a funny picture