6 months old and other events

5 months old, time for his first haircut!

Looking good

Grandma D. made a great Dutch costume for Tulip Time

6 months old

Nate hung some swings- this tree is the neighborhood hangout now

Julia had a bike parade at school- she looks so big!

Christian stayed with us for a couple weeks

Iron Man and Bumblebee the Transformer

Mom needed a place to put me

Grandma J with the babies

Caleb is a big help with Stephen

Time keeps ticking away- the DC Talk song is in my head.  In the past month Stephen got his first haircut (and needs one again!) and his two bottom teeth.  He eats baby food 3 times a day and nurses 5 times a day.  One of those feeding times is during the night.  With the other kids I was much more strict about stopping the middle of the night feeding.  But honestly, we need sleep and it only takes 20 minutes of my night vs letting him cry it out.  My goal is to stop the middle of the night feeding when he is 9 months old.  He also ends up in our bed more often than the other kids did.  Mostly when he wakes up too early and I don't want him crying and waking everyone else up.  Last kids are so spoiled.  Stephen is doing better with naps.  He takes a morning nap around 9, afternoon nap around 12:30 and his last nap around 4.  If he takes two good naps he doesn't take the last one and just goes to bed early- like 6:30 pm.  He now rolls onto his side or stomach to sleep and can put the pacifier back in his mouth.  I need to put like 4 of them in there so he can find them.  I hate the middle of the night pacifier search.  Stephen makes happy but loud squeals and screams.  He also learned to blow raspberries and often does it in our faces.  We got a johnny jumper and he is quite proud of his jumping abilities.  He loves playing and giggling with his older siblings.  He really is a happy baby.  Caleb has been very helpful with Stephen when I am making dinner.  Caleb will feed Stephen his baby food and keep him entertained.  I sometimes pay Caleb 50 cents for his help, start training him now to babysit!  Stephen had his 6 month check up today and is 22 lbs and 28 inches, that puts him around the 95th percentile for height and weight.  Another big boy!  Stephen is sick with his first cough.  I feel bad when babies are sick because there is so little I can do for them. 

Tulip Time was at the beginning of May.  All of the 1st-3rd graders in Holland march in the KinderParade dressed in Dutch costumes.  It is quite a sight to see wave after wave of kids in Dutch gear.  I also took the kids to the final Tulip Time parade, it lasts about 1 1/2 hours.  It was freezing!! Which is slightly funny because 3 days earlier we had been sweating at the KinderParade.  And can I say Holland people are crazy about parades?  They start staking out their spots at 5:30 am.  Thankfully a friend from church saved us spots so we didn't have to get out super early. 

We had a refugee foster child stay with us for 2 weeks.  He didn't speak alot of English so we brushed up on our Spanish and used a translator app on our iPad.  He was 13 years old and a sweet kid.  The kids had fun playing with him and he taught the boys how to do jumps on their scooters. 

Nate took the boys and Caleb's friend, Jason to a Whitecaps game

Last day of school! I promise Caleb was happy

Isaac and Julia finished school last week and Caleb finished today.  I really can't believe how fast the school year went.  I started the school year as big as a house and ended it lugging around a heavy 6 month old in an infant carseat.  There were many nerves about starting at a new school, but this year was a fantastic experience for the kids.  They quickly felt comfortable, made friends, had excellent Christian teachers and learned alot.  Our primary reason for moving to Holland was for school, so we're thankful the first year went so well.  I'm also thankful I won't have two kids in the preschool program again!  Preschool classes are so time intensive.  They are always having special color days, show and tells or field trips and they were never on the same day.  Never mind the different dismissal times.  I will not miss that.  Isaac is sad that his teacher can't be his kindergarten teacher next year.  But, he met his new teacher and he loves the countdown to kindergarten calendar she gave the class.  He's excited his best friend will be in his class next year and he'll get to eat lunch at school.  Julia is proud to tell everyone that she will be in 4 year old preschool next year and that she is older than her friend Asha, because that is very important- ha!  The second graders visited the school they will attend next year.  Caleb seems relaxed about the change, he just doesn't want to learn multiplication in 3rd grade.  He did tell us the lockers, gym and playground are all bigger at the new school. 

The kids are getting spoiled in our new neighborhood.  There are so many kids to play with that when the neighbors aren't home my kids don't know what to do with themselves.  How quickly they forget there weren't any kids to play with at our South Haven house.  Caleb is having a harder time playing with his siblings and their friends.  There is a boy his age that moved in down the street so hopefully that works out this summer.