May

Caleb ran his first 5k

Enjoying Tulip Time flowers

Waiting for the kinderparade to start- it was hot!

Grandma D made great Dutch costumes

Julia and I participating in the Klomp the Record

Look who's in a big boy bed

Korean School program

Caleb's lacrosse team 

Girls Weekend in Saugatuck

His Little Feet choir enjoying some Burmese food at our church

His Little Feet choir came back at the end of the month

May was a busy month.  It started out with the His Little Feet choir coming to town and performing.  We had fun hosting Yosef and Besu, two boys from Ethiopia.  We also got to know Gerda, she grew up in South Africa and is following God's call to care for orphans.  We had fun talking about Dutch traditions.  After the choir left, I went to CAFO 2015- the Christian Alliance for Orphans annual conference.  I rode down to Nashville with some other west MI folks.  The conference is always a highlight of the year for me.  I come away with new ideas and encouragement.

Caleb finished out his lacrosse season.  He learned more about the game and had a good time.  He seems interested in playing again next year.  We had Tulip Time here in Holland.  All of the elementary kids in Holland dress up in Dutch costumes for the Kinderparade.  Caleb and Isaac both walked in the parade this year.  They looked so cute in their costumes.  It was unbelievably hot that day so they were more than happy to shed the costume.  Stephen really got into the parade- waving at everyone marching and listening to the marching bands.  Julia put on our klompen and participated in a Bethany fundraiser called Klomp the Record.  Holland was trying for the world record of people dancing in wooden shoes.  Pella, Iowa is the current record holder.  Unfortunately, Holland did not come close to beating the record, but we had fun dancing in our wooden shoes for a good cause.

Tim and Jenny's new daughter came home in April- baby Keira.  She is a cutie.  Julia and I had fun going to Jenny's baby shower.

Over Memorial Day weekend I was able to get away for a night with some friends.  I went to Saugatuck with my college friends Janna and Beth.  It was a good time of laughing and catching up.  And then we had the surprise of the His Little Feet choir coming back to Holland!  A church that was supposed to host the choir backed out, so the choir was scrambling for host homes.  People in Holland were more than happy to host the choir kids again.  We got to host Millie (from Ethiopia) and Feli (from India).  We also had Auntie Zeli (from India) and Auntie Gerda again.  We had alot of fun hosting the girls- Julia loved having girls to play with.  We took them to the Memorial Day parade and grilled out.

Julia finished Korean language school for the summer.  She participated in an end of the year school program.  She sang a couple songs in Korean.  We are proud of her for working hard and learning the Korean language.  Julia has about 5 teeth missing in her mouth, it's a cute look.

In preparation for Lexi's arrival, we moved Stephen into a big boy bed.  He took to it with no problems.  Stephen loves the warmer weather and playing outside with his siblings.  Stephen is also our vegetarian, he doesn't eat much meat (except chicken nuggets) and he doesn't eat vegetables.  So I guess we should call him a fruit/carbohydrate eater?  Oh well, it won't last forever.

Isaac is into coding right now.  He was introduced to it at school and he's hooked.  When he graduates high school he says he's not going to college.  He's going to move to Florida and do coding.  So he'll live in his grandparent's basement and do computer programming- girls will be lining up. Ha!  Caleb is finishing up 4th grade, I can't believe he will be a 5th grader next year!  His feet are bigger than mine now and he's learned if he needs math homework help, he needs to ask Dad.

Introducing Lexi Jiaxiao!

Hello baby!

I really want to wipe her nose

One of Lexi's earlier pictures

Such a cutie

Enjoying some bunnies

My kids were fascinated with the cat room

For posterity- Isaac said he can teach people math for Christmas and Julia said she can read to her little brother.  

Dallas feeding his friend

He finally rode the horse at Meijer! 

After our Florida trip we thought the rest of April would be ho-hum.  That was not the case!   I took the kids to the Critter Barn during the last of spring break.  The weather was kind of cold and rainy- we all missed Florida.  But, Stephen conquered his fear of the riding horse at the grocery store- it's not a scary horse after all!  Uncle Tim held a surprise 30th birthday party for Aunt Jenny- she was surprised.  The first thing she said after we yelled "surprise" was, "I would have dressed cuter!"  Haha.  We love Aunt Jenny.

And then our big news came on April 9.  We received a message from Bethany saying we had a referral of a little girl named Sun, Jiaxiao.  We were so surprised!  We took time to learn more about her and pray- and then we said yes!  Sun is her last name and Jiaxiao is her first name.  It's pronounced Jyah Show (like ow in cow).  Her nickname in the orphanage is xiao xiao (show show). Her birthday is April 25, so she just turned 1 year old. We celebrated her birthday from afar by singing to her and blowing out a candle. We can't wait to celebrate birthdays with her!

Singing to Lexi

 We are naming her Lexi Jiaxiao DeMaster.  Lexi means "defender of mankind" which is cool, but we really just like how the name sounds.  And Jiaxiao means "early dawn."  The orphanage workers named her that because she was so pretty and was found at dawn.  Now we begin the paperwork process to bring Lexi home!  

Spring Break

Flying is so exciting!

We are so happy to feel the sun!

Have to visit the juice store

Hanging at the kiddie pool

Beach fun with Grandma

Uncle Pete arrived and we get ice cream!

Easter

The kids love Uncle Pete

We love them

He is laughing, not crying

Beautiful Florida

All 8 of us fit, barely!

Easter egg hunt!

Ok, Stephen doesn't like Uncle Pete

Brotherly love

Spring break finally arrived and we went to Florida!  It was so good.  We all needed a break from cold weather and it was time to see Grandpa and Grandma again.  We drove into midway airport and had two flights.  The kids did great on the first flight, Stephen struggled on the second flight.  But it was all worth it once we arrived!  We hit the pool that evening, don't want to waste any time. I also went running that evening, such a nice feeling to run in warm weather.  On Thursday we went to the juice store and Lakes Park.  The kids played on the playground and then complained it was too hot.  No complaining about the heat! We spent the rest of the day enjoying the pool.

On Friday we had breakfast at Perkins to celebrate Grandma's birthday. We then packed up the gear and went to the beach along the causeway to Sanibel Island.  We took two cars everywhere, which worked out nicely for some of us going home early for Stephen's nap.  Saturday morning we participated in the neighborhood Easter egg hunt.  The kids love candy! After that we went back to Lakes Park and rode the 8 person bicycle.  Four people pedal and the rest ride.  Caleb was able to help pedal this time.  Isaac wanted to, but his legs aren't quite long enough yet.  We swam in the pool again and waited for Uncle Pete's arrival- the older boys were especially excited.  We all went to Culvers for ice cream, which was especially good after our Lenten fast of ice cream.  We're still not sure the kids really understand the connection between giving something up during Lent and Jesus death.  We may have to tweak how we practice Lent in the upcoming years. :)

Easter morning we enjoyed a brunch at Grandpa/Grandma's church and then an Easter service.  Grandma played the organ and it sounded beautiful.  I also met a Korean-American woman and her daughter.  They live out east and visit family in Ft. Myers.  They sat with us during church and it was cute to watch Julia and the other little girl whispering and being friends.  For Easter lunch we had steak and shrimp on the grill, tasty. That afternoon/evening we went to Ft. Myers beach.  On Monday we made the trip to Sanibel Island.  The kids love collecting sea shells on Sanibel.  It really is a beautiful beach and the Florida sun finally burned me.  That night Grandpa ordered pizzas and we ate by the pool- pool party!  Dad and I drove the car from their house to the pool, not very far.  So I put Stephen in his carseat, but didn't buckle him. Just as we pulled into the pool parking lot, Stephen opened his car door while the car was moving! Thankfully he did not fall out, little stinker.

Tuesday morning we hit the mini-golf place with the alligators.  You buy alligator food, put the food on a fishing pole and feed the gators.  That afternoon we enjoyed some Love Boat ice cream- that is a busy place.  And we finished out the day with more pool time.  Wednesday morning brought us back to reality as it was time to head home.  We were excited to have a direct flight to midway, but then had a 2 hour delay before leaving Ft. Myers.  Some of that delay was spent sitting in the plane, not fun with small children.  As much as we loved Florida, it was also nice to be back in our own beds- even if the weather was cold. Thanks Dad and Mom for hosting us again!

March

Cute school projects

Another black eye

Third Day concert

I'm getting better at braiding

Funny kid

Caleb's persuasive letter to Aunt Steph

In March, Caleb finished his eye therapy.  His eye muscles work together much better now.  He needs to practice some therapy at home to keep them strong.  Caleb is doing well in piano lessons. He has some Star Wars music, it's been fun to listen to him practice. Caleb also started playing lacrosse. This is a new sport for our family, so we are all learning the rules! Lacrosse requires alot of protective gear, hopefully he can use the gear again next year. Caleb had to write a persuasive letter and chose to write to Aunt Steph.  His letter was to persuade her to move back to MI. The funniest line is the opening, "Do you ever feel lonely? Well I have a solution to that. I think you should move closer to family."

I was able to attend an adoptive Mom's retreat for a day.  Rebecca watched Stephen while the other kids were in school.  It was lovely to chat with other adoptive moms, have a little massage, lunch and some time to sit quietly and read.  Nate is enjoying the hours his new position provides.  He is home in the evenings and on the weekends, which allows more family time, but also time for him to see friends, enjoy hobbies and so forth.  He has to do a certain number of shifts to maintain his license, but it's not too bad.

Isaac had a paper at school where he wrote "When I am 100... I will be in a racing car because it will be hard to walk."  Cute.  And Julia made a timeline of her life for school, because alot happens in the first 6 years of life. I am trying to french braid Julia's hair more.  It looks a little better, but it is not tight and it doesn't stay in very long.  Practice makes perfect I guess! Isaac got another black eye.  He was running at church and another boy ran into him.  And of course our foster care licensor came the next day. I think he had a black eye the last time she came!  Stephen no longer says "moo-ma" but says "grandma."  I'm a little sad that cuteness is over.  Nate and I went to a Third Day concert in Grand Rapids.  It was a good show and we always enjoy their music.  The kids were a little jealous they couldn't go too. We spent March looking forward to our spring break in April!

March 9, 2015

Frozen backpack from Grandma D

Chuck E Cheese birthday

The adults love Chuck E Cheese so much

Uncle Tim, Aunt Jenny and Dallas joined us

Mmm, ice cream cake

Beautiful girl

Adorable

Toothless wonder

Sweetness

Loved

On March 9, Julia turned 6 years old.  She had been waiting FOREVER to turn 6.  And half birthdays are very important.  She can't wait to be 6 1/2 years old.  Julia brought Lofthouse frosted cookies for her school birthday treat.  Because the kids think they are the best cookie ever.  We celebrated Julia's birthday at Chuck E Cheese with Uncle Tim's family.  Julia liked the amusement park style rides more than the arcade games.  She requested ice cream cake which we were very excited about.  Our family gave up ice cream for Lent, so birthday ice cream cake was awesome. We gave Julia a new hanbok and a dress.  She had been asking for a new hanbok for awhile!

Julia is rocking at kindergarten.  She is a great reader, I love hearing her read books to Stephen. She enjoys learning and socializing with friends.  She may enjoy the socializing a little too much. Haha. Julia loves being able to help people with tasks.  I was so impressed with her ability to jump into Korean language school.  It was an experience outside her comfort zone, but she kept at it.  Julia can befriend any child she meets.  She still has a sibling style relationship with Asha, they are friends but they also fight.  Julia and Isaac play more together and they can argue like nobody's business. Julia is very mothering towards Stephen and she is so excited to have a baby sister soon!  Julia can not wait to grow up.  She wants to be able to wear high heels, makeup and dresses without shorts underneath.  Slow down little girl.  Julia is losing teeth this year, I love the toothless smiles. She is asking more questions about her history.  Like, what is my birth mom's name? Do I look like her? Can I meet her? Her willingness to share her questions and thoughts with us is such a treasure.  We pray she always feels comfortable being open with us.

We thank God for the privilege of being Julia's parents.  She is a beautiful, kind, loving, smart and outgoing little girl.  We love you!