December

Christmas Eve 

All the DeMaster grandkids

The happy grandparents

We're so cute

Roller skating pros

Queen Elsa dress

Family game of Twister

Washing dishes in the hotel bathtub- hotel living DeMaster style

Waterpark fun

DeMaster family watching the Packers game

Go Packers

Dallas really liked Stephen's present

Queen Elsa making appearances around Holland

Jongsma cousins

Isaac wrote- his gift to give is teaching people math so they can count more.  Julia wrote- she can read to her little brother.

Olliebollen for New Year's Day

In December, Stephanie was still in town for a couple weeks because of Mom's surgery.  Dad, Steph and I saw The Messiah performed at Calvin College.  Always a good Christmas season tradition.  

We finally finished our adoption paperwork and the dossier was sent to China!  It took about a year to get all the paperwork in order.  Now we wait to find out who our daughter is!

During Christmas break, Rebecca Peterson and I took our kids roller skating.  We left Kai and Stephen home with Nate.  The boys all ready knew how to skate.  Julia held my hand for a little bit, but then she did it by herself.  She had a great time.  

On Christmas Eve, our family opened gifts and pretended it was Christmas Day.  We had a relaxing morning and opened gifts.  We gave each child a toy, clothes and a book.  Caleb's toy was a new basketball.  Isaac's was a pogo stick and Julia got a makeup kit.  I can not remember the toy we gave Stephen!  The boys got Packers pajamas.  Julia received a Queen Elsa dress.  She was very excited!  That evening we went to Christmas Memorial church with the Jongsma family.  We went to Tim/Jenny's house for appetizers and opening gifts.  Nate worked Christmas Day, so I went to church with the kids and then went to Hastings for a couple days.  

On Dec 28th, we packed up the truck and drove to Ohio.  We stayed at a hotel/waterpark with Nate's family.  Everyone was there except for Pete.  The kids (and adults) loved the waterpark.  Meals were interesting.  Family units kind of did breakfast and lunch on their own.  Then we did supper all together.  The hotel rooms had a tiny "kitchen."  It was a counter with a microwave and mini fridge.  We brought a big roaster pan and electric griddle along with kitchen utensils.  We cooked soup and spaghetti before we left home and kept it in a cooler.  We then warmed the food up in the roaster.  And washed dishes in the bathtub.  I call it hotel camping, DeMaster style.  The stuff of memories. We opened gifts and just enjoyed spending time together.  We drove home on New Year's Eve day.  We were all exhausted and didn't even try to stay awake til midnight.  On New Year's Day I made olliebollen!  We kind of like keeping this Dutch New Year's tradition.  Besides, who doesn't like fried donuts?  

November 2014

Catching up with Enedina and Nolbi

Look who's 2!

Mmm, Elmo cake

First snow day, before Thanksgiving!!

All the grandkids love seeing Grandma

Thanksgiving, so thankful to have Mom at the table

Turkey legs

My boys are carnivores

Ok, so November...  November 2 was Orphan Sunday.  I was given the opportunity to lead the congregation in prayer for vulnerable children around the world and in our community.  Enedina, Nolbi and her fiance, Evelio came for supper.  It was nice to meet Evelio, he seems nice.  Nolbi is growing so fast.  We don't see or hear from Enedina as much as we would like, but we love her and pray for her.

On November 7, we woke up to find our truck was stolen overnight.  The person came into our garage (the access door may have been unlocked), walked into our house, took the keys and drove off with our truck.  We couldn't believe it.  The police asked if there was anyone we knew who could have done it.  Unfortunately, a young man who spent some time in our home the previous summer had a history of stealing.  A couple weeks later I was looking at this young man's facebook page and he posted a picture of himself in our truck.  Unbelievable.  The police upped their search and he was found about a month after he took the truck.  The brakes were the only thing we needed replaced.  And he threw out all our kid carseats, stroller and anything else we had in the truck.  This whole experience was fearful and stressful for our kids, well us too.  It was difficult for all of us to process why Isaiah stole from us.  We had all gotten along with him.  We are still in the legal process for Isaiah's crime.  The only thing we would like to see is an apology from him.  I don't know if we will ever receive one, but we do know God asks us to forgive him.

In November my Mom had pancreatic surgery at University of Chicago.  This was a huge surgery, it took 10 hours.  Steph took the month off so she could stay with Mom.  The surgery was a success!  And the road the recovery is a long one.  But, we are thankful Mom won't deal with pancreatitis anymore!  And we were super thankful that Mom was home for Thanksgiving and could celebrate with the family.

On November 19, our baby turned 2 years old!  I made the traditional 2nd birthday Elmo cake.  Stephen loved the cake, he kept saying "nelmo!"  We had supper at church so I didn't make a special birthday meal.  We did have donuts that morning.  Stephen's birthday gift was a small trampoline for the basement.  Really, it was a gift for all the kids.  Stephen is a fun 2 year old with a stubborn streak.  He enjoys playing rough with his brothers and going outside with them.  It is great having a 10 year old brother that can watch him outside.  Stephen also enjoys playing babies and cooking in the toy kitchen with Julia.  It is safe to say he has played more with Julia's babies than Julia ever has.  He carries the baby around, walks it in the stroller, gives it kisses and puts it "nigh-night."  It's adorable.  He also likes playing with trains and trucks so don't freak out.  Stephen's speech took off and he talks alot.  Not everyone can understand him, but I usually can.  He has fun with his cousin, "dalyes" (Dallas).  Stephen is a mommy's boy.  He is sad if I leave him at home alone with Dad and the rest of the kids.  I am enjoying this stage because I know it doesn't last forever.  Stephen is slowly getting better at nighttime sleeping.  He still wakes up once/night because he is cold or lost his pacifier.  If he sleeps til 6:45 am, I am happy.  He takes great naps.  I'm limiting him to 2 hour naps and putting him to bed around 7:30/7:45.  Stephen does not eat vegetables.  He used to love sweet potatoes, but won't eat those now either.  Whatever, I'm not going to stress about it.  He drinks rice milk in the morning and evening.  He eats regular cheese pizza and ice cream now.  He's still allergic to eggs.   I understand now why people say last children are "spoiled."  I am just more relaxed with him than I was with Caleb.  Let's not sweat the small stuff shall we? Stephen adds joy and fun to our family, we are blessed!

October

1st grade scarecrow day

Isaac teaching Julia addition

Our dossier on its way to China

Helping with leaves

Dallas loved the leaf piles

Apple orchard

Looks good

Isaac wanted to pick all morning

Boo at the zoo- Julia is a cheerleader

Mom and Yoda

Caleb and Jackson at soccer party

Cutest Yoda I've ever seen

1st lost tooth

Mouse in the house

Carving pumpkins

During the transformation

The finished product

Since it is February and I'm writing about October, this might be a short post.  In October we finished up soccer.  Julia didn't love soccer and we figured this was her first and last season.  At the last game she announced, "I can't wait for soccer next year!"  Really?  The kids had Grandparent's Day at school.  My Mom was a trooper and attended with an IV bag on her back.  She is one awesome Grandma!  I took an excellent parenting class for adoptive/foster parents in Sep and October.  It was called TBRI- Trust Based Relational Interventions by Dr. Karyn Purvis.  She is awesome and I came away with new techniques and understanding.  The kids had parent/teacher conferences and all of them had glowing reports.  I'm proud of my kids for working hard and loving Jesus in all they do!

Julia lost her first tooth! She did not want Nate or I to touch it, she thought we would be too rough.  So she asked the school secretary to pull it out!  I couldn't believe it.  Mrs. Meiste got a tissue and pulled the tooth without a complaint from Julia.  School secretaries are the best.  Julia was excited to get her first visit from the tooth fairy.  When her second tooth was ready to come out I told her she was not allowed to ask Mrs. Meiste to take it out.  Luckily for Julia it fell out when she was eating.

Somehow we got a mouse in our house.  It was quite the morning excitement for the kids, watching Nate corral the mouse.  He was able to open the door off our dining room so the mouse was able to live free instead of getting stepped on or something.  Gross.

About a year after we started the adoption paperwork process, we finally got our dossier mailed to China!  Such a relief and now we wait.

 I didn't get any Halloween pictures this year!  The boys wore their Star Wars costumes again.  Julia was a cheerleader.  The day before Halloween we went to trunk or treating at Ridge Point church.  I have never seen so many people for an event.  We had to wait a long time to walk thru the cars and get candy.  And it was COLD.  Thankfully, Stephen stayed home with Nate.  On Halloween we drove to Wheaton to visit my grandparents.  Nate was a little excited that we wouldn't have to hand out candy at home.

Nate did an awesome job on the brick by our fireplace.  The brick was not pretty, so our friend recommended painting it.  We are so glad we did, it looks amazing!  And I am thankful for my handy husband who did all the work.

Mexico

Teotihuacan ruins

Project 750- We participated in a Mexican Independence Day celebration

Project 995- indigenous people group.  First home visit

Typical homes in this town

Project 995- kids praying at the Compassion center

Loved practicing English with these boys

Project 990- more urban project, can't tell from this home visit

Project 992- in the mountains.  Kids were SO excited to have visitors

Meeting Anibal and his Dad, Anibal Sr.

Such handsome boys

It's time to write about Mexico!  We had 14 people in our Compassion group.  Caleb and I flew down to Mexico City on Sep 13.  We had 3 flights! I was nervous about all of our luggage making it, but it did.  The next morning we left for Tulancingo.  As we drove out of Mexico City I was struck by how large it is and the amount of pollution.  My allergies were going crazy in Mexico City.  We did some sightseeing at the Teotihuacan ruins.  Ancient civilizations are fascinating.  That Sunday night we went to an urban church that has a Compassion center.  The church had a Mexican Independence Day celebration so we yelled Vive Mexico alot that night.  The crowd was large and many people wanted pictures with our Compassion group.  Even though none of us sponsored children in that center, the church was so thankful that we sponsor a child somewhere.

On Monday we drove to an indigenous Compassion project.  Every Compassion center is run by a local church.  This center was only 1 1/2 years old.  We were the first Compassion sponsors to visit and the people were so excited.  The church did not have working toilets so the pastor invited our group to use his home.  The pastor's home was nicer than most of the people in that town and it was still very meager.  Caleb and I went to visit the home of a sponsored child.  It was a cement room the size of our dining room.  There was nothing to cover the door.  The outhouse and kitchen were in separate buildings.  Mud was everywhere and 7 people slept in that little room.  It was obvious the mother we spoke with was struggling.  Her demeanor spoke of hopelessness.  She is a fairly new Christian and was happy her kids had a sponsor and could attend the center.  I pray that her local church continues to reach out to her and that she feels hope in Jesus more everyday.  When we were back at the center, a group of boys surrounded Caleb and I.  Caleb was more of a celebrity than I was.  We started a game with the boys of how to say things in English and Spanish.  The boys also spoke a local language so they were teaching us a couple words.

On Tuesday we stayed in Tulancingo and visited an urban Compassion project.  The church facilities were much nicer, but the kids served at the center had very real needs.  I was impressed by the church's pastor and wife.  They were very passionate and engaged in their local community.  Caleb found his groove and spent time playing soccer with the kids.  We went on another home visit.  The mother's demeanor was full of hope.  She had struggles, but she was happy with her family and wanted to provide a good life for her daughters.  Her daughters had latched on to me earlier in the day and were cuties.  They thought it was funny when I started singing 'Let It Go.'  Frozen is popular everywhere. We heard a moving testimony at the center.  A little boy's parents had both died.  His grandparents were raising him, but were despairing because he was so depressed and angry.  The little boy was sponsored and started receiving letters from his sponsors.  The grandparents told us those letters changed his life.  The little boy knew someone loved him enough to sponsor him and write to him.  The little boy started laughing and living again.  I was crying by the end of the testimony.

On Wednesday we drove into the mountains.  It was a bumpy, curvy road and Caleb and I were both carsick.  Caleb took alot of dramamine that week.  Thankfully he never threw up in the van!  When we arrived at the church we were greeted by children passing out flowers they had picked.  The flowers were gorgeous.  This center was about 1 1/2 years old and had never had Compassion visitors.  The children were very curious, but cautious.  We had a worship service with the children and they warmed up quickly.  They had us line up in the front.  The children then lined up and shook hands with us.  Only it was more like a mosh pit.  The kids were so excited to shake our hands, they were crowding around us and going thru the line multiple times.  There was one boy who latched onto Caleb.  He called him "my friend" and pulled Caleb outside for soccer the rest of the day.  This town was very poor, but they were excited to share what they had with us.  It was humbling.  At our group dinner that night, Caleb got sick and threw up.  We took a taxi back to the hotel and prayed it was a short-lived bug.  He woke up feeling fine the next morning.  We think it was a combination of tiredness and too many weird smelling foods.

Thursday was the big day, we met our sponsored child, Anibal!  We have sponsored Anibal since he was 3 years old.  (When each of our kids turn 3, we find a child with a similar birthday to sponsor.  That way the kids can kind of grow up together.)  I was so nervous to meet Anibal.  I don't think Caleb was very nervous.  Anibal was happy and gave me a big hug. He gave us gifts he made and his Dad was glad to meet us.  It was obvious his Dad had been practicing English before our arrival, so thoughtful.  We have been practicing our Spanish!  We had our own translator which helped tremendously.  Anibal and Caleb communicated through soccer.  Even Anibal's Dad and I played soccer with them for awhile.  Meeting us was a big adventure for them.  They rode a bus for 10 hours and stayed in a hotel for the first time. I wish we could have met the rest of Anibal's family and visited his home- maybe another time!

On Friday we met up with Anibal again and celebrated the boys' birthdays!  Caleb turned 10 on Friday and Anibal was turning 10 the next day.  I bought donuts and candles and we sang happy birthday in English and Spanish.  The boys played soccer again, then it was time to leave.  Anibal asked me if I liked him and would like to see him again? I almost cried.  I reassured him that we loved him and prayed that someday we would see him again.  As we drove away in the bus, Anibal was blowing me kisses and saying, I love you!  Such a bittersweet moment.

That afternoon we drove back to Mexico City.  Our group had our farewell dinner at an Italian restaurant- so good!  We had eaten a lot of chicken, rice, beans, tortillas and flan that week.  Caleb had even eaten pigeon eggs and cooked cactus.  On Saturday we got up early, took our 3 flights home and finally rolled into Holland around midnight.  Exhausted, but so thankful for this trip.  God is good!