All about Dave and Jenny Mars’ five children

Another season of Fixer to Fabulous is about to begin, but when Dave and Jenny Mars aren’t busy showing off their skills on HGTV, they’re busy being mom and dad to their five kids: Nathan, Ben, Sylvie, Charlotte, and Luke.

The couple married in 2005 and welcomed twins Nathan Mars and Ben Mars five years later in 2010. Dave and Jenny had always wanted to adopt a child, even before she was born, and after a long process, they were able to adopt their daughter, Sylvie, in 2013.

While waiting for Sylvie to arrive, Jenny became pregnant with their second daughter, Charlotte, who was born in 2014, just eight weeks before Sylvie moved into their home in Arkansas. The couple’s youngest child, Luke, was born in 2019.

As a family of seven, Dave told PEOPLE in November 2019 that the family is “bursting at the seams,” but adding more children to the family hasn’t always been a smooth road.

“It was a transition. I would never say it was the easiest or the most perfect, because it wasn’t,” Jenny said. “But it was also something I look back on, and I can see the bonds that were built through that period, and now they’re all so close and they protect each other.”

They understand that their family may be “a little different than what people think of as a normal family,” but they’re committed to showing their kids that “we’re all the same,” Dave told PEOPLE in April 2023.

“Adoption is part of our family,” Jenny added. “This is part of our story, but they are all just our children.”

Here’s everything you need to know about Dave and Jenny Mars’ children.

Nathan and Ben Mars, 15 years old

Dave and Jenny welcomed twin sons, Nathan and Ben, on May 29, 2010.

Two years ago, after overcoming infertility issues, the couple decided to explore the adoption process. But in the end, they decided on a “last ditch effort to infertility” and ended up conceiving twins, Jenny told Kelly’s Corner in a September 2016 interview.

Despite being overjoyed with her pregnancy, Jenny faced a difficult journey when she went into premature labor at 29 weeks. The mother of five opened up about her “worst case scenario” in a December 2023 Instagram post, detailing how she had to be airlifted to a larger hospital for additional medical care after 12 hours of medical intervention.

“(We were) told that within 24 hours we would definitely be having a boy,” Jenny wrote. “We huddled together in the hospital bed and prayed and cried to God for another hour until our son was growing in my womb.”

Four weeks later, Nathan and Ben were born and spent nearly a month in the hospital.

“They had a similarly frightening entrance into the world, but were then cared for by the NICU staff at our local Mercy Hospital for another four weeks with immense love and compassion,” she continued.

Growing up, Nathan and Ben avoided appearing on their parents’ home improvement shows.

In an interview with Closer Weekly in March 2022, Dave explained that due to his age, he “doesn’t really have a desire to be on TV right now.” Nevertheless, he praised the “Fixer to Fabulous: Welcome Inn” production team for working to accommodate the family’s different filming preferences.

“The production company and HGTV have done a great job of allowing my kids to be on the show and work with me in the store if they want,” he added.

Dave praised his eldest sons, saying Ben was an “artist” while Nathan was “more of a builder, a hands-on guy.”

Sylvie Mars, 13 years old

Dave and Jenny knew they wanted to adopt even before they welcomed their child. “I decided to open a backup of my[adoption]file,” Jenny told PEOPLE in April 2023, after the twins reached 18 months old.

They met Sylvie, who was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo on January 16, 2012. The Mars couple told PEOPLE in November 2019 that they immediately felt a connection to her and knew “this is our girl.”

The recruitment was officially decided in August 2013. But a month later, the Congolese government shut down and she was unable to leave the country and return to the Maas family.

“I remember exactly where I was when I found it. I’ll never forget,” Jenny recalled. “I was constantly updating my email… then the news came. It was shocking.”

Even though the adoption was finalized and Sylvie got a passport, Dave explained in 2023 that there was “nothing he could do” to bring her to the United States at the time. During this period, Jenny was unable to travel to the Congo due to a “high-risk pregnancy” with her second daughter Charlotte, so Dave visited her alone.

Sylvie came to the United States in July 2014 when she was approximately 2 years old. Although the couple were overjoyed to be with their daughter, Jenny told PEOPLE in November 2019 that Sylvie took some time to adjust because she was “taken away from everything she ever knew” and “everything was new.”

Dave remembered the first time he gave Sylvie a bath. At the time, she was “surprised” because she had “never been in hot water before.”

“Two years after she came home, I would sometimes find food hidden under her pillow, because there was a subconscious fear: ‘I might not have food tomorrow, so I have to stock up a little bit,'” Dave added. “There are such struggles, but there is beauty when you overcome them.”

Despite facing big changes, Sylvie quickly accepted her baby sister Charlotte, who was born eight weeks before her arrival.

“That’s who she is and her heart. Even at 2 1/2 years old, she doted on Charlotte so much,” Jenny tells PEOPLE. “They have the most precious bond.”

Charlotte Mars, 11 years old

The Merces’ second daughter, Charlotte, was born on May 16, 2014.

Jenny told PEOPLE in April 2023 that she was looking forward to welcoming Charlotte, but admitted she was “not really happy about this amazing news” following the Congolese government shutdown that prevented Sylvie from returning home.

Of all the children, Charlotte has a talent for home design just like her parents.

Jenny recalled to Closer Weekly how her younger daughter recreated the inn featured in Fixer to Fabulous: Welcome Inn in her own dollhouse.

“She spent hours installing all the furniture and making sure everything was perfect,” Jenny told the magazine. “So she really likes it and loves helping me pick out pink colors and things like that.”

To commemorate Daughter’s Day in September 2024, Jenny posted a heartfelt Instagram post spotlighting her daughters.

The HGTV star, who called them “two beautiful, strong, loving, generous and kind daughters,” celebrated their sisterly bond with a series of childhood photos of Sylvie and Charlotte.

“God has brought our family together in the most miraculous way. The bond these two share is deep and true,” she wrote. “He knew they would have great adventures together and that they would be a bright, shining light in this world.”

Luke Mars, 6 years old

Dave and Jenny’s fifth child, Luke, was born on June 11, 2019. This is four months before Fixer to Fabulous begins its first season on HGTV.

Growing up in such a large family seems to have had a big influence on Luke’s personality, which his parents jokingly described in an interview with Closer Weekly in March 2022 as “like a two-year-old running around like a wildfire.”

As the youngest child, Luke is close to his brothers and sisters.

In an April 2020 Facebook post, Jenny revealed her “inseparable” relationship with Sylvie, stressing that “he loves his sister dearly” and “she smiles with pride when he holds her in his arms.”

She captioned a series of photos of Sylvie and Luke: “I don’t think anything depicts love like these two.” “Born on different continents, brought together by the hand of God who continues to perform breathtaking miracles.”