Derek and I were having fun on photo booth and made this really funny movie of me running on the roller coaster track and derek the commentator.
Monthly Archives: January 2009
Snow Fun
After the downpour of snow last week, these boys couldn’t wait to go outside and play in it.
Jeremy began by asking someone to help him get into the snow. It was so deep that he couldn’t climb onto it without help. So Jake airlifted him into the middle of the yard:
As the look on his face shows, he was feeling rather stuck. He couldn’t maneuver around. So he stood in that spot for a few moments and then yelled for Jake to help him out of the snow:
Jake came to the rescue:
Meanwhile, Derek and Peter were kings of the snow-shoveled hills:
And being the good boys that they are, they obliged their shutterbug mother and posed for a picture together:
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt
Are you familiar with the book, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt? It’s a catchy, repetitive story written for preschoolers.
One day Jeremy was a lion and Peter was a hunter. It reminded me of this book, though I didn’t know it well enough to recite it. Lucky for us, the author of the book can be found on You Tube telling the story. He is hilarious.
We’ve probably watched this clip 30 times since finding it:
And here is Jeremy singing along:
Fermi for a Day
Jim was on a OneWay retreat this weekend with a couple of friends, so I took the boys to the Fermilab Family Open House on Saturday. While the main reason for going was Jake, a.k.a. Mr. Scientist, the rest of us rather enjoyed ourselves too.
Let me just set the scene by explaining a few things:
- the open house was from 1-5 pm (think like a mom of preschoolers now…precious nap time)
- they encouraged school-aged children and older to attend
- I brought the behemoth double stroller
- the place was packed
- there were two elevators (necessary to get from parking to open house and beyond)
Recipe for disaster, some might say. In fact, if I went into every funny story from the day, it would take a week to read this post. But as you’ll see, the day turned out to be a great experience. We arrived shortly after 1:00, and as we were walking in, I was scanning the crowd, looking for any other rebels families with young children. I don’t know why, except that when you know you’re breaking a rule, there is comfort in knowing you’re not the only one.
We endured a long line at the elevator to get up to Fermilab’s atrium, but once we got upstairs, it was like a feast for the eyes. There were maybe twenty booths set up, each with a science related hands-on activity. The kids received a sheet with all the activities listed, and when they completed an activity, a volunteer stamped the sheet. After four stamps, they could pick up an award. As you can imagine, this greatly appealed to our goal-setter, Derek. He was on a mission to earn that award. The downside: after four stamps, he was d-o-n-e.
One of the projects was a tetra-hexa-something-or-other out of paper plates:
Bubbie was permitted to hold it for a while:
Someone gave Peter an extra folded paper plate to carry around:
“Pull the Rug”, another activity (no, Dad, not related to “pull the finger”):
As the boys earned their stamps, I tried to remain as out of the way as possible with the two little guys. We found nearby alcoves where we could watch Jake and Derek from a distance and not make a scene.
The highlight of the afternoon was the CryoShow, put on by Mr. Freeze. Basically, it was a show of how many different things one can put into liquid nitrogen. We saw explosions. Shattering rubber gloves. Shrinking balloons. Shooting water bottles. Crumbling flower petals.
It doesn’t get much better for boys. If you ask Peter what his favorite part of Fermilab was, he will tell you that the best part was the water bottle missile that shot out of Mr. Freeze’s hand.
Jeremy fell asleep on my lap towards the end of the show. Amazingly, he slept through the LOUD water bottle explosion (think sitting on the fireworks boat as the fireworks are going off), and continued to sleep through the next 1 1/2 hours of the field trip. The double stroller came in quite handy. Until we had to walk up the stairs to get out of the auditorium…that’s a story for another time.
Upon learning that liquid nitrogen is sold at a mere $1 per gallon, it wasn’t long before Jake asked if we could buy some. This makes me a wee bit nervous.
All day Jake waited to find a scientist of whom he could ask a couple questions. He never found one who was available, so we were ready to head out–coats on and all–when a volunteer asked if we’d been on the 15th floor yet. She said that’s where the ask-a-scientist volunteers were stationed, so if we had any science related questions, they would be happy to answer them.
So up we went.
We found a scientist for Jake and cans of Sprite for the others. Score one for Fermilab. While Derek and Peter sipped on their pop cans, Jake sat with Mr. Ritchie and talked science to his heart’s content:
As Mr. Ritchie explained things, Jake continued asking questions. They definitely had a connection. At one point, Mr. Ritchie had to actually show Jake the ring (which you can see from the 15th floor) in order to answer one of his questions. So he took Jake on a personal tour…while the rest of us followed behind. In all, he spent about 45 minutes with Jake. I can’t help but wonder how this day shaped Jake for the plans God has for his future. Mr. Ritchie was kind enough to pose for a picture:
Afterwards, he told us about the Saturday Morning Physics group that meets every week at Fermilab. They get together and talk conceptual science. It’s geared toward 10th grade and up, but Mr. Ritchie thought Jake might enjoy it. Looks like Jim and Jake may have plans every Saturday morning for a while!
Shelter
As the kids and I were driving through downtown Naperville to drop Jake and Derek off for swim practice yesterday, we heard on the radio that the windchill had already gotten down to -14 degrees. Seconds later, we drove past a homeless woman pushing her bike, loaded down with bags and blankets, through the snow on the side of the street. Her image has stuck with me.
With all of the snow and dangerously low temperatures we’ve experienced this week, I have literally awakened each morning with gratefulness on my lips for our house. Our shelter. Inside it, there’s warmth, safety, and rest. Outside, I’m vulnerable to the weather, be it blizzards, scorching heat (hard to imagine today), or violent storms.
This sets up a great analogy to the shelter God provides those who love Him. Inside His shelter, there is peace, fearlessness, and rest. Outside of His shelter, I am vulnerable to storms of a different sort–stress, worry, fear, hopelessness, despair. Take some time to read through some examples of the shelter God provides, taken from Psalms and Isaiah:
“For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.”
“In the shelter of Your presence You hide [those who fear You] from the intrigues of men; in Your dwelling You keep them safe from accusing tongues.” (i.e. people can gossip all they want about me behind my back, but it is God who sees my heart and keeps me safe)
“I long to dwell in Your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of Your wings.”
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.”
“[God] will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.”
“You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall.”
The homeless woman in Naperville longs for shelter. Like her, every single human being on the planet, whether homeless or living in a mansion, longs for shelter from the storms of life…and only God can provide it.
Potties and Puppies
Guess what we’ve been up to lately. Lots of talk about bodily functions and canines.
What’s the connection, you ask? Ever since Jake was little, the deal has been, once all the kids in the family are potty-trained, we can get a dog.
Well…
Looks like we better start looking for a puppy! Jeremy’s brothers were very motivated to help by reading books and singing songs to him while he sat on the potty. And Jeremy’s motivation? Good old candy.
Here is a persuasive essay Derek wrote for Grammar last week, titled “I Think Our Family Should Get a Dog”:
Here we go…
Happy Mother’s Day…in January
I’ve been reading a biography on Amy Carmichael, who was a missionary to India in the early 1900s. Her life is an unbelievable story, and I’m finding the book hard to put down. Here is the “cliff note” version of her life, also a very good book.
She established a refuge in India for children in moral danger–mainly children who were orphaned or unwanted and sold to the temple. Once they were given to the temple (even infants), they were forced to endure unimaginable things. While Amy never had any biological children, she eventually became “Amma” (mother) to hundreds of boys and girls.
As children literally began showing up on her doorstep, she found herself in the throes of parenthood–taking care of children of all ages, newborn and up.
Then a passage from the book just hit me and brought total encouragement as a mom.
…if the Lord of Glory took a towel and knelt on the floor to wash the dusty feet of His disciples (the job of the lowest slave in an Eastern household), then no work, even the relentless and often messy routine of caring for squalling babies, is demeaning. To offer it up to the Lord of Glory transforms it into a holy task…It is not the business of the servant to decide which work is great, which is small, which important or unimportant–he is not greater than his master.
So whether I’m changing dirty diapers, wiping runny noses, washing dishes or doing laundry, nothing is too low for God to see and understand.
Bible Thought
by Jake
Matthew 5:38-42 talks about revenge. And I was surprised when it said in verse 41 “If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles.” So if my mom asks me to clean the basement after that I can clean upstairs. So you can go above and BEYOND!
Bible Blog
Are you interested in reading through the Bible in 2009? If so, there is a group of people reading through, using the same daily schedule as the one I posted earlier. It’s not too late to begin. And don’t worry if you don’t have a bible–each day’s reading is linked to the daily posts. You can do this all on the computer!
Here’s the link: Bible Blog
The Johaniks have rhythm?
The boys received Wii Music for their Wii game system and while they have been having quite a good time with it, Mom and Dad have also. Heidi and I have sneaked downstairs many a time over the past week after the kids have gone down to sleep to play the game. Given I have zero musical talent, I have finally found something that lets me express myself artistically. See for yourself as the entire Johanik clan (as computerized “Miis”) plays Tchaichovski’s Troika, the eleventh movement of The Seasons.
-Jim
Ringing in the New Year
We ushered in 2009 with what has become our favorite New Year’s Eve tradition…partying with the Goldings!
The kids get along fabulously (as do the adults :)). We do get a kick out of the way the kids pair up according to birth order. Here they are–two by two–decorating sugar cookies:
And just for kicks, the next two pictures are a look into the past. This one was taken 8 1/2 years ago when Jake was 2 and Nicole was 1:
And this was taken 7 1/2 years ago when Derek and Amanda were less than a year old:
Fast-forward back to the present…some of us didn’t quite make it until midnight. Peter and Jeremy asked to go to bed at 11:30:
But the rest of the kids rang in the new year and continued to go strong even after 12:00:
Looking back on those old photos reminds me of what steadfast friends we have in John, Tracy, and the kids. We love you guys!
“A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24)
A New Year
Submitted by Jim
What does someone write to ring in the New Year?
I don’t get the chance to write often for the family journal; Heidi does a wonderful job in keeping everyone updated on the family’s comings and goings. More importantly, she communicates the life and faith lessons that develop from, well, raising four children and striving to walk with Jesus. We do not have a corner on the market in this respect. Everyone has a story in how God is working in their life, whether they know it or not, whether they acknowledge Him or not. I count myself among the most blessed men in the world in that I am considered one of His sons and that God has given me the ability to see how He has blessed me.
For those reading this who do not acknowledge God as the source of who you are, how you were made, and what you have (or problems you don’t have, thankfully), take this year to reflect on such things. One of the greatest comforts I rest in since I became a Christ-follower in high school is God’s absolute control over my circumstances and He loves me and wants the best for me. Sure, I have personally mucked up many things since that point in time, and sometimes spectacularly so and to the detriment of not only myself, but others as well. My poor actions throughout my life were allowed to happen by the sovereign had of God, and yes, they have brought and still bring consequences to me.
However, for those who love God and accept Jesus as their savior, the story never ends there. God allows such bad behavior in order to draw us closer to Him. The consequences of what I messed up often brought me to my knees and caused me to reflect on God’s presence and work in my life. This is a major theme in the book of Romans in the Bible. In what other book in the world can I read that “all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) Did you really read that? All things work for our good. Not just the good things I do, but even the bad things I engage in or seem to just happen to me, that God allows (sometimes with hurtful consequences), eventually work in my favor because in my heart of hearts I love Him and I have been called by Him.
No, I do not want to see the day I face a debilitating or terminal illness. I do not wish for financial ruin and I do not want to experience a family calamity. However, I will not fear such a day if it should come to pass. As I play my hand in the game of life with the cards I have been dealt, the moment I accepted Jesus into my life He slipped the “Ace in the Hole” under the table and into the cards I hold. Yes, God cheated – and I let Him cheat on my behalf. He cheated Death for me. No matter what happens to me, I’m set for life. When I eventually die, of whatever, I do not have to fear about what may come next. No matter what pain I endure on Earth, my residence for all of eternity is in heaven. How cool is that?
So, when I consider all the things I could write about in my rare family journal appearance, nothing is more important that this.
As a final point, consider this analogy. When I began learning to fly an airplane, specifically learning how to fly in the clouds without seeing anything outside the airplane but a sea of gray, it became apparent that this is precisely how we all live life. We can’t see – not even one minute into the future. In the airplane I was taught if I wanted to see my next takeoff, I had to rely on being guided by someone outside the airplane who could see everything – Air Traffic Control.
We have this same resource available to us as we go about our day. I do not know what 2009 will bring, but God does, from beginning to end. I am resolving to be led by His direction when I read the Bible each day, talk to Him and strive to walk in obedience. He communicates back to me in amazing ways: through people, circumstances, events, gifts, illness, and even promptings in my spirit. Sure, I’d like Him to come out and just say “Jim Johanik, climb to 5000 and turn right heading 270 to avoid storm activity” but He makes it far more interesting and exciting and He requires us to be faithful.
So, where ever you are in your faith journey, consider the ways you can yield more to God and rely less on a blinded self. Oh, and Happy New Year!
Jim