When we brought Molly home 2 weeks ago, she weighed 9 lbs. We learned at the vet visit yesterday that she now weighs 15 lbs. Yeah, we’re in for it.

Jake has become fast friends with the furry little creature.

I recently caught on camera Jeremy grooming her. The reason she is so blurry is because she wouldn’t stop moving around…very curious about how that brush tastes!

In this next shot, Jeremy is not yelling, but rather taking after his grandma with “sympathy mouth”. If you know my mom, you know what I’m talking about. She’s great to watch while she’s feeding baby food to a grandchild :)

Next to grooming, Jeremy’s next favorite thing to do is hug Molly.

Notice the photographer in the oven window?

Life has been a bit topsy-turvy since getting a dog. Being the young pup that she is, she requires eyes on her whenever she is awake. That includes 6AM. I am a person of routine in the early morning, and Molly has seriously thrown a curve ball to that part of the day (kids at that hour are one thing, a needy puppy is another).

These past couple weeks have taught me that seeking God by praying and reading the Bible–no matter what the circumstances–has to be of utmost importance. Otherwise, I lose perspective and flounder through my days. So my early morning time with Him has become late morning, afternoon, or sometimes evening time.

Just wanted to share an encouraging thought from the Bible this week.

As some of you are reading through the Bible this year, you know that the reading right now is in the book of Joshua. In the first half of the book, the Israelites fight countless battles upon entering the promised land. The Bible makes it very clear that it was the Lord who delivered the enemy every time into the Israelites’ hands–it says over and over that “The Lord delivered them into the hand of Israel…” The Lord had already accomplished the victory. Israel just had to obey. When they obeyed the Lord, they won the battle with ease.

What does this have to do with life today? What things do we battle?

This can first be applied to how I battle sin in my life. Jesus has already freed me from the bondage of sin, but unless I seek His counsel (Joshua 9:14) and obey His commands (Joshua 10:40), I cannot realize the victory that could be mine. The temptation to compromise can be so great, and yet the consequences so devastating, just like with Achan (Joshua 7), who kept some pieces of gold and silver from the enemy after God told the Israelites to destroy everything. Because of Achan’s disobedience, the whole nation of Israel suffered, and Achan, along with his household, was killed. God demands perfection; my heart set apart for His glory and good use. If He has already fought and won the battle against sin, why would I not seek Him and obey His command?

Secondly, this story from Joshua can be applied to how I fight for souls. Whether it’s fighting the battle for one soul destined for hell, or fighting for an entire nation of souls, God is the One who hardens and softens hearts. And He is the One who goes before His people to accomplish victory for His Kingdom. If I seek Him (pray) and obey His commands, I can claim the victory for His Kingdom and His glory.

…or so she thinks.

Peter was taught quite a lesson in patience for his birthday this year. He waited 12 days after his birthday to have a party (a.k.a. open presents). If it weren’t for the lightsaber from Luke, he might have gone insane with restlessness.

But lo and behold, 5pm on March 21 finally arrived, and so did his presents family. To be honest, Peter was just as excited to see his cousin Hannah.

When asked to make a funny face, here’s what they gave me:

Nice. They take after their grandfather, you know.

One more birthday cake for the 5 year-old:

By the way, please note the army outfit he is wearing. Jim found it at an army surplus store to give to Peter for his birthday. It’s not the last time you’ll see it in this post.

Things got a little crazy (thanks to Aunt Judi) as the night wore on. She and the kids raided the dress-up box and came up like this:

Is that gold lamé? Poor Bubbie was coming down with a nasty cold that night, hence the rosy cheeks.

The following day Peter got to try out some of his new toys, like the airplane kit. But before playing, he needed to get dressed. And like a good soldier, he took his new army outfit out of the hamper and put it on. Again.

He then tried his new water rocket. And because we have a roof that seems to magnetically attract all balls and toys that are thrown in the air, the rocket landed on top of the house. But thanks to Jake, Peter was able to receive his rocket back in good shape.

After a hard day of playing, Peter awoke the next day, retrieved his army outfit out of the hamper, and the little soldier got dressed in uniform. Again.

He spent the morning painting his new car kit.

Jeremy is showing off Peter’s handiwork:

Any bets on how many days in a row Peter will wear his army uniform? Don’t worry, he is changing his underwear every day :)

Although the ground is finally beginning to thaw, there was still a little nip in the air on Sunday. The boys played outside, and Jeremy decided that if he wasn’t going to wear a coat, then he should still wear his hat and gloves.

Boy, did watching him bring me back to my childhood cartoon-watching days. See any style similarities? Hey, hey, hey…

Now for just one more fun shot of Jeremy before moving on.

A good explorer/doctor/army guy is always prepared for an emergency. But sometimes, no matter how hard you try, sleep takes over and you find yourself in a compromised position:

Meanwhile, Molly was completely wiped out after her first walk around the block and lots of romping around in the great outdoors. 

Speaking of Molly, we have been taking turns on “doggie duty” during the night. Her little bladder just can’t last longer than a few hours. The other night, Jake and Derek opted to team up:

Molly is learning that she is very loved.  She receives constant attention, which is on purpose, given her propensity for chewing everything she can get her teeth on, and relieving herself whenever she gets the urge.

Her brothers are learning that she loves to chew on their clothes, their hands, their socks…you get the point. But she also loves to cuddle. I’m hoping that she is being conditioned to cuddle with us so that when she grows out of her tiny puppy stage, she’ll still love a good snuggle.

I’ve learned that 10 year-olds are awesome with dogs and can be totally trusted with responsibility. When I hear Jake interact with Molly, it’s like I’m listening to myself. It’s a beautiful thing.

Peter has taken on the role of groomer–he loves brushing Molly’s hair, and she seems to love it too.

She gets to meet her human daddy for the first time later today!

We picked up Molly this morning, and if her first day with the Johanik boys is any indication of her future in this family, she is in for a lifetime of princess treatment. These guys have been doting on her all day!

Taking turns bringing her outside…man, I can’t wait until it warms up around here.

We blocked off the kitchen so that Molly can have some space to play and eat. And discovered that she likes her toys!

She has also taken a few naps in her cage.

Jake is geared up for 3rd shift duty on the couch tonight.  It’s pretty cool to see how he’s taken responsibility for her (hope it continues!).

Have you ever received a gift you always wanted, but didn’t know you wanted it until you received it?

Peter’s buddy Luke came over yesterday with a birthday present for the newly minted 5 year-old–a real lightsaber!  

Incidentally, I get such a kick out of the fact that these things are still popular after all these years.  I still remember the Christmas my brother Brian received a lightsaber (on a side note, I think that was the same year I asked for the Barbie townhouse and never got it…but that’s a story for another time).  We were so excited to see it under the Christmas tree in the morning.  

Naturally, they’ve added a few enhancements since then. The modern lightsaber collapses, is battery-operated to make sound and light, and even rumbles when you hit something.

It didn’t take long for the sword fighting to commence.  Peter and Luke were a little unsure how they should handle it…they wanted to fight, but they also wanted to be good guys on the same side, fighting against the bad guys.  So they compromised by being friends who were practicing their skills.

Then Peter hopped in his spaceship and flew to the Death Star.

Maybe you’re wondering where Jeremy was during all the action.  Not to be left out, he found the closest thing to a lightsaber we have in the house and joined the big boys.

Some chocolate, please, and another round of Happy Birthday to You…

Oh, we do like chocolate :)

If you’ve ever seen the movie Cars, perhaps you are aware of “the story within the story”. We checked this movie out of the library and watched it for the first time last week.

The lead character, of course, is Lightning McQueen. But Peter insists that his name is Lightning the Queen. hmmm…kinda changes the way you look at the movie…

One thing I’ve observed about Jeremy is that he always has a toy in each hand.  Even when he goes to the potty.  The psychologist in me wonders if it’s because he’s afraid of losing his treasures to his three older brothers…but that’s off the subject.

The other day Jeremy was playing the Leapster and urgently needed to go to the bathroom.  So we went through the routine, and as usual, he was holding his toy while going potty.  Yes, holding the Leapster.  Go ahead, tell me what a bad idea it is; tell me all the what-ifs.  Well, the what-if became an it-happened.  The Leapster took a dive right into the toilet.

Mind you, this isn’t just any Leapster.  It has sentimental value, as it is the same one Judi and Dave bought Jake when he was around 4 years old.  Same batteries even, since they also bought the recharger pack (excellent purchase by the way, I would recommend the same to any Leapster owner).  So the fact that it has made its way down through four kids is, well, special.

I frantically took apart the big pieces in a vain attempt to dry everything off, but alas, there was no bringing back the Leapster.  It had fried in the waste water.

BUT when one is resourceful, all is not lost in a seeming tragedy such as this.  I know Jake was secretly hoping that the Leapster was truly fried.  I’ve never seen anyone so giddy at the thought of taking a toy apart.  He knew there was bound to be a mother-load of chips and wires and microscopic thingamajiggers in it.  He showed such restraint.  And then he finally asked, “Is it okay if I take it apart?”

I had given up on trying to restore the thing, so I gave him the go-ahead.  Then the precious boy asked again, as he held the Leapster in one hand and a screwdriver in the other, “Just to make sure, is it okay if I take it apart?  Cause once I do, that’s it.”

“Yes, Jake it’s okay.”

So that’s it for the Leapster.

After disassembling the complex web of stuff, Jake pulled out his microscope and studied the pieces under it.

Moreover, he has already recycled it into another toy by taking part of the screen and making a “weird-a-fying glass” (think magnifying glass, only weird).  It distorts everything you see as you look through it.  I’ll count this toward his computer science credit for the year.

Peter Stephen.  Five years ago today, he entered the world so quickly, my mom and I weren’t sure we would make it to the hospital before he was born.  But we did.  Then we wondered whether Jim would make it in from Chicago early enough to see the birth of his son.  But he did…with 10 minutes to spare.  God’s timing is perfect.

Peter came into the world swiftly, and he has been running fast ever since.  He is unique, and I love watching how God is shaping him to be a mighty young man.

Peter had his birthday flight the week before Jim left, so that left this morning wide open for  *drumroll, please*  letter pancakes!  Ever since the birthday morning flights took over, I haven’t been making the letter pancakes–it’s good to have the tradition back, at least this once.  Jeanine joined the boys and me in Peter’s first fifth birthday celebration.

Then Mom came by in the evening to wish the 5-year old a happy birthday.  We had pizza and apple crisp for dessert.

Light those candles again…

Now, the apple crisp, as delicious as it was, had some serious competition with these:

Mom came bearing huge, colorful cookies and a balloon.  Peter went to bed with the balloon and is probably dreaming of sugar cookies as he sleeps tonight.

Jim is on his way to Botswana, Africa right now.  He left last night, and at around 4:00 a.m. made it safely to his layover in London.  He’ll arrive in Botswana sometime Sunday.

Please be praying for him, the 25 college athletes, the team in Botswana, and the people in the villages.  Jim will be writing a blog regularly with updates and prayer requests here.

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (words of Jesus, Matthew 28:19-20)

They are going to have some serious thrill issues when they’re older.

Peter says, “I’m thankful for our car.”  But the real reason I’m putting this on the blog is because I want to remember this precious stage of life and how he spells his name. To be honest, I’m a bit surprised he wrote out his entire name–Peter Stephen Johanik is usually reserved for when he’s in trouble!

Then in other kid news, Jeremy was playing “olympics” with his brothers today.  Derek asked him what country he’s from.  “Tie-na” (China), he replied.  Then he walked into the other room.  I asked him where he was going, and he answered, “To Tie-na and find Jesus.”

We had a full house of kids on Friday.  Actually managed to squeeze 11 kids around the lunch table!

Derek and Jake had some fun playing with Sam…