Tonight we lit the candle of HOPE.

The definition of hope is: a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.

What do you expect or desire to happen? I’ve shared in the past about this subject and the importance of placing your hope in the right thing.

The Bible talks a lot about hope. In the book of Lamentations, it says:

The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;

it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the LORD.

In other words, it is good to hope for salvation. God has promised salvation to those who trust in Jesus, and God is the only One we can trust to keep His promises. It says in Hebrews, “we have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure”. I love that image…an anchor that does not budge, no matter how big the waves get. If we hope in the salvation of Jesus, we are secure in Him, no matter what life throws at us.

There is a verse in Romans that explains where this unshakable hope comes from: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”. It comes from God Himself! Do you want the kind of hope that fills you with joy and peace? Ask God.

During this first week of advent season, consider how the birth of Jesus Christ brought–and still brings–hope to the world.

…these guys

just can’t resist

a little cuddle time

with their baby sister.

Don’t even think about messing with this little girl–she is well protected.

And by the looks of it,

I don’t think Ruthie minds all of the attention she’s getting.

Nearly every day this fall, there has been a football game in the yard. The teams change regularly…Michigan vs. Northwestern, Air Force vs. OSU…but the players remain the same: Derek vs. Peter. One day, Jeremy felt confident that he could hold his own with the big boys.

So he asked Daddy to get him suited up. And Daddy happily obliged.

The lesson Jeremy learned is that the helmet and pads may protect your body, but they do nothing to cushion the blows to the ego.

Ruth has been doing a lot of studying. Not the kind of study that requires books, of course.

She’s been studying her brothers.

She looks intensely at them as they coo at and dote on her.

It’s hard work learning how to use those five senses.

I’m already observing how her face lights up when a brother gets close to her and talks to her.

No doubt she will be learning fashion sense from Bubbie. Some influences are impossible to control.

Looking for a fun family activity? This website has a Bingo game for free that you can download onto your computer. You print out the cards, and the computer calls out the numbers.

This has been a great game for our family. Even Bubbie gets into the act.

And to sweeten the deal, so to speak, the winner receives a sugar-filled prize. This encourages some healthy competition. Because competitiveness is hard to find in this house full of boys. *ahem*

Here is Peter with his hard-earned brownie:

Where is Ruth during all this fun? Here she is from my perspective, participating in her own little way with the rest of us:

Ruthie met her middle-namesake, my Aunt Chris, over the weekend. They really hit it off…

and they were happy to include Grandma in the conversation.

In addition to being held by big (and not so big) brothers…

…Ruth is getting lots of kisses from Daddy,

and an occasional kiss from Molly, though it is generally discouraged because as my mom always said, “you never know where that dog’s mouth has been”. Although in Molly’s case, I do know where that dog’s mouth has been, which is precisely why she typically is not allowed to kiss the baby. This picture really bothers me. Excuse me while I go wash Ruth’s hands. Again.

And just a couple close-up shots of the little peanut.

What with football games, swim meets, birthdays, and a new baby, October was packed with events. It seemed appropriate that we cap off the month by dressing up and going trick-or-treating.

In what has become an annual tradition, Judi and Dave took the boys around the neighborhood with the goal of accumulating as much free candy as possible in a 2-hour period.

This year, Judi got into the dressing-up part of the day and donned a stunning, homemade pumpkin costume made by yours truly.

It appears in this picture that Peter is just a little anxious to get started.

Upon returning, the boys dumped their candy on the floor (after putting Molly in her cage) and began their sorting and trading. It turned into a regular math lesson: 1 Kit Kat = 2 gumballs + 1 sucker.

Meanwhile, as the candy sorting was going on downstairs, there was another kind of sorting going on upstairs. Sarah came by earlier in the day to drop off baby girl clothes for Ruth. After unloading the boxes of clothes, it looked like a pink explosion in our bedroom! Then Mom got to work sorting onesies, sleepers, dresses…and tights. We mustn’t leave out the tights, an essential part of a baby girl’s wardrobe (so I’m told).

As expected, this newest addition to the Johanik clan is loved like crazy. And at only a week old, she is already responding.

Jake holds her every chance he gets.

And Derek seems to bring out the stories in her.

And when Peter isn’t holding Ruthie…

…he is following her around like the paparazzi.

By far, he has taken the most pictures of Ruth than the rest of us.

I made this funny comic story out of legos and I’d really like to show you it.

By, Jake