In case you ever wondered what books the Johanik family enjoys reading, I have added a separate link at the top of the blog, called “Book List“. It is a fluid list, since we are always adding favorite books to it, but this is a good start.

And because I can’t write a blog post without a picture these days…

The boys have been working on their circus act in the water. You never know when skills like these will come in handy later in life.

Thanks to his size and confidence in the water, Peter by far has the most spectacular flying ability.

It’s a little harder to launch masses like Derek and Jake into the air.

While Bubbie’s launch could be much higher, Jim wisely holds back. Just wait till next year.

Meanwhile…

Molly has been working on her own circus act: splash the water and catch it in the mouth.

Here, Jake illustrates what may be  going through Molly’s little brain during this swimming activity.

…this is what you would see in our swimming pool.

Last week, our family night was spent running through the sprinklers. The weather was hot and humid, and it was a fun alternative to swimming…I think the boys were especially excited that they didn’t have to change out of their clothes into swim suits.

The lawn thanked us too, since up until now the only grass that had been watered was the perimeter around the pool.

After jumping through a few times, Derek asked Ruth if she wanted to join them. She gave it some thought…

…but decided she would rather play the role of cheerleader.

Then they got creative and played sprinkler golf

and sprinkler baseball.

The wetter they got, the more excited Ruth became.

And just to add more water to the fun, Jake pulled out the super soaker.

Wet.

Wet.

Dry.

Well, kind of. But it could be considered a good way to maximize space.

After some rearranging and disposing of items, the boys now have a new room in which to play games and read. And the bonus: in the event of a tornado, they won’t find a safer retreat.

Hopefully you’re not weary of seeing pool pictures here. It’s telltale of what we’ve been doing this summer!

Knowing that Ruth’s previous swimsuit was getting a little snug, Grandma took advantage of a great sale on baby swimwear. Ahhhh…cute and comfy.

The boys thought that goggles would complete the outfit, but Ruthie didn’t exactly agree.

She then joined Jake for a ride on his inner tube. Oldest and youngest. Affectionately known as the bookends.

They looked on as Derek and Peter played King of the Inner Tube.

Poor inner tube.

After all the horsing around, the pool occasionally needs to be topped off.

As Jeremy convalesced on the couch yesterday, we held church at home. Jim tasked the other three boys with teaching the Bible lesson. They were each to pick a passage from the Bible, read it to the family and discuss. The reason I’m sharing this is because, given each of their personalities, the passages they chose couldn’t have been more appropriate.

Peter went first. He chose to read the story of David and Goliath.

32 “Don’t worry about this Philistine,” David told Saul. “I’ll go fight him!”  33 “Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.”  34 But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, 35 I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. 36 I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! 37 The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” Saul finally consented. “All right, go ahead,” he said. “And may the Lord be with you!”

Did someone mention armies? War? Little good guy conquering the big bad guy? Peter was all over it.

Jake went next and shared the parable of the sower. The science of it just makes so much sense, after all.

3Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9He who has ears, let him hear.”

Derek finished by reading the story of Jesus walking on water.

25During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. 27But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 28″Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” 29″Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

32And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Derek’s personality came out when he then taught us about how this story reminds him of the importance of having faith in Jesus, particularly faith the size of a mustard seed, which is very small. And he also reminded us of a story we learned in history a couple years ago about the early Coptic church who saw a mountain lift from the ground as they prayed.

As amusing as it was to see the boys’ differences come out in their story choices, it caused me to be thankful to God for the many different lessons He teaches us through His word. My prayer is that these kids’ hearts would always be fertile ground for faith and courage to grow.

Boyhood and Beyond – Practical Wisdom for Becoming a Man by Bob Schultz. If you have boys, I highly recommend it.

Jim and I have been reading through it before giving it to the boys, and we agree that this author does a great job combining biblical wisdom and common sense to urge boys to become men of God. In the book’s short chapters*, he addresses things like authority, temptation, leadership and fear, among others.

(*short chapters = appealing to boys)

I must admit I teared up when I read the chapter on preparing for a wife. Here’s a snippet:

God designed perfect classrooms for marriage training. They are called little sisters. Hopefully, you have one or more of these little girls around your home. If you don’t happen to have one, an older sister or your mother will do…Why is a little sister a good classroom to help prepare you for marriage? Because little sisters love big brothers. Their eyes light up when they see their brothers come into the room. Little sisters are a brother’s biggest fan club. If you are going to work on a relationship with someone, it is easiest to begin with someone who already loves you.