Allow me to introduce the king and queen of Christmas tree decorating.

Please excuse the king’s expression. You’d be grumpy too if you were the king made to wear beads and garland.

Peter was the tailor who fitted the couple in their attire.

The tall, lean boy was given the task of lighting the tall, lean tree. In fact, the kids were solely responsible for the decorating of the tree this year.

This may not sound like a big deal, but let me share with you a little about my wonderful husband’s sentiment toward tree trimming when we were first married. He had very specific requirements for the tree: thousands of lights, big colored first, then little colored, then white; long, thin ornaments on the top of the tree (like icicles); beads; garland, no tinsel, wrapped around the tree. I could go on, but you get the idea.

So this year, the fact that he passed the baton to his children, with very little oversight, is quite significant.

They did a beautiful job, though not without some extracurricular Christmas light activities.

Later, Peter and Jeremy strung lights on the tree in their room:

Before digging in to the tree decorating, we found a great advent guide. I simply printed out the “family devotion” pages, we read the Bible passage they recommended and had a great discussion about the fact that God always keeps His promises.

There are a gazillion possibilities for establishing Christmas traditions as a family, but it really can be quite simple. There would be no reason to celebrate if there was no Christ who was born. Fix your eyes on Him. Everything else is extra.

Thankful Post #5

After being without reliable internet for a few days, I declare that I am thankful for the internet. I never thought I’d say it, but it’s true.

Additionally, the following pictures show what else I’m thankful for.

1. Smoked meat. In fact, just food in general. Jim and I were imagining with the kids the other night what life would be like if there was no variety in the area of food. Imagine eating the same thing every day, with little flavor. Good food is a gift! And we ate much over the weekend.

2. A grandpa who is spry enough to be THE one who carves the turkey each Thanksgiving. This year, his timing was such that as soon as he arrived, he made a beeline for the kitchen, put on the apron, took the electric knife my mom was holding out to him and began carving. The hellos came later.

3. Baby fixes. Never quite enough, but oh-so-sweet.

4. The kids’ table. We all had to serve time there as kids, right?

5. Generations. Four were represented in our family this weekend. This is a shot of some of the males.

6. Cousins, young…

and cousins old. The older cousins imparting wisdom into the younger ones. On this particular morning, Jackie was describing to the boys how to go whale-watching on Lake Michigan.

7. Trampolines. They help children expend energy and provide entertainment for adults.

I could go on. Actually, if I took the time to think about all the gifts I’ve been given, I could probably go on forever. But the theme that kept pressing on me was GOD’S GRACE.

Every one of these things I’m thankful for is totally, completely undeserved. I know very well what I deserve, but because of His great love, He has shown me grace. When I read about the woman who “sinned much” and, upon realizing who Jesus was, anointed his feet with expensive oil, wiped his feet with her hair, and made quite a scene with her affection, I can relate.

When the men in the room shamed her for her behavior, here is what Jesus said:

Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

I have sinned much. And I have been forgiven much. Knowing this fact is the one thing which motivates me to be thankful in all circumstances, for all things. His grace is enough.

Thankful Post #4

God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light day, and the darkness He called night…Then God said, ‘Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear; and it was so. God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. -Gen 1

Thankful for the beauty of creation–made by God and glorifying to God.

Also thankful for instruments that allow a closer look!

Thankful Post #3

Thankful for music! And fun songs about Bible characters.

What cracks me up is that this is one of Ruthie’s favorite songs, particularly the part when Jesus tells Zacchaeus to come down the tree.

Thankful post #2

As with most things in life, there are pros and cons to homeschooling. One drawback to the kids being home all day is that the house continually has that ‘lived in’ look. Kids + Stuff = Mess.

But with a little bit of planning and teamwork, the fact that the kids are always home can be beneficial. We call it Zone Cleaning, where we team up and clean a zone of the house six days a week. I created a checklist for each zone. This brings great motivation for Peter, who loves nothing more than to check things off a list (I can totally relate, can’t you?). Mondays are dedicated to cleaning bedrooms and upstairs bathrooms.

When we all work together (and wake up on the right side of the bed), it actually turns out to be fun. And a blessing!

So today, I am thankful for a house in order.

Derek is unafraid of grime and grody things, so he gladly tackles the bathroom.

We’ve found that when an area is cleaned throughly every week, the biggest chore is cleaning up clutter.

Even two year-olds, when given a rag and an assignment, can add value to the cleanup.

While it’s good to be thankful every day for all things–as it says, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus“–I have decided that, given the current season, I shall declare something for which I am thankful each day.

So today, I am thankful for parents who are in love with their grandkids.

My dad took the older three to see Northwestern play Minnesota today. They spent the night Friday night and woke up to a breakfast made for champions (thanks to Grandma).

Despite the windy weather and sure victory in-hand for the Wildcats, they stayed til the very end. Their reward was receiving players’ signatures on the Northwestern helmet that they brought from home.

The relationship these guys have with their grandparents is a blessing, and I thank God for it.

 One generation shall commend God’s works to another; and shall declare His mighty acts. – Psalm 145:4

After Jake folded and distributed the boys’ laundry into their personal baskets, the facts spoke for themselves.

Derek’s clothes from the previous week:

Peter’s clothes from the previous week:

Jeremy’s clothes from the previous week:

I’m encouraged that he changed his underwear. Once.

Here is the uniform we’ve seen every day for some time now:

We experienced both victory and defeat last weekend, as both football teams with Johanik representation played in their NYFL Super Bowls. It was quite an event–playing on turf with a real scoreboard–one that won’t quickly be forgotten.

The Saints played an undefeated team. We were the underdogs for sure. Because everyone likes to cheer for the underdogs, I noticed several non-Saints parents cheering the Saints on to victory that day. What added to our team’s underdog role was the fact that almost half the team consisted of 5 year-olds. Jim chose four of the little squirts to be team captains for the game.

Despite some highlights,

the Saints just couldn’t pull ahead. A certain 5 year-old needed consoling at one point after coming off the line against a larger opponent.

It wasn’t long before he was back to his chipper self, cracking jokes with his best buddy (never mind that his team was battling behind him).

When the game was over and all the kids were excitedly receiving their runner-up medals, Peter fought back tears, having left every ounce of fight on the field. I love that about him.

The fact that these guys even made it to the super bowl says a lot about their coaches.  And I’m not just saying that because I’m married to one–they really encouraged and instructed these guys well.

We enjoyed a tailgate party between games–many thanks to all the fans who came out to support the boys!

Sammy tried on Peter’s pads for size. They should be a good fit in a couple short years.

Next up was Derek’s game–his overwhelming win helped ease the pain of the earlier defeat.

He took one for the team, so to speak, during this game. He consistently had four linemen blocking him.

The Chiefs played hard and prevailed. A sweet victory indeed!

If you’re a parent, you know that feeling. The house is quiet, and it’s been quiet for several minutes. This was my experience this morning.

After getting ready in wonderful silence, I rushed downstairs, expecting everything from marker on the little girl’s clothes to Molly’s kibbles dumped into Molly’s water bowl.

As it turns out, Ruthie wanted to exert independence in the mealtime arena this morning by pouring her own cereal.

And as all two year-olds know, if a little is good, then a lot is better!

Fortunately for Molly, the entire box of Rice Krispies which Ruthie poured did not all fit in the bowl. It was a snap-crackle-pop fest at the kitchen table.

After taking the dollies out of the box, Ruthie thought it would be fun to get in the box herself.

Kind of reminded me of another character in a box (in more ways than one, if you know what I mean):

It’s a dark, cold, rainy afternoon today–the perfect time to look at pictures from two weeks ago, when it was sunny and warm. Ahh, those were the days.

I recently posted pictures of the kids on swings during our latest visit to the park. Here are some other winning shots.

Jeremy the Brave showed his stuff on the monkey bars.

Derek and Ruthie shared a moment on the climbing hill.

Jake and Molly joined them.

Peter was showing his best side.

Then it was time to pile in the wagon and head home. Derek drove while the younger three squeezed in.

Peter: Hmm, this is going to be interesting.

Ruthie: I am thoroughly dissatisfied with my position here in this wagon.

Jeremy: Any second now, I’m going to tell mom that Ruthie is pushing me off the wagon. It’s not fair.

Ruthie soon bailed and decided she was the driver. Though Peter found this amusing at first,

he quickly hopped out to take over.

After a minor scuffle, Ruthie chose to walk home. Independently. That’s the kind of girl she is.