It’s not just the humans in the family who love hockey season.

The canine has claimed her own little corner of the floor, nestled between the the skates and shoes.

…your 5 year-old looks at the digital clock on the stove at 7:36 and announces:

“It’s Seabrook and Bolland on the clock! And in an hour it’ll be Leddy and Bolland.”

The pond is finally frozen! Naturally, it wasn’t long before Jim was out there testing the strength of the ice.

Once he gave the ‘go’ signal, the boys threw on skates, grabbed sticks, and began gliding on the precious, slippery solid.

They reminded me of wind-up toys. They were literally non-stop movement once they hit the ice. Jeremy was the exception at first, as he was just getting his ice-legs.

And the more I thought about the wind-up toy analogy, the more fitting it seemed. They have been wound up lately, with little outlet.

The three younger boys stood still for a momentary snapshot.

You’d never guess that the temperature was in the single digits last night. They stayed out there for hours until they were called in for bedtime.

Because of the frigid temperature, Ruthie stayed in with me and watched from the window. Here’s what she thought about that:

Those are real tears.

It’s finally hockey season in the Johanik backyard.

All caution was thrown to the wind by the squirrels at the arboretum last week. We the chasers became the chased.

After making a complete spectacle of myself, running away (with shrieks and questions about rabies) from this rodent while attempting to snap photos of it, I looked over to the other side of the path and locked eyes with an old man who had watched the whole thing.

I must admit I felt a sense of urgency today when I looked at the weather forecast for the next few days. Today was predicted to be the last mild, sunny day for a while.

And since the new arboretum membership card (thanks, Mom and Dad) was burning a hole in my pocket, the kids and I stole away for an hour to enjoy the outdoors. Never mind that one child is emerging from sickness and another one entering it; I decided that the fresh air was good for the soul today.

They were set loose.

They love the maze. It never changes, so they know the layout like the backs of their hands, but it’s nevertheless great Tag territory.

Peter was Ruthie’s escort for the trip.

And was she ever in for a ride. There ain’t nothing that’s going to slow Peter down.

The little squirt held onto her sandwich quarter the entire time. She eventually fell asleep while keeping a firm grip on it.

These two have been bonding lately.

While Jake enjoyed some solitude hiking on the trails, the younger guys climbed around the trees.

We saw many squirrels, and they were surprisingly unafraid of people. I have a funny story (with pictures) about one such bold squirrel to share with you another time.

I don’t know what Ruthie would do if her brothers were gone at school during the day. She’d especially miss that brother Peter. If I’m not around and she gets hurt, she goes to Peter for comfort.

The other day, I walked into the room and saw her holding Peter’s grammar book while he was working through it. She just fit so well on his lap, totally at ease.

And somehow, he focused better with her there.

It warmed my heart so…I just wanted time to slow down and linger a bit longer.

While the earth remains,

Seedtime and harvest,

And cold and heat,

And summer and winter,

And day and night

Shall not cease.

God spoke these words to Noah just after the water from the worldwide flood dried up from the earth. It says that before the waters receded, the water prevailed upon the earth so that even the mountain tops were covered. All in whose nostrils was the breath of life died.

This event in history is often portrayed with a happy ark floating on sparkling blue water, but this was anything but happy. It was a horrible time of widespread death.

We worry ourselves with endangered animal species today…as a result of the flood, every single animal species, along with the human race, would have been considered endangered if there was such a list back then.

Noah lived through a monumental, world-turned-upside-down event in history. He saw God’s power on a grand scale. God has the same power today, you know. He has the power to flood the earth, to destroy every living thing. He has the power to stop the sun from rising.

But He doesn’t because He made a promise to Noah, and that promise continues for us. “I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done,” He says.

So when the sun rises this morning, and again tomorrow morning, praise God for keeping His promise. Praise Him for rotating the earth on its axis and revolving it around the sun, so we may have seasons and days and nights.

When you breathe in, praise God for giving you the breath of life. “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!” He is good.

Make that Friday + one day. And, since I forgot to add a photo last Friday, consider this post a two-for-one!

Here, Jake imagines the ideal afternoon of fishing…

Evidently, later on that day, Molly jumped in to play with a deer.

You never know what you’re going to find in your local retention pond.

Ruthie put the dolls down just long enough to learn how to shoot Peter’s Nerf gun. Her brother was happy to give a lesson on cocking, aiming, and pulling the trigger.

In the debate on Nature or Nurture, the latter definitely wins out most days, as this girl’s behavior is heavily influenced by her brothers.

Looking back in time, you can see that things haven’t changed much.

Jeremy, Jake and I experienced our first Blackhawks game early this week. Jim was the veteran in our group.

Jeremy, in his mass excitement, forgot to wear his winter coat. It was a chilly 22 degrees that night. When we got to our seats, I looked over and asked him how he was doing. He said, “I can’t stop shaking.”

I told him to put Jake’s coat on to warm up, and he replied, “I’m not cold, I’m really really excited.” This was his posture for the first hour:

Hey, Jeremy. Jeremy! Jeremy?

He peeled his eyes away from the ice so I could snap a picture, then eyes went immediately back to the action. This was one of those experiences that is most fun when you see it through your child’s eyes. He was precious.

We weren’t sure if Jake would enjoy it, but he did. He commented afterwards about how amazing the player’s skating abilities were.

I decided that watching a Blackhawks game is a feast for those with ADD. There is so much going on visually, I could hardly keep up. Here’s a slice of the action on video. In order to really have a taste of what it’s like, please turn the lights out in the room. Then turn the volume all the way up.

This actually gives me an idea for beginning our school days. Excuse me while I go fire up the strobe light and crank the music…

Fun, fun! So glad we had the opportunity to go. Thanks, Tradehelm!

God gave the command in Genesis 2: “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”

Adam and Eve lived happily and freely, avoiding the one tree God commanded them to avoid. They didn’t see the command as burdensome because they were satisfied with all the other fruit God had provided them. Their focus wasn’t on what they weren’t allowed to do.

Until the serpent drew Eve’s attention to the forbidden tree. He questioned God’s command and tempted Eve to do the same. Once her focus shifted to the tree, she saw it differently. It became attractive. “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate”.

Sin became attractive.

Things haven’t changed much, have they? We do what we know is wrong because we look at sin and allow ourselves to be lured by its apparent beauty. But behind the veil of beauty is utter darkness and death. It’s all a lie. There is no freedom, no joy. God knows this and wants to protect us from it.

That’s why in Hebrews, it says, “let us lay aside the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith.”

The view out the deck: frozen ground, layer of ice on top of the pond, frost on the grass.

The view on the deck: bacon and sausage sizzling on the griddle, waffles baking and steaming.

I love my unconventional husband.

In the beginning the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.

While the earth was empty and without form, God’s Spirit moved over its surface. He was preparing to bring order and life to the earth.

It’s the same with our lives. Spiritually speaking, we are all empty and formless until God’s Spirit hovers and brings conviction of sin. He gives life, just like when God breathed into Adam’s nostrils the breath of life, and Adam became a living being.

Has God given you life, spiritually? Praise Him. Is His Spirit hovering over your conscience, awakening you to God’s reality? Respond to Him.

It’s a new year. Out with the old, in with the new. We make new year’s resolutions because with January 1 comes a fresh start. It’s a chance to improve, reassess, change. God knows we need a fresh start, a clean slate.

In my reading today, I read this:

Though your sins are as scarlet,

They will be as white as snow;

Though they are red like crimson,

They will be like wool.

What a great picture of a fresh start! Because Jesus Christ became one of us and bore our dark, ugly sin on the cross, we can be cleansed white as snow if we humbly come before God, confessing our sin and admitting our need for His forgiveness. And He freely forgives. Wow!

So today, I thank God today for a new year. I thank Him that He makes me white as snow, not because of what I’ve done, but because of what Jesus did. I thank Him for making me a new creation.