Field Trip to MSI

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We took advantage of the generous deal for homeschoolers at the Museum of Science and Industry shortly after our school year began. Our group of five received free admission for the day! Jake had to stay back because he couldn’t afford to miss his MVHS science classes, though he was never far from our thoughts…

We thought of him when we saw this super modern bike…

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and Ruthie found the perfect pink bike seat to add to it!

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And this just seemed so appropriate for Jake:

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One of our first stops was the baby chick exhibit. It quickly became one of our favorites! We learned that when you tap the window (which the museum employees encouraged) the chicks come scurrying over. Apparently, it’s a game they love because it breaks up their boring existence of eating, drinking and sleeping in the incubator. As you can imagine, the chicks weren’t the only ones who loved this game.

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On our first stop, there were chicks getting ready to hatch.

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We were told to come back in an hour so we could watch them emerge from the eggs. We did return, and we did see the chick come out.

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Another favorite area where we spent most of our time was the weather exhibit. The kids got to manufacture a tornado.

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Ruthie was on a tornado kick at the time.

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Peter and Jeremy were on an Empire Strikes Back kick and greatly enjoyed the plasma ball.

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Luke, surrender to the dark side

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The best part was the lightning generator. The kids volunteered to hold the light bulb up to the generator while the generator emitted tons of electricity, simulating a lightning strike. Not only did the electricity light up the light bulb, it also lit up Ruthie’s shoes!

Jeremy piloted a ship.

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And Ruthie has added this pretty dress to her Christmas wish list.

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It was a great day of learning and fun combined!

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Trampolining

We had been lamenting over not having the pool up this summer–after providing several seasons of splashing fun, it finally went kaput. It ended up looking more like a sprinkler than a pool, with all the holes. (Word of advice: do NOT allow your yellow lab pup to swim in the Intex pool EVER)

After successfully growing grass where the pool once sat, Jim saw opportunity for a new kind of family fun. So we drove out to Farm and Fleet one Sunday after church and packed a trampoline in the back of the car.

As you can imagine, it has been an instant hit for young and old. Speaking of old, I am sparing certain unnamed family members the embarrassment of having their captured-on-camera jumping from being posted on the internet. But you fun people know who you are!

The video shows various clips from August through November of the kids jumping.

The next two prove that it doesn’t matter how cold the weather is, trampolining is the activity of choice.

 

Fun-due and other summer fun

Fondue is a favorite Johanik family meal which we have affectionately renamed fundue. Veggies, raw meat, sharp skewers, and hot oil…a perfect meal for children, no? There are cheers all around when we announce fundue night.

We met friends at Cantigny and climbed the tanks and perused the museum. It was a great recap of our school year learning American history.

The boys had a fun sleepover with some friendsĀ in the tent which was set up in the backyard.

Roasting marshmallows!

We took a train ride into Chicago…

and enjoyed swimming in Grandma and Grandpa’s pool on the 56th floor of their building.

We spent July 4th in Chicago, watching a great fireworks show!

We are going to do another summer batch of pictures and move on to the fall. Looking through these summer pics while it’s 42 degrees outside just isn’t right. It’s going to be a looong winter!

Great America family trip

We earned free tickets to Great America through their reading program. We arrived right when they opened, and the big boys and I made a beeline to the newest ride: X-Flight.

See how big their smiles are? The line was short and the day was young!

Jake wore the GPS watch so he could track statistics such as speed and elevation changes.

These guys are definitely roller coaster junkies.

Derek on the Superman ride. In a harness facing the ground. Scary fun!

Jeremy rode some of the biggies like the American Eagle with no problem. I told him about my very first roller coaster experience, which also happened to be on the Eagle. I was sitting next to my Aunt Jan who told me to just turn and focus on her throughout the ride. I did, and she said I turned green.

Jeremy was much braver than his mommy and didn’t want to stop.

Ruthie was much much more limited than she cared to be due to her height-challenged stature. I can’t wait until she sprouts a few more inches and is raring to go on the big coasters.

In the meantime, she rode the teacups…

the airplane…

and her first roller coaster, The Little Dipper. She screamed with glee the entire ride. And I taught her to raise her arms when you go downhill. It was downright hilarious.

 

Storm Catcher

There were quite a few storms that moved through the area over the summer. Jake saw a challenge: capture lightning on camera.

First he faced the camera in the direction of the approaching storm.

Then he rigged the camera to a light sensor which he had programmed.

Then it was time to sit back and enjoy the light show while the camera did the work.

We have observed something very interesting during our 12.5 years of living here. Nearly every storm that approaches our area either dissipates, splits, or changes direction, keeping us from getting the brunt of the storm. Case in point:

Most folks would be grateful for this peculiar Bennett Place weather pattern, as it spares one from potential damage or injury. But some of us are not like most folks, and were consistently disappointed over the lack of extreme weather.

Despite the cell breaking up just before hitting our area, Jake was able to capture some beautiful lightning on camera.

 

The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 19:1

Boys of Summer

June and July were defined by baseball in the Johanik household.

Three boys

on three different teams

playing on three different days during the week

on three different fields…

made for quite a logistical challenge. But we made it work.

Jake displayed good multitasking as he worked on Calculus while cheering his brothers on at their games. He was definitely a trouper!

Derek played primarily first base and proved to be a power hitter on his team. On a side note, did you notice on what team this Sox fan was drafted? He could hardly even say the word c-u-b-s when he first found out. But by the end of the season, he proudly wore the blue jersey.

Peter played mostly catcher, along with pitcher and first base. He had a great season.

Jeremy appears to possess the most natural baseball ability in the Johanik family. He’s fast and has good awareness on the field. Plus, he has mastered the art of chewing gum and blowing bubbles while running the bases. Yes, definitely a natural.

His coach worked a deal with the Kane County Cougars to have a couple Cougars players run practice one day. Here’s Jeremy hitting off a Cougars pitcher:

Ruthie, along with Jake, made it to all her brothers’ games.

Sometimes, friends joined her to make the time pass more quickly. Hooray for friends!

One of her favorite things to do is take pictures. Like mother, like daughter…

Another favorite thing is to play in the dirt…

Lots of good lessons learned this season – teamwork, perseverance, working under pressure.

We’re Back!!

 

It’s been a long six months since we’ve shared anything on this blog.

Though we’ve done a lot of hanging around…

 

…our silence is not for lack of activity. The more time that’s passed, and the more bloggable things we’ve experienced, the less motivated I’ve been to get back to it.

How does one begin again? Do we pick up where we left off? Or skip over the past six months and begin with today?

Well, there is way too much good material from the summer and early fall to skip over, so we are going to do a little rewind and then proceed at a fast clip until we catch up to today.

Another reason I’ve lacked motivation to add anything is because our humble site needs a makeover. It’s looked the same since 2008…that’s like wearing the same outfit every day for five years, and you don’t need to be the fashion police to know that that’s a downright crime.

So be on the lookout ’cause we’re back.