Because Thanksgiving fell so late in November this year, our tree acquisition and decorating took place in December. As has become tradition, Football Santa was the first ornament to make it on the tree.

Derek made sure he was available to come home that Sunday to help put the tree up.

With all the helping hands, the tree didn’t take long to decorate. We were ready for the star on the top in no time.

We received the proofs from this handsome guy’s last year of school pictures.

Ruth and I kept with tradition and made gingerbread men to give as gifts to the neighbors.

Wrestling continued on for Peter. He wrestled in a tournament after Thanksgiving break,

and also in a meet in Rockford. Tiffany joined me for that one–the three hour round trip allowed us some good windshield time.

Jake and Tiffany arrived in the middle of December, which we were thrilled about. We were able to have sweet extended time with them. While the girls went to the wrestling meet, the boys headed to Hobby Lobby to pick up supplies to make balsa wood gliders.

One day, Jake and Tiffany helped with homeschool. Jake took on Jeremy’s math,

while Tiffany helped Ruth with her writing.

Peter went to soiree with a group of guys.

Tiffany and I had some future mother- and daughter-in-law bonding as we organized my clothes closet.

Then we celebrated with a sushi lunch. Yummers.

There was lots of wrestling among the four boys, just like old times. Only bigger bodies make a bigger impact on the floor and walls.

Jake and Derek joined my parents for a triple date in the city one evening.

Jake got this shot of the city lights reflected on the Bean. Beautiful.

Then it was time to prepare for Christmas Eve dinner with the Johanik side of the family. The table was set…

and the food prepared.

We had a fun time together.

Christmas morning, we gathered around the advent wreath and lit the Christ candle and read about the birth of Jesus many years ago.

The kids all bought gifts for one another, which meant lots of presents all around.

Even the animals received gifts. Lettuce and carrots for the piggies…

and a new sweater for Molly.

Molly and I went on our annual Christmas morning jog. It was unseasonably warm this year, so she went without her sweater.

Then we headed into Chicago to celebrate with the Giere side of the family. The seventeen of us spent all day in Mom and Dad’s condo, laughing, telling stories,

playing games,

building Legos,

and eating. We made our way up to the rooftop to take some pictures. We were grateful for the warm weather–no one wore a coat! I’m sure we could have squeezed another few people onto that elevator.

The whole clan:

And it all began with these two…

The Johanik clan:

The soon to be Mr. and Mrs.

This was a great shot of the city from the rooftop, taken at night.

The day after Christmas, most of the cousins went rock climbing. It was the perfect way to burn off energy.

The kids encouraged and helped each other,

as well as engaged in some friendly competition.

We knew it was time to head home when people were checking their watches

and more folks were watching than climbing.

Grandma and Grandpa treated everyone to Portillo’s.

While we were rock climbing, Jim and Derek drove to Detroit to watch Eastern Michigan play in a bowl game.

One day we opened up Wheaton Academy and set up the badminton net for some more competition. The teams were settled.

Ruth and I kept score and hit the birdie around on our own for practice. She didn’t think she was ready for competition quite yet. Probably a good call, since it got heated at times (shocker).

We enjoyed seeing some friends over the break. On NYE, we had the VanHuises over for dinner and games. We actually made it until midnight.

Earlier that day, some of us ran in a 5K race in Chicago. Unlike Christmas Day, it was cold and blustery. But that didn’t dampen our excitement. Pre-race gathering at Gma and Gpa’s.

The traditional race pic with Jake and Grandma.

We all finished well! Dad was the faithful cheerleader as we neared the finish line.

High school football ended in October, but there was still quite a bit of college football left to be played. Wheaton JV played against North Central JV on an absolutely frigid Monday night. It was about 15 degrees at game time! That didn’t stop the O-Line from going undershirt-less. They bore those big arms with pride.

The field had to be plowed just prior to the game because of all the snow that had fallen throughout the day.

I made another drive up to Wisconsin to see Derek play against Carroll College.

Four of Derek’s teammates are sons of men with whom Jim played football at Wheaton 25 years ago. Here are the dads:

Someone got a shot of three of the dads with their rejoicing sons after winning the conference championship. It says a lot about the program when you see sons following in the footsteps of their fathers!

It was a good day to celebrate.

Speaking of former college football teammates, Jim got together with three others to support Neal coaching his Eastern Michigan University team.

Jim and I drove home early from Michigan Thanksgiving weekend so we could cheer Derek on as he played in the second round of NCAA playoffs. It was cold and rainy, but that didn’t damper our spirits. Ah, football in November.

Another victory!

Loyal fan club:

We took Derek out to eat at a place nearby. We had a Groupon. The reviews were great. Let’s just say the experience was…interesting. We were literally the only customers because the place ended up being a night club. 6:00 was a tad early for the later-arriving party-goers. This was not mentioned in the description. At least the food and company were good!

In other college football news, Air Force beat Army! Jake and Tiffany were cheering for their respective branches. Tiffany was at the game, serving at the Army ROTC table at the tailgate.

Jake went on another field trip with his test flight class to Edwards Air Force base in California. It was the most exciting experience in his life, by his account, as some of the students got to fly in F-16s! They simulated a dog fight, went supersonic, flew through valleys, and experienced a mid-flight refuel. Jake took a selfie during the flight.

In case you were wondering, there is most certainly an ear-to-ear grin on that face!

We celebrated Ruth’s birthday (again) with my parents. It was her third tenth birthday.

After having it for 2.5 years, the front chandelier was finally put in. You can see why it took a while to build up the gumption to install it.

We had the WA football banquet. Peter was awarded the Hammer Award for being the hardest working o-lineman of the season.

He also played percussion in church one Sunday morning.

We traveled to Michigan for Thanksgiving weekend once again. Though because Jake and Tiffany celebrated the holiday in Colorado, and Derek had practice all through the weekend, our numbers were light this year.

Ruth and Mom preparing food in the kitchen:

Thursday morning was the annual Giere Classic 5K/optional distance run/jog/walk event. We put on the bib numbers,

warmed up with some calisthenics,

and posed for a group shot.

Without Jake and Derek leading the pack in running and competition, most took a more leisurely pace along the trail.

It was no less fun, however.

After the race, the boys hung out at the house, playing games,

while the girls went back to the Gieres’ to do hair and get dressed before dinner.

My cousin Jackie brought her two precious little ones to dinner, and oh how we loved loving on them.

The girls!

They had so much fun playing with this little guy too. Cars, trucks, and hide-and-seek.

Oh, and we enjoyed a delicious dinner. Derek drove up after practice Thursday and made it just in time. Unfortunately, he had to leave first thing the following morning, but it was so good to have him there for at least a short time.

The clean-up crew!

The next night we celebrated family birthdays from August through December. That included a lot of us! Moreover, it was Brian’s actual birthday.

We played a favorite game (similar to Telestrations).

Another full month!

Jeremy pulled out the bow and arrows in October, which attracted the attention of the preschool neighbors.

They helped him retrieve arrows from the target.

Peter went to Homecoming with a group of friends.

Ruth learned to play volleyball this fall and loved it. She participated in only the practices to get a feel for the sport. She is looking forward to playing games next fall.

Ruth also sang in the choir at church.

Once again, she earned a sister-of-the-year award by going to countless football games in support of her brothers. Many of those games were played in the rain and/or cold.

Speaking of football (football pics are unavoidable in October!), Jeremy continued to have a great season. He made a huge impact for his team. Here he is blocking a guy twice his size.

After one of his games, he came to cheer on Derek.

We enjoyed a celebratory youth football homecoming.

Peter continued with his season as well.

He played a little defense in October.

He caused and recovered a fumble on one play!

Posing after a game with some teammates…

The team had some heartbreaking losses that left Peter feeling spent.

Thankfully, Dad was readily available for hugs and pep talks.

Aunt Judi had a knee replaced in October…but that didn’t stop her from being at the Friday night lights!

Friend Anthony came to a game. These guys have been buds for many years. It was fun to have him there.

We had a couple Derek sightings at Friday night games whenever he had a free night and a ride to WA.

Ruth did a cheer camp at WA and had the opportunity to cheer at one of the varsity football games. She was quite happy when she got the green light to participate this year!

Jim ended the JV season with the best JV football record in WA history.

We had the JV team over for movie night to watch Greater. Guys left with tears in their eyes.

Derek came home for a couple days during fall break. He helped Ruth get through her math facts practice–adding in some humor, of course.

He joined some football dudes at the Bears game.

And of course college football continued throughout October.

Wheaton won the Little Brass Bell rivalry with North Central College. I’ve been to many football games in my life, and that game was the most exciting one I’ve ever seen in person. Here are the freshmen with the bell.

Derek’s high school offensive line coach was in town for the game, and some of the Wheaton College players from WA reconnected with him.

There was another reunion of sorts when Wheaton JV played Olivet Nazarene JV one Monday night. It’s neat to see the bond these guys formed in high school continue on in college.

We can always count on the support of grandma and grandpa.

Ok. A few more things from October that were not football related. Ruth entered the world of double digit ages! And to celebrate, I took her to get her ears pierced. When she woke up on her birthday morning, she found one of her stuffed animals with her ears pierced, announcing that it was now Ruth’s turn.

She was over the moon excited, and almost three months later, the excitement has not waned.

We carved a family of pumpkins, even including the dog and piggies.

Speaking of the dog, Molly got into the dressing up part of the holiday this year.

Halloween brought not only freezing temperatures but also record snowfall. According to the National Weather Service, Halloween 2019 was the second snowiest halloween on record in Chicago. This did not deter Jeremy the ski bum (brilliant, no?) and Ruth the pioneer girl.

They pounded the pavement for hours and came back with a bounty of chocolate and sugar. Then the inventory and trading commenced.

If you looked up “September” in the thesaurus (Johanik version), you’d find “football”. Indeed, as I look over the pictures from the month, 90% are football pictures.

I’ll start with Jeremy. This was his third year playing on FCA Force. Their home field is at Wheaton Academy, which is a dream for us since he is able to walk to practices.

Jeremy has been an offensive lineman for the past couple years, but he filled in as running back for part of this season and got to carry the ball.

Super-fan Aiden came to a Friday night game.

Dave and Judi came to cheer him on as well.

On to the high school level. After taking a season off due to an IHSA policy last year prohibiting “external noisemakers”, I decided to risk being penalized and pulled out the cowbell of cowbells for this season. It has special meaning, as it has been handed down from one WA football mom to another for years. It rang all season with no penalties!

Peter played on the varsity team this year as a sophomore.

He proudly wore #52 in honor of his big brother, and also filled the Center position quite effectively. Just like his emotions, he was Steady Eddie.

Super-fan Aiden showed up to cheer at several games. We enjoyed his running commentary from the stands, always with a serious face.

Jim coached the JV team again this year. He is settling well into his role, and the boys love him.

And now the college level. Derek played Center for Wheaton College, and boy did the team have a remarkable season. It was exciting to see Derek in a Wheaton uniform.

Because of Jim’s coaching responsibilities, I often drove alone to Derek’s away games. He played Carthage in Wisconsin one Monday night.

Looking back on all the September games, I realized just how much rain fell during the month! During one game, it was a downpour during the entire second half. It sure did not deter all the fans. Dedicated family…

and girlfriend!

Ok, now for the 10% of September that was not football. Derek bonded quickly with the other freshmen linemen.

He also went on his first field training exercise for ROTC.

Thanks to Peter, the green army guy lived on during Homecoming week at WA.

Jake went on a field trip with his flight test class to the Reno Air Races. He was on cloud nine!

Ruth continued her Botany studies by planting seeds

and putting them in a special box she made to encourage them to germinate and grow.

She also loves holding babies and playing with toddlers every chance she gets. Here, she’s holding my cousin’s 1 year-old daughter.

I continue to find beautiful and unusual things during my runs on the prairie path. Here’s a colorful fungus I found growing from a tree.

One morning, the air was particularly damp and cool. It seemed to make a usually unseen world materialize. I could see sunbeams as they shone on the foggy air.

The sun also fell on water droplets that clung to intricate spider webs among the bushes and tall grasses.

I didn’t do much running that morning because the beauty was overwhelming. I marveled at the sight of these spider webs, knowing that they’re always there but unseen.

And God saw that it was good–Genesis 1

The month of August began with a softball tournament among WA football summer competition teams. Each of the four teams choose a theme for the game. Peter’s group decided on dressing as ballerinas.

I’m not sure who came up with the idea, but let’s just say the final result was…interesting. I never thought I’d be found shopping at Walmart for white tights for my son. Their team played remarkably well, despite the tutus.

Once that was over, Peter put on his tiling hat and went to work on our master bathroom shower. The shower had been leaking ever since we moved in, so this upgrade was much needed.

Ruth enjoyed a girls’ weekend at Grandma’s condo. They went for a late night swim,

got their nails done, and toured the Art Institute, among other fun activities.

Ruth is learning to love cooking! She’s picked up chopping and dicing skills quickly, and I sure appreciate her help.

The biggest family event of the month–even the summer–was Derek’s move from home to college. He had his final doctor appointment with Dr. Eckberg, our most favorite pediatrician.

Jim and I took Derek out for an all-you-can-eat meat lunch.

Then the time came to move out, definitely a bittersweet event. He moved in to the dorm at Wheaton College a couple weeks before freshman orientation in order to begin football practice. He met with the team for the first time, along with parents.

He and roommate Christian knew a couch would come in handy in their spartan room, so our loveseat made its way from the basement

to the third floor of Fischer dorm.

Both families helped get the room all set up.

Another arrow launched.

Derek began dating Alyssa–who had already committed to go to Wheaton College–over the summer. Now they get to study together and hang out on campus!

We had one last s’mores party before school started.

We took our annual first day of school pic. Our numbers are dwindling here at home! Peter: 10th grade, Jeremy: 8th grade, and Ruth: 4th grade.

Peter put on his cook hat and prepared 200 crepes for a football moms’ breakfast.

Ruth learned how plants and animals are classified in her science class on Botany.

Out in Colorado, Jake was quite busy leading tours at USAFA. He led a couple of our family friends, the Crudeles

and the Hyatts.

He also led the family of one of Jim’s group guys. He loves sharing this part of his life with others.

At the end of the month, it was time for us to head out for our final parents’ weekend (for now!?). Peter stayed back for football, and Mom and Dad drove out with the rest of us. We left early in the morning in order to arrive in time to meet up with Jake and Tiffany for dinner.

The next day was the parade. For the first time, the sky was clear and the temperature was warm.

#ProudGrandma

We met up with Jake on the parade field,

hung out in his room for a while,

and toured the Aeronautical building.

We saw this poster of Jake’s graduating class of Aero majors. This group has bonded over the past four years.

There is no doubt he is right where he belongs. I marvel at God’s kindness in making the path clear.

Meanwhile, back at home, Peter won a football game. He had Aunts Jeanine and Judi and Uncle Dave there to cheer him on!

He hopped on a plane the next day to meet us in Colorado, where we were very eager to have him join us. We went to a USAFA game and spent time hanging out at the hotel. We celebrated Tiffany’s 20th birthday.

Parents’ Weekend continued into the first couple days of September, then it would be time to return home.