Baseball season is in full swing (pun intended), and my dad has offered his coaching services to Peter and Jeremy, in order to help sharpen their skills.

It is quite convenient that we live across the street from a high school softball field! The boys walked over with their grandpa and told him what they would like to work on with him.

Then they got to work for the afternoon. They remarked later how much just that one coaching session helped them.

We have many trees in our new neighborhood, which means we also have a lot of birds. After moving in, Jeremy decided to build a bird house as a way of introducing ourselves to the neighbor birds.

We met some robins and cardinals; until one morning, I looked out and found the bird house fallen to pieces on the ground with bird seed on the rail of the deck. A bushy-tailed squirrel promptly hopped down from the rail to the ground. Evidently, the squirrel didn’t want to be left out. Unfortunately, the bird house was not built to sustain the weight of squirrels.

Ruthie collects wildflowers

while Molly spots rabbits.

We weren’t sure how many guys were going to be available to help with the move until the actual moving day. As it turned out, we had ample help–a group of strong young men to load the truck at the old house, and another shift of strong young men to unload at the new house.  An FCA coworker provided lunch for all of us, as well as moral support.  We were very thankful.

Saturday was not only moving day, but also my parents’ 45th wedding anniversary!

They spent their special occasion bringing kids to baseball games, then later unpacking our kitchen. How romantic, no? They even came back a few days later for grandparents’ day.

When we returned to the old house Sunday to clean out the attic and the storage room in the basement, we hit probably the lowest point emotionally. We were thankful for our small group friends for their presence and help that day.

We got to work right away, making our new house a home suitable for our family. Our first order of business was removing wallpaper.

Some was easier to remove…

…and some was on the more difficult end of the spectrum (nearly impossible).

But we succeeded!

We’ve also done a lot of painting.

And ripping up carpet.

The latest frontier has been creating a laundry room. Previously, the house had a second front entrance which led straight to the basement.

Now you see the front door on the left…

…now you don’t.

There is now a floor over the concrete staircase, along with a couple extra walls to make a laundry room. Peter Stephen “Tiler” Johanik has been the lead tiler on this project.

Thankfully, we’ve managed to have fun throughout this experience. When we’re all working together as a team, the work isn’t so bad.

From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things, and the work of their hands brings them reward. (Proverbs 12:14)

Before closing on the old house, we decided it would be good to share memories from the past sixteen years and say goodbye to the house. The tulips welcomed us one last time.

We called up Jake so he could participate too. Unbeknownst to him back in December, his last time at 3146 was over Christmas break. We toyed with the idea of flying him out for a weekend to see the house one more time (and help pack a box or two…or twenty), but it wasn’t practical.

We walked through the empty house, room by room, sharing memories…

…and in the process, making new memories.

Molly savored her hands-down favorite spot in the house during mild weather–at the threshold of the deck.

We ended in the basement, where Jim prayed to the Lord our thanksgiving to Him for His faithfulness in that home for sixteen years. We experienced so much life in that place–good and bad–and God was there with us through it all. It was a somber and emotional moment for all of us.

Your lovingkindness, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. (Psalm 36)

By wisdom a house is built,
    and through understanding it is established;
through knowledge its rooms are filled
    with rare and beautiful treasures. (Proverbs 24)

May God be glorified here.

On the drive home, the odometer hit a unique mileage…

Colorado has been a vacation destination for our family since 1995, when Jim and I spent our honeymoon there. It never fails–every time we head east for home, we gaze with sadness in the rearview mirror at the slowly disappearing mountains. Now the sadness is even multiplied, for not only are we saying goodbye to the mountains, but also our firstborn.

We spent one of our final days there hiking in a vast forest preserve.

Not only was the view spectacular,

it was also a huge science lab. Though we never saw any wildlife, we found plenty of evidence that they were in our midst. From animal scat (we think from bison) to holes in the ground, we delighted in exploring and hypothesizing.

When we returned to the cabin, we enjoyed a great night of games. And Jake taught his brothers how to do a fireman’s carry.

The day before leaving, we experienced a winter storm which dumped at least six inches of snow on the ground. The snow looked like Dippin Dots!

Thankfully, the car made it up the steep, snow-covered driveway when it was time to return Jake the next day. It was a sad goodbye.

Will it ever be easy?

We savored our time together last week and have been thankful to God for His protection and provision.

We had our best day of skiing as a family the other day. It’s remarkable how much the kids improve with each outing.

We alternated between skiing all together and splitting into groups. At one point, we all met at the top of the mountain.

It was a moment in time I wish I could have pushed pause for a while.

Besides Jake skiing a double black diamond run, and Derek and Peter skiing down runs with speed and finesse, Jeremy conquered the t-bar.

His first encounter with it didn’t go too well. The t-bar caught him and began pushing him up the mountain, but before long, his skis started to wobble, then cross. In a split second, he went from upright, to dragging on his belly, hanging on to the t-bar with his arms for dear life. He lost a ski in the process, but he was determined to still make it to the top of this black diamond run. Rather than give up, a couple days later he tried it again…with success!

The struggle was worth it, for when we arrived at the top of this 12,300 ft. high peak (fittingly named Hallelujah Ridge), it looked like we were on top of the world.

Copper Mountain received several inches of snow the night before, so the slopes were powdery and soft. As the day progressed and skiers carved their way down the mountain, little moguls began to form.

That’s where this girl showed tremendous improvement.

She went from wanting to stick to the same easy green run over and over again, to growing in confidence and attempting more difficult runs. By the end of the day, she was skiing those little moguls with no problem. She accomplished this with all four of her brothers cheering her on at the bottom.

Meanwhile, my parents were snowshoeing near the base of the same mountain.

As the slopes were closing, we all reconnected and shared stories from our day.

For the Lord is the great God,
the great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land. (Psalm 95)

We visited Leadville, the highest incorporated city in the country, this week. It sits at 10,152 ft. elevation.

The drive to get there was picturesque, as we were surrounded by massive mountains all around.

Once we arrived in the old mining city, we got to know some of the locals

and interacted with the mined ore.

Meanwhile, that day, Jake joined up with some friends and their parents to ski.

There was quite a lot of snowfall that day, so after the long drive back to the house, we relaxed with a puzzle.

Besides enjoying the mountainous scenery, we’ve been enjoying laid back time together as a family.

There’s a lot of friendly competition going on around the pool table,

along with collaboration around the jigsaw puzzle table.

Derek is in the middle of a page-turner and found a perfect spot to read it.

We are planning to ski just a couple days while here, and did just that yesterday when the weather was sunny and relatively warm. I was reminded how much I love experiencing this as a family! Here’s Jeremy approaching what looks like a drop-off.

The view from Copper Mountain is spectacular.

These four brothers were bonding on the slopes.

While we were skiing, my mom and dad flew in to Denver and arrived at the house. It is a special treat to have them here with us.

Last night, we celebrated the April birthdays in the family.

We took off Friday afternoon, headed for…

to pick up our firstborn and head into the mountains. We were buzzing with excitement to see Jake and be all together in beautiful Colorado.

When we left Aurora, IL, the temperature was 80 degrees. Kids were wearing shorts and short-sleeved shirts. We drove through constant rain for several hours, arriving in Omaha, NE, where the temperature had dropped to 40 degrees. We were quickly reminded that it was still early spring.

We are planning to ski a couple days while out here, thus we packed everyone’s skis and boots, along with snow pants, winter coats, clothes, games, pre-prepared food for the week. Additionally, we strapped Jake’s bike to the rooftop of the car so he can ride at school this spring and summer. Needless to say, this car was packed.

After arriving in Colorado,

we exchanged Jake’s bike for his skis, packed everyone back in the car and made a stop at Costco to pick up the rest of the food we would need for the week. The place we are staying is truly in the mountains, far from the convenient supermarkets we are used to having nearby.

Once we arrived, it didn’t take long for everyone (minus the photographer, who also had to put all those groceries away) to put on swimsuits and hop in the hot tub.

The view is second-to-none, and I am tearing up just looking out the window at the snow-covered mountains. So thankful to God for allowing us this time together as a family.

Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:19-20)

For those who have been wondering how the dog training has been going this week, here is a video update. As you can see, she has made good progress, though still with a few “glitches in the system”.

After sixteen years in our home, we are pulling up the stakes and heading to West Chicago to be closer to school and church.

It is definitely bittersweet as we say goodbye to neighbors we’ve known for many years, but we have also seen God at work throughout the process.

Not only have we been packing boxes for the move, but also preparing this house to sell. We started with a pile of 3×5 cards. Each one had a single task–some were small, while others required days to complete.   It’s funny how we got along just fine with broken bifold closet doors and missing drains in the bathroom sinks… but as we looked at the house through the eyes of a potential buyer, those things became problems that needed to be fixed.

Every time a task was completed, we tore up the card and enjoyed watching the pile diminish.  As a side note, while we were busy with home improvement projects, my mom came out several times to help with the home decluttering project, i.e. packing boxes.   Without her help, this process time would have easily doubled!

We got to work off the bat in the two boys’ bedrooms. Taking stuff off the walls,

spackling and sanding,

and finally painting.

It was a sad moment when we began painting over the glow-in-the-dark stars Jake had painted several years ago. Peter reminded us how much time Jake spent ensuring the night sky was accurately represented on the walls, ceiling, and doors of the room. It’s just the tip of the iceberg of memories which are bound up in this house.

While we are on the topic of painting over memories, allow me to bring you down to the basement where there are memories galore.   Having lived through four boys who like to play hockey (with full-size hockey sticks), dodge ball, basketball, wrestling, and Nerf battles, among other activities, I’m pretty sure our basement walls hold more spackle than actual drywall.   While it was quite rewarding to finally paint over the spackled holes and dents, it was altogether sad to paint over this.

Jake’s and Derek’s handprints from 2002.   I remember them smushing their pudgy, paint-coated hands along the wall like it was yesterday.   After adorning the playroom for fifteen years, they are now under several coats of paint.

We have managed to have some fun in the process…

Peter and Jeremy have become experts at disassembling bunk beds.  Bunk beds that are bolted into the wall for stability!

After a big surge of home-improvement progress last week, we finally felt ready to announce our intention to sell.

We were originally going to hold an open house this weekend, so Ruth used her marketing skills and got busy making an Open House sign.

But in the end, her sign was not needed, as our home sold the same day we put the For Sale sign up.

Commit your works to the Lord
And your plans will be established. (Proverbs 16:3)

Weary of stepping on Molly’s laid-out bones and crying out in pain, we decided to test the old adage “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” and train her to put her toys away.

Thankfully, she is extremely motivated by her stomach and will eagerly do anything for a kibble.

She successfully put her bone in the bucket a handful of times, then things went downhill. She resorted to every other trick she knows (sit, high-five, lie down, roll over…) in order to get a kibble, but seemed to forget how she was earning the reward in the first place. We shall continue the training another day…

The culmination of a cadet’s freshman year at USAFA is a three-day event called Recognition. Here’s a description of this event from their website:

Recognition is the formal finale of the fourth-class year when the fourth-class cadets are “recognized” as upperclass cadets and are allowed to wear the Prop and Wings insignia on their flight caps. It is a vital and traditional segment of the Academy experience and is a ceremonial acknowledgement that the fourth-class has successfully met the military training requirements and is prepared to continue the rigorous Academy journey.

A few days prior to Recognition, one of Jake’s friends invited him to run a 12k ruck run, where they run on trails with a heavy backpack on their backs. Jake’s watch has been a big asset to him this school year.

The run was a challenge, but not too challenging to wipe the smile off this guy’s face. Jake’s friend ended up running ahead, while Jake stayed back with a guy named Zebulun.

He said it was good preparation for the upcoming task.

The three days of Recognition began on Thursday, with lots of yelling (most cadets and cadre lost their voices by the end) and physical strain. The final test was the freshmen and seniors’ “run to the rock” on Saturday afternoon. Here is Jake’s squad posing after arriving to the rock.

After the march back to base,

they arrived to their festively decorated rooms!

We had sent decorations, civilian clothes and candy to Jake’s sophomore supervisor, so he could decorate the room as a surprise. Such a great tradition.

The kids back at the homefront had decorated a big banner for Jake and Grayson.

The freshmen were told to clean up and meet as a squadron in a room nearby, where they would receive their prop and wings pins.

Those smiles show great relief after enduring some significant trials throughout the past nine months!

Congratulations to Jake for being officially Recognized as an upperclass cadet!

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and 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… (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Look out. As soon as one teenager moves out, another moves up in the ranks. That’s right–P. Stephen is thirteen.

Here, Judi and Derek are having a deep, philosophical conversation.

It was especially sweet this year because cousins made the trip to Illinois! This was surely a highlight for Peter.

Jake face-timed with us while Peter opened his presents. Not quite as good as having him here in person, but still fun to have him join us through the screen.

Molly enjoyed the extra attention she received from her cousins.

Peter and Hannah found a tree to climb after church. Love the friendship these two have!

Unfortunately, when Peter’s actual birthday rolled around, he was under the weather. Birthday pancakes with a fever…

Molly did her best to raise his spirits.

Thankfully, the sickness was short-lived and he was soon back to normal so he could enjoy his teenage-dom. We are so proud of this guy and look forward to seeing how God grows him and uses him in the years to come.

Jeremy loves coconut, so when we saw them on sale for a dollar, we picked one up and cracked it open.

First, we learned you must drive a screwdriver into each of the three eyes of the coconut.

Next, you drain the water out.

Then, to crack it open, you take a hammer and hit along the circumference of the fruit

until a crack forms, then you can pull the halves apart.

Voila!

The boys took sharp knives to scrape the flesh from the shell, which proved to be a time-consuming, labor-intensive task.   Now we when we buy a bag of shredded (sweetened) coconut from the grocery store, we will appreciate how it got there!