The date is March 31, and in the past 48 hours, no less than 14 inches of snow have fallen here in Steamboat. And people couldn’t be happier about it!

We were imagining what people’s reaction to such a snowfall at the end of March would be back home. Probably not very positive. Nevertheless, we are enjoying the last wintery hoorah in the mountains.

We become snow-covered creatures after riding up the chair lift.

Yesterday was special because it was the first time all seven of us skied together. The boys were so excited to see their sister attack the slopes, and they all wanted to ski with her.

Riding up the chair lift…

We turned onto a blue run, which was a bit premature for this novice skier. Derek stuck close by to help her up every time she fell.

After enough falls, Ruthie learned that the fastest way down the slope was to just stay on her bottom and slide down. She laughed the entire way.

We are so thankful for this time together!

Our family Christmas present last December was a Spring Break ski trip. We made a paper chain that seemed to go on for miles to help us count down the three long months. It’s amazing how quickly the time actually went!

When you are responsible for feeding seven people three meals a day, you get creative (and frugal). To feed all of us on the slopes, rather than buy lunches, we stash homemade cliff bars into our pockets. They are packed with calories, thus fueling us for the day. The night before our trip, Ruthie and I made 72 of them.

The next morning, Derek and Ruthie looked at the trail map with anticipation.

Molly knew something was up:  our luggage was sitting by the front door, and the house was cleaner than usual. She thus began her nervous panting and cuddling.

Here we are ready to hit the road in a car which, thanks to Jim, had been fully wired for PS3 fun.

We stopped approximately every four hours for gas. At the 12:30a.m. stop, Jake decided he would attempt to build an antenna in the car so that he could tap in to local weather stations.

He was successful. And we now have a wire that strings from one end of the backseat to the other.

Jim had read about a very popular diner in Steamboat called Winona’s. They are famous for their cinnamon rolls. So our Easter breakfast upon arriving at our destination was famous cinnamon rolls.

It didn’t take us long to understand why they were famous. Whoa.

We had some time before we could check in to our hotel, so the hotel allowed us to swim while we waited.

This was the perfect way to stretch the legs after a long car ride.

Since everyone else was on the mountain skiing, we literally had the place to ourselves.

After a good night of sleep, we were up bright and early for skiing. Jake got up especially early to swim some laps, only to find out that the pool doesn’t open until late morning. Boo. He opted to run instead.

Up the gondola:

And eager to go down.

The weather ended up being so warm today, we saw some guys skiing in shorts.

The three older boys were on their own for the day, skiing all sorts of runs–including black diamonds.  Meanwhile, Jeremiah stuck with Jim and me. He conquered his first blue run of the day with excellence.

Ruthie was a champ at ski school, weaving through cones.

We all met up at the base, exhausted, yet excited to go back tomorrow.

We have been studying Ancient History this school year and this have been itching to visit the Oriental Institute for months. We joined some friends yesterday to walk around the museum and see the real-life relics of the pictures in our history book.

To see things like Sennacherib’s prism

and Hammurabi’s code (a replica)

was just amazing.

Posing with a statue of King Tut.

Here the kids are standing in front of a winged bull relief from the throne room of Sargon II, king of Assyria from 721-705 B.C.

Daniel from the Old Testament likely gazed upon this very same Babylonian architectural element!

Having a staring contest with the Persian bull head.

There were so many things to see and read that I felt like we barely scratched the surface. Definitely would like to make a return trip in the near future!

This is what greeted me when I returned from a morning walk with the dog:

God knows that certain decisions we face in life are incredibly weighty. The consequences of the decisions may have bearing on the rest of our lives.

Because He knows this, He has given us words of wisdom and comfort to cling to in these times. Words such as:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all of your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.(Proverbs 3)

and

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

and

The mind of man plans his way,
But the LORD directs his steps. (Proverbs 16:9)

He is in control! He has a plan! These are true words of comfort.

Knowing how fleeting time is, I’ve been absolutely savoring moments as they come.

Ruthie is growing in her reading ability, and actually enjoying it.

Meanwhile, the boys are having fun editing and typing up stories.

Later, I was cleaning up the kitchen and looked into the family room to see another sight that warmed my heart.

Everyone laughing and ribbing each other over this:

Over the past few weeks, Jake has spent his free time building an antenna. In the picture below, the indoor part of the antenna is propped up on the left.

The other part of the antenna is attached to the outside of the house. He then found software that allows him to track planes in the area.

This has peaked the interest of siblings, as they spot the plane on the computer then run outside to spot it in the sky. They are able to identify both what airline and type of planes are about to fly overhead.

I. Love. Spring.

It happens every year: as soon as the ground begins to thaw, there is a delightful scent in the air, which brings hope for warmer weather. I appreciate aspects of all the seasons, but spring is special. The dormant comes back to life.

I am not alone in my love for this season.

Jeremy, Ruth and I took Molly to the park.

Molly soaked in the fresh air.

Ah, spring, you are always welcome here.

If you read Jake’s college application essays, you would correctly surmise that Science Olympiad has been a major part of his high school life. He began competing in 7th grade on the small homeschool team.

Six years of Friday night practices and all-day Saturday competitions which include labs, build events, and written tests.

This past Saturday marked the end of the Science Olympiad era, as the Naper Valley Homeschool team competed at Regionals.

Jake had his fan club present all day!

The youngest fan thankfully had a buddy to play with, making the day more enjoyable.

The Wright Stuff event has challenged Jake to learn much about the nuances of glider flight. His partner, Kurt, is also interested in the Air Force Academy.

Another one of the build events is Bridge Building. This is all about building the lightest bridge that holds the most amount of sand. Because 99% of the bridges break, the builder knows he’s building it to break it.

Jake seems to be running into Bill Foster quite a bit these days. A scientist himself, Congressman Foster visited the Regionals tournament to encourage students to continue pursuing science.

Finally, the awards ceremony. Jake took first in Astronomy, his first love in the world of science. This is a sight I will not soon forget.

He finished well, and I consider it a blessing to have been able to participate with him in this significant chapter of his life.

We’ve all heard the adage that if a mom does her job well, she works herself out of said job, as she prepares her kids to grow up to be independent, productive members of society.

It hit me this afternoon that my jobless condition will be here before I know it. You see, the youngest of my children was found clipping her own nails. No longer does anyone in the house (barring the dog) need me to clip their nails.

Thankfully, I am still needed for a few things… for instance, most of the people in the house do not know how to drive a car, so they still need me to taxi them here and there. But it’s just a matter of time. I better go work on my resume.

Admittance to the Air Force Academy is a two-step process: a candidate must be nominated by a Congressman or Senator, as well as receive an appointment from the Academy.

Jake received a letter from Congressman Bill Foster a month ago informing him that he was nominated, and this past weekend there were two separate events celebrating this part of the process. First, Foster held a ceremony for all the candidates whom he nominated to all of the military academies.

While I was in attendance with Jake, Jim was in Princeton, IL with Derek for wrestling sectionals. We were dividing and conquering that weekend!

I couldn’t help but snap a picture showing the parent paparazzi in the foreground.

Jake, knowing Mr. Foster’s scientific background, was eager to talk with him about their similar one-time place of employment: FermiLab. They talked quarks and such.

The next day we attended a nominee brunch for all the candidates from northern Illinois who were nominated to the Air Force Academy.

The kids posed for a parent paparazzi moment.

Each candidate introduced themselves and picked a rose to bring to their mom. So sweet.

The brunch was particularly beneficial to Jake, as he was able to meet some current cadets and ask questions of them.

We won’t hear from the Air Force until late March or early April regarding his appointment. Until then, we continue to wait and pray for God’s direction!

At times it feels like this year has been a year of “lasts” for our firstborn. It is so bittersweet. He is preparing to turn the page to another chapter in his life… and unfortunately for me, I am a slow reader and like to savor certain pages. But alas, I cannot put down the book and stop the clock. Time keeps marching.

Has it already been eight and a half years since this picture was taken??…

He swam in his final swim meet last weekend and finished well.  It was the conference meet, thus the pool deck was packed with swimmers.

Throughout his swim career, backstroke has remained his favorite and strongest stroke.

He participated in a couple relays

and celebrated with some of the team.

He came up to the balcony to mingle with his fan club during a break.

Then, true to his “Adapt-a-Jake” nickname since he was a baby, he swiftly changed out of his swim suit and ran home to join the Science Olympiad team that was meeting at our house.

When Peter chooses to begin his schoolwork before feeding Molly breakfast:

She has a way of making her presence known.

What to do when the pond is melting in the backyard? Bring the skates into the city, where–thanks to artificial underground refrigeration–there’s ice no matter what the air temperature!

The kids worked off Mom’s delicious brunch by skating at Maggie Daley park, in the rain even.

We kicked off last weekend–which actually began Thursday evening–with Senior night for the swimmers. The seniors chose to wear sportcoats and sunglasses with their speedos.

This of course was just slightly outside of Jake’s modest comfort zone, but he was a good sport about it.

The following night was spent wrestling in Rockford at the Midnight Rumble tournament.

It is aptly named.

The team prayed together before the tournament began.

Derek struggled through the tournament, not only because of his tough opposition but also because this morning person does not do well with late nights.

After sleeping in a bit the next day, the boys took an impromptu trip with Jim to the new Top Golf just around the corner from our house.

It was like the Wide World of Sports all in one weekend!

This is the new word I learned a couple weeks ago as we celebrated my Grandpa’s 90th birthday. It means “a person who is from 90 to 99 years old.”

It was a good opportunity to give thanks for the undeserved favor God has shown on our family. Here’s grandpa in his youth.

He raised four daughters!

Thankfully, he had a sense of humor through it all, which often appears still today.

All the girls got together and planned a great party to celebrate his 90 years of life. My Aunt Jan came up from North Carolina with some of her kids and grandkids. It was fun to see them and reminisce about our childhood.

Aunt Chris and Ronnie. Only in God’s wisdom and perfect timing did Chris move to Michigan so that she may employ her nursing knowledge to regularly check in on Grandpa.

Aunt Ellen and her kids. Ellen catered the event through her new catering business. Best lasagna ever!

My mom and her brood.

Grandpa is steadfast in his faith in Jesus Christ and is finishing his life well. He has told of God’s mighty acts to his four children, ten grandchildren, and eighteen (and counting!) great-grandchildren.

Even when I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, my God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
your mighty acts to all who are to come. (Psalm 71:18)

A couple scenes from the morning after the party: Peter and Hannah made breakfast for the Johanik/Giere clan.

And we played a rip-roaring game of Uno.

With all the boys in the family, any activity ends up in a wrestling match.

Today we are celebrating Molly’s seventh birthday. If dogs could contemplate life…

Peter began the tradition last year of making kibble- and treat-laced pancakes for the birthday canine. Molly is quite aware of what’s happening here!

As much as I cringe at the amount of hair we vacuum up regularly and the poop we pick up daily, this dog has added a lot of richness to our lives.

“The righteous care for the needs of their animals…” (Proverbs 12:10)

This is what we call it when Derek has the day off of school. Peter continues to highly cherish these days and likes to plan how they will spend their hours together. Yesterday they played on the ice.

The younger ones sure are motivated to finish schoolwork on days like this!