Sometimes you don’t appreciate a really good thing until it’s gone. We experienced bea-u-ti-ful weather every day while in Colorado: sunny, relatively warm, no wind; until the last day when we were engulfed in a cloud and faced constant snowfall. Expert skiers enjoy the fresh powder layer, along with the challenging elements.

The rest of us have a hard time maneuvering through what feels like a brick wall of powder snow hitting the skis, the ice patches and wind, all the while skiing blind because of foggy goggles and the aforementioned cloud. Even going up the chair lift took perseverance, as ice would accumulate on any exposed flesh.

We survived the challenge, and not only learned to enjoy the less-than-ideal conditions, but expressed our thanks many times for the perfect weather we had been given all week.

There were definitely snippets of beauty throughout the day!

Mom and Dad even braved the wind and snow and tackled the mountain on snowshoes. We had fun embarking on ‘Grandma and Grandpa sightings’.

God protected us on the long drive home, and now (thanks to our unofficial navigator) we found our way back!

After getting a little help from Derek putting his skis on,

Jeremy made his way up the high chair lift with Jim and me.

And stood on the top of the mountain!

He had a great day, skiing blue runs and learning to control his speed. Then at the end of the day, he loosened up in the sauna with his brothers.

Fast forward in your mind 60 years. Can’t you just see it? Three old men sitting in the sauna comparing aches and pains?

Ruthie has been asking to go to school for several months now. This week, she finally got to experience school. Ski school, that is. She loved everything about it. She didn’t want her bear, Zyla, feel left out, so she brought her along and tucked her into her coat.

Ruthie learned to snow plow and stop while on the bunny hill, so we decided to let her try the chair lift and practice her skills on the bigger hill. She did great!

The thing she enjoys even more than skiing is the free hot chocolate provided by the “Steamboat Ambassadors” at the end of the day.

It has been a blessing to share our time here with my Mom and Dad. The kids absolutely love having them around!

Here they are at the top of the gondola.

They do this grandparent thing well :)

The boys are proving to be quite comfortable on the slopes. They are eager to advance to greater challenges. Jake and Derek are equal in ability, so they buddy up for the day and decide which slopes they want to conquer.

One of the first runs we went down was a very steep blue run, called Heavenly Daze. Peter was not quite ready for it, but once we descended a ways, he was unfortunately committed. After tumbling head over heels a third of the way down, he determined he was going to get to the base, gained confidence, and made it the rest of the way down. We decided that the run was not so heavenly.

It’s been fun to watch Jeremy go from zero to hero in a matter of a day. He began hesitantly, with no confidence, and now has become relaxed. He’s even skiing down some parts of the mountain in a tuck position.

Peter was determined to ski down from the top of the mountain…which we estimated took around 45 minutes from top to bottom. Here we are ascending the slopes.

At the top!

We left at 7:00pm on Friday night, ready for a 17 hour drive to Colorado. Everyone was excited and fresh when we began.

Kids slept on an off through the dark night…and slept some more as the sun rose over the horizon.

And slept even more as we approached our destination.

We made a stop at the Welcome to Wyoming sign–it was the first time any of us had been in the state! Jake declared he would like to live here, a state with lots of land and even more dark skies.

Jake is aiming to be a three-sport athlete this year, participating in cross country, swimming, and track.

He finished the cross country season strong by shaving off two minutes from his three-mile time–a huge accomplishment!

Distance running teaches a multitude of lessons for life, such as: the importance of pacing yourself. You must train your body before competing in the race. It’s okay to push yourself beyond what you think you’re able to do.

Here, Jake is warming up with his teammates before a race.

It’s always easy to spot his tall red head in the crowd.

This gives you an idea of the dramatic start that takes place each race. All the teams line up, and when the gun goes off, it’s a mad rush to get a good position in the group.

We’re rewinding a bit here on the blog. Our fall was pretty much defined by sports, namely football and cross country. We’ll post some football pics today.

Derek, Peter and Jeremy ended their seasons strong, having learned some lifelong lessons. They each chose a picture of themselves, along with a verse, and had it blown up to poster-size to hang on their bedroom walls.

Derek learned not to fear, no matter how big and fast his opponent was. He learned to use the skills and technique he was taught, no questions asked.

And if your opponent happens to be smaller than you, well, pancake him.

Peter played quarterback and worked on the art of running the ‘bootleg’.

Peter learned to push through opposition. Use your strength; and when there is open space, run fast.

Jeremy excelled on defense. He learned how to focus on one thing and one thing only: get to the ball. He learned to pursue and anticipate the moves of others.

I’m learning from living in a house full of boys that there are valuable lessons learned by participating in sports. I thank God for the opportunities and the healthy bodies He gives them. May God be honored in their lives!

One more throwback pic (from two years ago)…Peter requested to have this one blown up to poster size so he could hang it on the wall of the room he shares with Jeremy. Love it! Makes me realize how quickly they’re growing up, though…waaaa…

We packed up the car and headed to Holland, Michigan for the Thanksgiving weekend again this year.

It took an extra hour to get there due to lake effect snow, but it was worth the extra driving because once we arrived, it was like a winter wonderland.  Snow everywhere!

We were making snow angels on the snowy beach!

Jim and Derek were having a contemplative father-son moment. Priceless.

This is one of my favorite shots from the weekend. Ruthie and her grandma definitely have a special bond.

Jake taught Ruth how to throw a snowball into the lake.

Peter and Jeremy made the Stanley Cup out of snow and hoisted it in victory.

I often caught Derek just staring out at the waves, enjoying some solitude.

The lake can be captivating.

For Thanksgiving dinner, Peter scored a home run with his turkey shaped cake pops. Not only were they super cute, they tasted delicious!

Jeremy had a staring contest with his turkey. Guess who won.

As for the real turkey (and I’m not talking about Jeremy), my grandpa carried on the tradition of carving the 30-pound bird. With his electric knife. One of my earliest childhood memories is of Grandpa carving the turkey with an electric knife.

Friday was a laid-back day. Ruthie got to hang out with Aunt Chris…

…while the boys taught my dad how to play Nertz.

Saturday we took a big family picture.

That night Jim started a campfire and we roasted marshmallows and made s’mores.

The last thing we did before heading home was bring the large load of garbage down to the curb. It was a long driveway, so Jim got creative. We wouldn’t want to make the boys work too hard–it was a holiday weekend, after all.

Garbage Duty

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

More pics to come soon!

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…

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

And this just seemed so appropriate for Jake:

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.

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

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.

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

Ruthie was on a tornado kick at the time.

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

Luke, surrender to the dark side…

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.

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

It was a great day of learning and fun combined!

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.

When you are surrounded by brothers, it is important to have girlfriends. Thankfully, Ruthie has Beth.

Friends who paint their nails together, stay together!

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 friends 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!