Jeremy spent all his free time yesterday concocting and developing a new board game. He was eager to do a trial run this morning.

He was inspired by strategy games and history.

He made many intricate pieces.

Peter helped as the game tester, while Ruthie supervised…

…and entertained.

He offered some constructive criticism,

of which Jeremy took heed.

After a while–as it goes with any game played in this household–they defaulted to wrestling and silliness.

And the entire time, Molly looked on.

It must be spring because the bees are out.

They love the fresh air.

This particular bee also has school duties.

When you’re tired of sitting around and just want to get back to the slopes:

We shopped for groceries at Safeway while in Colorado. One day, Ruthie joined Jim for grocery shopping, and the lady at Safeway insisted that Ruthie needed a Monopoly game board on which to put Monopoly tickets.

No surprise, this greatly appealed to the competitive nature of certain members of our family, who were happy to learn that Jewel is also giving out Monopoly tickets.

We stocked up on jigsaw puzzles before our trip.

We bought them at Dollar Tree (i.e. they each cost one dollar).

Despite working diligently on two separate puzzles, we were disappointed to find that:
1. there were pieces missing
2. due to the extremely indistinguishable features of the picture, it took us approximately 1 hour of trial and error for every 1 successful fit.

It went against everything in me, but we scrapped them both and started a new one. We did see it to the end, but not without a little reminder (an edge piece, nonetheless) of where we bought it!

Guess who picked that one out at the store? And reminded us more than a few times that it was the one good puzzle.

Technically, Colorado–a Spanish adjective meaning “red”–got its name because of the red silt that the river carried down from the mountains. I like to think it’s Colorado because of the rich color found in the state. The blues are bluer and the greens are greener.

By the end of the week, Ruth was skiing blue runs.

With yours truly right on her heels to pick her up if she fell.

Speaking of Ruth and falling, she did tumble down a few times, especially when the slope became quite steep. Rather than cry or become frustrated, she immediately would say, “I’m fine” and work to get back up again. I feel like I learned something about her last week.

Poor Jake was sick our last day there, so he spent nearly the entire day in bed with a fever. He attempted to come out and ski down a few runs, but it was too much for his tired body. Otherwise, the conditions were perfect that last day.

Jim and I hung with the youngest two quite a bit while the three older boys were off on their own.

Speaking of hanging out…

those legs get so tired, it’s feels good to take occasional breaks.

Taking a cliff-bar break.

We knew it was high time to head home when we looked down from the top of the mountain to the base area, swarming with crowds. With ear-piercing music blaring in the background (I am 43 years old) and everyone with at least one beer in hand, the environment quickly changed from family-friendly to party scene.

Overall, it was a great week. We thanked God many times for His provision and His protection. He is merciful!

Jake learned in the middle of March that he was appointed to the Air Force Academy. He actually received the news the morning he had his wisdom teeth taken out, so he had some bedrest time to contemplate it all.

About a week before we left for vacation, the Academy invited him to participate in one of their few Appointee Tour days in April. Wouldn’t you know it, the first tour date was the Friday we were scheduled to be in Colorado. The decision required some thought: the drive from Steamboat to Colorado Springs is 3.5 hours, plus we would have to extend our stay one extra day in order to use all our paid ski time.

But the timing was impossible to ignore, so we signed up. And it was well worth it. The weather that day was gorgeous, and Jim and I enjoyed being led on the parent tour while Jake went with fellow potential cadets on his tour.

This is the honor wall: “We will not lie, steal, or cheat; nor tolerate among us anyone who does.”

You can’t beat the setting.

On our walk along the hiking path, we saw a family of deer just a few yards away. We stared at each other for a few minutes before they ran across the path.

We learned that the Academy dining hall feeds 4,000 cadets in 20 minutes every day. Now that is an efficient operation. And I have a hard time feeding seven people??

The trip was extremely informative and helped Jake as he nears the deadline for making his college decision for next year.

I’m writing this post from home. To be honest, it’s kind of bittersweet to be back after having such a great time together in Colorado.

One morning, Peter and Ruthie made blueberry pancakes using the ‘skeleton crew’ of kitchen utensils available to us.

They were delicious! The kids enjoyed sharing a room together, though it took a couple nights for them to get used to the snoring of a certain unnamed sibling.

Jeremy improved as a skier by leaps and bounds in just a matter of days. His new favorite run is “See Me”:  a black diamond run. Yes, he skied a black at age 9!

After taking a couple lessons, Ruthie joined the rest of us for a totally fun family skiing day.

Up the gondola…

The little tykes learn to ski without poles since the poles can be cumbersome, especially on the chair lifts. Ruthie did not like this and persistently asked for poles. We compromised by having one of us pull her on the flats with one of our poles.

She was (not surprisingly) quite competitive with her four brothers, challenging all of them to race her down one of the runs. They obliged and even let her win. Such good boys.

Jake, Peter, Ruth and I skied together down one particular run that was new to me. Jake led, not realizing that Ruthie was following his every move. For variety, he decided to ski off the path and into a little grove of trees. Unbeknownst to him, his little follower was right at his ski tips.

After realizing she had followed him and subsequently got stuck in the deep snow, he turned back to help her out.

It really was precious to watch the boys dote on their little sister.

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.