It is no secret that this dog is loved.

My cousin Ronnie was inducted into the Wheaton Warrenville South hall of fame last month.  We are so proud of him!  We heard from others about what a hard worker and impact player on the field and the court he was in high school.

He was among five former student-athletes who were inducted that night, and amid the many stories of post-high school life accomplishments, Ronnie’s story shone brightest.  His was by far the most inspirational because his life does not highlight all the things he has done since graduation in 1995, but to what GOD has done.  Surely, God has shown Himself as faithful and caring in the midst of unexplainable suffering in Ronnie’s life.  Both Chris and Ronnie seized the opportunity to proclaim to the audience God’s goodness in their lives over the past 20 years.  Put your trust in this God, and you will overcome.

Much of our family was there to celebrate this accomplishment. Here we are, as my cousin termed us, the “Ron”tourage:

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57)

I must have uttered this at least two dozen times the other night.

I made Indian chicken for dinner, and our version of Indian food is typically very tame compared to the authentic stuff.  Well, this time I decided to try the spices that our Indian neighbors gave us to try out.  And rather than start with a little bit and add more as necessary, I put the whole doggone packet in without thinking.

Just before plating everyone’s meals, I tasted it for the first time.  My mouth felt like it was on fire.  Oh oh.  This was not going to go over very well with these sensitive mouths, so I profusely apologized even before the family sat down at the table.  Jim assured me everyone would survive the meal.

“Get your water ready, pour the milk, because this stuff is going to set your mouth on fire.”  The kids were prepared with plenty of drinks and a little bit of fear.  The meal went as expected:  kids downing water and milk after each painful bite of food, and me apologizing every couple minutes.  They were very gracious and surprisingly ate nearly everything on their plates.   (There was dessert to be had, after all)

Derek had a late practice that day, so he was absent from our family spice-fest.  I brought his meal in the car when I picked him up from school, so he could eat before heading to youth group.  I decided not to utter a word about the spicy food. No apologies, no disclaimers.  I handed him his meal and a water bottle.  How long would it take him to comment on the heat?

He downed the entire plate, all while having a pleasant conversation and never even taking a sip of water.  Finally, I asked him if the food was a little spicy.  He replied, “Nah, it’s just the way I like it.”

It’s hard to believe that the youngest Johanik child is six years old.  A kindergartner… no more infant, no more toddler, no more preschooler in the house.  Life sure is marching at a brisk pace.

Peter made birthday pancakes the morning of Ruthie’s special day.

One unique quality about Ruthie is that she knows what she wants, and isn’t afraid to go after it.  So as Peter was forming the heart-shaped pancake for her, she asked that he instead make letters.  And not just the letters in her name, but “Happy Birthday Ruthie”.  He chuckled, thinking she was joking.  She was not joking.  In compromise, he transformed the heart into the letter “R”.  At first, she did not approve and hid under the table.

Peter lit the candle anyway.

She came around when we started singing.

This little girl adds much life to our family.  She’s also teaching her brothers a thing or two about the complexity of girls!

The night before her birthday, she was awarded the crown in her BSF class.  She wore it all the following day.

May she grow up to be a woman of excellence, like her namesake in the Bible.

Now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you whatever you ask, for all my people in the city know that you are a woman of excellence. (Ruth 3:11)

You may be wondering this.  It’s been quiet on this blog for a long while.  The server was down for several days, and in the process lost an entry or two.  As a result, I fell out of rhythm with posting pictures, and lately I feel like if I blink, a month passes by.

So for today, I shall post a photo of our rose bush.  It brings a burst of color and beauty to the front yard, and despite being from the local hardware store, has proven to be quite fertile.

O love the Lord, all you His godly ones!
The Lord preserves the faithful
And fully recompenses the proud doer.

Be strong and let your heart take courage,
All you who hope in the Lord. (Psalm 31:23-24)

One sure sign that it’s football season:

Peter’s legs (and arms) begin to look like this:

He came home from practice tonight telling me about how he kept wiping what he thought was sweat from his fingernail. Only it wasn’t sweat, it was blood. He showed me his crusty, bloody fingernail as soon as he got home. Boys.

Despite the fact that the temperature is unseasonably warm (although, is it ever really “unseasonable” in the wildly unpredictable Chicago area?), the calendar says that today is the official first day of autumn.

The kindergartener in the family marked the beginning of the season in math by drawing pictures of the trees whose leaves are just starting to turn colors.

It’s good to slow down and appreciate God’s creation.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

a.k.a. adjust to, attune to, conform to, come to terms with

Of all of us, Derek has had to adapt the most to the new school year, as he has gone from a fairly laid back, efficient homeschool environment to a structured, work from early morning until late at night environment.

Because of football practice, he doesn’t return home until nearly 7:00. After eating dinner, he retreats to the deck until his homework is finished.

He even had football homework one weekend!

But I am so proud of this guy, as he doesn’t complain about the late nights and early mornings, but rather puts his mind to it and completes the work before him. Like never before, he has the opportunity to live out his life verse:

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

We watched Master Chef Junior for the first time last week, and the kids were inspired.

Before lunch, Jeremy pulled out some ingredients and hid them under a towel while Peter stayed out of sight. Then he called the Master Chef in.

After some contemplation on what to create with the given ingredients, he immediately got to work.

And the judge was quite pleased with the results.

We moved from popcorn to onions in science this week, and sought to answer the question:

Not everyone is happy about this particular unit, given the strong feelings against onions.

But Molly, always ready for a whoops even if it’s an onion, stood eagerly at Peter’s side.

The experiment had the kids attempt to stop the tears with a lit match,
(and despite how it looks, the flame was never near Peter’s hand)

a piece of cheese in the mouth,

sunglasses,

and finally goggles. The goggles did the trick, as they prevented the onion oils in the air from reaching their eyes and causing the oh-so-familiar pain and tears.

The best part of the experiment was making french onion soup for lunch, loaded with swiss cheese and toasted bread. This was also perceived as the worst part of the experiment. Hence, the PB and J backup lunch.

We’ve had some interesting (very typical Chicago) weather the past two weekends.

Last week was chilly and extremely wet. So wet that Jake’s cross country run was cancelled and Jeremy’s game–after being postponed for an hour and a half–was cut short after just one quarter.

He went home wet and disappointed.

The fans were loyal to the end, though.

And Ruthie, as always, managed to make a new canine friend.

Today’s weather was so hot and sticky it felt like late July. Jake ran well.

He’s still easy to spot in a crowd.

Watch out for this one.

It’s been fun to watch Derek play at a whole ‘nother level.

He’s growing up so quickly.

We all miss him terribly during the day, as he is gone from morning until after dinner. This is a new concept for our quiet homeschooling, home-loving family. We love to be together. So when there was no practice on Friday and Derek returned home in the afternoon, everyone cheered. I caught this sweet moment of Ruthie and Derek eating breakfast together this morning.

One of the benefits of homeschooling is that one has the ability to choose curriculum based on kids’ interests and strengths.

This year, I gave the kids a few options to choose from in the area of science, and they unanimously voted on Food Science.

This week, we are learning about why popcorn pops by doing experiments, as well as experimenting with various popcorn recipes.

So far this week, we have made approximately 44 cups of popcorn.

And it’s only Tuesday.

Little Miss Salt-lover is in charge of salting the fluffy goodness.

As always, Molly is in charge of clean-up.

Comparing fluffiness post-experiment: Can you tell which one was soaked in water prior to popping?

This morning, I was reminded of our family vacation to Flagstaff, Arizona five years ago. While we were there, we hiked Sunset Crater, a volcano whose trails were covered with ash and old rock-like lava flow. In the midst of the dry, dormant landscape, we saw occasional trees growing.

It was this scene I was reminded of when I read this from Isaiah 41 this morning:

The afflicted and needy are seeking water, but there is none,
And their tongue is parched with thirst;
I, the Lord, will answer them Myself,
As the God of Israel I will not forsake them…

I will put the cedar in the wilderness,
The acacia and the myrtle and the olive tree;
I will place the juniper in the desert
Together with the box tree and the cypress,

That they may see and recognize,
And consider and gain insight as well,
That the hand of the Lord has done this,
And the Holy One of Israel has created it.

The hand of the Lord is able to bring forth life in the midst of a desert.

We began the school year in stages this year.

Jake’s first day was on a Thursday, homeschool began on the following Monday, and Derek’s first day was Tuesday.

Our official first-day-of-school picture was taken on Derek’s first day: the third first day of school.

Jake: 12th grade
Derek: 9th grade
Peter: 6th grade
Jeremy: 4th grade
Ruthie: Kindergarten

The three footballers in the family have already been practicing for some time now, however the season officially kicked off with a tournament Peter was part of last weekend.  Their team was invited to participate in a jamboree at the Chicago Bears’ training facility, Halas Hall.

The grounds are typically not open to the public, so there was quite a process just to get in.  Security guards checked a list of names to ensure we were on it.  Security guards told us where to park. Security guards made sure we didn’t bring anything but our selves into the building.

See that coffee in my hand?  I had to literally gulp it down before setting foot into the building.

Once inside, we were blown away by how beautiful the building was. The boys warmed up.  I like this shot of Peter–directing traffic.

Then they took the field, and because it was a scrimmage format, the coaches were allowed to remain on the field.

This was a good thing for the boys’ first game, since their opposing team was both bigger and older.  They got whomped.

Peter is following in his brother’s footsteps and filling in as center. It’s not his favorite position, but he’s a good sport about it.

On the other hand, he does love tackling.

The team.

Q:  What has captured the attention of these guys?

A:  Inspired by his summer job, Jake made an antenna from materials around the house and put together a program that receives all sorts of radio signals, including airplane and police signals.

Q:  What is (almost) everyone intently looking at in this picture?

A:  Window washers, climbing over the edge of the 56th floor of the building.  All in a day’s work.

But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14)

I couldn’t help but notice the contrast in the sky yesterday as I was driving home. (I may or may not have taken this picture while driving 50 miles per hour.)

The scene made me thankful to God that I do not have to dwell in the past and all its darkness. He has made me free to strain forward, to press on.

My cousin got married last weekend in Michigan. It was a beautiful outdoor wedding, and God provided perfect weather conditions. Here’s the bride with her brothers.

It was a great time with family. Ronnie and Derek talked football.

Ruthie posed with the princess bride.

The boys were excited over the Arnold Palmer drink stations…

…as well as the bbq rib reception dinner. All the guests wore “I *heart* Ribs” bibs. This was in honor of the bride and groom’s first date at a bbq joint.

After the wedding, we headed down to the lake for a late-night swim.

Then woke up the next morning for some more beach time.

The waves made for good body surfing.

The wind was so strong that Ruthie didn’t even need to hold onto her innertube.

Such a great time with cousins!

Seeing eye to eye?