Milestones

We arrived home safely yesterday and greeted our house with great joy. I love it when we leave a clean kitchen. I, unfortunately, contracted a cold on the plane and pretty much went straight to bed and stayed there for most of the day today. I am now feeling much better, looking forward to my birthday tomorrow.
This afternoon we made the decision to transform Luke's crib into his big boy bed. He is so close to potty training and the dude is nearly three. The time had come. He was super jazzed about the event and ran to get his tools immediately. The entire family was in attendance. I snapped pictures, Luke and Daddy worked, while Paul did play-by-play action.
Here are the pics!

Last time in his crib. He doesn't seem that upset, does he?

Working hard with Daddy.

Look what we did!

Sitting on his big boy bed for the first time. I love that smile.

Paul's milestone for the day: he climbed onto this box while Erik and I were in the kitchen blissfully unaware. Turkey!

Time with Bestefar and the Beach

Today's post combines yesterday and today's activities. Last night I was just too tired to post. Anyway, yesterday morning Luke, Grandma and I hit the beach for a few hours of sand time. Luke really likes to dig in the sand. He's not at all interested in the ocean itself. In fact, he's a little scared of it. That's fine with me. I like sitting with him and watching him create and enjoy. Sometimes I even dig with him. :-)



Today Paul got extra-special time with Bestefar, Erik's Grandpa. Paul was pretty tired after only a short afternoon nap, but some of the pictures turned out really well. I love the way Bestefar interacts with his great-grandchildren. He loves to get as close to their level as possible, always talking to them and playing with them. As a more recent addition to the Bangsund family, I feel so blessed to have this patriarch who has set such a loving and gracious example for this family. I see his example in the way my father-in-law takes my oldest for a walk to look at the trains for the third day in a row. I see it in the way my husband sings our youngest to sleep each night. Thank you, Bestefar.



And last, but not least, an extremely cute picture of the two babies hanging out together.

Disneyland!

A group of us headed to Disneyland for some serious fun today. We were blessed to have the grandparents volunteer to stay home with the kids. They just aren't old enough yet and would not have had nearly enough fun yet. In a few years. Erik and I were able to revisit the place where he proposed to me and we even figured out that it was exactly 10 years and one day ago that he did so. Pretty amazing. I could get seriously introspective about the ways we have grown in those ten years, but it is getting late and the boys did NOT sleep well last night. We are all pretty tired and praying for more rest tonight. Here are a few pics...but none of the boys. Sorry, Oma!

A little too happy on the tram ride toward the park.

Our group, minus me, the photographer. Our first ride was the Pirates of the Caribbean. It was fun to see the addition of Jack Sparrow into some key scenes.

The place where Erik popped the question on June 25, 1998. Ten years! Good times.

Arrival in San Diego

We had an amazing day of travel. The boys were both practically perfect and Erik and I communicated so smoothly. This is a huge blessing. For anyone that has traveled with two kids in diapers, you know how awesome it is to be able to say these things.
The boys took brief naps upon arrival and then were party animals until they crashed. They both did so well. LOTS of pictures were taken, but here are just a few to tell the story of our first day here.

The cutest picture ever taken.

Luke and Sharon chillin' out.

Cousins meeting for the first time!

Have you ever seen a cooler baby?

Such good times with such great people!

Road Trippin'

We all headed north for the weekend to attend a graduation open house and a wedding. Former students have found me despite my emigration from the state and I am delighted to be invited back for special events. I will say, though, that seeing one of my "kids" get married was slightly surreal. Has it really been that long since I had them in my class? Yep. They are definitely all grown up.
Anyway, the trip also included a visit to visit G.G. and Great-Great Aunt Mae. The boys did pretty well, although Luke wasn't cooperative when it came to picture time. Paul, however, wasn't at all camera shy. Here are some fun shots that also include Great-Great Aunt Naomi.

Luke shows Great-Great Aunt Mae his new Spider-Man sandals.

Paul and G.G.'s Frog - we have shots of Luke at this same age with the frog.

Paul and G.G. playing games.

I LOVE this picture. The look on Paul's face is so adorable.

Luke came home and spent some quality time performing in the playroom. This is the classic Song of the Cebu.

Eleven Months Happy

Baby Paul is such a happy guy. Here are the chair pictures from today. Luke got in on the action, which was a delight for Paul. The lighting was doing strange things due to the overcast streaming through our large front window. Regardless, the boys are still cute. :-)

Paul loves Luke.

And the feeling is mutual. I love this picture.

On his own, Paul was more interested in climbing out of the chair than having a photo shoot.

Such a sweet boy.

Productive Day

It was quite the day, here in Bangsundland. We started with a dual doctor appointment for the boys, mainly to alleviate my worries about taking bad germs when we visit Bestefar, Erik's Grandpa, next week. Paul earned a dose of antibiotics for his cough and ears. Luke just earned big smiles from the PA for allowing a complete examination without a peep, excluding the adorable, "Sure, you can do that."
After the doctor appointment I dropped off the borrowed port-a-crib (Thanks, Beck!) and headed for home. Lunch happened and then I was off to the DMV to replace my license. Long story which involves the roof of my car, my wallet, and traveling at highway speed. The DMV was miraculously fast. And I don't hate the picture. :-)
In the midst of all this, I exchanged about four emails with the woman at PLU responsible for making sure all thesis papers have met APA standards. I tweaked everything she asked and she finally sent me one line that nearly stopped my heart. "Everything looks good." I quickly replied, knowing she was probably still at her screen. "Does that I mean I should print, sign and send?" One word. The right word. The word I have been waiting four years to see. "Yes." Erik and I went on a date to FedEx/Kinko's tonight.

One copy of Thesis on 100% cotton paper: $17
FedEx Ground to Tacoma, WA: $7.50
Being done with all requirements for my Master of Arts in Education: PRICELESS

Leaving there, I said thank you to Erik. He has done so much for me and supported me completely in all my endeavors as a teacher and now as a mom. I am just so thankful that God gave me a husband who strives to love me as Christ loves us. And on that topic, I am thankful to a Savior who lives in and through me, enabling me to accomplish that which I think is not possible. Does that mean I didn't think I could get my thesis done? Nope. But I never would have thought that I could have impact on the life of a recovering teenage drug addict, which is what my thesis was about. That was a God-given project and I am thankful to Him for it.

On the home front, Baby Paul turned 11 months old today. The chair pictures didn't happen, but I did catch this moment between brothers. I love my boys.

Outdoor Concert

I've not posted in the past few days. The kids and I took a spontaneous trip north for Oma's last day of school. Erik was out of town and I just piled everyone into the car and went. It was fun to see her kids and show off my boys.

Speaking of showing off...well...this video says it all. By the way, I can't ever get Luke to sing for the video camera. The solution...give him a mic.

Great Weekend!

We have had a wonderful weekend here, punctuated by some fabulous weather today. Erik and Luke are currently outside mowing the lawn together. Luke just popped in the front door (all by himself), saying, "Mommy, I have a flower for you." What he handed me is technically a weed, but I LOVE it.
Yesterday we took a family trip to the Children's Museum. This was our first venture here just the four of us. It went so well! Luke played, Paul napped and we all had a fabulous time. The newest exhibit is all about dinosaurs, something Luke found pretty interesting. He kept asking me all the names...can we get a book? I only remember about four and half of those have been changed in the twenty years since I cared about dinosaurs. I think a trip to the library is coming. I know we could find it online, but my toddler is pretty enamored with the written word. He likes to turn the pages himself and point, while asking questions.
Last night Erik and I were blessed to have a date. A real date. Our good friends suggested a new babysitter, a close friend of their family who just finished her second year in college. The lovely Emily arrived on our doorstep and gave me a huge hug first thing. I knew I was going to like this girl. She was awesome with both boys, getting Luke to bed on time and rocking the precious Paul back to sleep after he awoke crying. She also tidied up my house and told me my boys are wonderful. I think we have a winner!
Meanwhile, Erik and I escaped! We began our evening by enjoying the peace, quiet and lovely view at Dave and Lynne's place. They are currently enjoying Europe and thought they wouldn't mind if we hung out in the relative calm of their condo. We then headed to the Pearl District for dinner and enjoyed the amazing cuisine and delightful atmosphere of Andina, a Peruvian restaurant. I especially enjoyed the lively Saturday night crowd and the live music. I felt a bit like an alien invading from planet Diaper Change, but I tried to blend in. While we were dining, the co-owner, and true Peruvian Mama came around to greet the evening guests. I gushed my appreciation for the food, the hospitality and the general feeling of warmth exuded by the place. She smiled and said their dream was to create a small piece of Peru, where there is always good food and a warm welcome. I think I need to go there!
We arrived home to sleeping children and a happy babysitter. Did I mention she's a winner? It was a lovely date and we are thinking of having another one in July!
Today was a little nuts. I sang on worship team at church, necessitating my 6:30 am departure from home. Erik brought the boys for the 9:30 am service, while I stayed until 12:30 pm helping take down after the last service. We had a super mellow lunch of hummus, goat cheese, crackers and mini-toasts, leftovers from our date appetizers. Not surprisingly Luke liked both spreads. At dinner tonight he chose the balsamic vinaigrette for his carrot slices. Eclectic palette.
Here are the pics from the trip to the Children's Museum.

Paul in the Baby Garden, happy.

Luke liked the dinosaur puppets and found some folks to play with him while Mommy took pictures.

Daddy and his boys in the "dinosaur nest." Those big, squishy pillows are the eggs. Luke has spent the last few mornings hatching from his bed. Quite the site!

Home!

The Daddy-Man arrived home this morning, after awaking at 4:30 am in San Diego to catch his flight. We were all very happy to see him. Paul was such a cutie. He laughed and "kissed" Daddy over and over again. Kissing for Paul involves opening his mouth as wide as he can and inserting as much of your face as possible. It's a very moist experience, but those of us who love him don't mind too much. Luke also was ecstatic. He gave Daddy big hugs and told him all about his upcoming Father's Day present. Note to self: Don't tell the toddler about the surprises. :-)

Luke spent time wearing his tool belt and working this afternoon.

I told him to say cheese. He said, "TOOLS!" instead.

Paul made his move on the tools while Luke took his nap. Nice teeth, buddy.

Paul is talking it up in the picture. He is quite the conversationalist. He even said Mama at dinner tonight. Okay, he was prompted, but he said it!

Checking out the giraffe with the Daddy-Man. We are all happy he is home.

Victory is Nigh!

I cannot express how grateful I am that it is Thursday evening. Tomorrow morning Erik boards a plane insanely early and will be home around 10am. It has been a long week, but not without its huge blessings. I asked my Bible Study teacher to pray for me, that I would have time each day to pray and read God's Word. It totally happened. And it made all the difference. Yes, there were moments that I felt like throwing a pity party, but God reminded me over and over again, through various friends and blogs (see Jessica Kaylor's Journey with Cancer), that He is good and faithful. And my life is blessed. And my boys are a blessing to me and to most of the other people around us.
This morning I was really tired after being up four times, twice with each boy, during the night. Paul had gone down for an early morning nap and I found myself laying on the couch in the living room at about 9am. Luke was futzing around and noticed me. He disappeared and returned with his favorite blanket, which he used to cover me. He brought me a few of his animal friends and then whispered things like, "Shhhh. Mommy's sleeping." I rested for a few minutes, never really sleeping, but so thankful that Luke found all this entertaining.
The picture is from yesterday morning when Luke and I discovered all the fun that Photo Booth can be.

These shots are taken in rapid succession, much like the old-school photo booths at the mall. At the beginning Luke wasn't really sure what was going on, but he thought I was pretty hilarious. I love to make him laugh.

The Viking and the Princess

Tonight we were blessed to spend the evening with good friends. We were fed and entertained and most importantly shown the love of Christ in real and meaningful ways. I arrived shortly before 5pm with my toddler and infant sons and we were welcomed with bubbles. Luke was in heaven. Paul thought they were pretty cool as well. Early in the evening I was joking about having not showered since Monday. How do single parents not smell badly? A clean towel and private bath were immediately provided. HEAVEN! But wait...the best is yet to come. Dinner was so yummy and I was thrilled that Luke ate protein and veggies. Paul ate mostly O-shaped cereal, but what other food group is there for the newly toothed? After dinner came the ultra cuteness. Paul found happiness in the port-a-crib that appeared quickly in the living room. Luke and his hostess settled in for a round of Veggie Tales. Part way through the showing, a session of dress up began. Luke hasn't had much experience here, but his hostess clearly knew the ropes. I present the pictures: The Viking and the Princess. I'm such a happy mom.

Funny Sounds

This was lunch today. Posts are short because the Daddy-Man is traveling for the entire week and I sleep when I have spare time. No foley artists were used in the editing of this video. In fact, no editing was used at all. You can probably figure that out for yourself.

Video Cuteness

This video was shot this past weekend. It is Luke explaining his imaginary pictures. He gets this concept from Bible Study Fellowship where they use a picture with each story. Adorable. By the way, the one with Jesus saying stop is referring to Matthew 8. The one with Jesus and His disciples saying stop is from Luke's imagination. :-)

Special Guest

We had a special guest in town this weekend. Aunt Krista flew in from San Francisco for a visit. She and I were able to escape for coffee TWICE. That rocks. She and her wonderful friend, Ariel, watched the boys this afternoon, giving Erik and I a much needed date before he heads to San Diego for the week. Super cool. I was able to capture a few pictures at the end of the evening. Paul is looking pretty tired, but still adorable. He and Luke had a great time with Aunt Krista and are looking forward to more time at the family reunion in a few weeks.

Sleepy Paul and Aunt Krista

Right before I took this picture I said, "Luke, look at the camera and say butter." He did. I can't remember if Aunt Krista did or not, but I think her smile definitely says butter! I like butter.

Serious conversation...that mom interrupted by taking this picture.