Fabulous Weekend

We have had such a fabulous weekend. I must confess that I was actually at the cabin in Sunriver for most of it. My friend Becky and I escaped on Friday for a weekend of scrapbooking and watching chick flicks. It was delightful! We were back before dinner on Sunday, but it was just what we both needed. I find myself enjoying my children more and laughing at my husband's jokes again. It's a good thing. :-)
Meanwhile Erik and the boys hosted our good friend Mark, visiting from the north. They worked hard at re-shingling a portion of the back of the house AND collecting mini-kit pieces in Lego Star Wars for the Wii. We were all able to enjoy Sunday evening worship at Mosaic. This morning we all ventured to the park and met up with more friends for a great play date. Three bi-planes flew over while we were there and I thought all the boys (men included) were going to chase after them, begging for a ride. Pretty cute.
We had guests for dinner tonight. Grandma and Grandpa came over, along with Jonathan, their exchange student and Erik's cousin, Elizabeth. It was so much fun to hang out with them in the backyard. We set up the beach ball sprinkler, a present from Aunt Nikki last summer. The boys were very entertained and very entertaining. We ate bratwurst and enjoyed the sunshine. The boys ran themselves ragged, had baths, and promptly fell asleep. Sweet.

Luke enjoys a cool down with the beach ball sprinkler. Good gift, Aunt Nikki!

Paul's going over to check this business out, while Luke tells me about being wet.

Paul points out the craziness of a beach ball with water flowing out of its top.

Paul and Grandpa "Skoal" with each other before dinner. This is one of Paul's most recent skills and he loves it. Grandpa thought it was pretty great as well. :-)

Play Date Fun

We enjoyed a play date with friends this morning and I just thought I would post a few pictures, mostly for the benefit of Oma. These friends have a great backyard with tons of cool activities. It was a perfect day for it.

Paul contemplates the goal.

He shoots...

He scores!

Buddies!

Great Sunday

Our church, Mosaic, has three different gathering times, two on Sunday mornings and one on Sunday evenings. We attended our first evening gathering tonight, and I'm pretty sure we are hooked. We didn't know everyone there, but we felt like we did. We have been at Mosaic for nearly nine months now and we LOVE it. Tonight we loved it even more. In a sanctuary that holds over three hundred, it felt intimate. The worship was brilliant, and the message beautiful. I also adore the feeling of worship at the end of the day. We are more tired, but less distracted. We find ourselves a little more raw and less polished. We have had our day already and it has either treated us well or treated us poorly. But none of that matters because God is good and it is right to give him thanks and praise. As students at PLU we would sometimes sing for Evensong, a liturgical evening service. My favorite line was, "May our prayers rise before You as incense, a lifting up of our hands at the evening sacrifice." I love worshiping at the end of the day. In addition to loving the gathering itself, the boys did great. Instead of being amongst a throng of toddlers, Paul was with two other children and two care providers. Luke was able to behave well and enjoy his story in his classroom also.
Afterward we decided to celebrate God's goodness by getting some ice cream! We drove through McDonald's and the four dollars for four ice creams was infinitely worth it. We ended the evening with Luke and Paul sitting on the front porch sharing the last of Luke's cone. As a mom, this was such a beautiful moment. Thank you, Father God, for these children and all You are teaching me through them.

The Brothers Bangsund at their best.

Lessons Learned

We have spent this year studying the life of Moses at Bible Study Fellowship. This evening Luke came into the living room with his plush snake, introducing him as the Good King Python. Erik asked him what made him good. Luke wasn't sure, so Erik brought it home for him.

Erik: What made Moses a good leader?
Luke: He wanted to love, honor, and obey God.

Unprompted. That's so rad. I am humbled by the way God teaches my children in spite of me.

In other news, Luke and I spent a short thirty-five minutes in the Emergency Room last night. He is just fine, but I'll tell you that there was way more blood than I like to see. He was in the playroom running around, the purpose of the room, when he tripped and fell into the wall. Sadly, and rather negligently, there was a nail sticking out of the wall and it got him on the side of his head. The laceration itself was only about a quarter of an inch long, but heads bleed, so off to the hospital we went. The doctor in the ER said that anywhere else on his body it would have earned him a stitch, but scalps heal quickly and easily. Never was a mom more thankful for the safety that God provides in our home. The nail is gone and Luke had an awesome experience in the ER. If you see him, ask him about it. He got three stickers and a tour of the ER for being such a well-behaved and talkative patient.

And now for the real reason you checked the blog.

Another unprompted moment of cuteness brought to you by the Brothers Bangsund.