Bangsund Family Blog

Literary Experiences

2012-01-15T17:20:00.000-08:00

We have been reading the Francis books by Russell Hoban. It all began with A Baby Sister for Francis which we received as a gift from Ashli Moore about four years ago when Luke was bitty and Paul was bittier. Although it was popular at the time, the subtleties of Francis have really started to catch on lately. We were delighted to learn that our library has the entire collection.

In the past week we have enjoyed Best Friends for Francis, A Bargain for Francis, and my personal favorite Bread and Jam for Francis. Each features our heroine singing her way through many of life's trials and tribulations, an attribute with which our entire family resonates.

While doing the grocery shopping today, I simply could not resist the urge to give the boys a special "literary" treat. In A Baby Sister for Francis, Francis runs away from home. She doesn't run far, as she deems the spot underneath the dining room table the most suitable place to which one could run away. With her she takes five chocolate sandwich cookies and a box of prunes.

After rest time today, we had special family Francis Time. The adults declined to sit under the table, but did enjoy a few of the chocolate sandwich cookies...Luke is the only one who ate prunes. He loves them! :-) Here are the pics.

Luke took time to smile for the camera. Paul was all business with the chocolate sandwich cookies.

Luke eats his prunes with a fork, thereby preventing sticky fingers. Yep.

Christmas Pics

2011-12-26T14:57:00.000-08:00

Erik woke up on Christmas Eve with a terrible cold. He went straight back to bed and has stayed there for the bulk of the last three days. The boys and I did Christmas morning together and I was able to get a few fun shots.

Happy Birthday, Jesus. Your cake is delicious!

Empty plate - big smile!

Time for Stockings!

Paul enjoys his Fruit Twist

Luke with his freeze dried strawberries - a favorite Christmas treat at our house!

The boys' first gifts were these 3D grizzly bear puzzles. Challenging but super cool!

Paul with his finished bear

Luke got this radio dramatization of all seven Narnia books. He was jazzed.

Both boys got these knight play sets. Yes, they already have armor. These are for the villain to use...every story needs a villain.

Luke was pretty jazzed about Aunt Nikki's gift, a cool dinosaur stamp set.

Paul with his stamp set, naming each animal. Cute!

Luke with his castle building blocks from Oma

The shirt came from Grandma, the shield is from last Christmas and the rest was from us. The final product is a six-year-old boy who believes he is a knight.

Fierce Knights!

Happy Knights!

Christmas Letter 2011

2011-12-20T14:16:00.000-08:00

In keeping with our new tradition of spending less and giving more at Christmas time, I am once again foregoing a Christmas card and letter. As I receive your cards in the mail, I struggle with this sacrifice. I want to send you a darling picture of our family with an enclosed letter updating you on all the Bangsund bizz. Then I remember that my children most often produce pictures like this one...

...and I am once more convinced that digital is the way for our family to go. Who wants to hang that on their fridge? :-)

All joking aside, 2011 has been a year filled with blessings, challenges, and growth for the Bangsunds.

Erik continues in his position with Takeda Pharmaceuticals. He embraces the challenges of selling in an environment controlled by managed "care" companies who care more about the bottom line than patient well-being. He strives to work at all things with all his heart as though working for the Lord Jesus Christ, not men (Colossians 3:23). He inspires us with his positive attitude and diligence. We love the Daddy-Man. Erik also continues in his role as a Group Leader for the local evening men's Bible Study Fellowship class. He loves the Word and he loves the men in his group. It's a huge blessing in his life.

Luke finished off his kindergarten year in June, turned six in August and began first grade in September 2011. He loves knights, castles, Narnia and occasionally watching Daddy play a Zelda video game (only those rated E and approved by Mommy). We have seen growth in Luke's ability to handle unmet expectations and disappointment. We continue to pray that Jesus will grow Luke in his patience and kindness. (Who doesn't need a little work in these areas?)

Paul turned four in July and started unofficial pre-school in September. He loves cars, trains, watching the aforementioned Zelda game, and playing anything with his big brother. Those two are tight. Paul has conquered the use of all restroom facilities. I won't go into further detail, but needless to say, we were all overjoyed! We pray that Jesus will help Paul handle the big emotions of being four and grow Mommy and Daddy and Luke in their patience while we wait for him to turn five. We love our Paul.

Amy doesn't know where to start. 2011 brought new callings on her life from the Lord Jesus that she simply wasn't expecting. She continues to homeschool the boys and LOVES it. She continues to be a leader for BSF, but swapped over to an evening class where she serves as a Children's Leader. She LOVES it because she gets to teach the Bible and invest in the lives of 6th-9th graders. And now for the surprise.

In late August, Amy and Erik answered God's call to join the core leadership team of a church plant coming out of their home church, Mosaic. Their new church family, Roots Community, is filled with young families focused on the life-changing truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The night they met with their new pastor, he asked Amy to pray about accepting a call to be Roots' first children's pastor. Amy thought, "No way," but said, "I'll pray about it." Long story short, after heartfelt prayer, God used His Word and fellow believers to make it abundantly clear to her that this was a calling He had placed on her life. And so, Amy accepted the position and began giving roughly ten hours a week to the work of being a children's pastor. And...she LOVES it. :-)

God is so good and faithful. We pray that all of you are experiencing His life-saving grace and goodness this Christmas.

Love,

Erik, Amy, Luke and Paul

PS - Because MANY of you have asked in your Christmas correspondence to us, YES, we continue to lead the Young Adult BSF Prayer Group with the hopes that God will start a new class here in Portland. His timing is perfect and His ways are not our own. We trust Him completely. :-)

Mostly October and Mostly Pics

2011-11-11T14:01:00.001-08:00

Well, friends, it's been a very full October and new we are part way through November! But I thought I would share some pics and fun from the past month.

Luke and Daddy heading to Luke's first night of BSF on October 10th

Luke was so excited, he could barely stand it! BSF continues to be a favorite part of the week for him.

We made a compass in science on October 12th. It was pretty awesome.

I made spiced butternut squash and lentil soup for the first time this fall on October 18th. It was also pretty awesome. :-)

We went to the pumpkin patch on October 22nd.

I love the look on Paul's face as he checks out the sheep.

Goofy Family Picture!

This child loves to make hilarious faces.

This is the "I'm smiling for this picture" smile.

Luke draws a face on his pumpkin.

Pretty fun face!

Paul draws a face on his pumpkin

Not bad for the four-year-old!

Serious Dude with His Pumpkin

Paul helping Daddy carve

The boys on the porch with their carved pumpkins

Cuteness!

Lit pumpkins and tired boys...it too awhile for it to get dark enough!

Luke dressed as a knight this year

I really love this costume.

Adventures await!

Sir Luke

Paul also had a knight costume and at the VERY last minute told our house guest that he was going to be a bear! Out came last year's Pooh costume.

He was a very happy Pooh Bear!

We had to do this business early because Halloween fell on a Monday - BSF night! The neighbors were all fabulous at 5:45pm and didn't mind coughing up some free candy despite the daylight streaming through their windows. :-)

And this I took a few days ago because the boys requested a picture. Pretty fun!

Lessons Learned This Week

2011-10-08T17:22:00.000-07:00

It has been a great week here in Bangsund-Land. I'll begin with last Saturday morning. Luke came out of his room at 6:20 am with a complaint about being unable to locate something, and I knew it was time. The room had been spiraling out of control since his 6th birthday party. Yes, that was in late August. I decided that with Paul asleep and Erik at BSF leadership, it was a perfect opportunity to shovel it out. I wish I had taken a before picture. It took us three hours. We did pause briefly for breakfast. Here's a picture of the results. I was thrilled and so was Luke. I'm even happier to say that nearly a week later, it basically looks the same. Okay, the books aren't quite as neatly shelved.

After the room-gutting, Daddy arrived home and we all headed over to the Children's Museum to enjoy opening day of the new exhibit: Lego Castle Adventure. Did they crawl inside my six-year-old's brain to create this exhibit? I'm fairly certain they did. Legos and Castles are Luke's favorite things ever. I'm fairly certain that he and I will be returning to enjoy this business more than once. While we were there, Luke was actually a little overwhelmed by it all. I think he will enjoy it more when it's a little less crowded and he can take his time to contemplate things. Regardless, he had a pretty amazing time and here are some pics to prove it.

This knight is made of lego. Even I know that's cool.

Luke takes a closer look.

Both boys check out the trebuchet made of lego.

In school this week we also had a number of super fun things. Our science experiments this week continued to focus on magnets, highlighting the difference in the poles and how they attract and repel. Luke's favorite item was a car we modified. I made a video because it was so fun to see him enjoying our creation. I've not watched it since I made it, but I think he even explains the science, in his very six-year-old boy way.

Here's the close-up shot of the poles.

Wednesday our family did something special in response to a moment I had with the Holy Spirit that morning. For BSF this week, we are reading Acts 8 and 9, in which the early church is persecuted and scattered almost single-handedly by Saul. Acts 4:4 amazed me as I read it. "Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went."

The passage goes on to describe Philip's time in Samaria proclaiming the Christ. Our lesson had us look back to 2 Kings 17:6-41 as a reminder of how the Jewish culture of first century Jerusalem felt toward the Samaritans. I'll sum it up with John 4:9 - "Jews do not associate with Samaritans." They did NOT like these folks. Samaritan religious practices were detestable to Jews and they would travel MILES out of their way to avoid Samaria.

Now Philip is there filled with the Holy Spirit, and nothing can keep him from sharing the amazing awesomeness that is Jesus Christ, God in the flesh come to pay the penalty for humanity's sins so that all who accept the gift can live transformed, eternal, abundant lives. Sharing the Gospel with the Samaritans was a completely new venture and outlook for the Jewish Christians from Jerusalem. Here comes the question that stopped me in my tracks.

"What new actions should you take toward people who might occupy a similar place in your culture?" Isn't that a good question? I needed to stop and think about who I try to avoid and then it hit me. I am often guilty of attempting to avoid the homeless. I really felt like the Lord wanted me to find a healthy way to engage this population rather than avoid and ignore them. Here comes the Holy Spirit inspired part.

It was Wednesday morning, meaning that Paul would be headed to BSF with my mom and Luke and I would have special time together. After we finished the academics for the morning, we headed over to the dollar store to build some goodie bags for the homeless. Luke helped me pick out toothbrushes, deodorant, lip balm, and shaving supplies. Then we headed to Fred Meyer to purchase good socks. After dinner that night, we all sat down to put the bags together. The boys loved it. We included meal invitations for the Portland Rescue Mission that anyone can print here. We are so excited to have this opportunity to help hurting people in our community. And I am so thankful to God for His Word and for BSF that helps me apply it to my life.

Our bags for the homeless. We keep them in our cars and give them out when we encounter someone in need.

This picture was just too cute. It's the fort they built after we cleaned Luke's room. Paul is holding up a floor plan. That's something Daddy printed and told them all about just recently. Paul says this is Lucy's house. From Narnia. :-)

More Magnets and King Narmer

2011-09-30T15:51:00.000-07:00

School was so much fun this week. I'm just going to post the pictures and tell the stories.

Luke continued to study magnets in science this week. He learned all about how magnets can pull through certain materials. These cork boats have a metal thumb tack stuck in them, and Luke is using a magnet taped to a pencil to move them around. Very popular activity.

This was my favorite moment of the morning. I gave Luke a piece of red paper, a nail, and a magnet. I challenged him to pick up the paper with just the objects provided. Although the point of the challenge was to use the magnet through the paper, Luke found his own way. He poked the nail through the paper and used the magnet. He was thrilled when it worked. I was, too. I want him to be someone who thinks outside the box. :-)

Meanwhile in history...

King Narmer, the White Crown King of Upper Egypt, defeated the Red Crown King of Lower Egypt, joining the two regions into one country for the first time. Narmer also joined the two crowns into the Double Crown of Egypt. I made this. I'm not crafty, but this thing absolutely rocks. It totally looks like this in all the books. Paul was stoked to wear it. Luke loves it but declined to have his picture taken wearing it.

King Narmer looking fierce.

Okay, this wasn't school related, but it was another fun aspect of the week. We bought an air popper. After Luke went dairy-free, microwave popcorn of any variety was no longer an option. This handy little machine is the answer to all our popcorn woes! And it is SO much fun to watch. We serve it up salted and maybe with a little garlic powder and the boys love it. We are hoping to get even more adventurous in the future with some curry or garem masala. :-)

God's Goodness When I Least Expected It

2011-09-23T14:47:00.000-07:00

The grace of God amazes me. Today's example begins with the fact that our entire family was up late last night hosting an event for our church. Usually the boys are in bed by 7:30 pm and asleep by 8 pm. Last night we started bedtime at 9:15 pm. And no, they did not sleep in. I first heard Luke at 5:45 am, as he opened his squeaky dresser drawer while getting dressed. Yep. I felt sure it was going to be a LONG morning.

After breakfast we started school. I simplified things quite a bit considering the boys' current state of sleep deprivation. For his BSF lesson, we read the questions first and then I read Luke the passage and stopped each time there was an answer. I figured that was a good reading skill to teach anyway.

I was pleasantly surprised at Luke's willingness and ability to do his handwriting lesson today. I thought for sure we would ditch it, but I gave him the option and he was game. First moment of grace. Science is always popular and today was no exception. History is also a winner, but today had a new activity that I wasn't completely confident would fly. We have been studying about how agriculture began in the Fertile Crescent and spawned the birth of cities such as Jericho and Çatal Hüyük. Today I had planned to introduce our first mapping activity, but now I wasn't so sure. I shot a quick prayer up and decided to give it a whirl with the understanding that I could easily suspend it if things got ugly.

Low and behold, Luke loves the maps! He followed my instructions perfectly, circling the two cities in red, tracing the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers and coloring the area between them green. I was able to introduce the name of the region between the rivers as Mesopotamia. He was elated with the size of that name. :-)

When I was done giving these instructions, he asked, "What else can I color on here?" So we started coloring the other bodies of water, talking about their names and locations on our world map.

It is moments like these that remind me that God is bigger than I think and more full of grace than I can imagine. Even on days that should go badly, the Holy Spirit steps in and provides us with the love and patience we need to not just survive, but thrive. I am thankful. Here are the pics.

This picture makes me so happy that God asked us to homeschool our boys. I got to see this face! I got to share this moment with my boy. It was special and I'm thankful to Jesus for it.

Luke's first map!

First Day of School and Other Joys

2011-09-15T16:08:00.000-07:00

Lorene Park Academy started school a week ago today. We had a great beginning to the school year and things have been going well. Here are a TON of pics for the interested!

Our classroom table all set to go.

The welcome sign

Our memory verse and character trait for the week.

Happiest First Grader on the Block

Sweetest Preschooler on the Block

Students and Teacher :-)

Getting down to business

Paul wrote his name all by himself on his First Day of School Questionnaire

There he is, folks!

More sweetness!

In other news, our family of seven is doing well. Living in community brings so many blessings. One of my favorite moments so far has involved Mr. David entertaining the boys during the Arsenic Hour...that's the time between 4pm and 5pm when I'm cooking dinner, the children are usually screaming, and I just want to poison the food. In steps Mr. David to play Grizzly Bear with the boys in the basement. Seriously? I'm feeling like I should pay this guy!

Another sweet moment came when Mr. Matt challenged Paul to see how neatly he could eat his dinner last night, making it into a game. Paul was intrigued, but actually didn't manage to keep much cheese off the floor. Oh well. It was a valiant effort.

There have also been amazing moments of having other folks take out the garbage, empty the dishwasher, and sweep the floor. WHAT?!? That's just beautiful.

Here we all are at our first dinner together, which didn't actually happen until this past weekend. Starting with Erik and going around clockwise...Erik, Shantel, Matt, Luke, David, and Paul. Not pictured: Amy, the happiest hostess on the block. :-)

Sunset and Grasshopper

2011-09-04T21:13:00.000-07:00

Today's adventures revolved mainly around more bugs and a trip to the swimming pool. Oma and I headed out together this morning, so Daddy was in charge. He did a great job of keeping the boys entertained with bug hunting and airplane flying. (Grandma left the boys these absolutely awesome little flyers to find via a scavenger hunt our first evening here...very popular activity!) Sadly, Daddy didn't take any pictures. Then our trip to the pool also went undocumented. I was too busy being splashed by Paul. We did make new friends, though. The woman sitting beside me at the wading pool is a homeschool mom who lives just down the road from us at home! It was so fun to get to know her. We exchanged numbers and are excited to have a play date when we all get home.
After swimming, Paul took a nap of epic proportions beginning at 3pm. Eventually at 6pm, after we had finished eating dinner (Teriyaki Beef made on the BBQ - SUPER YUM), Erik and I woke him up. He was a pretty cheerful fellow and sat at the table enjoying his food while watching Daddy play Da Blob. It's a video game. The hero paints things. We like it.
Around 7:15 Daddy noticed the amazing sunset taking place and we all headed out to enjoy the golden light. I grabbed my camera and spent the next 20 minutes playing with the light. Here are some of the results.

Looking at the sunset from the front deck of the cabin.

Oma took this picture of us. We are both a little tired, but that's okay. The lighting is great! :-)

I love sunsets. I just have a point and shoot camera, but I still like the way this turned out.

This is Erik mocking my attempts at photography. He's good at it.

Sweet boy who held still so Mommy could take his picture in the golden light of the setting sun.

After watching the sunset and throwing the planes a few more times, Daddy caught a grasshopper! The boys immediately ran for the bug jar. We brought it in for a few minutes. Don't worry. No grasshoppers were harmed in the taking of these photos. Luke released our little friend as soon as Mommy was done with the photoshoot.

Studious and serious about bugs.

The wonder of being four and catching bugs

Nice catch, Daddy-Man! He's a big one.

Right after I snapped this, Luke asked me if I could see his funny face through the bug jar. Yep.

Bugs and Such

2011-09-03T20:46:00.000-07:00

Another fun day here in Sunriver, despite the fact that the Ducks are currently losing the season opener to LSU. I will not be talking about football anymore in this post. On to better things.

Our morning adventure was the Sunriver Nature Center. They had lots of thing for the boys to enjoy. I'll use the pics to explain.

This is a fun little display with a variety of eggs - birds' eggs, lizard eggs, snake eggs...fascinating for my dudes.

Both boys wanted to try to use the binoculars to look at the birds in the aviary, but neither was really able to get them focused. Next time.

Luke really enjoyed this display of Camp Abbott, the World War II training camp that was originally on the site where Sunriver is today.

This is the coolest microscope ever. It has one large lens instead of two small ones, allowing the wee folk to easily use it. Paul spent about ten minutes here.

Luke also liked it.

This was Luke's favorite exhibit, a box with a meteorite and a lava rock. Luke was amazed at the comparison of the weight of the two, the meteorite far outweighing the lava rock. He must have lifted each of them twenty times and explained the whole thing about thirty times...to each of us. :-)

Outside they also have some very cool birds of prey.

On the way back to the car, Luke especially became fascinated with the number of grasshoppers available for hunting. He was so cute to watch. He would try so hard to catch one, but those little dudes move quick. So during nap time, I went into the mall and bought both boys a little Sunriver present...their very own bug catching nets. Luke had to try his out immediately.

He is so serious when he is bug hunting. It is ultra adorable.

GOT IT!

A Boy and His First Bug

Luke turned the jar toward me and said, "He wants to look at the camera for the picture." It's a butterfly of some sort. We need a bug book at the cabin.

The boys with their nets. Paul refused to nap again today, hence the listless look. He's better in the mornings. We'll go bug hunting again tomorrow.

Overall, it was a great day. We hope Grandpa reads this post and feels cheered by the cuteness of the dudes and forgets the results of the game.

Vacation

2011-09-02T21:14:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Sunriver yesterday evening around 6:30 pm. It was good to get here before the crowds. And let me tell you, there are now crowds. But we don't mind. At the last minute our friend Mark was unable to come, so we brought my mom instead. This enables us to have a bit more freedom. See below. :-)

Erik and I started our day with a sunrise walk at about 6:15 am. We grabbed our coffee and walked over to check out the new bike path and construction site for the next great thing in Sunriver - SHARC. The Sunriver Homeowners Aquatics and Recreation Center is going to be amazing. Even in its current state of half finished it impresses. We are so excited for this to be completed next summer that we are thinking of coming for an entire week with the boys for the first time ever. It's that cool.

After our walk, we arrived home to fully awake and cereal fed children. Considering that it was all of 46 degrees outside and not quite 7:15 am, we decided against sending them outside to play. Instead we plugged in a Mighty Machines video from the library. Eighty-one minutes later, the temperature was nearly sixty in the full sun, so out we went to show the boys some real life mighty machines.

Interestingly, although the construction site was fully operational, they were WAY more interested in the brand new outdoor basketball court. We probably spent fifteen minutes there while the boys explored it and played follow the leader along the fresh, white lines.

Paul wanted to touch the net. Daddy helped.

This was so cute to watch.

I seriously could have enjoyed this sweetness all day.

When the basketball lines had all been walked, it was time to earnestly check out the construction. I think it was Daddy who convinced the boys that they should move as many rocks as possible inside the fence. It didn't take much persuasion. The boys were convinced that they were helping.

Hard at Work

ROCKS! Paul looks serious because he is serious about rocks.

Eventually, one of the machines came close enough to the fence to be irresistible to Paul. It was pretty cool.

The money shot.

After that we headed back to the cabin for some snack. On the walk back, we all saw a grasshopper, prompting Erik to pull out his bug catching net from childhood. It's a bit big for the boys still, but Paul was pretty jazzed to try it out once.

Just...

like...

THAT!

We had thought we might visit the pool today, but the temperature just wasn't warm enough. Instead we went over to the river for a little bit of rock throwing. Again with the rocks.

Paul was pretty tired after awhile. Did I mention he woke up at 5:50 am this morning? So, he and Daddy sat by the river, listening to God's Quiet Things, an idea we stole from a book with the same title. If you've never read it, you should check it out. We use it as a family to encourage the boys to listen to the sounds of God's creation around them. Today we heard ground squirrels, the wind, and a variety of birds. Pretty amazing activity for a four year old.

Listening

Looking

Those were pretty much the outings for the day. The boys spent the afternoon playing in the area around the cabin. I took a nap. Erik and I also headed into Bend to buy more fruit, because I left most of it at home. I also forgot a pair of jeans and more than two pairs of shorts for myself. See the previous post if you are wondering why. Regardless, it's Labor Day Weekend and the outlet mall was crazy with sales. No problem.

I used the BBQ here for the first time. Pretty fancy. I made Cajun Grilled Pork Chops. They were astoundingly good. Both children completely refused to eat them. Oh well. Keeps the grocery bill smaller. The boys passed out early, having skipped nap. I, too, am headed to bed soon. Erik may or may not game until midnight. He's allowed. He's on vacation. :-)

More Basement Projects

2011-08-31T16:40:00.000-07:00

There is nothing like a deadline to make us get a project done. And when the deadline involves people we care about needing a place to sleep in our home, it's amazing how quickly and efficiently we can work.

A former student of mine, an absolutely wonderful young woman whom I adored as an 8th grader, is now married, expecting her first baby, and moving to Portland with her hubby and their good friend. These precious heads needed a place to land and we are so jazzed to provide it. The Lord has been so very generous to us. Our home is more than what we need or really use. It wasn't hard to say yes. The hard part came as we began to clean out their rooms!

Before pictures of both spaces...

So, clearly, this room needed some work. This is the room that has been functioning as our guest room. With one twin bed and one twin mattress/boxsprings on the floor, it was inadequate at best. Never mind the fact that often the children would play in here and completely trash the joint. And we've been using it for storage. But it was in better shape than the other space...

Uh...I can't believe I'm claiming this room publicly. We have called this room our seasonal storage room. There are shelves on the wall you can't see. In theory, we store our Christmas decorations there. In reality, this space became an absolute dumping ground. Not good. I was overjoyed to have a reason to gut this room. Yes, I could have done it without hosting three peeps in my home. But I know myself. I would not have. And God knows me even better. He knows I would not have.

So we worked. We pulled all the business out of seasonal storage, taking most of it to my mom's place in Canby. Long story short, her sewing room was in our basement and now it's not. It's a win-win! Almost all the other stuff in that room went to the Goodwill. I love it when the Lord brings me to a place of purging. We have so much and we do not need to keep that which we don't use. After emptying the room, we pulled the one twin bed around the corner, and started work on the other space.

This room also had much that ended up at the Goodwill. The extra mattress and boxsprings are going to a friend. All the extra bedding went away. All the crazy toys either went back to the playroom or into the trash can. It was so freeing to realize that I don't have to keep every cardboard sword and shield that they make. Woot!

With both rooms reasonably cleared, the next logical step was a trip to IKEA. :-)

We have always talked about getting a queen sized bed for our guest room. Sunday, we made it happen. The results are pretty nice, if I do say so myself. Here are the after pictures...

Here's the new guest room. We are so happy with the results and we pray that our guests will be, too.

And here's the former sewing/seasonal storage/every piece of junk I own room. Nice, huh? Actually unrecognizable would be a better adjective.

They are still basement rooms, but they are at least livable now.

Fourth Birthday Extravaganza

2011-07-09T16:01:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Paul's fourth birthday today with a Thomas themed party that revolved mostly around a bubble machine and the best balloon twister on the planet, Andrew Alfeche. He absolutely rocks. I'll just stop gushing and get the pics posted. They pretty much tell the story.

I love summer birthdays. These were our only decorations. That is our new picnic table.

Paul holds up his first balloon animal, a bumblebee.

Our dudes check out Andrew's awesome poster which displays the variety of stuff he makes.

Paul excitedly explaining all the balloon options.

Paul watching while Andrew works on his second creation.

Paul's second choice. It's a dragon!

Andrew entertained the young guests for the better part of the first hour. Did I mention his rates are EXTREMELY reasonable? Drop me a line if you want his contact info for your next kid party!

Time for presents! Paul was hilariously methodical while opening his gifts. It took him forever to open this first present, a set of Lightning McQueen cars. Luke had already peeked and announced the contents to the crowd. Paul meanwhile, unfazed, continued to slowly rip small pieces of wrapping paper away from the box.

Time for cake!

Paul literally could not take his eyes off the cake. There was no getting him to look up at the camera. Simultaneously, the precious girl beside him posed perfectly (and differently) for all six shots that I took. Hilarious!

Sadly, I didn't get any shots of the bubble machine, but it was a HUGE success as well. Best $9 I've spent this year. I'll check with my mom and see if she got some.

We all had a blast and now we are looking forward to our week in Cannon Beach beginning next Saturday. :-)

Timbers Fun

2011-07-03T16:25:00.000-07:00

Erik and I went on a DATE last night for my birthday. Dave and Lynne were awesomely awesome and bought us tickets to the Timbers game. We had been before, but not since they went MLS. Wow! It was so much fun.

I'll start at the very beginning of the evening. Our babysitter, the fabulous Karalie, arrived at 5:30 and we rapidly exited the premises. We headed toward Jake's Grill for appetizers, sparkling water and something rich for dessert. Have I mentioned the weather was stunning? It was. Perfectly perfect.

We dined on crab cake, purple artichoke accompanied by a truffle sauce, and kobe beef gyoza with plum sauce. Simply divine in all respects. We finished with the warm chocolate cake with molten center. Yum.

With the proper dessert indulgence complete, we decided to skip riding the MAX and walk the six blocks to the stadium instead. With a warm breeze blowing and the number of fans increasing by the block, I reveled in the entire experience of attending a professional sporting event.

I realized as we entered Jeld Wen Field that for me, attending any professional sporting event brings back incredibly fond memories from my childhood. My dad loved to take me to Mariners baseball games (in the 80's when they absolutely stunk and played in the Kingdome) and Seattle Supersonics games (may they rest in peace). These events were not about who won and who lost. They were not about having really good seats. We never did, although often my father's dubious morality would find us occupying seats closer to the action at halftime or the 7th inning stretch. Oh dear. Ethics aside, these times were about sharing a passion with my dad...sports. Neither one of us were particularly stellar athletes, but we really enjoyed watching. It was what we did together. It was fun.

My dad lives far away now and spends his time caring for my ailing step-mom. They can't travel and I don't see him. And don't get me wrong, there are good things about that which I won't elucidate here. (Remember the dubious morality issue? It extended beyond seats at athletic events) But each and every time I find myself in a professional sporting arena of some sort, I become light-hearted, almost giddy. I don't care who wins. I'm there for the show.

Okay. Enough waxing eloquent. Here are the pics and a video I made of Timber Joey cutting the log after the Timber's only goal.

No need for dubious morals! We were five rows from the pitch. Amazing seats.

The best part...we were just one section away from the Timber Army. We stood the entire game, cheered, chanted, and sang with the best of them.

Happy Girl! This was easily a half hour before kick off. The place was absolutely packed when the match started.

And now for the grand finale...a short video of Timber Joey doing his thing and the Timber Army doing theirs.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2011-07-01T15:44:00.000-07:00

Well folks, it's my birthday. About two weeks ago, I called my friend Holly and asked if I could come and spend this day with her and her family. She willingly (and graciously) agreed. It has been a beautiful and amazing day. We ate brunch outside in the sunshine. She painted my fingernails and my toenails while listening to the story of how Erik and I got together. We have had espresso shots with cream and hazelnut flavoring. We have had iced coffees. We have had pancakes with sour cream and and fresh picked strawberries. (Seriously, folks, try it.) What a delightful day!

I want to give glory to God for my beautiful friend, Holly and her gracious and loving family. Each has added to this special day in their own unique way. :-)

It's the Happy Birthday Pancake!

Hey, Hey! The Gang's All Here! I love these people and the photographer.

Adorable!

Sweet cuteness.

The Birthday Spa

The Birthday Pool that kept the kids happy during the Birthday Mani/Pedi.

Such a fun group of folks!

A Day Out With Thomas

2011-06-22T15:29:00.000-07:00

Well folks, we took our boys to A Day Out With Thomas this past weekend, and I must say that it was MORE than worth the price of admission. It was simply magical to see them experience this character up close and personal. Paul was especially awed by the experience. Luke was very demonstrative in his response, very rare in this often stoic child. I won't wax eloquent. The pictures and video say it all.

The boys on the bus! We rode a school bus from the parking lot to the train yard. So exciting!

Paul on the train. He mostly cannot believe he is on a real train being pulled by Thomas.

This is so cool!

Our family with Thomas. It was NOT difficult to get everyone to smile.

And then Paul turned around and I got the money shot. This boy is looking straight at his hero. And I don't mind that it is a hulking piece of metal because Paul is so very happy. :-)

And now, prepare yourself for a VERY excited Luke. Part way through he sees me and asks about corn dogs. I had been on corn dog detail, but thought this video more important. You'll see why!

The End of an Era

2011-05-09T18:22:00.000-07:00

For the last four years, Monday nights from September to May have been marked by Daddy's departure for BSF. I would like to say that I have treasured these evenings with just the boys and me. This would be a lie. I am a stay-at-home mom who home schools. After all day with my boys, I don't really enjoy evenings without my husband; however, I have been more than willing to release Erik to both attend and serve in BSF. The benefits FAR outweigh the cost, but that is another post. I digress.

Tonight is Share Night at Erik's BSF class. On the last evening of the year, they eat spaghetti and share how God has impacted their lives through the study that past year. It's pretty amazing. As I was pondering what to do for dinner tonight, I realized this will be the very last Monday night I spend with the boys while Erik is at BSF. Next year, Luke will attend with Erik, leaving just Paul and I at home each Monday. I decided we needed to celebrate with a special dinner the boys will never forget.

What would mark such an important occasion? Prime rib? Didn't have it and the boys wouldn't touch it. Waffles? Daddy makes those and we just had them for Mother's Day. Then an idea of epic proportions struck me. When dinner time came, I explained to the boys the uniqueness of our evening and told them my idea.

I opened the pantry and said, "Pick whatever you want and we will eat it."

They both looked at me like I couldn't possibly be their mother.

"Anything?" asked Luke.

"Yep. The fridge is also fair game. You pick it. I'll stick it." (Okay, I didn't say that, but you get the idea.)

Paul's eyes grew wide. Reaching for the appropriate box he squealed, "Chocolate pudding!"

"Absolutely," I said.

Luke, beginning to get the idea, "Animal crackers?"

"Sure!"

When all was said and done, the following items were on the counter ready for preparation:

Chocolate Pudding

Popcorn

Animal Crackers

String Cheese

Strawberries

Hot Chocolate

Cold Milk

Cereal

It was a feast to be remembered. It will go down in history as the night Mommy fed them chocolate pudding first. Mission accomplished.

I have no pictures of the above event. I was too busy filling bowls and making the next course. I do, however, have pictures from this past weekend, when the boys attended National Train Day with Grandma and Oma. Good times.

The boys and Oma ready to go!

Luke on board one of the special trains they bring in for the day. I can't remember the history behind this one, but it's super fancy and from the previous century.

Paul's concept of heaven. Luke is also pretty happy.

I'm told Paul ran right up to this Tiger and gave him a hug. Too cute!

They finished the morning by enjoying lunch at the mall. Paul ate his first corn dog. This was his spontaneous reaction to the first bite. He reminds me of an athlete who has just won the championship. YES!

Such a Big Deal in Our Little World

2011-05-03T19:34:00.000-07:00

TA-DA!!!

Saturday in the Park

2011-04-30T13:05:00.000-07:00

We were supposed to go to the science museum today, but the boys had a really hard morning. After the third tantrum in less than two hours (we won't name names) Erik and I decided it would be best to forego large indoor crowds. Sadly, I had already informed the dudes about our intentions for the day's activity. (I know better!) That was a tough moment. Kudos to the Daddy-Man for breaking it to the boys and being the one to primarily deal with the fall-out. Oh, the tough lessons of parenting.

In order to help the boys deal with their grief AND provide us with some sort of family outing, we headed over to their favorite park. Just what the doctor ordered! Time running around outside with lots of space and very few social requirements. Love it.

While we were there, each boy discovered a new piece of playground equipment. Luke made friends with the tire swing while Paul enjoyed that thing you hold onto and slide back and forth with. (Bad grammar alert!) Here are the pics to prove it and please the fans. :-)

Yes, he actually spun around on it. It was hilarious to see him stand up afterward. I thought it was rather ingenious of him to discover that by standing in the middle of the tire, he could have some modicum of control, stopping easily by placing his feet down.

So sweet.

You can't see it very well, but Paul's grin is HUGE.

There's a better shot of the grin. Ready to go again, looking up at that bar.

Why I Home School

2011-04-14T15:42:00.000-07:00

It's not the glamorous lifestyle. (Play dough or finger paints, anyone?) It's not the fabulous looks I get from folks who think I'm nuts. (My favorites are from absolute strangers.) It's not even the never-ending questions I get about socialization. (Again sometimes from absolute strangers.) No. That's not why I do it.

Here's just one of the many reasons I home school:

That's the big brother reading "One Fish, Two Fish" to the little brother. This was unassigned reading. In fact, I didn't realize Luke could read this book. I'm sure parts are memorized, but I also heard him sounding out words. It was so cool.

Eventually they became so engrossed in the book that they had to be closer to it. These two dudes are best buddies. I'm so thankful to God.

I am sure moments like this would happen even if we didn't home school, but I'm not sure I would notice them. Home schooling actually slows the pace of our lives. The mornings home without the rush to get kids out the door allow moments like this one to happen. I love it.

Sabbath

2011-04-10T13:23:00.000-07:00

I have to start this post with a confession. I am not at home. I am sitting in an over-stuffed chair beside a stone fireplace looking out over an immaculate golf course. Erik and I are at the Sunriver Resort. This was not a planned trip. Well, Erik had planned to come alone to work a convention, but yesterday around 11am that felt really silly. So we called my mom. She was willing and able to come hang with the boys for thirty-six hours. What a huge blessing. We left home around 4:30pm and drove straight through without any problems. This morning Erik had to be up and out by 6:30 am. I was a bit more leisurely in my morning routine. I turned on the fire. I made coffee. I enjoyed my Bible Study and prayer time. I sang hymns of praise. It has been a beautiful Sabbath. We prayed hard yesterday about my making this trip. I just wasn't sure if God wanted me to stay home and be with my dudes or get away with my husband. After praying we had unity about prepping for me to go, but being flexible if it fell through. It turns out, God brought me on the trip to be with Him. Erik is really working the bulk of the day today, so I have time alone for prayer, study, and meditation. It's just one day, but it's been such an encouragement to me already. For some reason I really struggle with resting when I am at home. And God wants me to rest. I'm thankful for the reminder.

And now a few pics to update y'all on how the peeps are doing.

We learned about magnets this past week. Luke had a great time testing the strength of the magnet on his Thomas.

Paul also got into the magnet fun.

Luke is reading a book entitled "Splat" to Paul. If you are in the neighborhood, drop by and he will read it for you, too. Every word. All by himself. :-)

It's done! I'll devote my next post to the process, but here is the end result. I'm so happy!

Construction Zone and Consignment Sale

2011-04-02T15:49:00.000-07:00

We've done it again. We took a perfectly dust-free room and transformed it into a construction zone, all in the name of home improvement. Our bedroom is covered in bits of plaster and the closet looks like this:

You might be wondering why we would do such a thing. It's simple, really. When our house was built around 1955 there were firmly held beliefs that excess closet space caused cancer, destroyed marriages and was communistic in nature. Hence builders were careful to include only ONE closet in the master bedroom, a room that holds approximately seventeen more square inches than the other bedrooms, despite being the abode of two adult human beings. Sixty years later, the result of such antiquated thinking resulted in this:

Not pretty. Something had to be done. IKEA to the rescue! We are mid-project right now, but we've only been at it since yesterday morning, so I'm feeling optimistic. There have been a few hiccups, not the least of which was the presence of lath and plaster rather than sheet rock. Bleck. But, we are pressing on. Translation: Erik is working hard and I'm cheering from the sidelines. He is actually at a stopping point, realizing that he needs some sheet rock and can get it for free from a friend at church tomorrow. We also have Erik's parents coming over for lunch and possible slave labor, I mean volunteer help. :-)

In completely unrelated news, I went to the coolest consignment sale this morning. Wee-Cycle is a homegrown Portland business, started by a good friend of mine. I was amazed at the quantity and quality of goods. I managed to snag some pretty sweet deals. See below!

$2.50 shirt!

$1 shirt!

Both boys LOVE their new shirts. I'm fairly certain that Luke intends to wear his to bed tonight. Who wouldn't want to sleep with a T-Rex AND a monster truck plastered to your chest? The anachronism doesn't seem to bother him. He's so very happy!

Pinwheels

2011-04-01T13:05:00.000-07:00

I love to herald the beginning of spring by gifting each boy with a pinwheel. I realize many moms would turn this into a craft opportunity. I bought mine at Kmart. I don't craft and neither do my dudes. They would much rather jump and shout and run about. And I would much rather watch them! I digress. Yesterday was Pinwheel Day here. The weather was perfect and I had them in my closet, waiting. The boys were uber delighted. Hours of play commenced and have continued today. Yet another absolute advantage to having largely media deprived kids: they are so easily entertained.

This face accurately conveys how we all feel about pinwheels and spring - magic!

Running!

More running!

Posing

Funny faces and pinwheels. Life is good!

Sink or Float and Other Fun

2011-03-31T10:41:00.000-07:00

It's been a relatively eventful week here. We spent Monday and Tuesday evenings without the Daddy-Man, as he had commitments outside the home those evenings. Monday night he had an early leadership meeting for BSF, requiring him to go straight from work. Tuesday he hosted a speaker program and wasn't home until 9:45pm. I'm rather thankful that those events aren't common. The boys and I did fine, enjoying Oma's company Monday evening and eating breakfast for dinner on Tuesday, both wildly popular activities. I have also implemented the survival technique known as outside time after dinner, weather permitting. Monday I told both boys they needed to run across the yard as many times as possible. And they did. They loved it. Oma and I joined them and we all got some good exercise. It was hilarious. See pictures below.

Today in science we studied density, or why things float. The experiment was fairly obvious. Collect a bunch of stuff. Predict if it will sink or float. Then drop it in some water. Were you right? The boys LOVED it. In fact, an hour later, they are still at the kitchen table sinking and floating things. Aah, density.

Here are the pics:

Run, Luke, Run!

Sink or Float?

Our Sink or Float Chart. I started putting Y for "yes, it will float" but that became confusing so I switched to S for Sink and F for Float. The biggest surprise was the piece of wooden train track. The boys were positive it would sink. Explaining that wood is less dense than water made me feel like a genius and a magician all at once. They were VERY impressed.

Yes, I just added this one because it cracks me up.

The Pirate and the Duck

2011-03-25T12:16:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time there lived a slap-happy pirate and very forgiving duck. They resided in the same house together and made their mother laugh every day. The pirate's pants didn't quite fit right and the duck was prone to taking prat falls. It was a good life. The end.

Winks

2011-03-24T18:56:00.001-07:00

Last night while I was reading the boys their bedtime story from the Thomas Story Collection, I discovered something hilarious and fun about both of them. In the story, Gordan the train winked conspiratorially at Henry the train. Right then I looked up and both boys were winking at each other! I laughed so hard I almost couldn't finish the story. You'll know why when you see the pictures. I didn't have the camera at that moment, but I recreated the event this evening for posterity and hilarity.

Nice!

Maybe the funniest face he makes right now. Cracks me up!

The Week of Being a Single Mom

2011-03-23T09:55:00.001-07:00

Erik flew away Sunday afternoon for training in Los Angeles. We have done okay the past three days. It has helped that I've had amazing friends come for dinner each night. That is the time of day when the boys expect Erik's arrival the most, thus inducing the worst behavior when he doesn't appear. Some might think I'm nuts for inviting others into that environment, but sweet, non-judgmental friends who don't run screaming from the house are so helpful to me during these times. Just last night, wonderful Ashli did the dinner dishes while I put the mildly surly boys to bed. I came out to a clean kitchen and almost started crying. It's just beautiful to me when folks act as the hands and feet of Jesus, serving selflessly in everyday situations. I want to be like that.

In other news, Luke was honored this morning with his first marriage proposal...sort of. We had friends over to play. When the sweetest, sassiest three-year-old on the planet walked in, she rushed right over to Luke and said, "I'm gonna marry you." Luke said, "Oh," and invited her to sword fight with him. About five minutes later while both moms were standing in the kitchen waiting for the coffee to finish brewing we heard Luke say, "You can marry Jacob (her brother). I don't need to get married." Dang! I thought I had a good thing going there.

Here are a few pictures to keep the fans happy.

Luke is shading his face from that bright yellow orb in the sky. The aforementioned sweetest, sassiest three-year-old on the planet who shadowed him all morning doesn't seem to mind his ridiculous behavior. :-)

Paul making a really funny face. Love it.

Remodel Update

2011-03-17T16:00:00.000-07:00

In honor of Ellen, here is an update on our remodel. We are largely finished, with just little bits of touch up work that will have to wait for summer days. We were able to get a fun chocolate brown, extra-long couch from IKEA. We've also finished up the desk, which now includes a station for all my crazy scrapbooking business. The most recent addition to the room has been something for which my husband has longed: a surround sound system. Fancy.

So I went back and grabbed some before and during pictures so that y'all can appreciate the update.

A good friend checks out the destruction of the bar. You can see the two windows on the right wall, covered with black out material. You can also see the amazingly ugly carpet as well as the desk, covered in clutter, on the left edge of the picture.

The new desk area. No comparison. Simplified and functional. I'm so happy.

Our former "screen" wall with lovely wood paneling and scraped floors.

That same wall with fun chocolate brown corduroy couch. There won't be ugly black wires coming out of that cupboard as soon as we get the new projector installed. The projector in the picture belongs to a friend and has been on loan.

And the new projector wall. No, we didn't install that fireplace. It was just utterly swallowed in ugly before the remodel. Now I like it and we might actually use it.

This room has become a great hang out place for our family and various ministry groups with which we are involved. It's a huge blessing from God, and we are thankful for His provision that allowed us to make these improvements to our home.

Spring!

2011-03-08T17:14:00.000-08:00

Yes, it has been a long time. No excuses because they are all lame. Instead a post about how much I love Spring.

I love Spring. The boys are in the front yard playing happily. They don't need coats. They don't need sunscreen. It's the absolute best possible situation. Our neighbor, a County Judge, is out chatting with them. I'm sure they are regaling him with all the details of their little worlds, a recitation which may actually be welcome depending on the type of case he's been listening to all day. They are so excited to be outside re-discovering the yard. Luke must have spent an hour on his swing today. Paul hasn't quite mastered his yet, but he's getting taller every day.

In other news, for those who read and wonder how we all are, life is good. Erik's job is going really well. We are blessed to see God's hand of provision through an almost inexplicable increase in Erik's sales numbers. We are daily on our knees praising and thanking God for all He gives us, especially as good friends and loved ones experience the challenges of the current economic crisis firsthand.

I am continuing to homeschool both boys, although I will admit we are mostly enjoying reading good stories together and playing trains, legos, etc. I'm realizing that despite what our culture practices, my five year old boy is not actually geared to sit at a desk for longer than ten minutes a day. Imagine that! So, we might do handwriting, math, and phonics, or we might not. (Sidenote: he's reading nearly every sign on the road with no hints from me, including the sign at Starbucks advertising their new cake. Who taught him to read long vowel words?)

And now for the pictures!

Run, boy, run!

He's so happy to be outside running and yelling.

Cutie Head telling Daddy about the game they are playing. Rules and title change every seven minutes...ala Calvin and Hobbes.

It's the attachment for the hose...he loves it. I don't know why. :-)

An Invitation

2010-12-10T15:04:00.000-08:00

In case you haven't heard, I'm blogging elsewhere for the Christmas season. Please join me as I share our Advent celebrations!

Simply Radical Christmas

Too Many Random Bits to Title

2010-09-14T16:53:00.000-07:00

There has been so much going on in Bangsund-Land. We started our homeschool year two weeks ago on August 30th. It has been so much fun! Luke is doing kindergarten this year, and he LOVES it. Paul is sorting, stacking, coloring, cutting, pasting, playing, and doing his best to listen in on everything Luke is learning. I started slowly, so as not to overwhelm my students or myself. Our first week we just did Bible, Science, History, and Read-Aloud (Literature). Then we added Math! This week we have added Handwriting, but I am moving very slowly here. I think I burned Luke out (at four years old!) on writing because I pushed too hard last year. Tough lessons for the homeschooling mom, but necessary. This year will be different. We are playing with the wooden pieces and doing pencil pick ups that are super fun. We are going to make Mat Man tomorrow. :-)

In other news, the remodel is progressing beautifully. We have paint on the walls and lush, new carpet on the floor. The room is completely unrecognizable! I'm so pleased. We have already enjoyed lots of great family time down there. The boys are enjoying the complete lack of furniture as evidenced in the video below. I love having another space in our home that is welcoming and comfortable. We are hosting the BSF Young Adult Prayer Group down there tomorrow night. I can't wait!

Okay...here are some random pictures and a video!

Puzzle time! Very popular at our house.

Sorry about the quality of this photo...I had the camera on the wrong setting. Bummer. I couldn't leave this out, though! This was our first field trip. We visited the Northeast Emergency Food Pantry where our friend Howard works. We had already collected food at Paul's birthday party. Howard weighed our donation (47 pounds) and allowed the boys to put it on the shelves in the proper spots. Totally sweet field trip!

Reading history on the couch. So far we've done dinosaurs, early peoples, Ancient Egypt and today we started Ancient Greece. The pyramids and mummies are still everyone's favorites. Not sure that anything can top that.

Our awesome electrician in the "Nowhere Near Finished Basement." Please note the ugly carpet, wood-paneled walls, popcorn ceiling, bare bulbs, and mess. (Like you could miss them.)

Getting closer! We scraped those ceilings and removed that carpet ourselves. No need to use that eliptical on those days!

And now for the video that shows the "Much Closer To Being Finished Basement." Enjoy!

Unexpected Blessings

2010-08-15T15:19:00.000-07:00

I've recently received a huge blessing from an unexpected source. Our church, Mosaic, has a partnership with Shepherd's Door, a women's shelter that operates as an arm of the Portland Rescue Mission. Once a month a team from Mosaic runs evening activities for the women and children who are a part of this community. A few months ago, Mosaic made an announcement that they were looking for folks willing to run a shuttle service so women from Shepherd's Door could attend a gathering. We live three minutes from this amazing facility. It wasn't hard to hear the Holy Spirit. I didn't even want to make excuses. I just wanted to obey, knowing that when I obey the Lord, He blesses me in ways that I would miss otherwise. So I signed up. That was in June. Nothing happened. I went to a meeting of other Mosaic folks who are part of the team that ministers at Shepherd's Door once a month. We talked logistics of the shuttle service, and a sign up sheet was created and placed where the women could see it. Still nothing happened. Isn't waiting weird. There were some Sundays when I was sincerely grateful that nobody signed up and others when I just felt bummed. Then last week, I got the call saying there were two women who had signed up and would be ready for pick-up at 8:45am. I buzzed down the road, excited and a little nervous, not quite sure what to expect.
I struggle to put words to this next part of the story because it was so amazing and beautiful. These two ladies, recently homeless and recovering addicts, got into my car and as we drove toward church, one of them began to share a little bit of her story. To God be the glory - He has done great things to bring her through the darkest places humanity offers into His grace through the love of Jesus Christ. I was seriously crying tears of amazement and joy at her story. Did I mention I had known this woman for less than ten minutes? She didn't care and neither did I. Her joy is in her Redeemer and the healing that only He had given her. My joy is in seeing the reality of Jesus Christ in a broken life. It gets more amazing.
We arrived, found seats and worship started. There is something more meaningful about the song lyrics, Our God saves when you are standing next to someone who has experience the worst of life and been rescued by the One True God. All the truths about the God I worship were even more real as I sang His praises with these two women. Tears ran down my face and I was reminded of God's goodness toward me and all others who will humble themselves and turn toward Him. Wanna hear the best part? They came again today. And we sang and praised and cried. We listened to the Word and were edified. I'm getting more out of church because I'm putting more into it. Have you ever heard that before? I had. I am so thankful for the reminder.
After the gathering was over, a friend who is on staff at Mosaic came up and thanked me for bringing the ladies. I smiled and told her what a huge blessing it is for me to do so. And I'm NOT just saying that. It's true. When I give my life (my time, my money, my energy) away for Jesus Christ, I never come back empty handed. He's just like that.

Stuff

2010-08-10T14:37:00.000-07:00

Since starting the remodel, about three weeks ago, our treadmill and eliptical have been unavailable for use. I kept thinking I would just stay active by taking the boys on walks or bike rides. Not so much. So when my friend Kim offered me a new workout video I jumped at the chance. Something new and I can use my computer to exercise during nap time in the playroom. Easy. Right? Wrong. Have you ever heard of Jillian Michaels? The term "shred" should have tipped me off. Today was just day 2 and I'm pretty sure I won't be able to walk tomorrow. Same workout as yesterday, just harder because all those muscles were already tired. Did I mention that she's mean?!? Well, she is. The first day I did the workout, Luke was in the room because he was skipping nap. He kept saying, "Why won't she let you rest, Mommy?" LOL! At one point he even said, "Can she see you, Mommy?" Oh dear.

Paul is waking up, so I'll just quickly post some more remodel pictures. I'll try to keep you informed about the house remodel and the "shred". I'm probably not committed enough to actually follow through with 30 days straight of Jillian yelling at me and making me kick my own butt. I need some sort of reward system...Hawaii...maybe just a scrapbook weekend with the girls...hmmm...

Pictures!

Erik uses the Saws-All on the couch. It came with the house, folks. And it will not be in our newly remodeled room. Bye bye, ugly couch.

The Audience for the Couch Sawing Event.

Say goodbye to the orange formica 1960's bar.

In other news, Paul got a harmonica for his birthday and Luke is being allowed to take pictures with our old digital camera. The results are pretty cute.

Luke took this picture of me and I like it. :-)

Eleven Years

2010-08-06T07:47:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow Erik and I celebrate our 11th Anniversary. Tuesday evening we ran away from home to enjoy some time alone together at Dave and Lynne's place in Sunriver. It always takes me a few days to slow down. In fact, yesterday I was running coupon deals in Bend. Today I'm not going to do that. :-) I'm thinking that a bike ride to my favorite spot on the river and maybe even a picnic lunch are today's activities.

I am going to post some pictures of our remodel...because I have the time and energy. Besides, I don't have any pictures of us during this trip. I'm not the best at asking strangers to take our picture. Maybe tomorrow night when we go to dinner...

Anyway, here's the remodel.

The Daddy Man rips open the sheet rock in the stair well. This is after he and I removed a TON of fake wood paneling. Seriously. At one point we removed a section only to find another one beneath it. Why?

At the bottom of the stairs, the pocket door to the laundry room begins to take shape. In all my married years, I've NEVER had a door I could close to hide my laundry.

But now I do!! Luke calls this the dirty underwear door. So no one can see our dirty underwear.

This used to be a really ugly closet completely covered in fake wood paneling. You can also see the orange formica-topped bar. We named that room The Cantina, after the wild and crazy bar in the first Star Wars film. It used to have a single door that you opened and closed to get in. No door to the laundry room, but a door to get to the ugliest room ever conceived. I guess I can see the sense in that.

This is standing at the bottom of our basement stairs. My vision has been to create a space that is inviting, rather than scary and confusing. The five foot wide doorway is a HUGE improvement in my estimation. Next post will include pictures of No Bar and Sawed Couch.

God is Good!!

2010-07-27T19:39:00.000-07:00

The garage sale went so well! Altogether over $600 was earned, with about 85% of that going to Holly. I'll add some pictures in order to convey the magnitude of the sale. I had decided to give our earnings to Erik, partly because the sale fell during his birthday weekend. Yes, he did manual labor on his birthday. I think he deserves a few extra bucks. :-)

The boy clothes bins. All sizes from birth to size 12.

The girl clothes bins. Again, all sizes from birth to size 12.

The hanging girl clothes. Seriously.

The hanging boy clothes.

In addition, our remodel is going beautifully. Erik and I have lots more demolition work to do this week and this coming weekend, part of which will involve emptying a very messy room and tearing apart a 1960's red/orange formica-topped bar. Good times. More pictures in the next post.

So Much Happening

2010-07-21T14:21:00.000-07:00

To begin...Erik still has a job! Many know this because I posted it on facebook. My SINCERE apologies to blog followers who were left in the dark for so long. We are thankful to God for His provision and peace throughout the entire process.

And now for the news from Bangsundland this week. We are in the midst of the busiest, craziest week of our lives! We started a pretty major remodel project this past Saturday. It involves modernizing and updating our stairwell and about two-thirds of our basement. If you've been down there, you know the need! The family who lived here before was simply in LOVE with fake wood paneling. It's everywhere. To say nothing of the home made structural features installed by the man of the house, who worked as a police officer for the city for thirty years. Good cop. Bad builder. We have heard our contractor say multiple times, "Huh. That's interesting." This is code for, "That is simply the weirdest way they could have done that." We are so happy to have professionals doing an awesome job for us. They even let us save money by doing a lot of the demolition work! Erik is having a blast ripping things apart. I'm not sure it will be so fun when the time comes to scrape that 1970's popcorn textured sparkly ceiling. Any volunteers?

At the same time as all this, because apparently I need more excitement in my life, I'm hosting a garage sale this weekend. My good friend Holly needed to rid her life of some clutter and experience God's grace and freedom in that area of her life. My garage is going to be the BIGGEST SALE in town this weekend! Come on by! We have books, kids clothes, toys, more books, MORE kids clothes, and some killer knick knacks. :-) I'm so happy to be serving her in this way and I know that God is using me to bless her family. That is the best thing ever!

At this exact moment Dan, The Coolest Electrician Ever, is working hard to rewire our basement while my boys attempt to nap. I don't really care if they do because bedtime comes really early for boys who can't sleep during the day. Harder afternoon? Maybe. Worth it at 7pm when my children pass out. Completely.

Pictures? Um...how about some from the 4th of July! I'll have remodel pictures later...when my husband shows me where the cord for the new camera lives!

Paul shoots the fire hose at the annual block party.

Luke smiles for the camera while checking out the bunnies.

The Fiery Furnace

2010-06-02T06:13:00.001-07:00

It's been awhile. I was actually fairly sick for about a month. Then the boys were sick. Luke actually had pneumonia. He's better now. Then Erik was sick. These are my excuses for not blogging. But the good news is I'm back and I actually have something meaningful and important to blog about!

A short preface: Erik and I are studying the book of Daniel together this summer. It's awesomely awesome. We have just finished up Chapter 3, with the famous story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace. I love reading things in the Bible that I think I already know. There was SO much to this passage that I had never realized before. Right before the king throws them into the furnace, these three men make an amazing statement. "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if He does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." (Daniel 3:17,18)

About three weeks ago, Erik received an email announcing that on June 15th his company is going to layoff close to one third of the work force. How's that for a fiery furnace? I love the way God speaks through His Word. The God we serve is able to rescue us, but even if He does not, we won't serve false gods or worship other things. God can rescue us from unemployment. That is not the question. The questions are how will we live our lives as we wait and how will we respond if He does not. Will we serve the gods of this culture - worry, anger and fear? Or will we trust fully in our Almighty God? These men had confidence that their God would rescue them from the flames. Our confidence is also sure. We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him. (Romans 8:28) We would rather be obedient and in the center of His plan for our lives than disobedient and making our own way in the world.

Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. I stole that one. :-) But it's true. How can we glorify God as we wait? Trust Him. Love like Jesus loves. Serve others. It's the same stuff we do when we aren't in hard circumstances! Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, through prayer, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:6,7) I love these verses. Of course we are asking for this cup to pass, if it be God's will. Our Savior didn't desire to suffer the Cross, and He prayed in this way. (Matthew 26:39, 42) But Jesus chose to follow the Father's plan for His life all the way, giving up His life and opening the path to reconciliation with God for us. What a beautiful example! We do not know God's complete plan for our family, but we rejoice in this opportunity to grow in our faith and glorify our Lord Jesus Christ.

"I know what it is to be in need and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation (it's Jesus!), whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." (Phil 4:12,13)

We believe this! It doesn't matter where God puts us. We will be content. And we will seek to glorify Him.

Mommy is Sick

2010-04-15T15:35:00.000-07:00

Oy. I'm sick. I've had a nagging cough and congestion for about a week. Tuesday afternoon I started to run a low-grade fever. Wednesday morning I couldn't go to Bible Study Fellowship because of said fever. Lynne came in the morning to entertain the troops, and my mom came after BSF to take over. My fever was not-so-low-grade this morning, so Erik took a sick day while I called my doctor. She asked me all the usual questions and then surprised me with a diagnosis for a deep sinus infection. The drainage is causing the cough. The infection is causing my dizziness, fever and feelings of exhaustion. I get to take antibiotics now. And rest.

Daddy is in charge. The boys spent the better part of three hours this morning watching Mr. Rogers DVDs. There are worse things they could be doing. One of the DVDs showed Mr. Rogers visiting a pretzel making factory. When Erik ran out the store for milk, yogurt and other essentials, he picked up some pretzels for the boys. He's so cool. Here's a picture of them sitting out back enjoying their treat. Did I mention that the weather is amazingly beautiful? It is. Here's a picture.

Boys and Pretzels

Who turned out the lights?

2010-03-27T21:17:00.000-07:00

This morning around 7:30 am our power went off. I was actually in our room at the time, having a quiet moment of prayer when I heard this loud crashing noise and the lights went out. It sounded like a transformer blew, but as it turns out a car smashed into a power pole about 8 blocks from our house, taking out power for around 800 people in the process. We didn't realize this at the time, but we did realize that this was going to be a problem. Erik and I had been planning on retreating to the basement to work on a project he needed to finish for business while Grandma watched the boys upstairs. With no power, the internet no workie. And the basement is just a really dark place without lights. SO Grandma saved the day! She took the boys to OMSI while we went to Starbucks for free wi-fi, good coffee, and a well-lit work space. We finished Erik's document, a power point presentation that his manager needed in order to submit Erik's request for promotion. Afterward we grabbed amazing pizza, the kind your kids will never let you order. My slice had roasted broccoli, garlic, and hazelnuts with an alfredo sauce. Wow.

We arrived home at the same time as the boys and Grandma. Sadly, the power was still out. We put the boys down to naps all bundled up and called the power company. The recording apologized for the inconvenience and assured us power would be restored by 8:30 pm. I called our neighbors across the street, also without power, but with a gas oven and gas bbq. We have known Tim and Taryn for quite awhile. They were the ones who invited us to Mosaic for the first time, and we were so happy that we finally accepted the invite and joined them there. Anyway...they were delighted to have us over for dinner! Power was actually restored as we were leaving our house for theirs, but we decided to go anyway. We had so much fun. The boys played with their Corgi and enjoyed the legos, while we had grown-up time with other grown-ups. We even got to roast marshmallows and make s'mores outside after dinner. It was delightful. They even told us that we have nice kids. That's worth a power outage any day of the week.

Tomorrow we are headed to my mom's place for breakfast and the boys are going to spend the morning there while we escape for another, less work-oriented, date. Two in one weekend?!? Is that even legal?

In Like a Lion, Out Like a...Bear?

2010-03-26T14:26:00.000-07:00

The boys have had a hard time adjusting back to "everyday" life now that we are home. It hasn't helped that we have had a full calendar each day. In retrospect, it's probably a better idea to clear the calendar for the first few days after vacation. Today was better than yesterday though, so I can only assume that tomorrow will be better than today.

Last week before we left for the beach, the boys discovered their Halloween costumes from this past fall. If you weren't aware, they completely failed to wear these costumes at any of the appropriate times in October, but decided to don them instead during March. Actually a few factors contributed to this event. First of all, a few weeks ago we were at a family's house for dinner and their five-year-old son wore a lion costume very similar to Luke's for part of the evening. The second factor involved some lovely puddle jumping and all Luke's laundry being in process as I prepared to pack his bag for the beach trip. He had no pants available. When he asked to wear his lion costume instead, I thought it was a fabulous solution. Paul immediately had to put on his Pooh costume. The results were undeniably adorable. Luke did actually ask to take his costume to the beach, but I thought that was just a little too much mane for that sandy environment. Laundry nightmare. So, to cheer myself and others, here are the pics!

"I'm a bear."

"RAWR"

Erik told Paul to hold Luke's hand...at first Paul couldn't find Luke's hand!

"I found it!"

Brothers don't shake hands. Brothers gotta hug!

More Beach pics

2010-03-24T12:33:00.000-07:00

These are just a few of our beach shots. The weather varied from cold and windy to less cold and less windy. :-)

Ready for the beach!

Paul and one of his Pinnipeds

Red cheeks! It was chilly.

Paul is pointing out the ocean. He was pretty impressed.

Grandpa and Luke going for a beach walk on one of the prettier days we had.

Beach Trip

2010-03-23T18:29:00.001-07:00

My sincere apologies to all three people who check the blog regularly for new posts. It has been such a busy season, but I am happy to bring you this post and promise another one soon. I was sharing with my husband that I feel like the blog has suffered because my camera is nearing its death; hence, picture taking is no longer fun, but rather arduous. No pictures means no blog. I have things I could write about without pictures, but I'm fairly certain the fans would protest. Plans for a new camera are under review. Stay tuned.

Regardless, we have been here at the beach for the last four days and it has been pretty fun. Our neighbors are partial owners of an amazing house in Rockaway Beach. This past fall they mentioned that we could use it sometime. We immediately asked when it was available and this has been the first time we have made it here as a family. It has been pretty fun, despite the lack of a proper "time-out chair." Seriously. Luke has really struggled with obedience in the new environment and while we tried using a regular chair facing the corner, he hasn't been able to make the adjustment. Poor guy! I was praying about it last night and just came to the point where I needed to thank God for my son even when he disobeys. I know Jesus feels the same way about us. Anyway...

The boys have enjoyed lots of time with the sand. We brought lots of diggers, dump trucks, shovels, and buckets. The Daddy-Man has taught them how to dig deep holes that fill with water. Paul has preferred the dry sand, but Luke has been willing to get a little wet. Yesterday he got a little too wet, falling over into about three inches of water. He recovered well and was willing to change into another set of clothes which had been previously soaked in order to stay at the beach longer. That's incredible! We need to stretch his comfort zone more often. :-)

We also drove up to Seaside to visit the aquarium, which isn't much, but the boys didn't care. They loved the touch tanks and the seals the most. The octopus was also a big hit. We bought them both a pack of little plastic pinnipeds - say that five times fast - and they have made them bath time buddies. My favorite is hearing Paul say pinniped. He's SO earnest because its a big word and he knows what it means. Adorable.

Dave and Lynne were able to come out for a few days and have been warmly greeted by all. I have enjoyed escaping during nap time for espresso, which I had to drive to Garibaldi to find, but that's another story. Erik has been able to share all the exciting news from work, updating them on his current project. The boys MUCH prefer their grandparents and can often be heard saying, "I want Grandma to do it." She's so popular. :-) I'm cool with that! Less work for me.

I can hear Luke singing the "Naked" song right now. I'd video it, but he only sings it when it applies and I just can't do that to him. I want him to take care of me when I'm old.

So here are the pics!

Our first day the wind was a little too much down on the beach, so we had play dough time instead!

The boys checking out the touch tanks at the aquarium.

Looking at the octopus!

Pinnipeds!

Full Lives

2010-02-13T16:50:00.000-08:00

Our lives have been very full lately, but we have seen blessing upon blessing these past few weeks. Last weekend Erik and I were abundantly blessed to attend the Bible Study Fellowship Leaders Retreat. Over 2500 BSF leaders all gathered to hear from the BSF staff members about God's immeasurable goodness to this ministry, now in its 50th year. We were also amazed by the new Executive Director, Susie Rowan, and her overview of the book of Revelations. Wow. Lots to take in there. I came away with a clearer picture of the majesty and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lion of Judah and the Lamb that was slain. Amazing and beautiful. I am also aware more and more that my life is not my own. I belong to Jesus. My hands. My feet. My mind. My time. My energy. My talents. All of it. I am filled with immeasurable joy at the thought of loving Jesus more and watching Him grow in me. The hymn for the weekend was "Crown Him with Many Crowns." Each time we met as a large group, five times in all, we enjoyed about twenty minutes of hymn singing, always ending with this one either before the Bible teaching or directly after. Some of my favorite lines are:

"Awake my soul and sing,

Of Him who died for thee,
And hail Him as thy matchless King,
Through all eternity"

I think it's my new favorite hymn. Singing praises with 2,500 people will do that. :-)

In other news, we are so thankful to Jesus for providing beautifully and perfectly for my mom's move. She's into her new place and is moving forward with an estate sale up north. There will probably be a few more trips to Puyallup, but we know that those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on wings as eagles, run and not grow weary, walk and not faint. We are living proof of this!!

The most recent excitement in our house involves Luke's bedroom. We have slowly been accumulating the pieces of his "big boy bed" and today was the day! Oma took both boys down to her place this morning, giving us time to rearrange Luke's room and assemble the bed. It's actually the same piece of furniture that we've owned since his birth, one of those cribs that converts. It's been really great for our boy who isn't all that keen on change. We bought new bedding for him, including Thomas the Tank Engine sheets and comforter. He was pretty impressed with the results. A few items had to be removed from his room, including his favorite chair and ottoman. Erik told him that Thomas was just too big and the pink chair wouldn't fit anymore. Luke looked at Thomas and said, "Okay!" The other funny thing that happened as Luke was first seeing his "new" room was that he asked, "Where's the bathroom?" I think his four year old brain was overloaded and he thought he was in a different house, and he had to go! His room did undergo a pretty radical transformation. Here are a few pictures.

That's pure delight on his face, in case you weren't sure.

Too happy to open his eyes. :-)

Daddy showing how bedtime reading will work now without the pink chair. Luke was pretty excited.

God Moves Mountains

2010-01-26T20:46:00.001-08:00

It was a crazy, busy weekend here! Erik and I swapped places with my mom on Friday. She arrived to spend the weekend with the boys and we drove to her place in Puyallup to be the moving crew. It was absolutely awesome the way our brothers and sisters in Christ loved and supported us, providing everything including Teriyaki lunch, much needed organizational skills, outstanding spatial awareness, strong arms, strong backs and everything in between. We started work on Saturday at about 10:30am and the truck was finished by 2pm, including the lunch break! Thank you to Brice, Dan, Cathy, and Mark for being servants like Jesus.
Erik and I hit the road and headed south. We arrived home a little after 5pm to MUCH excitement regarding the 16 foot moving truck that Daddy backed into our driveway. We locked it up and let it rest for the evening, enjoying an early bedtime ourselves.
Sunday dawned bright and glorious with Pacific Northwest January beauty: solid cloud cover and steady rain. Our work force for the day was comprised of Chelsea, a former student, and her boyfriend, Eli. Long story about why that was it. But I just gave my concerns to the Lord and knew that He would get the glory. And He did! We all drove to Canby and after about two hours we were 85% done. Yes, it rained a lot, but it felt so good after carrying stuff up the stairs to my mom's new place. We enjoyed a fabulous, homemade lunch courtesy of a fellow BSF leader who lives in Canby. We released the kids to go home and relax. Another worker arrived, a man we had never met and I only know because he is the boyfriend of another BSFer. He and Erik finished the last bits off the truck and from the mini-van. And the moving part of the move was over! The best part was that Erik and I had huge smiles on our faces the entire time. We are so excited to have my mom closer, and her new place is so sweet. I'm beyond thankful to God for providing so beautifully for her and us. It's pretty amazing.
Before the pictures, another shout out to Grandma and Grandpa. We love you!
And a wave to Ellen. She's recovering from surgery and currently has a recliner that is stronger than she is...strength will rise as we wait on the Lord, friend. Be encouraged! :-)
And now...the pics.

Last week the boys decided the vacuum cleaner attachments were excellent firefighter equipment. Check out the pockets.

Luke helped Paul get his gear into his pockets. Paul was delighted!

Sunny Day!

2010-01-21T15:02:00.000-08:00

The weather here is simply lovely. Luke skipped nap, after waking up this morning at 5:45 am. I decided our four walls were closing in, and the weather would more than permit us to be reacquainted with our backyard. The boys enjoyed the play structure first. Paul discovered something rather delightful. See picture below. Next came the riding toys, followed closely by the digging toys. I smell baths coming.
Before the pictures, a few shout outs. Greetings to Grandma and Grandpa in Hong Kong. We got your update and the boys think the noodles look good. Extra special greetings to Ellen Sabie, a faithful Bangsund Blog Follower. You are in our prayers. We love you so much and know that Jesus is holding you close.
And now, the pics...

"Bright!" He's a mole, like his daddy.

There's something different about this...

I can reach the top now! Such a big boy.

Yes, I posed this shot. I couldn't resist the cuteness.

Happy Brothers

Happy New Year!

2010-01-03T20:14:00.001-08:00

I didn't make any resolutions this year, but I can't help noticing that my blogging has significantly decreased this past year. Perhaps 2010 will see me blogging more and doing less of something else. What should I give up to blog more? How about folding laundry?

We celebrated the coming of the new year with our good friends and their two adorable children. Sadly the only pictures we took are still on my mom's camera, which is no longer here. I can tell you that the children all enjoyed playing together and when the hour came to count down (7:42pm PST), the only one left in the room was the youngest two-year-old. The four year olds wanted NOTHING to do with this particular brand of crazy. My two-year-old had already melted and been put to bed. Oh well. Maybe next year. I think I need to sell it more. "Look kids! Sparkly juice and noise makers! Let's count backward from ten to zero and yell Happy New Year!" Wow. That is a goofy tradition.

Since I don't have pictures of New Years, I'll share more snow pictures. The evening of the last post, Erik, Luke and I were able to get out and really enjoy the snow. It only lasted through the next day, so I was really glad we went out even though it was Luke's bedtime. He slept pretty well once we did get him in and warmed up. The adventure ended when I made a snow angel for Luke, unwittingly dropping my camera from my coat pocket into the snow. I realized my error while removing layers in our entryway. My mom, who had watched the snow angel insanity, gave me the idea that I should go look there. Yep. Buried under about three inches of snow. It still works. I was kinda hoping I broke it because it is an ancient machine, nearing five years of age, that has been dropped, kicked, stepped on and in all other ways abused. Apparently it has a few more drops left in it. If you see my camera in the driveway, LEAVE IT! Something tells me my Volvo can get the job done right. Here are the pics!

Building some snow people!

Luke helps out by throwing snow all around.

Standing with partially finished snow people, holding snow. Very happy boy.

We went for a short walk down the street before going inside. Luke brought this snow along and ate it while we walked. Cute.

Snow!

2009-12-29T15:57:00.000-08:00

It wasn't in the weather forecast, but it's snowing anyway. Today right before naptime Luke asked me, "When is it going to snow?" I sadly told him that where we live, it doesn't snow every year. About a half hour before he woke up, it started to snow rather earnestly here. In the past hour we've accumulated probably an inch and a half of snow. It's beautiful. The weather man says it will all be gone by 8pm. I'm not sure that I believe him. Regardless, it's lovely and fun. The boys went out for a few minutes already. We live in a rather windy area, so they spent most of that time wiping snow out of their eyes. Perhaps if the stuff is still around in the morning, they can enjoy it again.

Looking out the playroom window at the snow.

Luke is ready to go. His clothes all clash, but he's warm.

No, I haven't gained sixty pounds. I'm bundled!

Paul attempting to catch a snowflake or two on his tongue instead of in his eyes.

"We like to eat this stuff."

More Christmas Cuteness

2009-12-27T18:40:00.001-08:00

The last two days have been rather laid back, despite a minor plumbing incident that has rendered my dishwasher and garbage disposal inoperable for a time. That's not a fun story, so I will skip it. There will be a plumber here tomorrow hopefully. Back to the laid back part of these past two days...Yesterday I never managed to get out of my pajama pants. Today I put on jeans, but never changed out of my pajama top. Perhaps tomorrow I will manage to dress myself fully. I did finish Sense and Sensibility today. I've been on a bit of a Jane Austen kick since about May. It all started with Pride and Prejudice. Then came Emma and I figured I was through it, but then one of my former students told me that Mansfield Park was her personal favorite. It might be mine as well. I'm thinking that 2010 will need to include Persuasion and Northanger Abbey. I'm not sure why I often feel the need to read an author's entire canon, especially if s/he is dead. William Faulkner is the exception. I could go on, but that's not a particularly fun story either.
The boys have been spending time with their new train bits. They both received a new engine and new track accessories that include a coal chute and a magnetic crane. I thought I would share a few more pictures from the Christmas festivities and post holiday fun.

Luke and Paul opening Aunt Krista's present: miniature wooden replicas of London (for Luke) and Paris (for Paul). So fun!

The Daddy-Man has the entire week between Christmas and New Year's off. It's a gift from his employer, Takeda, every year. I love this company. And we love having Daddy home.

Trains. Trains. Trains. Trains. Trains.

And more trains. Such fun!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T09:13:00.000-08:00

What a great morning! We started with birthday cake and going around the table saying what is special about Jesus. Luke began by telling how Jesus turned water into wine. Paul was next. I asked him, "Paul, what makes Jesus special?" Paul replied, "Jesus baked waffle." So hard not to laugh. Erik jumped right in and reminded Paul how Jesus fed the five thousand. Not sure if that is what Paul meant, but he smiled and nodded.
After cake (and yogurt because we need a little protein in our lives) we read from Luke's picture Bible and sang "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" and Luke asked us what herald meant. That's hilarious because I think that up until now both he and Paul have thought it was Harold the Helicopter from the Thomas stories, hence the popularity of this song in our family.
Next we brought out the stockings. Each boy got his very own package of freeze-dried strawberries. I know. That doesn't seem like a big deal, but it's a huge luxury in our world. There were other dried fruits and yummies also. The Chocolate Brownie Clif Z Bars went really fast. Definitely a favorite.
Following stockings, the "real" presents emerged. The Elmo puppets from Aunt Nikki and Uncle Ed were a HUGE hit, especially with Paul. In fact, for the rest of the present opening either Erik or I needed to be working Elmo. Whenever we attempted to set him aside, Paul would say, "Do Elmo puppet." So we did! Here are a few pictures of the morning's sweetness.

Saying "Happy Birthday, Jesus!" as loudly as possible!!

Happy Boys eating Chocolate Brownie Z Bars

Love at first sight!

Big Hug!

Paul spent the morning sharing his presents with Elmo. It was super adorable.

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Advent Goodness

2009-12-09T15:00:00.000-08:00

What a busy time of year! I want to start by writing about something fun that I did last night. Our church has a partnership with a public school. Odd sounding, isn't it? This is an urban school where over 80% of the students are at or below the poverty level. Mosaic believes in serving the community in Jesus' name with no strings attached. So last night, I went to a craft fair at a K-8 public school that was planned, funded, and staffed entirely by a church. I served free cups of hot cocoa for two hours to a diverse group of students and parents. It was SO MUCH FUN! It reminded me of what I loved about being a public educator. The people! Watching these folks come in from the bitter cold and enjoy themselves as a community was simply a huge blessing. The kids were able to make free, quality gifts for the adults in their lives while the same adults enjoyed a hot cup of coffee and tasty seasonal goodies. I look forward to the next event at the school and hope to take the entire family eventually.

In Bangsund-Land, we have enjoyed the beginning of Advent in so many ways. I began pulling out decorations the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Luke looked at me in surprise and said, "Is it Christmas?" I told him it was indeed Christmas time. His next question was, "Where is our tree?" We found our Christmas tree at a local u-cut tree farm the next day. The boys enjoyed the free mini candy canes and the big machine that wraps the trees. I enjoyed the $13.50 price. :-) The tree is precious and sweet standing in our living room. We also put up the Christmas train for the first time this year. I received this battery powered train as a gift my senior year in high school with much delight, but this train had not known love until it met Luke and Paul. They adore it. Paul is still a bit young, but Luke does an awesome job of realigning the wheels and getting it back on the track when needed. It's amazing to me the things he can do without help now. Time. It flies.

Looking toward Christmas morning, we are excited about focusing our celebration on the person and birth of Jesus Christ. There will be birthday cake and singing. Presents will be given. Just this morning during school time I was telling Luke the BSF story for the week from John 7. (We had to miss BSF today because Paul had a fever...he's doing better now.) Anyway, in John 7, Jesus goes to Jerusalem for a Feast and people everywhere are talking about Him. Some believe He is the Messiah. Others do not. There is LOTS of controversy. (Not unlike today, eh?) I shared with Luke that when people hear about the Lord Jesus, some believe He is the Christ and some do not. He processed this and said, "I know that Jesus is the Christ." I actually had to take a moment to appreciate childlike faith. Unable to say anything in reply, I silently thanked God for His Word and how clear these matters can be if we allow faith to blossom. That is what we will be celebrating this year. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, born in Bethlehem to save and redeem on Calvary.

Some pics of the peeps:

Luke checks out the tree and approves.

Paul supervises the cutting.

A Fat Rat

2009-11-21T09:00:00.000-08:00

You might be thinking, "Gross!" Let me explain. Luke read his first book all by himself this week on Wednesday. It's title is A Fat Rat. He was SO thrilled! I was pretty excited myself. My favorite moment was on the page with the words "a fat mat" when Luke looked at the picture and said, "A fat piece of cheese." I burst out laughing and he joined in. We belly laughed for at least a minute before I explained the importance of looking at the words and not just the pictures. He finished the book and was ready to read it again. Erik was even able to come home from work in the middle of the day to have Luke read to him for the first time. Pretty special day.

In other news, I am at the beach right now. My friend Liza and I have run away from home for the weekend. We are watching movies, enjoying the amazing view from the windows of this beach front house (a huge thank you to neighbors John and Nancy for letting us stay here!), and scrapbooking. The weather is stormy and fun. There are some brave souls out on the beach at this moment. Liza and I are making cinnamon rolls, drinking coffee and wearing pajamas. I love it.
And now for the pictures!

Daddy and Luke made this rainbow using his cars last week. Super cute.

Luke helping Paul to "read" A Fat Rat. Adorable.

Other learning fun...we have been reading about levers in The Berenstain Bears Big Book of Science. On Thursday Luke looked at our long, black tube (used for zooming matchbox cars) and said, "Mommy, it's like a lever. I push here and it goes up on the other end." Nice application of learning, buddy!

Not what you would expect

2009-11-12T14:09:00.000-08:00

It happened today! The Nordstrom's Holiday catalog arrived at our house. I immediately dropped everything and made this poster for my husband.

"Another 2 Reasons You Love Me: Neither the most expensive NOR the least expensive bags (nor anything in between) from the Nordstrom's Tossmas Catalog appeal to me! Happy Advent Conspiracy!!" Under the picture on the left: "$2695 = the cost of 28 farm animals that could save 10 families from starvation in the third world." On the right: "$450 would provide 9 families with tools, training, and seed to begin subsistence farming drought-resistant vegetables and grains."

I think I'll keep the sign up for awhile. It's a great reminder for me and those I love. We will celebrate differently. This is our new tradition. Catalogs will be tossed. Gifts will be relational. The ones who need it the most will get the food, water, shelter, clothing, medical supplies, and education for Christmas. I'm so excited to teach my boys the story of Jesus' birth again this year. And I can't wait to live it for them through sacrificial giving. What will you teach? What will you give?

New Birth

2009-11-05T07:17:00.000-08:00

One of my closest friends on the planet gave birth Sunday morning to a beautiful baby boy. It was my honor and privilege to care for her other children during this time. God timed the birth perfectly so that Erik was home with our boys and I could head over to their house at 2am. :-) Visiting her at the birth center later that day, I was astounded again by the newness of birth. The soft skin. The sleepiness of a newborn. I held a baby who was four hours old and introduced myself, telling him how much I love his family and that we are bonded not by a blood relationship, but through the blood of Jesus Christ. I prayed over him, that he would trust in the Lord with all his heart and lean not on his own understanding; that in all his ways He would acknowledge God and He would make his path straight. (Proverbs 3:5,6) Pretty amazing moment.

My boys are good. Erik has been at a business meeting since Monday, so we are all looking forward to his return this afternoon. I realize I haven't blogged since Halloween...it didn't go down like I thought it would. The boys tried on their costumes and decided they didn't want to wear them. At the same time, the Oregon vs. USC game started at 5pm and I really didn't have a desire to take the boys out. So we all stayed in and watched the Ducks TROUNCE the Trojans. It was a good night. :-) Here's a pic of the Ducks fans.

Thanks for the t-shirts, Grandma! The boys wore them to BSF on Wednesday and were a big hit, even with the Beaver fans. :-)

Luke and Paul with Luke's lion costume. Sorry, folks.

Sorting Beans, Doing Dishes and Answered Prayer

2009-10-15T11:01:00.001-07:00

Does God answer prayer? Shortly after getting him up this morning, I discovered that Paul had a low-grade fever. His mild fussiness confirmed the fact that he's not feeling well. To make matters more interesting, I mistakenly took my vitamins on an empty stomach. Have I ever wanted to throw up more? Nope. So, it's time for our school day to start. Paul has escalated the fussiness to downright irritable. My stomach hates me. And Luke has decided this is the day he wants to dictate how school happens. The script ran something like this.

Luke: I wanna do my Feel Box first. I'm gonna do my Feel Box first.
(Note: The Feel Box has an item hidden inside that begins with the letter we are learning which Luke must discern using only his hands. I use it about halfway through our school time to keep him interested.)
Me: (Setting up our school table to begin the day) We can start with our letter time and do the Feel Box early today. (I'm trying to be flexible, while still getting in the "hard" learning and using the fun stuff as the carrot.)
Luke: I'M GONNA DO MY FEEL BOX FIRST!!
Me: Mommy needs to pray right now. (Getting down on my knees right by our school table) Dear Jesus, I'm so tired and I don't feel well. I'm broken and empty. I need your help today. A lot. Amen.

I got up and told Luke that Mommy is the teacher and she decides what we do first. I had absolutely NO conviction that Luke would buy this line, but I proceeded to sit down and start our day like normal. He followed along. Jesus answers prayer. After school time was over we moved almost immediately to snack time, during which I remembered how much Luke loves helping me sort beans. The menu for tonight is a black bean recipe and I knew that I needed to get the beans soaking. I grabbed a couple bowls and Luke proceeded to amiably help me sort through them while Paul sat contently in his booster seat. Jesus answers prayer. After snack, Paul asked if he could do the dishes. I'm totally serious. It's his excuse to stand on a chair and play in the sink. Glancing at the oatmeal-encrusted breakfast dishes and the yogurt covered snack bowls, I agreed. The boys stood on chairs together at the sink and rinsed every last bit of oatmeal and yogurt from those bowls. Jesus answers prayer above and beyond our expectations. The boys spent the rest of the morning playing quietly together. The love has continued on into the afternoon. They are in the playroom right now as I finish this post. Paul still has a low-grade fever. My stomach, while feeling better, has not fully recovered from my blunder. But Jesus answers prayer and I'm so very thankful to Him.

The Brothers Bangsund at the sink

I love Sundays

2009-09-27T14:31:00.000-07:00

We are attending the evening service at our church these days, and it makes Sundays very mellow. I slept until 8:22am this morning. That is definitely a record for me. The boys were already up and fed by that time. I picked clothes, Daddy dressed them, and we all headed to the park for the morning. The closest park is a little sketchy, but we went anyway. My boys can't read the graffiti yet, so it doesn't matter as much. I like this park because it has two play areas separated by long walking paths AND it is right next to an elementary school with an additional two play areas. It is perfect for the two-year old with very little attention span. We started in one area and eventually worked our way to the final "ultimate" play structure from which one can see the MAX trains as they pass by. Very cool. The boys had a great time and the parents were able to carry on conversations while pretending to ride on the MAX. Also very cool.
I almost forgot! I wanted to send a shout out to my fabulous father-in-law who is currently traveling in Europe and missing the opening games of NCAA college football. The Ducks thumped Cal yesterday 42-3!!!! Wish you were here. The boys are enjoying their football time each Saturday and we can hardly wait to have you and Grandma over. :-)
And now the pictures!

In completely unrelated events, Paul LOVES to wear his blanket around the house. It's actually pretty convenient for him. He came to me with it about a week ago, saying, "I wanna wear it." I decided the Pacific Islander look would be easiest.

Do you ever watch your kids do something and realize they are growing up?

Really angry Paul screaming NO because he doesn't want his picture taken. We think he looks like the MGM lion in this shot.

This is the MAX train. And the Daddy-Man sitting in the fake tire swing. That's right, folks. They don't use real tires anymore.

First Day of BSF

2009-09-16T19:33:00.000-07:00

Today was our first class day for BSF (Bible Study Fellowship). I rave about this organization often enough that y'all should know of which I speak, but if you're confused, just click. :-) Anyway, today was momentous because for the first time ever, all four members of our family were registered, attending members of BSF. Luke, Paul, and I headed out the door together for class this morning. The church our classes uses is only about ten minutes away, so I don't really worry about being late, but there was a moment this morning when I wasn't sure if I would make it. See below.
Let me explain what you are viewing. This picture was taken about five minutes before we needed to be in the car, leaving our house. Notice the shoes in a neat line just beside our back door. Notice the barefooted four-year-old who HAS to finish "reading" (reciting from memory) Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel before we leave. Also notice the completely despondent two-year-old, laying prone in the dining room. All I could was take this picture and pray. Luke finished his book and was happy to put on his shoes and socks. Paul screamed the entire time as I wrestled him into appropriate foot wear. Fortunately the garage door opener saved the day. Paul got to push the button to open the garage door. Then, of course, Luke wanted to push the button, so we closed the garage door and went through the process again, allowing Luke to perform this sacred duty. Who cares? It got us in the car. We will do it every Wednesday if it means driving away from the house with two happy boys! My neighbors have to think I'm insane.
This was the only moment of chaos. We got to the church, set up the chairs for my discussion group in the foyer, which has no less than four exits, during which time Paul sat happily in a chair and watched all the action. There's a LOT of action when around 300 women are all showing up for a Bible study at the same time! I took the boys down to the room where they get to play while I pray with the other leaders. Then it was GO time! Luke and Paul headed to their class and I headed to mine.
I forgot how much I love this! As a discussion leader, I get assigned a new group of 10-15 ladies each fall. Meeting them today was so much fun. We were able to share a little about ourselves and get to know each other and I feel so blessed to have these women in my life already. We are studying John this year. I can hardly wait to get going on my questions tomorrow morning!!! I shared with the group today that I get my study done by getting up early and that my programmable coffee pot is a HUGE incentive for me. I'm just guessing though, that the excitement of getting back into a hardcore Bible study is going to be plenty to get me out of bed tomorrow.
How goes the home schooling, you ask? Answer: Awesome! It is Luke's favorite part of each day. He has been dressing himself the last few mornings and eating breakfast rather quickly. I have a bell that I ring to begin our school day. (Former students will remember my bell fetish.) Luke literally RUNS to our school room when he hears the bell. It's adorable. He's got the schedule memorized and can be heard chanting parts of it to himself during transitions. My favorite version so far is, "Science on the couch. Science on the couch." No, this is not a lab science on the couch. It's Berenstain Bears science on the couch. Very fun. Here are a few pictures of this last Sunday when we did school because we could. :-)

Luke completing a visual memory activity. The items on the tray were removed one at a time and he had to color the picture of the missing item. Cake for this guy.

Luke is practicing the letter "L" on his rough work surface during visual review for "Go Phonics." He definitely struggles with the hand writing portion of this curriculum, but loves this fancy board that Grandpa made for him. We will continue with the handwriting, but I'm not being a stickler about anything at this point. He's four. :-)

Luke uses his Feel Box for the first time, trying to figure out what /l/ sound word is hidden inside. It took him a few guesses and some hints to discover it was a leaf. He was delighted! This week is /t/ and I'm open to suggestions!

First Day of School

2009-09-10T19:36:00.000-07:00

Today was the day! Luke and I started our home school experience together. He was up early, as usual. We ate some oatmeal together around 6:45 am and I realized that things were going to be starting up much earlier than I had planned. Sure enough, by 7:27 am Luke was dressed and checking out the additions to our school table. Last night after he went to bed, we prepped the area with all his curriculum and supplies, with the help of our good friend Ashli, a product of home schooling herself! I digress.
Our first activity was Family Bible Time. Our verse is Proverbs 4:20: "Pay attention my child to what I say. Listen carefully." Good verse, huh? We used hand motions to help us remember it. Then we talked about the attribute of attentiveness. "I listen with my ears, my eyes, and my heart." By the way, all of this stuff came with the curriculum I bought from Sonlight. It's fabulous stuff.
After Family Bible Time, we moved onto Language Arts. I am using a combination of perceptual growth workbooks from Sonlight and a phonics program called "Go Phonics!" that was written by a wonderful woman, Sylvia Davison. Luke used his new pencil to draw a line between Mr. Rabbit and his carrots. He also started learning to write his letters. Today's letter was L. Luke did a great job of forming his L's with his fingers on the rough work surface that my dad-in-law made for him. We also did a trace-copy-write activity with his pencil. He hasn't quite decided which hand to use to hold the pencil. He switches each time he puts it down. I figure eventually one of them will win out. Or he'll be ambidextrous. Whatever.
After Language Arts, we did Music and Motion! We have a great CD with some super fun songs. Today's song was "Drivin' in My Car." It's a fun one with motions and the opportunity to say beep a lot. Luke will happily sing it for you if asked. Eventually I want to start bringing in my guitar for Music and Motion, but it needs new strings and they didn't make the priority list for back-to-school preparation.
Science came next. We are reading "The Berenstain Bears' Big Book of Science and Nature" as our first venture. Today was pretty much just about introducing Luke to the idea of an Almanac and reading about the four seasons. We will get more into it tomorrow.
Art was so fast it almost doesn't count. I gave Luke a piece of his Color Wonder paper and his two recently acquired Color Wonder paint brushes. He swirled a few times with the blue and then got more focused with the yellow, making a great sun up at the top of his paper. And then he was done with that.
Our last activity is called Reflection and Prayer. I asked Luke what he liked most about his first day of school. He said, "The l's." :-) Then I asked him what he wants to do better tomorrow. He was pretty quiet at first. Then he said, "Maybe making the l's even better." Adorable. We closed our school day in prayer, thanking God for the opportunity to learn and asking Him for help to make our l's even better. I looked down at my watch and it was 8:14 am. So, I used the rest of the morning to do housework, play with the boys, and plan for tomorrow's school day. MUCH different from my first day ten years ago (!!!) as an 8th grade English teacher at Stahl Junior High. I know that if we continue with home schooling, the days will grow longer, with more subjects and more complex curriculum. At the moment, I am going to enjoy the absolute fun of teaching my son to read and write, knowing that God will equip me for whatever He has for our family, be it home school, or something else.
Here are the pics!

A complete throw back to my classroom teaching days - the whiteboard with the Daily Agenda! Notice the time estimates - WAY OFF!! :-)

7:27 am - He's ready to go, folks!

Ready to hit the books barefooted! Home school is so much fun.

Home Again

2009-09-08T19:33:00.000-07:00

We drove home yesterday and were able to make it in record time despite the holiday. The boys did okay. Paul was only able to nap for an hour because Luke was almost completely unable to nap at all. Below are pictures of Paul's limited success and Luke's hilariously sad attempt.

This dude can still sleep anywhere. Lucky guy.

This dude did this to himself somewhere around Madras. It was sadly unsuccessful. But really funny.

In other news Erik earned the Best Husband Ever Award today for making it possible for me to park my car in our garage for the first time ever. This involved a trip to the dump and some seriously hard work moving stuff up into the attic above the garage. Yes, we've lived in this house for three years. This is actually the first time in my entire life that a car that I drive has a garage to come home to. We even found the clicker. I can hardly wait for it to rain!

Never had a winter when I didn't have to scrape ice. Woot!

Best Husband Ever: Erik Bangsund

Oh Deer!

2009-09-06T12:58:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the cheesy title, but I couldn't resist. This morning after breakfast Paul was playing with the blinds, so I decided to remove the temptation by opening them. Paul looked out the window and said, "Wook. Deer." Sure enough, there were four deer, a doe, two fawns and a stag. I got a few pictures as they grazed past us. We were even able to go out on the deck without them running away. Pretty neato.

The two fawns munching some breakfast.

We took the boys to the park this morning. The weather here has been a little chilly, but we all put on sweatshirts and life was good. The boys enjoyed the ginormous merry-go-round and the tether ball the most.

Cutie Paul in the Tunnel

Love it.

Daddy and the boys on the coolest Merry-Go-Round ever.

Sleep has been going okay. We discovered that Paul is the problem, not Luke! The two year old is just way too in love with his older brother and is simply delighted to be sharing a room with him. We solved this by putting Paul down first, giving him a good half hour to fall asleep. Once he is asleep, Luke is able to get into bed and fall asleep without waking his little brother. For naps we just move the port-a-crib into our room so they can go down at about the same time. Today is actually the first day that Luke has napped here. I'm so thankful for the break.
The massage is not going to happen. Maybe next time. I was able to go for a wonderful bike ride all by myself yesterday morning. I rode up to the river and along it, stopping at this really cool bridge to enjoy the water and the view. Almost as relaxing as a massage and much easier on the budget. :-)
All the boys have been enjoying time with Mr. Mark, especially playing video games. Paul has started saying, "Wets watch Mario Tart." Oh dear.

Yep.

Slightly Crazy Sunriver Day

2009-09-04T19:39:00.000-07:00

We arrived at the cabin in Sunriver yesterday evening at about 8:30 pm. It would have been sooner had we not been waylaid by the playplace at the Madras McDonald's and a twenty minute construction zone wait outside Terrabonne. Crazy. The boys did okay. It was only during the last twenty-five minutes from Bend to Sunriver that Paul began to ask to be excused from his carseat. Cute and sad at the same time. The real crazy started when we attempted to put both boys in the same room to go to sleep. The giggling and bouncing commenced. Who knows when it stopped. I put in earplugs at 10pm and went to sleep. Around 6:45 am I rolled out of bed, removed my earplugs and was immediately met by Paul's chipper voice from the confines of the port-a-crib. The door to their room was already opened, so I knew Luke was already up. I left Paul where he was and headed to the coffee pot. After pouring myself a cup, I returned to the front room to find Luke asleep in the recliner. Picture below.

Later when I asked him what time he came out: Afternoon 3. (3 am) He sometimes gets confused between naptime and bedtime. I told him that if it is dark outside, it's NOT afternoon 3 and he needs to go back to bed.

The day itself was filled with a little more whining than usual, but nobody died. Paul and I took excellent naps. Luke skipped his entirely and Erik played video games. We did slip into the Village Mall to get Paul a bike helmet of his very own. We haven't been allowing him to actually ride the balance bike he recently acquired from Luke because he didn't own a helmet yet. So Paul has been dutifully walking that bike all over the place. Sadly, he has formed a habit. Even after we got his helmet and placed it on his head, he refused to get on the bike! Pictures below.

Happy to be walking his bike alongside Mommy.

It's 8pm exactly. Paul is asleep. Luke is quietly sitting in bed. Perhaps tonight will be a bit better. Our good friend Mark is arriving this evening and ALL the boys are terribly excited to spend time with him. I'm going to finish my book and maybe look into getting a massage at the lodge. It's my vacation and I start teaching part-time preschool next week. I think I deserve a massage. :-)

Other cute pictures:

He's cute despite being really tired and mildly cranky.

Paul on the deck with the tricycle. This was earlier in the morning before it was warm enough for shorts. Paul didn't seem to mind the nippy air.

Last Days of Summer

2009-08-28T13:24:00.000-07:00

I was working diligently in the kitchen this morning, wiping counters and putting away dishes when I happened to glance outside. The boys were both playing at the sand and water table. I immediately left my work and grabbed my camera. I only got one shot of the two of them together, but it was worth it. The fact is that our lives are changing very soon. Luke and I will be doing preschool together in our home three days a week during the morning. While the preschool schedule definitely allows for free play and exploration, there will be more schedule than our lazy summer mornings have held. Part of me is extremely excited to be returning to a structured schedule. And part of me will miss watching the boys spend their morning inventing a new way to play with the Brio trains. But all of me rejoices that both Luke and Paul will be starting the BSF preschool program together in a few weeks. It's going to be great!

Before the picture, a quick quote from Luke. He was showing me his money, an odd assortment of change acquired mostly from grandparents. When I asked him which coins were his favorite, he pointed to the dimes and said, "I like the diamonds the best." Who doesn't? :-)

Brothers

Luke's New Song

2009-08-22T10:14:00.000-07:00

Luke has taken to making up new songs. Today while we were driving to a friend's house he sang these words from the backseat. As soon as I got to a stoplight I started writing them down because I loved them so much. I double checked them with Luke and he confirmed them, so here they are for your enjoyment. The tune is completely nebulous and changes every time, so just make up your own.

One time Jesus and His disciples
were riding in a boat.
Suddenly a big storm came.
Jesus woke up
and made the storm stop.

Jesus is powerful.
Jesus is powerful.
Only He can make a storm stop.

I love it. He told a story about Jesus and shared a principle truth that he learned from the story. He's such a BSFer!
Speaking of which, classes start soon. Are you interested in studying the Bible? Are you available either one evening a week or one morning a week? Visit www.bsfinternational.org and find a class near you! :-)

Four Years Old

2009-08-16T17:24:00.000-07:00

Luke turned four years old today. Yesterday evening after having finished all the preparations for today's celebration, Erik and I had so much fun reminiscing about where we were four years ago. In some ways it really hasn't been that long and God has brought us so far. When Luke was born we were living in a little tiny house, Erik was underemployed, and we were about to take huge leaps of faith. It's incredible to me how far the Lord has brought us in just four years. As for Luke, that guy just seems big and mature to me. His long legs can't possibly belong to my first-born! And at this very moment, he is quietly playing with the wooden "build it yourself" cars he received for his birthday, using skills I didn't realize he had. Love it.
The celebration itself was held at a train park about an hour from our house, way out in the country. The drive itself is fun and entertaining, with many sights of farm machinery and farm animals. There was the slight hiccup in that the party was supposed to start at 11am and the park doesn't open until noon. A few phone calls and most people realized they were no longer going to be fashionably late, but right on time. :-) As for us, we drove into the little town and enjoyed french fries. Luke was completely delighted!
Upon our arrival at the train park, I was once again completely thrilled with this venue. Picnic tables, wide open spaces, and trains. A mother's dream come true! The last time we visited Luke was only two years old and wasn't willing to ride. Today was completely different. As soon as we had settled our stuff and a few guests had arrived, Luke was ready to ride! Paul was close behind. We all waited patiently in line and hopped aboard. We waved to everyone and thoroughly enjoyed every moment. Here are the pics to prove it!

The boys watching the trains. It is so fun to have friends with kids that are Luke's age!

Luke and Mommy riding, followed by Grandma and guest.

Opening presents in the special red chair.

What a spread! Hot dogs, chips, strawberries, carrots, and water! Luke ate mostly chips. It's his birthday, so I let the nutritionist part of my job description take a backseat.

August So Far

2009-08-13T13:54:00.001-07:00

Wow. It's been a month since I posted. We have been doing some really fun stuff, but I have been busy. I guess the biggest news is that Erik and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary on August 7th. We were so blessed to have a week to ourselves at the cabin in Sunriver. Many thanks to the grandparents for making this possible. We are grateful to God for your love and support of us and your grandsons. Best anniversary gift ever! Here's a picture from our trip.

Our good friends, Bob and Liza, joined us Thursday for the remainder of the week. We all took a jaunt over to the lava cast forest. Bob took this picture of us. Pretty cool.

In other news, the boys have been enjoying swimming lessons at our local community center. Luke is doing very well, learning to put his face in the water and float on his back. He is very enthusiastic about going each morning. Most days he is well behaved and obedient to his teachers. He did so well during his first two week session that they moved him up to the next class. He's no longer a goldfish; he's a penguin. Cuteness. Here's some pics.

Luke's best back float so far.

Bubble blowing with Teacher Anthony and Teacher Jeannie

Paul just started this week and has been a bit more hesitant about the swimming thing. I attend his class with him. The first day he spent the entire thirty minutes glued to my hip, with his arms wrapped tight around me. The next day I think he might have unglued himself for a total of four minutes our of the thirty. Improvement! Wednesday and today have seen him continue to be more comfortable. His teacher, Kalynne, is the sweetest girl. She gives him high-fives and smiles even when he is somewhat surly. Back floats are his least favorite. The whole pool can hear our attempts. That kid can SCREAM! He will survive. And I'm getting an amazing workout each morning, wrestling with Paul, lifting Paul, and basically doing squats for a half hour. Here are a few pics my mom snapped from across the pool.

"See, Oma. This pool thing isn't so bad."

Happy Second Birthday, Paul!

2009-07-17T19:05:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Paul's second birthday yesterday by having a fabulous dinner party. There were eleven adults and ten kids. It was so much fun. We served Yum Bowls, a concept rather blatantly stolen from Cafe Yumm. Our version includes Cuban Black Beans, brown rice, Yumm Sauce, tomatoes, cucumbers, yellow peppers, cheese, and olives. Delicious.
The birthday boy enjoyed the party and did very well. Here are some pics.

He was so excited about the trucks on the cake! He did eventually blow out the candle.

And then he ate the cake! Yum.

Luke ate cake, too.

This play mat folds up into a carry case for the cars/trains. It was Mommy's favorite gift! :-)

Building, Snails, and Haircuts

2009-07-10T17:46:00.001-07:00

Paul discovered the joys of this super fun building set this week. He loves to put it together differently every time, in stark contrast to his older brother, who HAD to make it look like a pyramid each and every time.

Luke and I were unable to get the last tie on his red tunnel untied, giving it a rather rounded look. He looked at it and determined it would make a fabulous snail shell. And it did. Here is the snail.

Lastly, I took the boys to have haircuts this morning. They were so perfectly behaved! Luke sat in one chair while Paul sat in the other. Simultaneous haircuts occurred with Mommy spending the bulk of the time getting Paul to look the proper direction. Afterward the boys played with the train table and ate lollipops, or as Luke calls them, "polly-lops." Here are the results.

Luke was so focused on this new puzzle that there was no getting him to look at the camera.

Paul was more than happy to look at the camera. He looks like such a little man now! Christie at Kids Kuts put some product in his hair and this was after he had taken a nap on it. Pretty wild and terribly cute.

Fourth of July

2009-07-05T20:02:00.001-07:00

We had a great day yesterday filled with lots of fun and good friends. We headed to our John and Holly's house where their precious 9-year old daughter decorated Luke's bike for him in preparation for the parade. This is the most fabulous neighborhood tradition ever. Engine 9 from the firehouse arrives about five blocks from their house. All the kids in the neighborhood decorate their bikes and follow the fire engine around the block three times. Most of the parents walk along the sidewalk and there are some very sweet retirees sitting in lawn chairs also. Then the fire engine parks at a corner and sets up the best sprinkler EVER down one street while allowing the kids to shoot a hose down the other street to hit a traffic cone. Meanwhile there is the most amazing potluck going on. And free Popsicles. Luke rode in the parade this year. Paul shot the fire hose. They both had three Popsicles a piece. Wow.
After the amazingly long naps, we headed to Tim and Abby's house to enjoy their hospitality for the evening. Another sweet potluck. Thirteen children under the age of ten, ten adults, a Slip N Slide, sprinkler, kiddie pool and no trips to the emergency room. Awesome! The boys did extremely well, but we did end our evening around 8pm. I think Luke forgot all about the fireworks from last year, so he wasn't at all disappointed. The kids were asleep by 8:30pm and we followed suit pretty quickly. Long, fun day.

We were one of the first families to greet the fire fighters. Grandpa introduced Paul to this wonderful woman and she brought Paul up into the engine. He was a pretty happy guy. The hat is heavy, hence the somewhat apprehensive look on his face in this shot.

Luke is ready to ride in the parade.

And they're off!

The best sprinkler ever. The temperature was between 85 and 90 degrees by this time.

Same lady who brought Paul up into the engine helped him shoot the hose. He was one happy boy.

Weekly Update

2009-06-18T18:27:00.001-07:00

It's been a good week here (in Lake Woebegone, my home town). Sorry about the parenthetical comment. I grew up on A Prairie Home Companion and it runs in my blood. Tangent.
Erik took both Monday and Tuesday off so that we could recover from our vacation. Seriously. We were all in one hotel room Friday night and the boys didn't fall asleep until after 10:30 pm when Erik took Luke for a drive in the car so that Paul could pass out. Saturday night we ousted Luke to Grandma and Grandpa's room. Sunday we changed our plane tickets and flew home early. But we survived and it was such fun to be there for Bestefar's 90th birthday party.
Anyway, we spent Monday and Tuesday unpacking and reclaiming our house after my week of complete laziness (a.k.a. back injury). Wednesday Erik went back to work and so did I. Overall it was a pretty good day. The boys have been enjoying lots of time outside. The weather hasn't actually been sunny, but they really don't care. They put on sandals and socks, because that's the way they roll, and spend the better part of the morning out there.
This morning Erik and I signed the papers for our re-financing of the house. We went from 6.5% to 4.75%, effectively reducing our mortgage payment by $300 a month. Sah-weet. We feel beyond blessed to be debt-free except the house and moving toward having a fully funded emergency fund. The Dave Ramsey stuff really does work.
Tomorrow night we are going to a Portland Timbers game with Erik's team from work. It will be my first time attending a professional soccer game. We will be there with Erik's manager, who is a true fan (read absolute nut for the game). I'm excited to see it through his eyes.
And now the pics!

Don't be fooled. The children in this picture are not actually asleep.

Time with Bestefar and Aunt Krista. Pretty special.

Nice weather Monday allowed for the complete soaking of our children. Long sleeves with shorts. Awesome. Less sunscreen required.

Paul is sopping wet in this picture. Short sleeves with long pants. Who dresses these kids?

Not the Week I Planned

2009-06-11T08:17:00.000-07:00

On Monday morning the boys and I dropped Erik off at the airport for his flight to the National Sales Meeting in Las Vegas. I was ready for a busy week of packing Luke to fly to San Diego with Grandma and Grandpa on Wednesday, while also preparing Paul and I to fly there on Friday. Directly from the airport, we drove to meet a friend at a park. While at the park I made the mistake of lifting Paul down from the play structure and twisting my body at the same time. My back said, "Silly Amy." And then it stopped working and started emanating pain instead. I knew instantly that my week was not going to be what I had planned. Becky, my friend and the woman to whom I owe my life, managed to get me and the kids to the car. She followed us home and facilitated lunch and nap. I started popping ibuprofen like candy while alternating between ice and heat on my back. And I started making phone calls. I had somebody recently tell me how much they admired my ability to ask for help. It's actually something that I really struggle with, so it was sweet to hear that God has grown me in this area.
The week has been filled with helping hands. My neighbor Taryn came and helped facilitate dinner. Another neighbor, Jodi has helped put the boys to bed twice now. Liza came from the north and cleaned my kitchen. Lynne, my fabulous mother-in-love, came and did laundry and packed Luke's bag. Yet another neighbor, Mary, came Tuesday to watch the boys so that I could go to my last Life Group meeting across the street. (Have I mentioned that I love our neighborhood?) Julie, a BSF buddy, has spent afternoons with Paul so that I can get some much needed, drug-induced sleep. God has provided through the hands and feet and strong backs of my friends and neighbors.
I was able to get to the doctor Tuesday morning. The report is irritated ligaments in my back. The prescriptions were for an anti-inflammatory (Super Advil) and a muscle relaxant (happy drug). He also gave me some exercises that will help and told me if things aren't 100% in two weeks I should probably get some physical therapy.
The grandparents and Luke have made it safely to Southern California. Paul has spent two mornings touching every single toy normally horded by his big brother. Trains. Matchbox cars. Crayons. I don't think Paul misses Luke yet.
Here are some pictures taken last week, primarily for Oma, who is still far away.

Luke in Daddy's shoes.

Happy Paul in the playroom.

Luke at the park.

Paul at the park minutes before Mommy hurt her back.

Breakfast at the little table this morning. It's amazing the creative solutions one devises when lifting the toddler is no longer an option. My favorite so far has been the step stool in his crib to help him climb out. That was Oma's idea. It worked beautifully!

Welcome Cousin Rory!

2009-06-03T20:56:00.000-07:00

My sister gave birth to her second son, Rory Michael, yesterday morning at 10:51am EST. I am so in love with the pictures that her husband Ed sent me via email. Here is my favorite one of the precious-head boy.

Rory Michael - 7 pounds, 6 ounces - 20 inches - Adorable

I also acknowledge that I need to post some pictures of my boys for Oma, who is helping out back east. So here they are!

Paul plus sunblock plus dirt equals really dirty Paul. He doesn't seem too upset about it.

Erik came up with this game the other morning while I was in the shower. The boys are reading to their "pets" who are located inside their "cage" aka the upside down laundry basket.

Here are the pets. They are called Chuzzles and have their origin in a video game, naturally. Erik got six of them for free and they serve a variety of purposes in our house. Sometimes pets, sometimes weapons, sometimes little fuzzy things to be kicked when Mommy needs to let off steam. They also squeak when you squeeze them, another feature that I actually find relieves stress.

So cute!

Fabulous Weekend

2009-05-25T20:35:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-21T18:49:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-17T19:45:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-08T18:39:00.001-07:00

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.

Good Day, Sunshine!

2009-04-20T15:14:00.000-07:00

It was that kind of day here today. We spent our entire morning in the backyard. We were even able to enjoy a picnic lunch by moving our little table out there. It worked perfectly. The boys played hard and slept harder at nap. Unfortunately right as Erik walked in the door everyone was high needs McGee, so he didn't get to see much of the fun. Then he had to jet for BSF Fellowship. This is where the guys in his group all get together before class time and share the most recent stuff God has been doing in their lives through the study. Always a good time.
After finishing dinner with the boys we headed back outside and Luke hit the "baseball" for the first time ever! He started taking pitches this morning, totally HIS idea, in case you are thinking that I'm "that mom." But I was pretty stinkin' excited when he hit a pitch tonight. We were out front, because the backyard is unbearable in the evenings. And I totally screamed and jumped up and down as he hit a line drive down the third baseline. Okay, there were no bases, or lines, but it was fun. He hit a total of four pitches tonight. I won't tell you how many I threw. :-)
Well, there are grandparents and great-grandparents awaiting this post, so I will finish up with the pictures and a video.

Luke climbed this "tree" all by himself. He also wanted that bucket hanging there. No idea.

Happy Paul peeking at me through the play structure

Picnic lunch. I'm going to do this every chance I get this summer. No vacuuming required.

The video below was shot during pajama playtime tonight. The box was completely Luke's idea and I had NO idea what he was going to do when I began shooting. It really gives a whole new meaning to hammer head. I laugh every time I watch it. I hope you do too.

Beautiful Day

2009-04-16T19:21:00.001-07:00

It was a beautiful day today and the boys and I were able to get out and enjoy it a bit. We had a play date with friends to the north this morning. Their backyard is very large and both boys had a great time in the sand box and kicking the soccer ball into the goal. After nap we crossed the street to play with Keary the Corgi, who has enough energy for both boys at once. She's just a year old, so they are all growing up together. Very cute. I will try to remember my camera the next time we are headed over.
Tonight's pictures are brought to you by a moment of sweetness right before bedtime. Paul had been sitting in his rocking chair and Luke decided to join him. Luke then announced, "We are so cute!" I agreed and ran to get the camera.

How do we look? Just a little primping before the photo shoot begins.

I tried to get Paul to ditch the pacifier, but it wasn't going to happen. I think they are still cute.

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

2009-04-14T15:02:00.000-07:00

It's one day late, but we love you and hope your day was wonderful!

Paul is looking at a picture of Grandpa and doing his best to wish him a happy birthday. Luke is in the other room, refusing to be part of the video, but adding his commentary nevertheless.

Spring

2009-04-05T14:59:00.000-07:00

The weather has finally started to look like Spring. Blue sky, slight breeze. Good stuff. Naturally I'm down with some sort of chest cold. I felt mostly fine until last night when it hit hard. I woke up I'm hoping that resting today and drinking lots of EmergenC will do the trick. And despite feeling mildly under the weather, I'm enjoying the breezy shade on my front porch at this moment. Paul and Oma are on a walk around the block. Luke is still napping, as is the Daddy-Man.

From my porch I enjoy a great view of my street. I love sitting here. The porch itself is tiny, not large enough for a chair, so I use the steps. Candy tuft and daffodils are blooming in my yard. My neighbor is cleaning out his car. Weeds have taken over the lava rock that separates the sidewalk from the street. Our lawn is mowed, but not manicured liked some. I had a fabulous professor in college, Dennis Martin, whom Erik house sat for the summer we got married. Dennis told Erik to mow the lawn, but not too short. Even while summering in the south of France, he liked to think of his lawn in Tacoma, WA as being a little overgrown. Lovely.

We missed church today because of my cold. I was bummed because it's Palm Sunday, our first at Mosaic. Each year I like to consider the journey of Jesus during this week. He knew riding in on that donkey what Friday would hold. He also knew that the next Sunday would change the world forever. I won't miss church next Sunday, even if I have to wear a sign that says, "Don't touch me. I'm sick." It's just too cool to miss.

And now a few pics of the boys, just for fun. These were taken pre-haircuts, but they are too cute not to share.

Luke wearing his Cubbies vest and holding his Cubbies book. So cute.

Paul with his first flower, a dandelion picked from our neighbor's yard. I don't think she'll mind.

Hair Cuts and Puzzles

2009-04-03T17:51:00.000-07:00

I took both boys to get hair cuts yesterday. At the same time. Together. It actually went really well. The place I take them is designed for children and has a train table. That's pretty much all that is required for the boys to declare a place awesome. I love the women that work there. They are patient and kind. About fifteen seconds into Paul's cut, Luke declared his need to pee on the potty. This necessitated all three of us heading into the one-seater bathroom. She didn't bat an eye at this insanity. She's got kids. This was Paul's first "official" hair cut. He did better than fabulous. He was perfect. I had him sit on my lap, and he seriously didn't flinch, cry, whine, or wince once. Low maintenance dude. Luke also did well, only wincing at the finishing job with the trimmer. I think they look great. Here's a video of them yesterday after we got home. They are working on a puzzle together. Luke is a tad bossy, but Paul doesn't seem to mind.

The Brothers Bangsund

2009-03-27T17:39:00.001-07:00

I wish every moment were like this. Today before we left the house for a play date with our neighbor, the boys had a spontaneous moment of adorable. They both had their play kitties wrapped up in blankets, like babies. They were sitting on the couch together and Paul began to hug Luke. Super sweet pictures were taken. I can't really pick my favorite, so I'll just give you all of them.

"We could hide out under there..."

2009-03-05T14:47:00.000-08:00

"I just made you say underwear!"

Today was Luke's first day wearing underwear. More accurately, it was his first morning wearing underwear because it is currently only 2:50 pm. And a successful morning it has been. We had no accidents and three successful ventures. He is napping, in an overnight pull-up, and is looking forward to putting his underwear back on after nap. After he almost refused to wear it this morning, this in itself is a triumph. After many battles over the past few months I finally wised up. Yesterday I asked my BSF ladies to pray. I seriously did. I asked them to pray for me for wisdom and consistency in potty training. Does that sound insane to you? It did to me at first, but I have decided that God cares about the details of our lives. We see it in the Bible and we see it in our lives.
I am really good about handing God the big things in my life. Lord, should I home school my kids? Father, please provide for our needs. Jesus, help me to shine Your light to those who are hurting. It's the small things that I hold onto, claiming ownership and declaring control over. Potty training. Read a few books. Visit a few websites. Talk to a few moms. You'll be good to go. I did. I wasn't. But I can do this! Everybody does this. I'm in control!! And God said, I love you so much. Please let me help you. Surrender this little thing to me. I know it seems too mundane for the creator of the universe, but it matters to you, so it matters to me.
One of my BSF buddies texted me this morning saying she was praying. I know she wasn't the only one. I prayed. Erik prayed. Maybe you prayed. Thanks. I am thanking God for an accident-free morning and giving Him all the glory. He knew that I needed just a little success in order to face the wet pants and dirty underwear that will inevitably come within the next few days. :-)

The Blessings of Hospitality

2009-02-13T12:53:00.000-08:00

We have a special guest today. She is the four-year old daughter of good friends who are having a weekend to themselves. I notice a few things about having a house guest. Luke's behavior is radically different when there is someone here to entertain. My house gets cleaner and stays cleaner when there are other folks here. For instance, after lunch today, rather than needing to follow the boys into the playroom to ensure peace and civility, I let our guest do it. Seriously! Add one four-year-old girl to the mix and life becomes SO much more sane. We are going to do this more often. So while they played, I did the lunch dishes. That NEVER happens. Usually Erik arrives home to a very messy kitchen because it was the last thing on my list. Not so today. :-)

It is currently 7pm, a time of night during which I usually entertain Luke with a game or five. Tonight he and our guest are having pajama playtime together. And I have time to blog before 10pm. I might even read for pleasure. Wow. We need to do this every weekend.

Advertisement: Home for four-year-old girls. One night a week only. Sweethearts and Precious Heads need only apply.

Paul shows off his wheels to our guest.

Pajama playtime!

Things To Do During A Power Outage

2009-02-09T10:55:00.000-08:00

Dust furniture
Fold clean laundry
Drink lukewarm coffee
Eat graham crackers
Listen to iTunes collection for at least 3 hours and 23 minutes (time remaining on laptop battery).
Read NPR page that is already loaded
Write a blog entry with a pen and paper
Be thankful my kids aren't TV folks and are happily playing in the playroom
Be thankful that toilets don't require electricity to flush
Marvel at the infrastructure of our country
Remember time spent in the third world when the electricity was turned off by the government nearly every evening at sunset. Actually not such a bad thing. More candle light, more guitar playing, more song writing in those days.
Listen to my children play and notice that Paul is imitating "I see you" fairly accurately. "I ee oo"
Play "BSF" with Luke which always involves a Bible story, questions and answer time, and hymn time. And don't forget snack.
Use the Old School kitchen timer for time outs. BRRRING!!!
Explain to Paul that the electric piano won't work without electricity to which he responds, "Oh."

The power was only out for about forty-five minutes. I still have no idea what happened, but I was very thankful that it came back on before lunch time.

Later I thought of the idea of taking pictures. So here are a few shots after our power outage was over. The list is only comprised of things we actually did during the outage. Anyway, here are a few of the pics from today.

Snack time on the kitchen floor.

King Pharaoh in his palace trying to decide if he is going to let the Israelite people go...nine times out of ten, Luke gets to say, "NO!" to Moses, played by Mommy. Can you see why he likes this game so much?

Happy Paul

Still Sickies

2009-02-02T18:51:00.001-08:00

Luke's fever raged for three days and he was a complete lump that entire time. I usually spend so much time telling him to use an inside voice or to stop running in the house, but when he is quiet and still, it's freaky. His fever finally broke Saturday morning and he has been on the mend ever since. Paul's started Saturday evening. I have been able to keep his from skyrocketing using Tylenol and ibuprofen, but I will be staying home with him tomorrow rather than going to BSF leadership. The worst part is the cough for both boys. Their lungs are just so susceptible to illness. We are nebulizing them both with Albuterol and Pulmicort. It's such a process every time. I finally gave up trying to get Paul to sit still and instead just let him stand while I hold the mask up to his face. It works. Luke, on the other hand, loves to sit and hold the mask himself. He's a big boy.
And now the pictures.

Paul right before bed tonight. Never too sick for the trains.

Luke and his tea set in the tub.

Sickies

2009-01-28T15:01:00.000-08:00

Luke came down with a fever and a cough yesterday. Sadly he had to miss BSF this morning. Devota, a friend from my days in the evening class, came to watch Paul and got two for the price of one. Praise God for friends who love my kids. Luke spent the entire morning lying in our bed watching videos on my computer. I have never seen him be that still for that long, but he also doesn't get much media, so this was a special treat. Paul, meanwhile, charmed his caretaker and even learned to say her name. As she was leaving he said, "Bye Ota." So sweet.

These pictures are from a few days ago, but I know my mom, who has been back at her place for twenty-four hours, is probably missing her boys. :-) They miss her too.

Paul with a vehicle. That's pretty much all it takes.

Luke outside in his "tree." It's a rhododendron that has been pruned well over the years. It's a perfect spot for him.

Pictures for Grandmas

2009-01-21T14:32:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what has been keeping me busy, but I've not had much time to post. Both Grandma and Oma are away from their boys, so this post is for them. These pictures are from last Friday when I attempted a trip to the park. Brrrrr. It was so cold that we only lasted about fifteen minutes. That January sunshine can be deceiving. Regardless, the boys enjoyed the trip out and there are pictures!

EE-OL! (Wheel)

Waiting patiently for snack...looking more like a little boy every day.

The Swinging Bangsund Brothers

Monday Night Reflections

2009-01-19T17:25:00.000-08:00

It goes so fast. Today we went to the indoor playpark at our local community center gymnasium. On one side of the room they had all the toddler/preschool toys while the other side was set up for older kids due to the holiday. Luke is allowed to run around and do his own thing while I hang out with Paul. At one point I looked up to find Luke and found him across the room actually engaged in using a lacrosse stick properly, playing catch with another boy. He is growing so fast. As Erik headed out for BSF tonight I realized it is two and half short years until Luke heads out with him. Suddenly Monday evenings with both my boys are more precious. We danced in the kitchen. We were elephants in the livingroom. And the dishes didn't get done.