Unexpected Hodge-Podge

Unexpected because this will be my second blog posting in as many days.

Hodge-Podge because I finally got a charged battery into my camera and discovered a very random assortment of pictures which I will now share with all of you.

The boys help me "make" bread.  Okay.  We all dump different ingredients into our bread maker.  But it tastes amazing and they like to dump things in and watch it stir.

Our favorite whole grain bread, sweetened with molasses.  It looks gross here, but I think that's part of what the boys love about it.  Turns out amazing every time.

Ever wonder, "What do those boys do all day?"  This is a fair part of it.  They also build forts, construct and deconstruct lego creations, argue with each other, pretend to be knights, and eat.

More of the above.  This is a Brer Rabbit storybook that is part of our Read Aloud curriculum.  The boys enjoy the crazy, mad-capped humor and the fact that I read it with my best southern accent.  I'm allowed.  I'm not a possible presidential candidate. (First political comment on my blog!!  Will there be backlash?!?)

We went on a date in February.  We had my mom take this picture beforehand so we would remember that we went on a date and it was fun.

Paul likes marker a little too much.  I'm so glad these things are non-toxic and washable.  Although I will say it took more than one bath to get all of this to go away.  He's never seen the old Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but I really wanted to teach him the Oompa Loompa song when I saw what he had done to himself.

I'm sorry that I can't remember why he posed like this, but I'm glad I took this picture.  It accurately portrays what he is like for much of the time - goofy.

Yep.  Goofy.  This is in the cabin at Sunriver with a bug net over his head.

There are the pictures, people.  I told you they were random.  Paul just came out of his room, pointed at this picture and said, "I know who that is.  It's Link."  Also random.  Perhaps as we get back into our schedule this coming week, things will be less random and I'll actually have a blog post that makes more sense.  :-)

Pajama Pizza Party in Medford

Greetings Friends!  I apologize in advance for the shocking lack of pictures in this post.  There is a story behind that irritating business...maybe I'll share later.  For now, I will share the cuteness before me.  My boys are currently sitting on a queen sized bed at the Courtyard Marriott in Medford, OR.  They are wearing matching pajamas and they are watching one of their favorite videos, Crazy Hair Day.  Daddy will be arriving shortly with gourmet pizza for the grown-ups and pepperoni with no cheese for the short ones.  Sparkling water for us, chocolate almond milk for them.  YUM!

We are celebrating our last night of travel after ten days on the road.  This was our very first multiple-day road trip.  We did pretty well.  There were a few moments that were less than lovely, but I think those are pretty normal for most families who travel together.  Here are some of our highlights.

Our first night on the road we stayed in Dunsmuir, CA at the Rail Road Park Resort where every room is a real caboose that has been converted.  Yes, the boys were both absolutely entranced.  This was the point at which I realized my camera battery was dead. I had failed to bring the replacement, and I was officially sad.  I know that Grandma and Grandpa, with whom we were caravanning at the time, took a few shots.  We'll see if I can get a few of those eventually.
Our second day of driving, Paul was noticeably confused.  He kept asking the same question over and over.

Paul:  "Where are we going?"
Mommy or Daddy:  A brief explanation of the concept behind a road trip
(about an hour later)
Paul:  "Where are we going?"
Mommy or Daddy:  Another failed attempt at explaining to the four year old mind why we are spending so much time in the car.

To his credit, Paul did not once ask if we were there yet.  I don't think he ever actually grasped the fact that we would eventually stop being in the car all day. Sweet, patient, trusting child.

Our  second night we stayed in Fresno.  Paul bunked in with us while Luke stayed with Grandma and Grandpa.  That works so well for our people who just haven't been able to successfully sleep in the same room yet.  And while it was just a regular hotel with no railroad theme, there was a pool and the boys found this delightful.

One thing I failed to mention earlier was the absolute deluge we had driven through and continued to drive through.  It rained all day for three days straight from Portland to Palm Desert, CA.  Seriously.  It followed us.  Crazy.

But the boys and I were NOT deterred.  Upon arrival, we discovered that the condo had a fabulous in-ground hot tub.  Being in a hot tub in the rain is so fun!  The boys and I spent our first evening thus "relaxing" while the Daddy-Man unloaded the car and set up camp.  Yes, I realize that staying in a condo in Palm Desert is nothing like camping, but it's kinda as close as I get right now.  Yes, you can mock me.

We spent the next five days enjoying the pools, the parks, and time with Grandma and Grandpa, along with a number of other So Cal family members.  (Official shout out to Betty, Ellen, Barbara and Lyle - it was great to see you all!)  The boys also were able to build legos and drive remote control cars.

Friday morning we were up early and on the road by 7am.  Our longest day of driving was before us and this Mommy wanted to be sure it ended before dinner time.  We made it to San Jose by 4:30 on the dot!  I LOVE gps.  My favorite stretch of road on this drive was Highway 152 - so beautiful!  Green rolling hills with really pretty trees.  We are going to drive that road again without children sometime.

Our arrival in San Jose was a warm welcome from Uncle Jim and Aunt Judy.  Although the boys were heinous at dinner, they were delightful at breakfast.  Road-weary four year olds are hard to please.  Sorry, Aunt Judy.  I thought dinner was wonderfully delicious.  After a fun evening around the kitchen table, we passed out in our beds.

This morning we decided to take the scenic route through San Francisco, over the Golden Gate Bridge, thanks to Uncle Jim's fun suggestion.  The weather was junk, but it didn't matter.  That bridge is cool.  The boys thought as much and so did I.  It was also super fun to go home a different way than we had come.  It was hours of different scenery before we eventually hit I-5 and turned off the gps.  Follow the road home, people.

When we saw our first sign with mileage for Portland (around 380 miles), I had the brief thought of pushing through.  Because I'm pretty done with the road for awhile.  But we would have pulled in around 9pm.  That would have sucked big time.  Besides, this is Erik's favorite hotel of all time.  The Courtyard Marriott in Medford is a pretty accommodating place, I must admit.  If they could just get my four year old to fall asleep quicker...

We pulled in here just after 4pm.  We swam in the pool.  We sent Daddy for pizza.  We put on our pajamas.  We cannot wait to get up in the morning and head for home.  I hope Paul asks where we are going.  I really want to say, "Home!"

Literary Experiences

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

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

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

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!