Milestones

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

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

Working hard with Daddy.

Look what we did!

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

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

Time with Bestefar and the Beach

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



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



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

Disneyland!

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

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

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

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

Arrival in San Diego

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

The cutest picture ever taken.

Luke and Sharon chillin' out.

Cousins meeting for the first time!

Have you ever seen a cooler baby?

Such good times with such great people!

Road Trippin'

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

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

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

Paul and G.G. playing games.

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

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

Eleven Months Happy

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

Paul loves Luke.

And the feeling is mutual. I love this picture.

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

Such a sweet boy.

Productive Day

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

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

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

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