Winter 2014

Well folks, we've had some winter here over the past four days.  Winter is rare in our neighborhood, so most things are moving slower.  It all began Thursday afternoon when it started to snow.  Hard.  It wasn't just snow either.  There was lots of wind.  Our phones actually issued us a winter storm watch for all night Thursday.

By Friday we had about four inches of snow piled up in drifts.  But that wasn't the exciting part. Friday morning around 10am, it started snowing again.  And it snowed all. day. long.  The wind was also crazy, creating big drifts in places, especially the backside of our house.

Saturday was ultra exciting with the advent of the ice storm.  Again, our phones went nuts informing us to expect power outages due to ice covered tree limbs hitting power lines.  We lit candles and played video games.  While putting the boys to bed, Erik let them know that if the power went out they would not need to wake us up to let us know.  Because that would totally happen.  We made sure they each had their digital watches (Thank you, Aunt Krista!) and went to sleep.

No power outages last night, but LOTS of ice this morning.  It's so pretty.  And simultaneously dangerous.  I actually got a text that says, "Portland strongly urges all residents to stay indoors today and not travel due to ice."  Thanks, Portland.  I'll take your advice.  Church was canceled for the day.  The boys went out and explored the ice this morning in the backyard.  Erik and I have had some coffee.  I balanced the checkbook.  We might play some board games.  We've already watched our new blu-ray copy of White Christmas with the boys.  It feels like Christmas break all over again.  Although, I will say, these children did school on Friday despite every single public and private educational institution within a twenty mile radius being closed.  Those poor Bangsund Brothers.

Wanna see the pics?

Thursday around 10 am - Here it comes!

Thursday afternoon - taken through the playroom window...no moms were drenched in the taking of this shot.

I LOVED that they both bundled up.  You can't see it, but they are both also wearing a pair of my super fuzzy knee socks.

Happy to be in the blizzard!

I think Luke made this snow angel on Friday, but it might have been Saturday.

He's asking, "Can I throw this at you?"  So polite.

Snow angel making in the backyard.

The rosy cheeks are my favorite part.

I think this was Friday afternoon.

This morning after the ice storm.

Erik went out to get the ice off the car and did this awesomeness.  The boys watched from the dining room, cheering loudly.  He's such a cool dad.

That's pretty much it for now.  I have some other pics that aren't snow related.  I will probably write separate posts for them.  Happy Winter, people!

All Sufficient

If you run in Christian circles, or even if you don't, you might hear this phrase from time to time:  Jesus is all sufficient.  But what does that even mean?  I am never one to hear some Christianese phrase and leave it unexamined.  I've been a follower of Jesus Christ for a little over two decades now.  And this concept of Jesus being all sufficient has meant different things to me in different seasons of my life.

When I was having uncontrollable seizure in my twenties, I learned to rely on Jesus Christ for transportation (while living in a suburb with unreliable public transit) and health, praying for carpools, a flexible schedule, and a med that would finally work .  Jesus was all sufficient.  I kept my teaching job (!) and was only late to school once when my ride forgot me.  I forgive you, nameless teaching buddy.  (It was NOT Julie Johnson...it was a substitute carpool buddy.)  And I only had one seizure in the classroom during six years of teaching.  And nobody noticed.  I'm not kidding.  Jesus gave me what I needed.  He was all sufficient in my weakness.

This week, the sufficiency of Jesus had a different flavor.  Erik left for four days in Las Vegas on Monday morning.  No, he hasn't taken up gambling.  He had a launch meeting for work.  But you probably already guessed that.  Anyway, it had been awhile since I flew solo around here.  Of course it's much easier with people who dress themselves, feed themselves, and toilet themselves.  But I was still counting on a harder than usual week.  I wasn't wrong.

There were meltdowns, some of them from the children.  There were less than nutritious meals.  You'll see pictures below.  And over and over again, I was encouraged by the words of my dear friend Jean who is no longer with us.  As a military wife and mom, she would remind me repeatedly and lovingly, that Erik's week gone was nothing compared with a wife whose husband was in a war zone for months on end.  Here's where the amazing "brought to you by Jesus" moment happens.

A package came in the mail this week.  It was from Okinawa.  My friend Jean, who is now in heaven, has a son in the Air Force, for whom we named our second born.  This Paul has a wife named Courtney.  She sent the package.  We opened it on Wednesday, and it was full of absolutely awesome Japanese activities and food.  On the day when I had arrived at the end of myself and was ready to call Erik bawling if the boys had one more Bicker Fest, we opened this package of fun, culturally educational goodness.  Some would say it was coincidence.  Jean's voice in my heart all week coupled with my past experience of Christ tells me otherwise.  Jesus provided this package at just the moment I needed it.  He is all sufficient.

Wanna see what it held?

Lots of AWESOME stuff.  Origami paper and instructions, a fun make-your-own-puzzle kit, kid-friendly chopsticks, regular chopsticks, fancy and beautiful chopsticks, headbands, stickers of Japanese "alphabet",  a beautiful scarf, and LOTS of yummy Japanese snacks.  I'm forgetting stuff, but it was all accompanied by a wonderful letter from Courtney, wherein she explained some fun things about Japanese culture.  One story about the toilets with the remote controls had my people rolling on the floor laughing.  It was brilliant.  All of it.  Here are a few of my favorite items.

There is so much about this packaging that I really like.  The title.  The picture.  It's all excellent. There were two of these, but one of my people is MUCH more prone to being the Leader of the Fun...can you guess who immediately donned his headband?

Yep.  Our Paul.  He is the Bona Fide Leader of the Fun at our house.

Instant chocolate milk!  We drank these with our almond milk.  It was tasty.

I got a pretty.  Thank you, Mrs. Courtney.

One last bit of amazing.  Thursday, the day after we opened the package, I turned the page in our Language Arts curriculum and the lesson was all about writing a thank you note.  Um...that's so stinking perfect.  Of course, I always want my boys to write thank you notes, but the fact that the necessity coincided perfectly with the school assignment just makes me happy.  And I see it as another example of Jesus pulling together the details of my life to keep me sane.  Luke finished the note today.  It is precious and heartfelt.  I'm not posting it because I want Courtney to experience it for the first time as she holds it in her hand.  I pray that it will bring her a small piece of the joy Jesus gave to our house this week through her package.

FISH!

You've probably never seen that Red Dwarf episode where The Cat stands in front of the food replicator machine and repeatedly says, "FISH!" in order to obtain his meal of five or six raw fish.  But I have.  And when titling this blog post, I heard his voice in my head.  It made me happy.  Okay.  Now having used something completely non sequitur as an introduction to my subject, I will tell you a wonderful story.

Christmas night we always go to Uncle Bob and Aunt Cindy's house.  It is a great party with lots of people we know and love.  Each year, there is some sort of gift exchange amongst the adults and the kids usually get a few presents, too.  This year's gifts from Bob and Cindy were particularly super cool and awesome.

First the boys opened a jar of really cool sand stuff that doesn't make a big crazy mess like regular sand.  It sticks together instead.  Sweet!  Then Paul opened Snap Circuits Junior, a completely awesome, fully functioning circuit board that uses snaps as the conductors.  Paul had seen a set very similar to this at our friends' house.  He was overjoyed.  And I was a very happy mom.  Wait for it, people.  It's going to get better.

The boys took their loot, I mean gifts, to the basement and spent the rest of the evening playing with the really cool spinner toys from Chuck and Anita...think super awesome tops with a launcher.  Meanwhile the grown-ups exchanged gifts and enjoyed time laughing together.  When we were all done, Bob and Cindy pulled me aside and said they had one more gift for the boys, but we all needed to come to the kitchen for it.  I was thinking food.  It must be food.  Kitchens have food, right?

Erik ran down to get the boys and I stood in the kitchen chit chatting with our hosts and the grandparents who had followed us in there.  As soon as Paul entered the room, he immediately said, "Look!  Fish!"  Sure enough.  There on the kitchen table sat two elegant fish bowls with one betta fish in each.  I immediately understood and had tears come into my eyes at the sweet, thoughtfulness of our family.

You see, Krista, Lynne, and I had been plotting to get the boys hamsters this Christmas.  After some research, it became apparent that hamsters would not be the best choice for the loud, sometimes high maintenance six year old that lives in our house.  I was a little sad to let go of this idea.  I know.  They smell.  They are nocturnal.  But I had really wanted the boys to experience having pets.  Uncle Bob and Aunt Cindy heard the story from Grandma, and they knew what to do.  FISH!

Back in the kitchen, Paul has no idea these are for us.  He simply asks, "What are their names?"  Uncle Bob tells him that he should name one of them.  Paul quickly says, "This blue one is named Jack."  Sidenote:  Luke has had his red fish for four days now and has tentatively named him Puffer because of his propensity to puff himself up when he sees himself in a mirror.  We'll see if it sticks.

Slowly, both boys realized that these fish were theirs to keep.  Uncle Bob spent the next few minutes teaching them how to feed and care for the fish.  The boys were super excited.  And this mom was so very blessed.  Sometimes the things I would pick for myself aren't the best.  Hamsters.  That would have been nuts.  Sometimes we need other people, wiser people, to pick what we wouldn't pick and gift it to us.  Huge thanks and big hugs to Uncle Bob and Aunt Cindy.  GOOD GIFT!!

 Learning what it takes to feed Jack, who can't be seen.

Luke feeds Puffer, previously known as Red Fish.

For the record, I think Uncle Bob and Aunt Cindy were a little nervous about giving this gift.  And for the record, I will be forever grateful that they did.

We brought our fish home and gave them a place of honor on the bathroom counter.  It's the warmest room in the house.  After one night in the 65 degree living room, it was clear that Jack and Puffer longed for warmer climes.  We have a space heater in the upstairs bathroom because I don't like cold porcelain.  It provides the perfect 72 degrees for our new friends.

Puffer and Jack - aren't they pretty?

That's what Christmas is all about.

It has been a very Bangsund Christmas this year.  We have experienced it all.  Six year old tantrums.  A sweet mother-son piano duet.  A lesson in grace.  Super cool gifts from the World Vision catalog.  Lots of Legos.  And two very special fish.  Read on for all the details and lots of pictures.

Christmas Eve day was mellow here.  Erik had already been off work since Friday, so we were feeling pretty relaxed.  In fact I was in my pajamas until some dear friends stopped by with their daughter whom we had not previously met.  She works in Alaska.  That's far away.  I digress.

Our first commitment for the day was meeting Grandma and Grandpa at church for the 5pm family service.  The boys put on their fancy clothes without the customary battle of the wills.  Sidenote:  my mother is a genius.  She made Paul a pair of brown corduroy dress shorts and bought him a pair of long argyle socks.  No more arguments over pants.  Beautiful.

Sadly, Paul and I had a confrontation over a different matter right before we went out the door.  I was trying to get his picture in front of the tree when he LITERALLY bounced backward into the tree, tilting it backward into the window.  Every single one of my grandmother's antique glass ornaments, placed on our tree for the first time this year in memory of her, clinked and clacked as the tree tipped and uprighted itself.

And I gasped audibly.  Paul doesn't like it when I do that.  I didn't yell.  I just gasped and then got really quiet.  He knew I was mad.  He doesn't like it when I'm mad.  So he got mad.  He did yell.  It was a little bit of holiday insanity.  All of my grandmother's ornaments were nearly destroyed and I'm being yelled at by an irate six year old child.  Eventually I did let fly with one very ugly comment.  Something about not ever having beautiful things because someone is just going to break them.  Gross, I know.

I know what you are thinking.  This isn't very Christmas-y, Amy.  Can't you just skip all this and get on with the church service or the time with the family or the presents?  Anything, but this.  Stick with me folks.  Because I honestly believe that this IS what Christmas is all about.

I'd like to say that things were much better at church.  They weren't.  Paul behaved, but my attitude stunk.  Ever done that?  Gone to church with a poopy attitude?  No, I'm the only one?  Didn't think so.  At one point I actually leaned over to Erik and said, "I don't want to be here."  He smiled lovingly at me and didn't say that he could tell.  But he could.

I'm going to skip ahead to the final tantrum of the evening.  It was Paul's not mine.  Shocking, isn't it?  While we were at Dave and Lynne's for dinner and gifts, Paul was repeatedly whiny, ungrateful, and demanding.  He had multiple timeouts, during which he SCREAMED at the top of his voice for all to hear.  In the condo there is really nowhere you can hide from that volume.  It was pretty bad.

By the time we got home, I was SO ready to skip everything the following morning.  Give them more presents?  No way.  Maybe we'll do it the 26th if they can pull their act together.  And that's when it hit me, hard, like a punch in the stomach.

God did not wait to give His Gift until we had our acts together.  Jesus came and was born as a baby, God in the flesh, when nobody had their acts together.  We were (and still are) sinners.  But Christmas happened anyway.  God gave His best perfect Gift, His Son, Jesus Christ, despite our being undeserving, whiny, ungrateful, demanding, and sometimes having poopy attitudes.  And when we accept the gift, we are given new life, delivered from all that un-Christmas-y stuff into the realm of true joy and peace.  And that's pretty Christmas-y, isn't it?  (I told you I would get there!)

Wanna see the pics?  Okay. You've endured the sermon, so I'll reward you.  Yes, I'm aware that many of you scrolled past the sermon.  I'm cool with that.  I write it mostly so I can remember the lessons I'm learning, anyway.  :-)

So cute...moments before he bounced the tree.

With the Tomten at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

A family shot looking fancy.

 Luke and I played Away in a Manger as a duet.  It was far from perfect, but I think everyone enjoyed it anyway.

Grandma opening the nativity scene we made for her.  It was pretty special.

Wow.  I'm struck by how sweet all those pictures look.  You would never know looking at them what was going on in our hearts.  I'm thankful we have a God who does not look at outward appearances, but looks at our hearts.  I need Him to look there because nobody else can see it if I choose not to reveal it.  And it needs to be revealed so that it can be cleaned!  (End preaching.)

Segue to Christmas morning pics:  I forgot to take pictures of our birthday cake and World Vision catalog time, but it was good.  Sticking to tradition we sang carols, ate cake, and picked birthday presents for Jesus first thing on Christmas morning.  The boys picked lots of good stuff, but the items that were the most fun were solar lanterns for kids.  In the third world, it can be really hard to do homework by the light of a kerosene lamp.  Having a solar powered lantern enables students to do homework without incurring eye and lung damage or risking fire.  The boys also gave backpacks for orphans, some ducks, and seeds for farmers.  Erik and I picked a goat and three more ducks this year.

Then it was time for Lego.  Okay, the boys actually had to be called in from the playroom when it was time for gifts.  They were playing contentedly with the things they got from Dave and Lynne.  But I was so glad that we were a bit extravagant in our gifts to the boys this year, especially with Paul.  We bought him a Lego set that he has longed for, but that was beyond our normal price point for gifts.  I found it on Amazon a few weeks ago priced well within our budget, along with a set for Luke similarly priced.  So I got them.  And now I know why.

They were the perfect example of extravagant grace.  Paul's behavior warranted coal and lots of it.  He got the Lego set of his dreams.  This is exactly what God gives us!  We deserve punishment and death.  We get eternal life and all the riches of heaven - love, joy, peace, etc!  I know.  He's six.  Does he really get it?  I don't know.  But as many times as I can paint this picture for him, I will.  It's worth it.

Hard to believe the Rancor Pit from Star Wars can be a picture of God's grace to the world in Jesus Christ...but it is.

 Luke liked his set as well.  It's an AT-TE from Star Wars.  Um...it's technical, folks.  Only eight year old boys really understand it.

Let the building begin!

And quiet descended upon the house.  I think I will save the fish for the next post.  Don't miss it, people.  Coming soon - Uncle Bob and Aunt Cindy's awesomeness.

Christmas Related Post

I was awakened EARLY this morning by a child.  Crazy early.  Three am early.  Unable to fall back asleep, I woke up, made coffee, read some Bible, journaled some, prayed some, and wrote this blog post over at Simply Radical Christmas.  It's about keeping it simple at this time of year.  Enjoy!

Getting Away

Erik and I took the opportunity to get away from it all this past weekend.  We escaped...I mean...left town on Friday at 1pm and returned home yesterday at about the same time.  It was a much needed break from our regularly scheduled programming.

We went to Seaside and stayed at the Rivertide Suites on a Living Social deal.  Love the deals.  We did whole lots of nothing, followed by some more nothing.  Okay, we did go up to Astoria Saturday where we climbed the column and visited a few Goonies sites.

Um...so...I'm a true child of the 80's.  I loved that movie.  And I saw it lots.  Yes, the kids swear WAY too much.  And it's got violence.  But I find that the things I grew up with are nearly always too filled with sentiment to offend me now.  Simultaneously, I'm pretty sure that folks who didn't see it then would be grossly offended by it now.  Do kids still cuss like sailors in movies today?   I don't watch movies much anymore, so who knows?

Regardless, some pics to tell more of the trip.

It was super foggy but awesome anyway at the Astoria column on Saturday morning.  Yes, we climbed it.

I was amazed at the amount of acrophobia (irrational fear of heights) I experienced on the way up and the way down.  My grandmother always had this.  I thought it was silly.  Not so much now.

But I made it!  The view wasn't much, but the sense of accomplishment was...worth it?  Um...no.  I probably won't do this again.  Ever.  Scaredy cat!  Yep.  I'll own it.

And now some goofy Goonies sites and props.  Oh, I'm such a dork.

It's the jail that the bad guy brother breaks out of in the opening scene, home to the Oregon Film Museum these days.

It's Chester Copperpot's wallet and the "key" they find around his skeletal neck.

Skeletons?  Dead bodies?  Why does Amy even like this movie?

Mikey's house.  That window with the blue tarp near it is the window he's looking out when we first see him.  Dork dork dorkity dork.  That's me.

I actually have more Goonies pics, but I'm thinking I'll save those for my old age when I no longer differentiate between reality and the movies I loved in my youth.  I'm fairly confident I'll be showing the pics to my great-grandkids telling them the events of the movie like they happened to me.  Oh dear.

Here is our suite:

Meanwhile, at home, Luke got really sick.  Poor guy and POOR Oma.  Nobody but the parents should have to clean up after that.  We owe her.  BIG.  She got way more than she bargained for all night Friday and part of the day Saturday.  Bleck.

This is the boy I left on Friday.  Seriously, I took this shot Friday morning as we finished school.

 (I took this because of the awesome, purple, fuzzy socks he was wearing.)

 And this is the boy we came home to on Sunday:

 All smiles to have Mommy home, but clearly ill.  :-(

Paul has yet to contract the yuck, and I don't knock on wood.  But we are praying hard that he stays healthy.  It's just a junky time of year to be sick.  We all missed church last night.  I was bummed.  So was Paul:

Okay.  This picture has nothing to do with church last night.  I  took it about a half hour ago.  I asked him to smile.  He did this.  Yep.  I don't have high hopes for a Christmas pic this year.  Meh.

True Confessions

I'm sitting in our playroom, the room with the most windows but also the most space heaters. (Still no furnace here) The Christmas music is playing. I have a fresh cup of coffee, and I'm waiting for it to snow.

I think it stems from my time as a public educator. Snow in the forecast? Urge to teach decreases. Must make warm beverage and snuggle up with a book.

I know. We homeschool. We need not take snow days. But the stuff is so stinkin rare around here. We are required to take time out to enjoy it, right?

I'm sure the boys will find me here eventually and beg me to read them something. I'll roll our school shelf over to the couch and something like school will happen, but the laziness of this moment is delightful to me.