The Tongen Family Blog

Presenting The Tongen Girls!

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Tongen) — Wed, 15 Jun 2016 22:42:00 -0400

Dear Friends and Family,

We received gr8 news yesterday that there are officially 8 of us in the Tongen family! Our girls' adoptions were all finalized. Since we can now send pictures electronically, we will give you the opportunity to ooh and aah over our precious daughters.

Estrella means star in Spanish. Our Estrella is an example of the light overcoming the dark; she has come upon numerous hardships her first 4 years of life, yet none have stopped her from sweetly shining.

The two Anas in the Bible both had important encounters with God in the temple. One (Hannah in English) waited and prayed for a child and the other (Anna in English) waited and prayed for the Messiah. They both received whom they were waiting for with joy! Our 3-year-old Ana is similarly joy-filled and loves to be at church.

Milagros (2 year-old) means miracle in Spanish. Adoption is miraculous! It is a miracle that people say, "Milagros totally acts like a Tongen!" It is a miracle that God chose to adopt Anthony and me and any time we even slightly resemble our Father, it's a miracle.

We feel beyond blessed to have these three children join Team Tongen! Micah (12), Paul (9) and Samuel (6) are blessed and are blessings, too.

Love,

Anthony, Megan, Micah, Paul, Samuel, Estrella, Ana, and Milagros Tongen

Samuel cheers for Barcelona

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Tongen) — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 17:28:00 -0400

For our last week in Europe, we returned to Spain where we stayed in a mobile home in Vilanova Park near Barcelona. Sam is a big fan of F.C. Barcelona, because Micah intensely prefers Real Madrid.

One day, we took the train into Barcelona and visited Gaudi's Parque Güell.

"It looks like a fairy tale." -Paul

I like Gaudi's style of architecture,

but it wasn't everyone's favorite (particularly the Barcelona fan).

We have seen many people's favorite city -- Barcelona.

Can you find the washer-woman?

Another picture of the Tongen boys playing in front of impressive sights,

but this one takes the cake, since La Sagrada Família is our very favorite fancy church building. It points to Christ in so many amazing ways!

The wise men, shepherds, angels, the star's tail and Jesus' parents are all focused on Him.

images of worship

"You shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace . . . and the trees will clap their hands." - Isaiah 55:12 Anthony can explain the physics behind these incredible columns, which use mathematical concepts found in trees.

Light (aka color) declares the glory of God. "The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world." - John 1:9

Do the "here is the church" thing with your knuckles, and compare what you see with the roof of Gaudi's school. We were in the "steeple" and we "opened the doors and saw all the people."

These two were old enough to go into the bell tower with me. They were thrilled that step number 200 (out of 398 -- they carefully counted) had a spectacular view.

Glory to God in the Highest is written beautifully across the church building.

After having asked so many times, "How could these amazing churches have been built?!" we have seen one being built, in its 132nd year of construction.

Just as the other side of the building is focused on Christ at his birth, the Passion scenes (showing Jesus' sacrifice for us) adore Him too.

Amazing doorways

Fascinated boys were hearing about Jesus being the hero of the story this church has to tell.

The Apostle's Creed -- I believe.

When the building simply has what it needs with the resources available it has character, or dignity, which is the same thing." - Gaudi. Doesn't that hold true for boys growing into men, too?

It turns out that a simple mobile home can have character, or dignity, too. We had a great week together there.

After being surprised by the toplessness of our first beach outing, we climbed down these cliffs to have a little beach to ourselves one day.

The Mediterranean Sea

was worth the climb.

Yes, we have danced the Macarena in a pool in Spain.

Classic Spain: Un castillo y un torro (a castle and a bull.)

In case if you haven't gotten to ask in our first month back, here are typically our answers to the question, "How was Spain?"

Anthony - "We are glad to be home."

Megan - "Our family didn't fit quite as well as we did in Mexico, but we got to see a lot of amazing sights."

Micah - "Go to Germany."

Paul - "My favorite was Arribes del Duero National Park."

Sam - "Barcelona."

The Boys' 10th Country

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Tongen) — Wed, 2 Jul 2014 22:21:00 -0400

After pulling our kids out of school a couple of weeks early, we went to Valladolid on our way to San Sebastián. If Sam had his way, he would have stayed at the building behind him to train to be a knight.

The peacocks (I prefer “pavo real” = real turkey) lured Sam away from his caballero career goals.

Handsome guys strutting their stuff.

San Sebastian is a beautiful town on the north coast.

We had some really happy boys to be at the beach.

The engineers were hard at work late into the day.

Happy First Day of Summer Vacation!

Swinging into the sunset is a nice way to get the summer started.

The next day, we drove through southern France.

We didn’t get to eat delicious French food, because their restaurants surprised us by being open at very different times than Spanish ones.

The beautiful Pyrenees Mountains!

We spent the weekend in the tiny country of Andorra.

The boys might tell you that they have been to 10 countries. It is true: USA, Mexico, Canada, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, and Andorra.

We hiked multiple times per day in Andorra.

Some hikes were cut short by impassable waterfalls.

I was still quite allergic to that part of the world, so I was hiding my red, swollen eyes.

I still enjoyed time with my family in God’s beautiful creation.

Yes, we were hiking in the Pyrenees Mountains.

We praised God together here.

This is my dream home, aside from the one I got to come home to two weeks ago!

Waterfall!

No, we were not in Colorado.

Just another photo of the Tongen boys playing on a playground in a spectacular location

Numerous times on hikes, I reminded Sam not to run. He has not broken anything yet.

Another Andorran waterfall

It was a great treat to have Anthony take a break from work with us before he jumped back into research projects, administration, mentoring students, and other math stuff our first day back in the USA.

Our boys were also refreshed by time in wide open spaces in Andorra.

Adiós, Salamanca

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Tongen) — Sun, 15 Jun 2014 16:59:00 -0400

We Smith decedents take “shoot the moon” seriously.

Plaza Mayor seemed an unlikely place to find a new game idea for the Covenant Fall Festival, but I think Peyton could "pull this off" (pun intended.)

We finally got to play with the kids Laura has been teaching English.

She is (no surprise) amazing with them!

I chaperoned Sam’s field trip. Have you ever realized how difficult preschoolers are to understand when they are not speaking your first language?

The field trip was to the park to see a play.

Since our apartment for the month of May was near that park, we spent a LOT of time there!

Paul wanted to go to the cathedrals one last time before leaving Salamanca.

Will Salamanca ever be the same after having these three blessings run around it? I pray not.

These guys have caught my love of Jaguars

and my love of mantecados. If anyone can give me the recipe for something like this, I would be SO grateful! When I asked the panadería lady for the recipe, she didn't have it -- they are made elsewhere. I just know that they are made with almond and baked in a wood-fired oven… how hard can it be to make simple, flaky sweetness?

Poem for May:
For those who doubted me (me, myself, and I)
I never did drop anything while hanging things to dry!

By the boys’ last walk to school, they were quite accustomed to walking about 3 miles per day.

Paul was the most disappointed of the 5 of us to leave Salamanca.

His class gave him a goodbye gift.

"Pablo es extrovertido." - his teacher

This Pablo was in Micah’s class and on his soccer team.

Micah’s teacher gave him a big hug goodbye. He is sure that Micah will do great things.

Sam’s teacher had final words of wisdom for him.

Los Arribes del Duero

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Tongen) — Fri, 23 May 2014 07:45:00 -0400

We had to say "goodbye" to our JMU apartment, but we had 4 days before the one we are currently renting was available. (Yes, Sam made a rubber band bracelet with a fork all by himself.)

So, we rented a car and drove 1.5 hours west, to Los Arribes del Duero. This was the view from our room, in Spain, but what you see is Portugal across the river.

Can you spot Anthony?

Our rhythm of vacation was: big breakfast, big hike, drive through little towns to find lunch, play tennis, swim, then have a picnic.

Morning Hikes

3 boys are looking for rocks to sharpen into arrowheads until I say, "Look up! There is another eagle!"

We saw too many of these round houses to count.

Micah is looking over Pozo de los Humos.

We all had our eyes open to see more of God's character expressed in His creation.

We enjoyed overlooking the waterfalls,

testing the Duero River temperature,

and exploring.

You can't see the eagles, but we got to see numerous amazing birds soaring over the canyon.

fascination

Poppies!

Our historical engineering experts tell us that this bridge was built by the Romans.

These experts seem to know what they are talking about.

Typical sight. I think I should use it for a spiritual metaphor.

How is it that I can't keep my foxglove plants alive if they can grow here?

The trees over Anthony's shoulder are endangered.

"When I grow up, I won't give my kids toys. I will give them rocks to play with." - Sam.

Instead of climbing the endangered trees, they spent hours climbing rocks.

This building might be Paul's future home.

No, they didn't climb these rocks. Yet.

Scenic Drives

The left is Spain and the right is Portugal. The stripes are vineyards and the spots are olive trees. Apparently, I am highly allergic to the aggressive pollination of olive trees.

The Aldeadávila Dam

Sometimes, when you are driving along, you come to a castle,

but more often you find yourself driving on roads like this one.

Afternoon Tennis and Swimming

The paddle tennis court suited us just fine.

Documenting the first game Micah won against Anthony.

Evening Picnics

This Portuguese picnic spot became part of our evening routine.

looking into Spain

Dining with a view

Dining with a view, Samuel style

Family-style dining with a view

3 best friends for life

My macho men

Can you guess who?

waving goodbye to the sun over Portugal

If only the olive trees surrounding it didn't cause my eyes to swell shut,

we would have never wanted to leave this Quinta and return to the (beautiful) stone city of Salamanca.

Caballos, catedrales y castillos

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Tongen) — Fri, 16 May 2014 05:09:00 -0400

Paul made it into the Salamanca newspaper by running 6 kilometers!

Do you see who got 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place among the Team Tongen participants? The JMU students were stationed along the course to cheer on the runners. Every time Paul and I came to friendly faces, he would sprint ahead! As for Micah, he even ran faster than the female JMU runners!

The same day as the race, we got to go horse-back riding!

Meet Trueno, our trusty horse.

"When I grow up, I am going to be a knight. First, I'll need a horse." - Sam

After seeing thousands of pig legs hanging in stores (and eating nearly another thousand portions of pork, ham, bacon, etc.) I FINALLY got to see living pigs in Spain.

The Iberian pigs eat acorns. I have been told that their meat does not have bad cholesterol. It is a good thing, considering how much jamón ibérico we have eaten!

Paul did a great job riding a horse solo for the first time.

Who is bigger, Micah or the dog?

Trotting along

Micah wants to live on a farm when he grows up.

It's a good thing these guys knew how to speak Spanish to their horses.

The province of Salamanca has beautiful cowboy land.

Anthony did a great job as the photographer!

Bull-fighting is still very much a part of the culture of this region of Spain.

Mark and Laurie came to visit us while Mark visited and gave a talk to neuroscientists at the University of Salamanca.

I got to see more of the beautiful University

thanks to this loony tourguide. Can you see the victory marks by doctoral recipients?

Here is just another view of the main university building.

We had a great time being foodies with our friends! Warm weather in Salamanca is fun as the restaurants fill the streets.

These guys are still willing to run a button-hook; they run ahead of me, turn around and smile!

Wisteria in Salamanca.

Have you seen something built by the Romans lately?

Right after I took this picture, a guy came out of this house talking on his cell phone to remind me about the collision of ancient and modern.

Laurie and I found a park I had never visited,

a cross-shaped window in the Marquesa's tower,

and The Last Supper.

I am glad that Laurie gave us the excuse to finally visit the spectacular San Esteban Monastery next to the boys' school.

Calligraphy is very important here -- Paul and Sam's handwriting has gotten quite good, thanks to rigorous Spanish handwriting training.

Mary Magdalene is on the side of the stairs.

I don't see this socialite becoming a monk.

Since the boys didn't have school on May 1st, these two came with Mark, Laurie and I to Segovia.

One of the most fun parts of the royal gardens is imitating the statues.

I am so glad that I got to show these guys the Segovia Aqueduct. They were rightfully amazed by the engineering.

After quite a bit of discussion among themselves, Micah and Paul figured out why the aqueduct is sloped.

Do you ever feel really small?

It is hard to talk about anything else when there is a roman aqueduct in your view, but this carousel was by far the coolest I have ever seen.

These boys have been such good sports with me taking so many pictures!

We were walking along the road and saw five steps leading up, out of our way. We took them and came upon this spectacular view.

I am thankful for time with these two friends!

Who will win Cinderella's heart?

What happens when you have smiled for oh so many photos?

Segovia Cathedral

We got to see the walls of Avila for the first time.

I don't think these Valencianos are going to scale the medieval walls today.

We couldn't let Mark and Laurie leave Salamanca without seeing it lit up at night with some gelato!

We also had the fun of a quick visit from Grace.

My new friend Grace was our 10th, and final, guest here in Salamanca.

German Genes

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Tongen) — Mon, 5 May 2014 05:58:00 -0400

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that I loved Germany. I fell in love with a German years ago! He and his sons explored this market in Nuremberg.

I wasn't the only one who felt as happy as can be in Germany.

In Munich, I shared the biggest pretzel with my boys. The markets were wonderful, meaning full of various culinary and handicraft wonders!

The Hofbrauhaus lived up to the hype! I am so thankful that Joletta is my "mother-in-love."

After the girls left our shared table, we had to borrow their HUGE beer mugs for photos.

We got to meet Joletta's friend Heather and her boys in this cool Munich restaurant filled with birch trees.

Our boys see statues and they strike poses.

We enjoyed Munich.

How do you think this pair (Anthony and the minivan) performed on the autobahn? We had fun.

Feel free to convert, if you aren't familiar with km/h. Honestly, I didn't even have white knuckles, since Anthony is such a good driver, the roads were straight and smooth, and there were no other cars around at that moment. I enjoyed watching Porches and other cars doing what they were built to do while they flew past us in the left lane. If I can generalize, the drivers all seemed very safe.

Beautiful Salzburg, Austria

Here is our second-annual April stair-steps photo with Grandma Jo.

Sam was so proud to be a true expert about Mozart and The Magic Flute when we went to see the impressive Marionette show. He had learned a lot in his preschool unit about Mozart.

Do you recognize the statue of horses from The Sound of Music?

Anthony was right -- they didn't actually film the cemetery scene here, but in a Hollywood replica. Can you see the door in the cliff?

Their smiles were permanent in Germany and Austria. Everyone seemed to be smiling at us, too!

Salzburg only got better in their eyes when we got to ride bikes for 4 hours!

It was nice to fit right in with brunette parents and blonde kids. It was shocking how often friendly people came up to us and spoke kindly to us in German until they realized from our silent nods and smiles that they needed to switch to their excellent English. One waiter even said, "I was sure that you were German-speakers since you look so Central European."

Sam benefited from the cool invention of the tag-along-tandem-bike.

These boys were singing songs (mostly in Spanish) from the movie most of the day.

Yes, I can take pictures while riding a bike

apparently even in an intersection? There weren't any cars.

Yes, the hills are alive with the sound of music.

We just don't get much time in nature here in Salamanca, so we made the most of it!

Do you think Captain Von Trapp would approve?

For my mom -- yes, that is a Blue Heron in front of the Alps.

Look how far we are from any buildings!

Springtime in Austria.

He is 16 going on 17.

Here is our annual 3-boys-with-tulips photo.

We returned to Germany and got to visit Neuschwanstein Castle, but not by paragliding.

Dreamy.

No children tripped over their own feet in the making of this photo

or this one.

There is the bridge we hiked to for the dreamy photo. For future reference, when you put your castle in a spot like this cliff in front of the Alps, you get the most amazing 360 degree views!

See?

The architecture was on my list of things I liked about Germany. Similarly, everyone's "My Favorite Things" lists included "the people are so very kind here in Germany and Austria!!"

The view from one of our hotels

Wisteria, bikes, cute houses and time with Grandma Jo equals pure refreshment...

and I haven't even raved about the food. Let's just say that every one of the 6 of us was completely content after every single meal.

Anthony's uncle Daryl remembers his grandpa talking about their heritage from Stuttgart. I don't suppose this palace was the home of their ancestors, but it sure felt like our family "fit" in Germany.

The Frankfurt airport allows anyone to perform on the grand piano!

Northern Spain

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Tongen) — Sat, 26 Apr 2014 18:18:00 -0400

We took a misty hike in Parque Nacional de los Picos de Europa.

Where is Sam?

Taking an unknown trail is even more adventuresome when you can't see 10 feet in front of you!

"Baa. Baa. I'm a sheep." - Paul

This group of girls got quite lost on their misty hike!

The Gondola must be going somewhere...

God lifted the clouds so that the next morning was even more shocking, exciting and beautiful than what I had imagined might be behind the clouds.

We rode the gondola up to here and posed with Sarah and Stephanie.

MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE!

Joyful trudging

Joletta was glad to be in the snow in mid-April!

Three generations on top of Europe.

Anthony slid down from climbing the rocks with Micah and Paul to help students on the challenging hike. Who needs a snowboard when you have balance like his?

Is it Paul or Micah up there?

I consider this trip the grand finale of the JMU excursions.

Sarah.

Again thanks to Stephanie, we have some extra beautiful pictures.

Only true photographers are willing to get hit by a snowball for the sake of the picture!

In Stephanie's photo, you can see Sam, who is taking a break on his way up to spend time with his beloved Eliana. You can't see Micah and Paul because they are climbing so far up.

Now you can see Eliana and Paul a little better.

We have so many Christmas card photos for this year that we will have to send a whole album!

I am so thankful that we got to experience this adventure with Joletta.

After his millionth fall, Jesús treated Sam to a ride.

Awwwww how sweet.

I think Charlie's mom will think this one is sweet, too.

I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine. - Song of Solomon 6:3

Pauline turned Paul into Caesar or a flower-child.

Santillana del Mar is a cute town.

We visited two caves with 30,000-40,000 year-old paintings in them! Sam was inspired to use a stick to draw a fox running into a trap near a man and his house. Clearly, he absorbs more of what the tour guides say (in Spanish) than I realize.

Stephanie puts smiles on these faces.

Grandma time was really refreshing for all of us.

Beautiful Santander

Micah stood in the Bay of Biscay for 40 minutes because of a dare.

After all of the castle exploring we have been doing, Sam's sandcastles have become much more accurate!

Salamanca Springtime

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Tongen) — Sun, 20 Apr 2014 17:29:00 -0400

It is springtime in Salamanca! We found the fastest slide (based on our extensive research of playgrounds around the world.)

We saw a fabuloso movie!

Culture shock -- There are many of these displays around Salamanca in springtime, in preparation for Catholic processions during Holy Week when people wear these costumes. It is impossible for me to separate these costumes from the KKK, so I can't walk past without feeling anger. Surely a Spaniard would not feel that.

Ethan and his bride Kara came to see us and Salamanca in springtime.

Our town is beginning to bloom! I praise God for this symbol of rebirth!

I finally visited the bell tower of the cathedrals

and then promptly brought the boys.

Watching the thunderstorm come to Salamanca -- was it a good idea to climb a bell tower while an electrical storm was coming?

Joletta was here and we LOVED our time with her!

Salamanca Scavenger Hunt -- can you find the face?

Salamanca's cathedrals in springtime.

It is so good to be with family.

We have chosen to stay in Salamanca for the month of May after the JMU program ends. We will be renting an apartment near our favorite park.

10th Birthday in Italia

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Tongen) — Fri, 4 Apr 2014 05:59:00 -0400

For his 10th birthday, Micah wanted to see Venice, Italy "before it sinks."

I try to make sure there are incriminating photos for my future daughters-in-law to see that their husbands weren't raised quite right. We had ice cream bars for lunch on the train, after taking a shuttle, a plane and a city bus that morning. We ended up eating gelato (the real kind) every day!

Beyond Expectations: Even having seen pretty photos of Venice, I was surprised at how unique it is!

Beyond Expectations: The gondolas were more ornate than I had envisioned.

Beyond Expectations: The Grand Canal was hustling and bustling.

Beyond Expectations: The boys thought it was so cool to go two days without seeing a single car, bus, van or truck.

We walked along numerous alleys without always knowing if we were headed to a dead-end, a sharp turn or a bridge across another canal.

For Andrea (the S. stands for Saint)

and Joletta (almost).

Beyond Expectations: Fancy carnaval masks were ubiquitous!

The birthday boy was thanked many times for bringing us to Italia.

The bell tower offered great views

in all directions

and deep discussions.

With all of the beautiful art around me, I wanted to try my hand at making some.

These guys could have cheered for the boats to make bigger waves for hours.

Venice at night; featuring the Tongen men.

Do gondolas have traffic jams?

Beyond Expectations: Venice is extremely expensive. No, we did not spend 80 Euros for a brief gondola ride,

but we did spend 50 cents for this photo!

A birthday water taxi ride to the island of Murano,

where we learned about glass blowing and they gave Micah a horse like this one as a birthday present.

He turned 10 on an island in Italy while eating (his favorite) mushroom pizza. Yes, Italian food was even better than our expectations.

We learned about how they make violins

and took a few breaks along the Grand Canal.

We lost track of how many bridges like this one we crossed per day.

Profile of a 10-year old in Italy.

Micah and I went to hear an outstanding concert of Vivaldi's Four Seasons, with 4 violins, viola, harpsichord, cello and a bass.

Beyond Expectations: Early morning on the Grand Canal.

Water bus ride to the train station.

Ciao Venezia!

Beyond Expectations: We spent a half day in BEAUTIFUL Florence.

"Look, mom, I am Italian because I have a mustache."

An Islamic woman (visiting from Saudi Arabia) asked for Paul's photo and gave him a kiss.

4-year-old tourism: We have the same photo from Valencia.

We are afraid that Paul hasn't learned to tell the truth, so he is dealing with the nasal consequences.

Beyond Expectations: Florence is like a beautiful, outdoor art museum.

Oh no! They looked at Medusa's head and turned into statues.

Yes, we had our luggage with us, so it won't work to look at our clothes to determine which of the 4 days it is.

Beyond Expectations: the Duomo

The boys' favorite part of Florence was playing hide and seek for an hour through this telescope.

Will he backpack through Europe in another 10 years?

I am so thankful that God has entrusted me with these three boys.

Little Paul and Little David -- may he similarly be a man after God's own heart.

We enjoyed the beauty of Florence and a sunny afternoon.

The boys' dream -- Within one hour, we went from riding a double-decker bus to riding a double-decker train (with some "real" pizza and biscotti in-between.)

Beyond Expectations: I was captivated by the beautiful Italian countryside.

Beyond Expectations: Tuscany lives up to its great reputation!

It turns out that staging this picture is hard when the photographer can't stop laughing.

I finally collected myself to display my husband's great strength.

The next morning -- "I am sure that it is leaning even more today than yesterday!" - Paul

Anthony wins the pushing contest.

Beyond Expectations: We came to Pisa because Paul and Sam really wanted to see the leaning tower "before it falls." It is leaning even more than Anthony and I expected!

Beyond Expectations: Flying Ryanair was part of our surprisingly smooth travels, considering the crazy quantity and diversity of transportation we used.

One last picture of Venice with my thoughts about travel. We saw a LOT of tourists last weekend. There are many people, myself included, who long to see the world. Traveling is wonderful: we experience great things, meet people from other cultures, try delicious food, and learn a lot. However, it doesn't necessarily put a sparkle in my son's eye or fulfillment in my heart that I am really longing for. Only God can do those things.

We are all happy to be home. Upon returning, Micah decided that Salamanca is our home away from Colima, which is our home away from Harrisonburg, which is our home away from Heaven.

Nearby Salamanca

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Tongen) — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 08:51:00 -0400

Madrid -- Spain's Capital -- is beautiful. I liked it even more than I thought I would (I am not a city-girl after all.)

I wasn't allowed to take pictures from inside, but behind Paul was our boys' highlight -- the royal armory. There was armor for men, boys, horses and even dogs.

Thanks, Stephanie, for displaying Paul's beloved (by others) freckles, our long-hair experiment, and his rapidly changing smile.

Her photos are just so very accurate

of our aviator

and our pensive goof-ball.

I can't imagine where Micah gets it from. (Amanda put this one on facebook as "his thinking about mathematical equations face.")

As I am sharing photos from students, Carolina shared these two from Seville.

Thanks, Carolina!

I have found that the best way to get a friend over jet-lag is to bring her to see modern art -- Picasso, Dali, etc. in a brightly lit building!

When there is down-time, Samuel finds ways to entertain the students.

Monasterio de El Escorial = spectacular.

When there are two Stephanies around, I don't need to worry about holding Sam's hand to cross the street.

We brought Penny (Lindsay for real) back to Salamanca to enjoy a spring break of feeding the ducks,

teaching me to take selfies in Plaza Mayor,

seeing Casa de las Conchas (my library)

finding graduates' victory marks,

hearing my translations of Salamanca University legends,

and gazing at the cathedral's ceiling.

When Anthony and I went to Rome 8 years ago, my favorite painting in the Papal Palace was this one (also in the Salamanca Cathedral) of Joseph, Mary and Jesus stopping for a picnic lunch Mary had prepared on their way to Egypt.

The boys' school had celebrations for Saint Joseph, father's day, and their school's saint, Bonifacia, last week.

Penny did a good job of helping me notice some of the cultural differences that I don't notice after being immersed in Mexico and Spain for awhile. For instance, I am not surprised to see every High School boy gladly participating in a dance routine.

During the school's open house, I caught a glimpse of Samuel playing on the playground. He is the one in orange!

Penny, Laura and I took a day trip to Segovia.

I enjoy these two girls so very much!

The photographer captures aspects of the aqueduct's impressiveness.

Impressive.

How is your electrical wiring?

Who needs Disney World

when you have a princess castle

and fun friends with whom to enjoy it?

We walked back to town on a path outside of the city walls, remembering my friend's recent words on her blog about Jesus living outside of the city gate, Hebrews 13. http://www.deathforlife.com/familyblog/2014/03/16/the-blue-gate/

Penny helped me to realize that I don't notice graffiti anymore.

I have consistently been impressed by (apparently) community garden space near cities. For instance, Lisbon, Portugal, seems to be doing an amazing job of providing accessible garden space for city residents.

The grounds of the country palace in San Ildefonso are almost as gorgeous as Penny!

The Spanish kings sure knew how to choose a beautiful setting.

I find joy in the irony that I had to leave the queen's gardens quickly to get a son to soccer practice on time.

It is of course all worth it, but even more so since he played a great fútsal game on Saturday!

Nephew Knights

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Tongen) — Sun, 23 Mar 2014 18:57:00 -0400

My nephew Sir Josephus and his family came to visit us here in Salamanca.

Sir Charlemagne did a good job of recording informative videos for his classmates.

I enjoyed showing my brother (the astro-physicist) the astronaut carved into the cathedral.

My brother and I both prefer the old cathedral to the new.

Old on the left, new on the right.

Good knights these days need reflector strips when gargoyles are around!

I enjoyed taking my nephew knights places they could never go in the US. (In my opinion, even if you could see things like this bell-tower, you could never touch and climb it for safety's sake.)

"My scared went away!" - Sir Josephus in the bell-tower.

Storks' nest from their bird's eye view

Sarah

Sir Josephus in the university patio . . .

Charlie got to play tag (in Spanish, of course) with his cousins' friends in their school patio.

If you see enough statues, there is no telling what might happen among cousins.

Some of the best, in my opinion, cultural experiences happened on playgrounds. Sarah had hilarious observations after this park adventure! Another time at a playground, a middle-school boy was talking to one of my nephew knights who said, "Me no Español." In shock, the kid hollered at Scott, "SEÑOR! You no espeak espanish?"

Of course pharmacies are also different here. I loved getting to be with Sarah.

We took our kids out of school for a couple of days to go to Valencia.

These knights built a castle on the Mediterranean Sea.

Paul helped me choose the photos for this post, but he did not understand why I wanted to include this one. "It represents a happy memory of enjoying adult conversation after a big, good meal while the 5 of you played soccer in the harbor."

Maybe Sam didn't know the soccer game was over.

This photo makes me laugh. The boys were playing cards in a saloon while waiting for a late-night (typically Spanish) dinner, because the restaurant next door wanted to serve us there, where there was more room.

Sam is asleep. There is a huge hunk of raclette cheese in front of me, food in my mouth, and a lot of empty serving plates. The bar owner, restaurant owner and waitresses laughed hilariously about the fact that the blond boys speak Spanish but the brunettes do not, so they tried to teach my nephew knights Spanish hours past their bedtime. All true.

When we weren't eating in Valencia, we were in the central food market . . .

where the queen of Las Fallas (Valencia's big festival the following week) was parading around with fifes and drums in front of pigs' legs.

There she is coming out of the central market.

More Las Fallas revelers

These spiral columns are in a former bank,

where the floor was just right for playing Q-bert.

Sir Josephus in the dungeon

Sir Charlemagne enjoying churros and chocolate!

Is Samuel learning from Pinocchio's mistakes?

This was the view from our condo: cousins playing in the Mediterranean while Anthony waited with the picnic blanket.

Picnic on the beach

Our sweet friend Laura babysat so that we could celebrate Sarah's birthday at an outstanding paella restaurant.

Thankfully, Paul's teacher recommended La Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias in Valencia.

The exterior is so surprisingly and beautifully modern.

They have now played in the gills of a fish.

Inside of the science museum, the boys prepared for the Valencia soccer game.

If you know languages, you might notice that the Valencia stadium welcomes you in Catalan.

Go Valencia!

The electricity in the stadium and the surrounding neighborhood (including the restaurant where we ate bocadillos before the game) went out a couple of times,

but the game was able to happen!

Big futbol fans.

Goooooool Valencia! It ended Valencia 1 - Bilbao 1.

Anthony, the Tongen boys, and Laura went back to work and school while I got to go with my nephew knights to Sigüenza.

We stayed in this castle!

We had a beautiful walk along a Don Quijote Trail and a tiny bit of El Camino de Santiago.

Can you find the hideout of my nephew knights? The more impressive feat happened that night -- my brother carried a sleeping Sir Josephus all the way up to the castle from a gourmet restaurant that was down in town. Have I mentioned that restaurants don't typically open until 9?

I had a great time with my nephew knights in the castle.

The reward for protecting the castle through the night was the most amazing breakfast buffet of my life. Yes, I had champagne and carrot cake for dessert after enjoying numerous meats, cheeses, wild berries, fruit juices, and (according to Scott) "more pastries than I could try."

Three great pieces of our region of Spain -- a soccer field, a castle, and a tractor working in a field. Plus, the blue sky represents how the weather was spectacular while my nephews were here. Honestly, I asked God many times for the blessing of good weather for them. I am very thankful.

In Bilbao, we went to the Guggenheim Museum.

Sir Josephus and the lilies.

I was surprised by the changes in architecture as we traveled through La Rioja wine region and through the mountains to the north coast of Spain.

In Santander, my nephew knights (you might be able to spy Sir Charlemagne in blue on the rocks) got to play along the Bay of Biscay.

I am continually impressed by Sarah. I love time with her.

We were excitedly welcomed home to our apartment in Salamanca!

Sir Charlemagne found that the Plaza Mayor is an ideal place for doing homework!

My nephew knights found every single item on their Salamanca scavenger hunt, including this bull without a head.

I am consistently surprised at how all 5 boys I have introduced to the Roman Bridge get thrilled by the idea of walking across (or throwing dandelions from) a bridge built before Jesus.

I especially like this photo of two students walking home from the Plaza Mayor together.

Sarah is an excellent mom.

Even when some members of both families had to pull out their fake smiles from lack of routine or something, we did not want them to leave. We had so much fun together in Spain.

The South of Spain

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Tongen) — Mon, 17 Mar 2014 18:20:00 -0400

These two guys turned into a cow and a clock during their afternoon school activities the week of Carnival (Mardi Gras.)

In the meantime, I prepared for Lent with a peaceful afternoon visit to this convent across the street from the boys' school.

The sun has been shining more and more over the last couple of weeks here!

Samuel's class finished their unit on Mozart. He learned a lot about Mozart and his time period!

Piedad is a kind and patient teacher who has helped Sam a lot.

He is back to being equally comfortable in Spanish and English.

We went south to Andalucia with the JMU students.

In this cave in Granada, we got to enjoy dinner and a Flamenco show!

I think I have got to break out of the habit of finishing the boys' three courses as well as my own.

Sam enjoyed the guitar player while he ate.

The music and dancing were impressive and intense. Micah explained to me that the greatest Flamenco guitar player of all time, Paco, had died three days prior.

Even a girl about Paul's age was able to move her feet quickly.

We had a very rainy day to visit the Alhambra palace in Granada, but our fearless leaders made the most of it!

The Moors did amazing things with fountains and plants inside their courtyards!

Sam entertains college students with funny faces while I admire the stone paths

and landscaping.

Eliana is a good sport with Sam.

We enjoyed Granada from the watchtower

while waving at students.

These windows are a great design for being able to shoot arrows.

A benefit of rain: Stephanie gave Sam a mohawk.

The interiors of the buildings at the Alhambra are amazingly detailed.

There are so many beautiful courtyards

which pictures just can't capture.

This garden puts the ornamental in Ornamental Kale.

The mosque in Córdoba (now a Cathedral) was fascinating.

Having audio radios with headsets to hear Jesús' voice can provide much entertainment!

Late dinners result in at least one sleeping kid per dinner.

The Real Alcázar in Seville is beautiful

in many ways.

Our boys can recount most of the history of Spain, including the relationships of Isabelle, Fernando, Felipe the Hermoso and many other royalty.

What a palace!

The palace in Seville was really that enjoyable.

The labyrinth was of course a highlight!

I often felt surrounded by colorful beauty in Seville.

We have decided that Sam has walked more since January than he has his entire life.

Plaza de España in Seville

I remember fondly our early-married days in front of a similar Buckingham fountain in Chicago.

I never would have dreamed that God had these kinds of blessings in store for our marriage!

"I am going to lay down here." - Sam

The boys were excited to find the bench for their "home" (Salamanca.)

Paris

noreply@blogger.com (Anthony Tongen) — Fri, 28 Feb 2014 18:34:00 -0500

Here is my favorite picture so far of 2014. It represents a happy weekend in Paris, France.

We went to Paris with the JMU program. I suspect some of the moms of JMU students will start to wonder who this smiling kid is who poses for their daughter's pictures.

Micah liked this Notre Dame, as opposed to the one in Indiana.

In Sainte-Chapelle, Micah asked me, "Does New Orleans use the same fleur-de-lis of France because of the war of 1812?" Me: "You'll have to ask my mom." (Don't moms always know the answers to questions?)

Pictures don't do justice to the beauty of the sun shining through the windows of this chapel.

Then again, can a picture do justice to the beauty of brothers sharing the last drop of chocolate?

I was not able to take any pictures of the art in the Musée d'Orsay, but I was thankful for the board book my Aunt Elaine gave baby Micah (and consequently the other two Tongen babies) of Monet paintings. The boys were as excited as I was to see Monet's beautiful art that they recognized.

Since I am on the theme of pictures doing justice, I actually think the Eiffel Tower turns out better in pictures than in real-life.

Even though it is north of us, spring felt closer in Paris than it does in Salamanca.

Sam stayed up late, walked all day long, managed to behave well in grown-up museums and restaurants and missed naps. He was allowed to be a bit grumpy.

Thanks to tips from my friend Jill, we were able to enjoy a few moments of kid-friendly time.

Is there romance in the air? Micah wins first price for the best Eiffel Tower picture.

The second place features the largest cotton candy of Anthony's life.

Exhibit A proves that cotton candy does not provide sustained energy for walking many miles.

Paul and Sam's highlight of Paris was watching the twinkling lights on the Eiffel Tower from the Arc de Triomphe.

Micah's highlight was the statue of Athena in the Louvre (that picture is too blurry, so this picture with sculptures by some guy named Michelangelo will have to suffice.)

We saw many paintings, including the Mona Lisa and this one of Napoleon.

HUGE.

Two of the many things for which I am thankful is to have boys who enable us to spend hours in the Louvre and a husband with a great job.

One of the highlights of Paris for me was this lunch. Notre Dame was out the window over my shoulder. The boys tried foie gras and liked it. We all enjoyed real french onion soup and other yumminess. The place reminded me of my mom's old place. They happened to play the only song I remember from High School French class. We were sitting and enjoying time together. The owner and waiter were amazingly kind. I'll stop there.

Sometimes you have to find a place to play tag and sometimes that place is in front of the Parthenon.

If you have seen "Midnight in Paris" (which we watched in Spanish on the bus) you will understand that we were waiting for the old car to come and take us back in time. Paul (Pablo) wanted to meet Picasso. Micah wanted to meet Dali. Sam wanted to meet Hemmingway.

They waited for a surprisingly long time for an imaginary car to come.

One of the results of our love snuck into our romantic picture on the love-lock bridge.

Thanks again, Jill, for the Pompidou sculpture garden suggestion.

I think some French fellow wants to sneak into our family. As far as friendliness of the French is concerned, I was thrilled to receive so many smiles and warm welcomes.

I think it might have had something to do with these clowns.

I wonder if the Valley Mall will look like this mall after its renovations.

Anthony's highlight was being here at Sacré Coeur. I am sorry that I don't have a good picture of the view of the Paris skyline from where we were standing. Inside Sacré Coeur, the sun was streaming through the stained-glass windows onto the wall with strategically placed gold tiles and a tricky rainbow. The painting in the front of the church displayed Jesus looking strong and powerful.

Portugal

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Tongen) — Wed, 19 Feb 2014 04:56:00 -0500

We had this beautiful view from the balcony of our rental house near Sintra, Portugal.

We had this view from our door.

We used airbnb.com to find this place and it worked great! It was much better than a hotel room (or two.)

We had an amazing Valentine´s Day Dinner in this fishing town.

The boys got to sleep in the attic!

Quinta da Regaleira is an incredible estate.

We enjoyed having the freedom to climb around.

Our artist appreciates beauty.

Do you ever feel small?

Since we are needing to redo the ceiling in our dining room and the doorways in this room looked nearly exactly like ours, Anthony and I decided we would copy this style of illuminated family pictures in our dining room.

There were many unique places to explore.

I lost track at some point, but the boys climbed up and down 6 or 7 towers.

WOW!

The coolest bridge

was only topped by stepping stones leading to extensive caves to explore.

This guy decided to do the stepping stones after all, when he heard the excitement of his brothers about exploring the caves.

We managed to keep our feet dry.

Is this a well or a subterranean tower?

Maybe both.

another tower

and another, overlooking the old tennis court.

Sadly, when we returned to our rental car we discovered that robbers had broken the window and stolen all of our backpacks from the trunk. It was scary and sad for all of us, but the boys even waited patiently until 4 pm at the police station when they had not had anything to eat since 9 am. The police were able to recover the backpacks, books (including library books and homework), stuffed animals, and school uniforms. However, the thieves kept Anthony´s computer, the iPad, Micah´s Kindle, and all of the little electronics (chargers and stuff) Anthony keeps with him to be able to work while the rest of us play.

There was a lot of hassle with the glass-filled, cold, unprotected rental car, but we really tried to choose to have fun anyhow. In the midst of feeling violated, vulnerable and sad, we had a lot of good conversations about what actually protects us -- a window is not what protects us. We choose to take up the shield of faith. (Ephesians 6:16.) We talked about the difference between the stuff that people can take from us and that which cannot be taken. (Matthew 6:19-34) I want treasure in heaven where thieves do not break in and steal. I want my heart to be attached to that treasure rather than the earthly kind. I do not want to be anxious about the large amount of time that was stolen from Anthony. I want to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

We are hoping that we can remember Portugal fondly -- there were many kind people who helped us in a beautiful place.

However, I think we saw a glimpse of how sin ruins good things, like the trash on the beach. God´s redemption (undoing the ruin) through Jesus is great.

Toledo

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Tongen) — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 09:23:00 -0500

For our first excursion with the JMU students, we got to go to beautiful Toledo.

As Sam was looking WAY up at the cathedral's bell tower, the clouds were blowing past quickly creating a dizzying effect. He said, "Woah. I think that tower is going to fall down on me."

Paul patiently posing

The beautiful stained glass windows reminded me to be thankful for the pretty church in which I was raised and married.

We learned a lot about El Greco's paintings,

but our family unanimously preferred the ceiling. Micah and Paul were convinced that it was 3-D, "without even using the special glasses!"

Sam has made elaborate plans for becoming a knight when he grows up.

A smile for Grandma Bev and her plates

Grabbing a sword for Drew

This Jewish synagogue was built by Muslims on Christian land.

On excursions, we listen to Jesús' explanations (in Spanish) through headsets -- I was pleasantly surprised at how much of the college-level information the boys learned.

Can you spy Micah and Paul?

Thanks to Kristen, there are a couple of pictures of me!

Stephanie (a media arts and design major) gave us this photo.

Jesús is a good sport who helped the boys really enjoy their first excursion.

See?

Micah is a budding photographer, but his finger was in several of his pictures.

Anthony wasn't so confident in Paul's ability to take our picture.

I think this picture looks like we pulled down a fake background screen behind Paul.

These are the 23 students enjoying a semester in Salamanca.

One of Micah's friends had her birthday party in this fun place where Sam . . .

and Paul got to have a little fun, too.

The sun came out a few days in Salamanca, so we took full advantage after school!

We crossed the bridge built by the Romans.

All three boys were more fascinated by a 2,000 year old bridge than I had dared to hope.

The nearby playground was fun, too.

Our budding bird-watchers enjoyed the Tormes River.

One of the boys said, "People here probably think these trees are normal."

It was in this convent (one block from the boys' school) where Christopher Columbus asked Isabelle and Ferdinand for permission to go exploring.

Paul often wonders if Goliath would fit through doors like these.

I have seen numerous pictures of Plaza Mayor, but I'm partial to this one with the goofballs. We usually walk home from their after-school activities through here, when absolutely everyone else is taking their evening stroll, too.

Some of our new friends are missionaries with En Vivo, a college ministry at the University of Salamanca.

It is novel for the six bilingual kids to have friends who speak English.

This city is also beautiful at night.

The boys had a day off from school, so we went to the Automobile History Museum, which we all enjoyed.

We also went out for tapas where the horse stables used to be. If you are coming to visit us, we'll be sure to take you there.

The boys have gotten a kick out of realizing that the New Cathedral is much older than our house, which is of course considered old in the U.S.

Micah has been playing on his school's Fútsal team. Unfortunately, they have not won a game all year.

These new church friends' parents are from Romania. Our church here has been amazingly hospitable! It is also incredible to see how there are visitors to this relatively small Evangelical church from truly all over the world every week.

While waiting between my Spanish class until it was time to pick up the boys the other day, I came upon this beautiful palace.

Yesterday, each boy was so excited when he found the tiny frog on this mural at the University.

The humorous challenge was seeing each boy try to point out the tiny frog to his brothers -- not an easy task when it is so high up!

Can you find the frog? Maybe your smile will go from ear to ear like Sam's did when he finally found it.

First Days of Salamanca

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Tongen) — Fri, 17 Jan 2014 16:04:00 -0500

Here are some photos of beloved boys from three families we had to leave in the U.S.A.

We love these bowlers and

paleontologists.

We had a great time with my brother and his family over New Year's.

If we could hear Peyton spin tales every night, we would sleep with these boys all of the time.

After two flight cancellations, driving rather than flying to Philly, and waiting in the airplane for three hours before embarking for Madrid, we arrived in España.

Salamanca was beautifully decorated with lights for the Christmas season.

The Three Kings' Day parade was spectacular! Both times we saw it, kind adults allowed Micah and Paul to go to the front to have a good view.

My cute husband held this jet-lagged boy for hours to see the parade.

These women were dancing on stilts, with wings attached to their arms -- impressive.

We enjoyed the variety of lights on each street.

The theme so far in Salamanca has been, "look up!" There are so many beautiful architectural details above our heads.

During the parade, this enchanted face was what I saw when I looked up.

We can't guess how many people were in the Plaza Mayor with us watching the parade and the three king's announcement that they would bring toys to good little girls and boys.

The boys like this building, just blocks from our apartment.

It wouldn't be three kings' day without a Roscon de Reyes. We've celebrated this day in New Orleans and Colima, but Salamanca's king's cakes are the best we have ever had.

While the children of Spain had two days off of school to play with the toys the kings brought them, we enjoyed the parks in the rain.

Do you recognize the Plaza Mayor during the daytime without the parade crowds?

Uncrowded pedestrian walkways are a dream for Sam, who loves to sing in his own little world while walking.

Look up in the library!

My best efforts at art history photography

often include a request from Paul to please be in the picture.

While we waited for the boys to be assigned to a school, we mostly waited by the land-line for a promised call we never did receive. We did "escape all of that waiting and staying to find the bright places where Boom-Bands are playing" (Dr. Seuss -- Oh, the Places You'll Go) from time to time.

I wonder what keeps U.S. parks from having ziplines? Ingenious.

The beautiful exterior of Anthony's J.M.U. office

continues inside.

This office is where Anthony will be spending time with students most days.

Thanks to Christmas money from family members, the boys each chose a toy or game. This photo shows our lovely, modern apartment.

Finally, the boys were approved to go to Sagrada Familia Siervas de San José for school. It is pretty and the teachers and students seem very happy. The down-side is that we have to walk 3/4 of a mile each way, which is tough sometimes with a sleepy, occasionally reluctant four-year-old.

How can we complain, when our walk is this beautiful?

Paul and Sam wear these "babis" almost all day at school. What do you think?

Sweet P makes the most of anything.

We had a rainy walk on our way to their first day of school

This time of year, the sun doesn't come up until they are at school.

Our family history includes such a variety of "first day of school" pictures! The boys seem to be doing a great job of making friends in their first few days.

Life in the U.S.A.

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Tongen) — Wed, 1 Jan 2014 01:11:00 -0500

We enjoyed James Madison University football games this fall.

Paul had a great time playing recreational-level soccer this fall.

Sam loved Mrs. White's music classes this fall.

Participating in Alianza, the Spanish-speaking congregation of Covenant Presbyterian Church, has been great. We even had a joyful Quinceañera.

These boys and I love going for hikes and Stoney Man is one of our favorites!

They can be found singing (often in Spanish) nearly everywhere.

Another "Tongen School of Excellence" field trip was to get our Spanish Visas in Washington, D.C.

The White House is beautiful.

Future U.S. President Samuel Monroe tried to sneak through the White House fence.

Future NASA astronomer Paul had done a homeschool project on the Hubble Space Telescope.

Native American culture researcher Micah took us to our new favorite Smithsonian museum, the National Museum of the American Indian. My friend, Jill, has a picture on her blog of a girl about to fall into a decorative pool in France, but the girl was caught just in time. Unfortunately for Sam's shoe, I was not able to take this picture and keep him from falling in.

At least Sam is coordinated enough to be riding a two-wheeled bike at age four!

Life in the U.S.A. also includes Veterans' Day parades.

Peyton and I trained for and ran the Richmond Half-Marathon!

13.1 miles of success!

In the meantime, Anthony and the boys visited his family. How cute are these photos that Nancy took?!!!

Since Micah had the flu, we stayed home for longer than we had planned during Thanksgiving break, but it meant that Julie and I could celebrate Laura's birthday.

We did finally get to go visit the Laceys; Paul did a great job of running the whole 3 miles of Sarah's Neighborhood Turkey Trot.

Aunt Elaine, my mom, and Keith celebrated Thanksgiving with us at the Lacey's new home.

We went on a Christmas tour of President Buchanan's Home.

and we braved the Pennsylvania cold to play outside with cousins.

The boys and I have also had a great time helping with the After School Program at church. We teach the preschoolers, most of whom only speak Spanish.

Thankfully, we got snow at our house, so Sam could remember what it was like.

Micah, Sam and Anthony sledding

Paul sledding, too

Prepare to have a snowball fight

or maybe just cuddle in the snow.

A friend asked Anthony last week what he was going to do this week at his mom's house.

Cassie and Chloe came along to see the Christmas lights.

Micah and Paul helped Grandpa shovel snow.

Christmas morning enjoyment

Thank you for the gifts, Aunt Marilyn!

The boys had fun giving the Christmas gifts that they had made,

but building new Lego kits and a Nano Block Eiffel Tower was fun, too!

Things to notice: Anthony's snowman peeps, the nativity ornament Paul made, wrapping paper from Mexico, Mark with Andrea and Grandpa Kenny, and Sam's wonder of watching the Christmas train.

I don't have enough pictures of this sweet nephew because I am usually behind the camera, and he has usually been on my lap this week.

Everyone gathered around Grandpa Doug to watch "Hardrock, Coco and Joe." If you haven't seen the two minute cartoon, you ought to check it out on YouTube.

Anthony and his nephews enjoyed Christmas.

Sam's favorite gift he received was this pillow that his brothers made for him.

We got out Grandma's basket of toddler toys for Grant

and had a good time playing together.

Such a cutie.

Merry Christmas to all from the U.S.A.!

Paul's Flower Party

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Tongen) — Fri, 27 Dec 2013 22:22:00 -0500

My cousin Doug and Jackie's wedding gave us a good excuse to get together with cousins!

Are Paul and Samuel long-lost cousins of Adrian Peterson and Polomolu or just fans?

Here's the plan . . .

Aunt Sarah had the boys running routes like the pros!
The backyard of the hotel worked, too.

The cousins kind of switched gears to be ready for cousin Doug's wedding.

Sam's chocolate mustache had already been unwrapped. Go figure.

I love having time with these four.

Grandma's grandsons

Aunt Elaine and my cousin Karen were the most beautiful mother and sister-of-the-groom.

I was so thankful to be able to visit Wooster, especially my dad's beautiful memorial.

Sue has done an absolutely amazing job of taking care of the extensive gardens, making a wonderful place for the community to enjoy.

Sam and Joey found their own ways to enjoy their Grandpa's memorial garden.

My "little" cousins schooled the truly little cousins in basketball, football, and big wheel races down Aunt Elaine's hill.

Micah spent most of his time this fall playing Academy-level soccer. He played left midfield and had many assists and goals while also hustling back on defense. Grandma Bev got to see the first hat trick of his career. Micah's team did very well this season, even making it to the semi-finals of the tournament in Richmond.

Paul had a flower birthday party at Grandma's farm for his golden birthday of turning 7 on the 7th of October. The dahlias continued to be breathtaking.

Anthony's little monarch butterfly researchers keep track of their migration.

Granddaddy's new dock might spur some icthyologists,

but for now we have budding botanists. The highlight for Paul was getting to spend time with his Grandma.

Paul has sweet friends who enjoyed arranging flower bouquets with him.

Unfortunately, I don't have a good picture of the flower pinata the boys helped me make.

There were a few shorts days in October in Virginia.

Thanks to Scott, we got to have a little bonus cousin time!

I got to have bonus nephew time!

I also got to have special time at my mom's farm with my friend Kara, too.

My friend Peyton put together a great, inclusive Fall Festival at Covenant.

With hot apple cider on our front porch as always, we had Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, Kanga and Christopher Robin at our house for Halloween.

Yes.

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Tongen) — Tue, 24 Dec 2013 11:50:00 -0500

Yes, it is Christmas Eve today, so we are excited to spend time with Jack and Mark, but this photo (and the following) are from August and September.

Yes, it is possible to sleep this way.

Yes, I love to camp, and being with the VanderGriends is even better!

Canada was a beautiful spot to be with beautiful friends.

Yes, Susie can can handle all 6 kids while I take a photo of Niagara Falls.

Brotherly love

I always say that spending time with this family brings out the best in us. Yes, it continues to.

Yes! All 10 of us!

You can't imagine how many less successful versions of this photo Susie and I have.

Yes, Doug and Anthony are great dads.

Yes, the Maid of the Mist is that memorable.

Water is almost as powerful

as friendships like these. (Yes, I know it sounds corny.)

Doesn't everyone color-coordinate their chair choices?

I was sent on a search for friendly Canadian graffiti for our friend Manuel, so here are some of my many findings:

What vegan defaces a rock in the wilderness?

El Salvador was here.

Hiking along the Niagara River

Yes.

Fun.

Even Sam cliff-jumped and yes, he told everyone for at least a month.

Engineers at work.

For their pre-arranged marriage, we can prove that yes, it was love at first Hush Puppie.

The Hanhold Family Reunion

Yes, Anthony rocked corn-hole that day.

BABY GRANT!! Yes!

Digging potatoes with my Grandpa was one of my favorite childhood memories . . .. Yes, Granddaddy let our guys help this fall.

Yes, Grandma's flowers are exquisite

and her grandsons are thankful to help arrange the beauty.

Our fleeting time in Harrisonburg had to include time with these friends.

A spontaneous Sunday afternoon hike on a beautiful day? Yes.

Another Sunday afternoon at a river cabin with friends from Alianza (our Spanish-speaking church congregation?) Yes.

Go JMU Dukes

Can we take a break from homeschooling to play with Grant and Kara? Yes please.

While Keith let me help him build his new hoop house,

the boys used the new room in the barn that Granddaddy built to build a marble run.

Making Memories

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Tongen) — Sat, 7 Dec 2013 15:48:00 -0500

A raspberry ice cream cone welcomed Samuel back to the Virginia mountains.

My Uncle Ralph and Aunt Faye amazingly provide treasured family time at their lake house for his four sisters and the rest of us.

I love how Samuel is obviously excited about Micah's wake-boarding success.

Paul perfected his pencil jump from the top dock.

Samuel loved tubing; Uncle Ralph humored him every day!

My cousin Justin humored Paul by being his in-water wake-boarding coach!

My cousin Karen humored Sam by pulling him behind the kayak!

The following photos are what I mean by Uncle Ralph giving us special memories with Grandma,

with Anthony,

and with my cousins.

My mom and her siblings have been going through the stuff of their Dad's house wisely and fairly. We Tongens are enjoying some of my grandparent's furniture and I have rescued too many of Grandpa's Bibliology Books from the "donate" pile. This evening, I have been enjoying my Great-Grandmother's copy of The Lost Lamp: A Warmly Human Story of an American Family.

Feeding the carp is so much fun . . .

that even the Great Aunts and Grandma get in on the fun!

We finally have a picture of me proving that I can still slalom (even though I concocted myself wake-boarding this year.)

Anthony beat me in wake-boarding, hands-down (or should I say face-down.)

Sam not only tubed, but he also tried knee-boarding and even skiing.

Paul loved knee-boarding this year; he took it seriously with his intense smile.

Micah was able to get the board out of the water a bit when jumping.

Why we came back

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Tongen) — Tue, 12 Nov 2013 21:20:00 -0500

Since we loved Mexico so much, why did we come back?

We came back for nephews,

to hear them begin to communicate.

For more nephews, remembering the life of their Great-Grandpa

and to make memories with cousins at their Great-Grandpa's house

where there is space to play

and run.

When I see this picture, I see my brother years ago at my grandparents' house, but it is actually his son.

Somehow, my cousins have all grown up,

some with mustaches.

We came back for family.

We honored the great life of my faithful grandpa

each in our own way. My favorite way to remember my grandpa the pastor was by having the chance to read Scripture with my cousins.

My mom remembered her farmer dad with flowers from her garden.

I am thankful for the special history I share with my cousins,

including our years at Summer's Best Two Weeks. It was time for Micah to take his turn at SB2W!

You can ask Anthony who had the hardest time with the two-week separation.

Can you tell?

We came back to be with friends.

We came back to camp with friends.

Can you see why?

We came back to play with neighbors in our backyard

and to say some "hellos" and "goodbyes" to missionary friends in our churchyard. I also came back to serve at Vacation Bible School.

Anthony survived his two weeks away from Micah,

who didn't even hesitate to ask if he could go back again next year.

I guess we also came back to sleep in our own beds and read lots of books in English.

I Spy . . . Blondes in Oaxaca

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Tongen) — Tue, 29 Oct 2013 23:22:00 -0400

WAY back in July, we met up with a team of great people from Covenant Presbyterian Church to serve together in the southern state of Oaxaca, Mexico.

Oaxaca and its people are beautiful!

As soon as we got to the little mountain town of San Bartolome, Joe jumped right into putting his finishing touches on the church's brand new tortilla oven.

A hilarious game of musical chairs enabled Micah to have friends instantly. Please note the expressions on the faces of Drew and Anna.

The game of "I Spy the blonde" has begun. Can you spot three sleeping Tongen boys? Yes, this arrangement was normal for a week. Yes, the lights were on and people were getting stuff out of their bags around these kids.

Anthony served the kids (including the three blondes) tirelessly. His days were full of children, mostly in this "courtyard" of the church.

How about this jump for timing? Paul (the short one) has got it. Isn't this photo by Kayla impressive?

Can you spy Samuel spying on the women when they finally got a chance to sit down in the dining room, after being in the kitchen all-day, everyday?

Paul loved to help with building the church building,

but I think Erik and Drew were a little more helpful.

Paul was very comfortable in San Bartolome.

Jumping rope is even more fun on the town's basketball court.

Samuel followed Paul's lead in helping to build the church building.

Paul made good friends in a short time.

Our site's Vacation Bible School (one of three) was big and excellent! Kellie did a great job of leading.

Eager kids, including three blondes, waited every morning for VBS to start.

Kids had great opportunities to lead the other kids in prayer, Bible memory, singing, and other fun.

The kids were extra attentive when the mimes performed.

We were able to give school supplies (including coloring books from Claudia and Mauricio) to the
hundreds of kids who came to VBS.

I loved seeing our sons join into whatever the children of San Bartolome were doing.

How breathtaking is that view?

It was amazing for the women to see the menfolk take over the kitchen to make mole! After stirring for a long time, Anthony's hands were even tough enough to flip the tortillas over the fire. Yes, I am proud of my husband.

Since Anthony and other men were baling me out of the kitchen, I took the opportunity to climb up the scaffolding to the construction site of the church.

Yes, my girlfriends were laughing at me. Several claimed that they would have joined me, if they weren't all wearing skirts.

Drew caught this photo of me laughing with Tabitha's husband about how the gentlemen put the ladder there after I had shimmied the wooden pole that I am holding. Granted, I was thankful for it for climbing back down!

They are building the new church building around the old. They are increasing the size because their worship services are overflowing, sometimes causing people to stand in the rain to hear the sermon.

Micah helped the men wash dishes after the mole meal they cooked.

I love this image of the men laughing so hard while dish-washing. During the week, I loved seeing Cov. Pres. dads (Joe, Anthony and Greg) serving alongside of their sons and daughters.

Angelica even got to put her feet up for a minute!

It comes as no surprise that Kyle is a hero for our boys.

A couple of evenings, we were able to go visit the homes of a few of our friends and have home church worship services. Anthony and Drew gave some great sermons.

I enjoyed being able to help make tamales. With my new-found ability to speak Spanish and an increased understanding of Mexican cooking, I was able to be much more helpful in the kitchen this year. It did cause me to feel like I was spread thin at times with VBS responsibilities and of course still being a mom, but I learned a lot about myself.

The farewell worship service was full of gratitude in at least three directions (to God, to San Bartolome brothers and sisters, and to us.)

Laede is Samuel's little friend. I got to give a Bible talk to the women one day and her mom Mikaela translated what I said in Spanish into Zapotec. I thought it was pretty cool to be able to skip English on our way to Zapotec.

The youth gatherings also went great.

Micah and his friends enjoyed tamales and atole together as they said "goodbye."

Paul and Emiliano were buddies. The next six photos were taken at 5 am, when the whole church came to send us off.

I hope that it is apparent how all three of our boys are extremely well-loved in San Bartolome. It seemed to make a very positive impact in both directions to demonstrate that we are willing to share our children.

You might not believe me that this picture shows just a fraction of the people who came out at 5 in the morning. Can you spy the end of the road?

Micah and Paul were nearly always surrounded by their friends.

I am so thankful for beautiful San Bartolome and brothers of the church,

some of whom rode in the back of the cattle truck for a few hours to make sure that our bus didn't get stuck.

Micah formed a special bond with Pastor Constantino's family,

Paul formed a special bond with Pastor Joe,

and Samuel formed a special bond with Pastor Jacinto.

We all love Angelica dearly. We miss her a lot.

The day came when we had to load our bags and fly "home," if you can call it that, considering that these three would have liked to have stayed in their adopted home of Mexico.

We miss our Colima friends!

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Tongen) — Thu, 22 Aug 2013 23:04:00 -0400

Looking back to June -- we miss our Soccer friends.

Even when the parents joked that Anthony should be the team spokesman.

We miss fiestas with friends.

Father's Day. Yes, there is an Applebee's in Colima. No, we never went.
We miss Manuel and his boys.

We miss our Instituto Adonai friends.

Micah led a recitation for Father's Day.

Paul treated his Dad great on Father's Day.

We miss fiestas with friends, part 2.

Sam chose to have a camel birthday party.

We pulled it off, but without the typical birthday boy costume according to the theme.

Since Sam's party was 2 weeks before we left Colima, friends received our hand-me-downs as party favors.

Anthony's practically personal chefs catered guisados for us.

It rained for most of the party, so most of Sam's 4-year-old friends left before the piñatas.

Who is enjoying himself more?

Can you spot Sam's preschool teachers going for candy?

Again, who is enjoying themselves more?

The suspense of "will he take the traditional bite out of the cake?" resulted in just a finger swipe taste.

I had helpers in the kitchen.

Samuel misses Maestra Maricela so much.

We miss them, too.

At one point, I decided that if I can throw a pool party outside in the rain with everyone speaking Spanish, I can do anything...

like take care of 6 children for the weekend. I miss these kids a lot.

How else do you pose in the pretty flowers?

Such a common sight -- big sister caring for Samuel, Micah caring for little sister, and Paul with his buddy.

Should I have asked them to climb down from the railing before taking the picture?

I miss these moments.

This tiny 5 year old can ride a 2 wheel bike so well!

I miss spending time with this sweet girl, too.

Since we had 6 kids around the table, we decided that we could fit one more, since we had a neighbor girl who had to beg for her food. She joined us many weekends.

Words can't express how thankful I am for these awesome friends!!!! We had a great time at Ricardo's birthday party.

Maestra Edith called these three inseparables her "Duvalin," the equivalent of Neapolitan.

Laura is one of my Bible study friends whom I miss.

Instituto Adonai did a good job with their open house.

They even got Anthony to do aerobics!

We miss Emiliano's family a lot!

Paul misses Maestra Raquel and

Teacher Erica.

What did our boys learn this year? A lot!!!

Teacher Letty made Sam's year by letting him be the balloon salesman.

You can never have enough pictures of Sam with Maestra Maricela.

I miss seeing Paul take on his super-star friend Cesar on the field

and team up with Angel on defense.

Can you imagine how much I miss my adorable girlfriends!!!?

Manuel and Adriana prepared a feast for our friends to send us off.

Anthony gave a talk, in Spanish, on Math and Faith for the youth at our church. We miss Grupo Amor.

Mauricio is Mr. Photogenic.

"We are in the clouds!"

It was true.

Raspados were a good way to say goodbye to Micah's best friend.

But they slid down the Piedra Lisa one more time just for good measure (supposedly meaning we will return to Colima.)

How is this picture for a unique "selfie?" Sam is crushing an egg filled with confetti on my head.

Yes, we repacked our lives into 5 suitcases.

We miss the bakeries.

Here was the rip-stick passing on ceremony.

It doesn't seem sufficient to say that we miss our Colima friends, but we do.

Learning

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Tongen) — Wed, 5 Jun 2013 23:31:00 -0400

Learning how to form a tunnel is an important part of being a fútbol family.

I have learned so much from my friends!

I even learned how to make sopitos.

I guess Samuel learned how to celebrate Memorial Day.

Since I like being a student, I have enjoyed being able to learn something new. Anthony and I have met with Carmen for 4 hours per week since September. Emily (next to me) is learning the math of the monarchs, since she is researching butterflies with Anthony for two months.

This mango tree is what I call "bearing fruit!" May the Holy Spirit be producing abundant spiritual fruit in our lives as well. We still have so much to learn.

Samuel is learning so much at school, including how to stop at rojo and go at verde. Just so that you can know about some of the English learning at our household, Sam said (a few minutes ago) "I winned because I goed first."

What do you learn at a fútbol birthday party?

After a few busy days, I came home to this messy house and there was a note on our door from a cleaning lady suggesting that we hire her. I learned that by leaving the curtains open, she was able to see this sight through the window. Whatever would give her the idea to suspect, "No tienes tiempo para limpiar?" (Don't have time to clean?) She didn't even have to walk across the sticky floor.

The teachers at Instituto Adonai put together an impressive, beautiful dinner for parents between Mother's Day and Father's Day.

Emily knows how to enjoy a day at the beach in Mexico!

This guy knows how to enjoy a day at the beach, too.

I enjoyed this smile, or sometimes one with excited jumping, every time I returned with a bucket of water for his tower.

We had to say "goodbye" to these two precious gifts from God in our lives. They have changed our lives WAY more than we have changed theirs. Yes, I am crying now. We will only have one more opportunity to have other children stay with us for a weekend before we leave. Anthony and I have learned that foster care may be part of our future in the U.S.