For Grand Parent Types Only

So this post isn't exclusive to grand parental units, but it takes a lot of love to appreciate a virtual tour of an Art show and Concert starring a six year old. No matter his star quality. 

We participated in a week long Art/Music camp during Spring Break. It is a fantastic (free) program, and Benton LOVED it. 

Nathaniel participated as his short attention span would allow and the two of us got to spend a little quality time at the grocery store while Benton slaved away at rehearsals. The theme for the art section was architecture so they learned fun new concepts like tension and compression (in the bridge building class) and exciting vocabulary like flying buttresses (in the castle section).

On the final day, the students built a contraption designed to keep an egg safe when dropped off the roof of a building using only items found around your house. After Benton and his dad spent a few days brainstorming, Benton finally came up with the design. A box with a layer of foam in the bottom and foam on the top. 

In test drop #1 from the second story window onto our driveway, the box landed on its side and the egg didn't make it. A few modifications were made: more foam on the sides and a wing to slow the descent and all that was left was to decorate and try again. 

It survived test drop #2 from the same location as well as test drop #3 from the roof and test drop #4 from the roof of the Marion Parkade. You'll have to suffer through the slide show to see how it fared in competition.

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For Cindy

On Saturday, my very dear friend's mom made it Home after a long battle with cancer. She fought courageously with her husband and family at her side and her eyes always on her Heavenly Father. She saw life as a gift and an adventure right up until the end. Our hearts break now because she was a beautiful woman, a light to all who knew her, and we will miss her.


I get lost daily. I loose sight of my goal. I forget that the minutes that pass here can mean everything in the context of eternity. The choice I make to smile or scream can make all the difference. People are watching. My kids are watching. My friends are watching. My kids's friends are watching. Jesus is watching. I can move mountains by choosing to be faithful or I can be defeated because I can't see the other side.

It's the simple choices we make every day that make a difference. I haven't seen her face in a couple of years, but she has impacted my life forever. And I know I'm not the only one. I can only hope that someday, Jesus will sing this song over me as he sings it over her now.

I've been waiting
to dance with you in fields full of colors you have never seen.
I have been waiting
to show you beauty you've never dreamed that's always been in you.
I have been waiting
to see you tremble as you're embraced by a world that's saturated by my love.
I've been waiting for the day
When at last I get to say
"My child, you are finally home."

Too Much TV

Who says too much TV is a bad thing?

Noah and the Big Flood

What's a mom to do when her eldest wants to make a movie about Noah's Ark? Obviously, he must write a book first. I have no idea if you will be able to read it or not--handwriting and I have a passable relationship. The words are all Ben's. Except for the ones he stole from his favorite movie of all time, The Story of Noah.

Being Super

We're all superheroes around here lately. Nathaniel is the cause of it. I figured I had a couple of years before my boys discovered Superman, Spiderman, Batman, and all those other men. I'm still not sure how Nathaniel caught onto them, but I will tell you, in our house, they were an effective means of potty training at the very least. "Hulk is going to be really upset if you go potty on him." Smart people, the inventors of underoos.
**He has since been restricted to training pants as he keeps peeing on Spiderman and Captain America. This is something he may have to work through in therapy one day.

A few weeks ago, Benton went to Awana on Make up Your Own Super Hero night. I remembered this event literally as we were walking out the door.

"OK, what do you need to turn yourself into a superhero?" And faster than Superman in a phone booth, he informed me he needed boots, a cape and a mask.

• Boots=formerly red rain boots (FYI don't leave red rubber boots laying out in the sun for very long).

• Cape=pillow case safety penned to the shirt (not so many strangulation issues this way)

• Mask=leftover from our Behind the Mask women's retreat. (Thankfully we didn't have to resort to using the one with feathers).

On the way there, we discussed the back story. His name, he told me, was INCREDIBOY. He had venom in his fingers and he could shoot bullets from his fist.

Nathaniel's super power, if you were to ask him, is super sharp wings.

Where do they come up with this stuff.

While my duty is generally the Alfred to their Batmen, apparently I have a few super powers of my own. They boys are pretty impressed by the eyes in the back of my head. I love those. I can also make an owie all better with a kiss. That has to be the greatest mom power of all.

We super heros don't get to choose our super powers. But how cool would that be? There are so many to choose from. Most days, I think I would choose the power to be invisible. That would be nice. And quiet. Ooh. That would be a good one. A portable cone of silence. I'm not sure how I could help the world at large by voluntary deafness though.

I'd also like the ability to be in more than one place at the same time. For example, I could sleep in while simultaneously feeding the children breakfast and reading them stories.

Paul wishes he could a) breath underwater b) have x-ray vision and c)be able to fly.

That about covers the SUPER LUNDES. So what's your super power?

And while you're thinking about it, think on this: "His divine POWER has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own GLORY and GOODNESS." 2 Peter 1:3

KA POW!!

Love this!

More Music

Since free food is now expired, I thought you might enjoy
a little concert by these guys.