Halloween fun.

Here are some pictures from our party on Saturday. It was a lot of fun!



Chalyse and her friend Oliver fighting over the beads.


Mandy and Austin


Captain Jack Sparrow, I mean Jame


Our family of pirates





Our friends Andrea and Danny


Craig and Abby

Witches and screaming

This last Monday, Camille, Chalyse, and I went up to Gardner Village. We hadn't been there before, and Camille's mom recommended it. The entire place was decorated in a witches theme, and there were life-size and larger-than-life witches everywhere. It was also a lot of fun to see the different boutique stores that are there.









We all had a really great time. Chalyse seemed pretty happy until the end, when it became obvious that she was getting tired.

Yesterday, she had a really hard time though. She was driving Camille and me completely crazy. We think she was either cutting a tooth on the top or just feeling sick. She refused to let us feel her gums long enough to see if there was a tooth. She wouldn't let us do anything. Consequently, Camille ended up not being able to close up shop downstairs until after Chalyse went to bed...at 9:30.

Socialism

It never ceases to amaze me how many members of the Church embrace whole-heartedly socialist programs. They always cite quotes by Christ, King Benjamin, and prophets of the Church who call for more equality and generosity. They also cite the United Order and consecration as examples in which the Church advocates redistribution of wealth. There are two problems with drawing a comparison between socialism in its Marxist form and consecration: agency and stewardship.

From the very beginning, there has been a battle between the followers of Christ and the followers of Satan. Christ's plan all along was to allow people to choose whether or not they would follow Him. Satan's plan was to force everyone to do what is right. God knew that there was nothing exalting in being forced to do good, and that no one would learn and grow through coercion. Socialism is just that, though. It is good to give to those who are in need. It is just as damning, however, to be forced to give to the poor as it is to retain your excess. It is also unjustifiable to take from one individual to give to another individual without the consent of that person. Consecration, on the other hand, is based on agency. People have the choice to give freely and receive the blessings or to retain their wealth and not receive the Spirit.

There is also the matter of stewardship. In consecration and the United Order, every person gave all of there substance to the Bishop's storehouse, and then they were given what they needed for themselves and their families. Most of the time, they received much of their own possessions back (including home and land) in the form of a stewardship. They were responsible and accountable for the use of these things. Under socialism, however, there is no such accountability or stewardship. Indeed, under its most extreme form (communism) everything is owned "commonly," meaning the government oligarchy owns everything, and there is no accountability or sense of responsibility on the part of any of the people. Under common forms of socialism, stewardships are given out (usually in the form of money) with no commitment or accountability expected. It's not hard to see how this is contrary to the way of the gospel. Indeed, many general authorities over the years have condemned the idea of a dole welfare system (giving out money).

For those who earn more than they need, it is good for them to give to the poor. For those who need help, they should do all they can on their own, then approach their families, then their church, and last of all their government. Socialist governments try to flip that on its head and get people to depend on it rather than help themselves or each other. There is nothing exalting in having all of your needs automatically provided for without having to learn and grow, and there is nothing exalting about not helping your neighbor or family member directly. Government socialism takes the choice and the charity out of it.

If babies thought in words...

Oh, no dad. Don't put me down. Uh, oh well, I think I'll eat this rug. Uh, uh. I can't get it out from under me. Well maybe I'll roll over a couple of times. Well, maybe a couple more. Oh, what is this. A chair! Kick, kick, kick....Kick, kick. Kick. Well, that was fun. Kick. Let's keep rolling, I guess. Roll, roll, roll. Ugh! Who put this wall here! Dad, was it you?! Hey mom! Dad put a wall in my way. Roll, bonk. Roll, bonk. Oh, mom thinks it's funny when I bonk my head into the wall. Bonk, bonk. Bonk. What's that mom? Stop? What's "stop?" Bonk, bonk. Ha, ha, I got her to pick me up! :)

The Miracle of Eating Cheerios

I found myself watching Chalyse eating cheerios today and to my surprise i was completely enthralled. It was so exciting to me that she could pick each one up, put it into her mouth and chew it with out choking. I know it is impossible to convey the emotion i was feeling as i watched closely each time. I was even thrilled that she knew when she still had one in her moth and not to put a new one in before swollowing. I know this is a little silly but to me it is a milestone of great improtance. Each little thing we leard to do with our bodies and minds is a miricle.

Camille

Racism

Friday and today, in my social psychology class, we talked about the prominence of racism in modern US society. While agree that it is still present and that it is horrible, I think that there is more to it than the color of your skin.

For instance, the argument was continually made by my professor that Obama is not doing as well as he should be, considering who the current president is, because of his race. I admit that there must be something to this. There are racists and bigots around. I think, though, that the fact that he is the most liberal and least experienced candidate for president in our nations history has something to do with it. It doesn't help that he has so many shady relationships (Ayers, Wright, Resco, etc). His policies sound great, unless you're a thinking American who sees through the pie-in-the-sky rhetoric.

Also, there is more to do with your home lifestyle than your skin color when it comes to determining how successful you'll be in later life. White kids living in the "hood" are just as likely to get killed on the streets, become a teen parent, and never rise out of poverty as any other ethnicity living in the same circumstances, I would argue. Granted, there is a greater percentage of white people who live in "priviledged" homes, but that has more to do with historic racism and discrimination than current racism. Might I remind everyone that Irish and Poles were discriminated against vociferously 100 years ago?

Ode to Sunday

I love Sundays! Isn't it wonderful to rest from our regular worries! To soak up good music and inspiring words. It is so filling and refreshing. Life can be so hectic sometimes. I don't realize how much I need Sundays until each week when it's finally here and Saturday night I realize I can close up work and not think about it for at least a day (hopefully). It gives me an excuse not to worry about work and school (Toms anyway) and projects I have hanging over my head and just breath for a minute. I always feel more equipped to face the week after my day of rest and spiritual nourishment. It help to reassure me that the Lord is on my side.

Camille

"Touchdown"

Today Tom and I were teaching Chalyse how to make a "touchdown" sign. She was all dressed up in her BYU clothes. We were mostly kidding and didn't really expect her to do it when suddenly she threw her arms out as wide as she could and held them there. We clapped and she squealed and giggled with delight. She was so proud. We eventually got her to put her arms all the way up. She loves making Mom and Dad clap and cheer for her.

Camille

Guess that president

I'm thinking of a president that is well known by people everywhere. He was elected as a Republican and won with less than a majority of the vote. He was elected for two terms. This president was controversial and divisive. Despite his education and experience, he was viewed by many people as a hick. People in large parts of the country disagreed with this president. He acted and started a war that lasted for most of his presidency. During a good deal of this conflict, the military saw very little success and was losing by many counts. It wasn't until relatively late in the conflict that things started to turn around. He acted in ways that is viewed by many to be unconstitutional. In fact, there were many who wanted him out of office, and they thought that if he were out of office many of their problems could be solved. Finally, he was first elected in a year divisible by 20.

Have you guessed who this president is? Did you guess George W. Bush? I'm sorry if you did, because that wasn't who I was thinking about. I was thinking about Abraham Lincoln. George Bush is no Abraham Lincoln, for sure, but I'm getting pretty sick of people saying that George Bush is the worst president that we've ever had just because they don't like him.

I recently had a conversation with someone in one of my classes, and I said that in my opinion the Bush administration's greatest failing was their PR. My point in case is Woodrow Wilson. Do you remember him as being a good or bad president from history class? He united the US through WWI and brought about the League of Nations. He was the voice of reason at Versailles, right? The Espionage Act of 1917 and Sedition Act of 1918 were his brain children also. This caused widespread xenophobia and punished any who spoke out against the presidency. He had goon squads that broke up political demonstrations. Great guy, right? The difference between him and George Bush, besides fascism, is that the press went along with him. Why do you think we don't have very good figures for the influenza epidemic from around that time?

The moral of this story: there have been some very good presidents and some very bad presidents, but we shouldn't be so quick to put our current presidents in either of those categories without understanding the competition.