A Baby, a Dancer, and a Perpetual Student:

Home from Home - Attn: Family

2012-01-26T11:49:00.000-08:00

As you can expect, we made it home from home. It was so nice to visit Utah home and see the family and friends. We can't thank everyone enough for all of the things you assisted with during our stay. A free place to sleep, meals, Christmas parties, continual babysitting, rummaging of pantries, conversations, movies, pictures, and memories. You made the stay that much more special.

Thank You Again.

Our flight went very well. Here is how it went.....

8:30 - Arrived at the Airport - Thanks Mom P.

Skipped the long line of security because of James!! YAY

Waited for our flight.

This was the only picture I got of the whole trip. - James playing in the toy bin at the airport play pit. - Good thing they had it. It kept him busy for a while.

11:00 - Boarded the plane to Chicago

Watched a couple of movies with James on my lap.

3:30- Got into Chicago

Waited for our flight to London. While we waited we ate Mexican food, talked to a nice British lady and her 2 year old son. James also enjoyed watching the planes take off from the window. We also got our wiggles out by walking around before having to sit.

6:00pm - Boarded for London - But didn't leave till 7:00 because of delays.

We got to sit on the bulk head part of the plane. The part with lots of leg room and space with an extra seat for James. Every time we have traveled over seas, we have been able to get James an extra seat instead of buying one for him.

James did awesome on the flight. The flight attendants slobbered over James and made us feel like wonderful parents. Then he fell asleep for about 5 of the 7 hour flight. In the meantime we slept and watched some movies.

7:30 am - Arrived in London.

Waited for our flight while dodging the perfume people in the middle shopping corridor. After they posted the gate number for our flight we were hopping to our gate and got on the last plane by 11:00.

After a full flight and James getting very anxious, I was really glad that the last flight was only 1 hour long. We finally arrived in Edinburgh at 12:30. One more 1 hour 1/2 drive and we were to our Scotland home.

Miss you family, but we are glad to be in our own bed.

Who's The Bigger One Now?

2012-01-22T19:55:00.000-08:00

Usually it is James who is the bigger one between him and cousin Wyat. Wyat shows us that you can still get your way as the littler one. Wyat just turned 1 years old and James is 2 months older than him.

Pew Forum on Mormons

2012-01-13T07:53:00.000-08:00

The Pew Forum released an interesting study on Latter-day Saints. The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life delivers nonpartisan, timely information on issues and debates related to religion, news, politics, and international and public affairs. They interviewed 1019 Mormons in the United States (346 from Utah). Following is the infographic outlining the bulk of the results, however the most interesting results were not in the infographic. Here is what I gleaned from the full report:

Mormon college graduates are more likely to:

have temple recommends
have served missions
have “believe whole-heartedly” the tenets of Mormonism
pay tithing
see believing Joseph Smith saw God, helping the poor and not drinking coffee or tea as essential for being a good Mormon
say being a good parent and having a successful marriage are the most important thing in life
have families with stay-at-home wives
be conservative
support limited government
view homosexuality as being discouraged by society
believe polygamy, premarital sex, and abortion are morally wrong
be committed to their religion

The moral of this story? If you want to be or want your children to be faithful Latter-day Saints, receiving a college degree will provide Mormons the greater statistical likelihood to fall into the categories listed above.

Click here for the full report.

Silly Uncle Tate

2012-01-10T22:12:00.000-08:00

Slide Time

2012-01-10T20:01:00.000-08:00

James and Cousin Wyat

2012-01-05T18:49:00.000-08:00

Cousin Wyat and James banging out some tunes.

Spencer Family Pictures

2012-01-01T15:56:00.000-08:00

Mom and Dad

Grandsons

Camille, James, and Chris

Anne, Wyat, Chayse

Christmas Favorites

2011-12-30T10:30:00.001-08:00

James loves going upside down for some reason. He will throw himself back when you are holding him. Silly Daddy

Grandma and Grandpa Pitcher with their three grand kids.

Grey (left), Micah (middle), James (right)

Great Grandma Newman with the Pitcher Grand kids

(left - right - Grey, Micah, James)

James and Cousin Wyat on Christmas Morning

James has been very gentle with the Christmas tree ornaments. We have had a few balls that have had casualties, but he was overall really good about leaving everything on the tree.

Spiffy new clothes from Grandpa Spencer

Newman Family Christmas Party

Uncle Travis holding Micah and Grey with Daddy and James

Aunty Tessa at the Newman Family Christmas Party

James being James!

I love My Family

2011-12-30T10:21:00.001-08:00

James and Riley

2011-12-08T08:38:00.000-08:00

Adventures in the Paris Subway

2011-12-03T10:25:00.000-08:00

Play Time

2011-11-30T08:54:00.000-08:00

Here are a few things we do around the house for play! This is in addition to drumming on pots, climbing in drawers, sending toys down the ramp of the bathtub, trying to flush the toilet (that is a toy at this age right?), emptying his balls into the dryer, pulling cloths out and putting them back into the washer/dryer, and playing flashcards on the Ipad. Watch out family. This is just in our house. He gets really curious and adventurous in new places. Oh by the way, 4 more days!

Riding the Double Decker!

2011-11-24T08:51:00.000-08:00

If you want to get an idea for how high we are, then look at the level of the fences and houses. We actually are above the stone wall lines and level with the second story of the buildings. Totally worth riding the bus if you get to be on the second level.

You can tell that James enjoys it because he is distracted by the scenery outside.

Lately

2011-11-22T07:03:00.000-08:00

It gets to a point in the day around 5:00 - 6:00 that James gets extremely clingy, right when I need to make dinner, so James will watch a show on the I-pad. I've tried to show him how to sit on his little chair, but he insists on just standing next to the chair and watching Toy Story, or Bolt. Usually those are his favorites. Meaning, these are the ones that keep him occupied the longest till Daddy comes home.

He is quick at picking up actions and sounds that we do. He saw me going to the bathroom, and spinning the toilet paper down, so one day I find him reaching up to the toilet roll and spinning it all off. Hence all of the paper on the floor. He thought it was fun!

Every kid loves this game. I remember Travis pushing Tessa around in a box holding a makeshift steering wheel. You always get the best laughs and smiles out of this game. It does come with a workout though.

He also is into drumming on the pots and tubberware. However he then starts hitting everything in the house with the stick. We are working on that.

Oh and by the way..... WE COME HOME IN 11 DAYS!

Mallaig, Skye, and Inverness

2011-11-13T11:40:00.000-08:00

The Spencer family went on a short trip to the highlands which doubled as Chris' field work.

Here are the highlights:

Waiting for the ferry at Mallaig.

Eilean Donan Castle

Urquhart Castle

Urquhart Castle overlooking Loch Ness

Loch Ness

Inverness on the River Ness

Inverness Cathedral

Pheasant

2011-11-09T02:38:00.000-08:00

We got some cheap pheasant from a geology colleague. Rich people at clubs will shoot them and then us poorer students get to enjoy the fruits of their shooting!

We made some delicious pheasant and leek soup!

Here is James' reaction to the dead birds. I'm amazed at how my reaction to dead animals in the house has dulled extremely. I still let Chris do the initial de feathering, head, feet stuff.

ENJOY

Happy Birthday James!

2011-11-07T03:38:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful sunny day on Saturday. I want to thank everyone for their calls, video chats, cards, packages, gifts, and emails. We appreciate all of your love and support for our best boy, James!

First we went into St. Andrews and walked around the West Sands Beach, and Old Golf Course. This was the beach that Chariots of Fire was filmed on. On the way we stopped off at Argos and got James his birthday gift! 100 plastic play bin balls. We have been meaning to get them for him for a while, but decided to wait till his birthday. - See Video-

After getting back home, James played with his balls, while mommy finished the cake for later. James then took a well needed nap followed by a walk to the park, swings, and then back home again.

We ate dinner while talking to some of the family members. Then the real partying began.

Around 5:30 our neighbors Mattie and Douglas came over for cake. They shared in the celebration of James' birthday. They are very sweet and great company to have.

Today was not only James' Birthday but Guy Fawkes Day too.

In 1605 Guy Fawkes was a conspirator apart of the Gunpowder Plot. A plot was to set explosives to parlament and assassinate the king. Someone spilled the beans a few hours before the event happened, capturing Fawkes, and later executing him. UK is encouraged to celebrate the escape of the king, or day of deliverance by lighting bonfires followed by fireworks. It has been a tradition since that day in 1605.

So after cake we were invited to go to a bonfire and fireworks. We loaded James up in the stroller with all of the warm clothes we had, and went down to the Anstruther beach for a bonfire. They had hot soup, music, and fireworks to enjoy. The greatest part was that we were back by 9:00, since it gets dark so early, the festivities started earlier.

Park

2011-11-04T08:12:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of James at the park. We don't go every day because it is getting colder. We take advantage of the warm days.

Thank you Grandma P for the new outfit! We wear it everywhere because it's not too heavy and not too light. They came just in time!

1 Years Old - Almost

2011-11-03T12:12:00.000-07:00

Since Chris posted one picture we took today, I'll post some more. Tune in on Saturday for more cute pictures of James as we celebrate his FIRST BIRTHDAY! I can remember this week a year ago so well. It was a great week!

This is what James looked like the day after he was born!

We went from a crooked nose to a cute crooked smile. We're glad the crooked nose didn't stick.

Crooked Smile

2011-11-02T12:48:00.000-07:00

Playgroup

2011-11-01T06:47:00.000-07:00

Cushy Life

2011-10-31T04:55:00.000-07:00

We have a very cushy life here with everything we need and want. Although things are different, and much is not the same here as at home, we still are living great! We traded beautiful mountains for rolling hills and the sea. We traded red vines for scrumptious pastries and cakes.

There are a few things that I now realize I took advantage of there in Utah. This is not a complaining post. There are just some things that seem to have made our lives very easy while living in Utah. Our life is still very easy, just different!

#1 - Having Two Cars

You all know my dilema with driving right now. I am slowly learning how to drive a manual. I do however miss having the luxury of having 2 cars. I am not able to just jump into the car and go to the store. Maybe that is a good thing though. I'm glad to have one great working car.

James and I have therefore, learned the joys and convenience of public transportation. Yes it takes more time and may cost a little more, but listen, the bus is not that bad! Look how happy James looks to be riding the bus! Okay he is more content than happy. He likes to talk to the people around him. He says, "Ba? Ba bababa. AHHHHH" There you go!

James on the Bus

We have also outfitted the stroller so that we can walk under any circumstance. Well almost any circumstance. The wind has gotten pretty bad here. So the rain/wind guard cover is really nice to keep James nice and cozy! Our dear friend Elizabeth saved me with a stroller blanket for James too. It has no back on it so you can just put it over him in the stroller. Then you lift it over his head when you want to get out.

Here he is ASLEEP in the stroller. He has never done this. I think it was because he was warm!

Asleep after a long 2 hour walk

New equipment for the stroller for the upcoming weather.

#2 - Walking to Church which is no more than 4 blocks away!

The church is amazing. No matter where you go in the world the church has had an influence. Grandma Newman can tell you what it is like to travel to get to church. It literally turns into a whole day activity.

I would say that what we do, by traveling 45 minutes to church every Sunday is the norm. There are circumstances, such as in Utah, that you can walk outside your doorway to go to church or the temple. There are other people in another part of the world that need to travel a lot further. It is nice that we have a great car, and beautiful scenery for our drive every Sunday. However, those at home, don't take advantage of the wonderfulness it is to be at church within 5 minutes.

#3 - American Processed Foods

There isn't anything better than good old American processed foods!

This goes for canned pumpkin. I took the challenge to use a whole pumpkin. I roasted the seeds of course, but made bread out of the guts!! It is delicious. Here is the recipe for

pumpkin gut bread which you see to your left.

#4 - FAMILY

This is definitely the main thing we miss about not being home. I feel like we have been able to adjust well and embrace our way of living here in Scotland. We have made some good friends, and have wonderful people around us. People are very thoughtful and giving, but it is not the same with out family.

We are excited to come and visit for Christmas.

We love you all and always pray for you back home! See you soon!

The Pictures Below are For Memories Sake! They are some of my favorite.

There are a lot. I just couldn't choose.

Noises

2011-10-25T06:19:00.000-07:00

Turn up your computer's volume and be prepared to listen closely!

Here are most of the sounds that James makes throughout the day. I wouldn't call it talking, but there is a slight beginning to syllables here. My favorite is when you pop out from a corner and scare him. He screeches and squeals. It is so funny. Chris' favorite is this new sound that James has started making. It is the pig throat snort. You will know what I mean when you hear it.

Helper to Be

2011-10-24T11:02:00.000-07:00

James doesn't quite have the task of helping me yet, but he does like to be involved in my day to day business. He has recently gone through a mental milestone where he realizes that things go in and out of other things. He is getting the hang of the shape toy. Where you put the blocks in the correct shape. You know. He also loves pulling out everything from the drawers and washing machine/ dryer. He has always loved doing that, but now he is getting the idea that things go back inside too. We got a bucket for all his toys so we can eventually teach him that his toys go inside that at the end of the day. Plus he really likes taking all his toys out of it. Here is a long clip of him playing with the washer/ dryer.

Swimming!

2011-10-19T09:11:00.000-07:00

We went swimming at the local leisure center, or recreation center, here in St. Andrews. We went with our new friends Lorraine and Ailsa.

It was quite an ordeal though to get any pictures. I got out my camera, and there was a worker right behind me saying that I couldn't take pictures in a public place like the pool. I had to then fill out a form to then take a picture of James. I guess now I know!!

I then took my camera inside of the pool to video James and they again came in and told me to not put the camera in the pool. Picky picky! Well here is the result after much ordeal. I'm glad that I got them.

Scottish Highlands

2011-10-19T09:04:00.000-07:00

It's Getting Colder

2011-10-14T13:09:00.000-07:00

Another Dance Fix

2011-10-12T07:26:00.000-07:00

Take a moment to check out my recent project for the Naptime Blog.

You can access it by clicking

HERE

Sock in the Face

2011-10-08T07:14:00.000-07:00

Silent Play

2011-10-06T01:55:00.000-07:00

Farm Animals

2011-10-03T09:16:00.000-07:00

It is exciting to see that James is reacting to outside things and experiences. Especially to live things, like animals. We extremely miss being able to play with the family dogs, Buddy and Riley. Without fail, James will smile, oooo and awww, at a passing dog while we are on a walk. I sometimes want to say to those passing by, STOP, so my little boy can pet and play with your dog.

Our new thing is to go down the street and see the cows when they are up by the fence.

A while ago we also went to a local farm and saw some sheep, pigs, ducks, and a mean biting goose. We stayed away from him.

Where Has My Baby Gone?

2011-09-30T06:01:00.000-07:00

James is turning more and more into a little toddler. Most think he is older than what he is, because he is just as large as most of the other kids over one. Yesterday we went into St. Andrews and got James some new shoes to protect his toe nails from breaking off. He drags his feet when he is outside and it messes them up. I don't like to put shoes on him, because I believe that it restricts the movement of his feet, but we have to protect them sometimes. Barefoot is Better! Well until winter comes and it is cold.

We also got James a new sippy cup with a straw. He is just getting the action of tilting a water bottle or his other sippy cup, but he really enjoys drinking through a straw.

Mimic - Head Shake

2011-09-27T09:51:00.000-07:00

One day James started shaking his head at us. I could not figure it out until Chris did this head shake mouth wobble sound over skype while he was gone, and James did it back to him. It is hilarious! I'm just glad he didn't get it from us saying NO to him a lot. He is starting to pick up lots of different actions we do. So Fun!

Walking - Take 2

2011-09-27T09:03:00.000-07:00

James has been gaining more and more confidence with himself when it comes to walking. He can use an object to help him stand up, and then he will walk free handed to another object to then rest on, until he decides where to go next. Right now I still help him stand up when there are no sturdy objects around. Walking take 3 will be when he gets the hang of standing by himself, object free, and then continues to walk. He feels a little bit of pressure especially when there are other kids around. He says "I'm as big and as fast as them." The big part may be true, but not the fast part. That is when the real attempts at walking come out.

My trip to Labrador

2011-09-21T15:14:00.000-07:00

To Grandma Pitcher

2011-09-21T11:54:00.000-07:00

Prepositions

2011-09-15T12:37:00.000-07:00

BETWEEN
He knows how to get into fun places, but not know how to get out.

INTO

(The adventures of being able to open everything by yourself)

Monkey Boy

THROUGH or UNDER

(James will always go through places instead of around. If you are standing in the way, he will just shove his way through your legs. He knows where he wants to go.)

INSIDE

(Personally my favorite! He opened up the drawer, and climbed on in. Negative: he didn't know how to get back out.)

Walking Attempt #1

2011-09-12T08:11:00.000-07:00

This is what we have so far. Look what Daddy is missing.

Walking - Attempt #1 from Chris Spencer on Vimeo.

2011-09-12T03:11:00.000-07:00

James Took 10 Steps All By Himself!

You don't believe me?

He did it. I don't have proof, but he did.

Can you guess what he was after?

A Carrot!

Goal: To Get Proof.

What Does The Cow Say?

2011-09-07T03:57:00.000-07:00

A little silly I know, but he is getting it.

10 Months

2011-09-02T12:05:00.000-07:00

James Month 9

2011-09-01T06:09:00.000-07:00

This is what James has been able to do this month. He is growing more and more every month.

James Progression from Chris Spencer on Vimeo.

James new Trick

2011-08-31T07:19:00.001-07:00

James manages to undress himself in the crib. Last night I went into his room and he has both his sleeves out of his arms and his pants were down to his feet. Clever boy. At bath time I will hold him up and he will shake his pants off of his legs. He knows what is going on! Here are some examples...

Notice his pants on the side of the crib. Stinker Head.

Talk Talk Talk

2011-08-25T05:36:00.000-07:00

This video clip seemed funnier when I was filming it, but I guess it is still fun to see. Here is our expressive son as he talks (rather makes noises). If you watch to the end you will even catch his first word. Uh Oh. (sp?)

Expressions of James from Chris Spencer on Vimeo.

Adjustments: What's Different About Living Here in Scotland?

2011-08-24T01:56:00.000-07:00

There are many things that are different. Big and small things. Everything from the currency to the way we drive. Here are some examples of what is different here in Crail. Now granted, I am not stating that all of this is the way it is in the entire UK. All of the big things are wide spread, but I am not sure about the little things. Well here you go.

This is what the currency looks like. Right now the exchange rate is $1.652 to £1.00.

The interesting thing is that the individual banks print their own money. Some of the Scottish currency actually can't be used down in part of England.

The great infamous double decker bus! This, not so, good picture was one driving right past our street. It sure is talent driving one of these on the skinny roads.

I know this is only different from what there was in Utah. Street names instead of numbers. You have to look on a map to know where you are going. Our street name is Langhouse Green

Although the mail comes right through our front door slot, we go and slide the mail we want to send through this box about 2 blocks away.

Mom Pitcher is a good example of this even though it is not a law in the US, but rather proper etiquette. By law you must pick up after your dog. These are some of the signs that demonstrate that. There are conveniently bins all over the parks for you to dispose of your doggy doodoo.

I don't have to do this, but I like to hang up our laundry outside to conserve electricity so we don't have such a big bill. You can only hang it up though if it is good weather. I have two clothes lines outside for all our laundry.

Here is a fun picture for good measure.

Nappies NOT Diapers

The shower is separate from the other faucets. You have to pull the cord on the other side of the bathtub to get any hot water through to the shower. Then you turn the dial on the box and that is how you start the shower!

There is no vented heating or cooling. First of all you don't need a cooler here. It is to cold to even need a cooler. But you do need the heater. It is gas run, and you turn on each room separately. So in every room there is one of these. I don't know about more convenient but I guess more conservative of gas. This is when we just put on a sweater.

This is our little oven. On the bottom is the oven part (that doesn't work very well, but does a great job at heating the kitchen up) and then on top is a toaster oven. It seemed practical, right? Umm, well the only way that we have been able to get the toaster oven to work is by turning on the bottom oven and then lighting the gas on the toaster oven and then leaving the door open, because if you shut it then it will turn off.

It doesn't have temperatures on it like the ovens at home. Rather it has numbers. Just gas numbers. It wasn't until I had a box of brownies to bake and on the box it said, Heat oven to 350 or gas number 5. Ah ha! Ok, So now I know gas #5 is 350. We estimate from there.

This is our car from the inside. Notice the wheel is on the other side. We do have a navigation system luckily! With those crazy street names and all.

You drive on the the other side of the road. This is the size of the biggest main road in town. The red car parked above is on the correct side of the street. But, it is parked there so you have a lot of steering action going on as there are always bends, curves, and obstacles along the way. You DO NOT talk or text while driving.

Glorious Round Abouts!!! They are so great! They make traffic flow so much easier and smoother. This is a small round about. And always make sure you look to your Right! Stop lights are used on streets where there is a pedestrian cross walk. That is the only use of traffic lights I have seen.

Temirchon Haydarov

2011-08-23T05:54:00.000-07:00

I would like you to meet a friend of mine: Temirchon Haydarov.

So Temirchon and I have never met, but I am very proud of him. I met (found) Temirchon last July and decided to help Temirchon get his farming operations up and running. So Camille and I lent him some money through kiva.org expecting Temirchon to make monthly repayments for the loan he received. At first I was quite nervous that this farmer would be able to pay back his loan each month. Farmers really only have one pay day a year.

As you can see I was rightfully worried about his ability to make his monthly payments. He missed his 2nd and 3rd months all together and was delinquent for the next eight months. Then came his much needed payday. I am happy to report that Temirchon Haydarov successfully paid back his loan.

Without this low-interest loan it is highly unlikely that Temirchon would have been able to sustain a healthy business nor provide for this family.

Click here to find someone you can help. Because face it, with interest rates as low as they are now your money is better put to work empowering our brothers and sisters. Through Kiva, you can lend as little as $25. So far, Camille and I have made 14 loans and have not lost a dime! I am glad we live in a world where no distance is to great to offer assistance to those less fortunate.

A Day in St. Andrews

2011-08-20T08:04:00.000-07:00

Today we decided to be touristy and walk around the cemetery in St. Andrews. Cemeteries here in Scotland, and the rest of the UK and Europe I imagine, are so cool to walk around in. I like to imagine I'm back in the days of Robin Hood. First because they are about the same time period and second I really like the movie Robin Hood (mostly the cartoon one).

We walked by and saw many headstones. Many were still standing, but a lot had also fallen over. It surprised me how careless some people were though by the grave stones. Sitting, resting, or having their kids play on them. I was making sure that I didn't hit or touch any along the way. Hello this is 100's of years old.

We walked through the cathedral. Well what is left of the cathedral. It use to be an enclosed building, shaped like a cross. You could see the remains from the original pillars, alter area, windows, existing rooms, and doorways. It was really cool.

Grave Yard Outside of Pre-existing Cathedral

Us standing on the outline of where the wall of the courtyard, or garden use to be.

Existing inner wall of the Cathedral. Also the remains of where the pillars use to be.

An entrance into the inside of the cathedral.

And for good measure, an American style restaurant near the university, that we will have to go to eventually.

Baptisms for the dead...

2011-08-18T11:19:00.000-07:00

As I was perusing the interweb to get an idea of the perception of the church here in Britain I came across this article. This is by far the best article I have read defending this practice (and it is written by a non-Mormon). The original article is found here. Enjoy.

What if Mormons are right and Catholics and Protestants wrong?
by Eamonn McCann
Thursday, 28 August 2008

Why are the Catholic bishops so concerned about Mormons baptising dead parishioners? The Mormons didn’t invent baptism of the dead. The practice has a significant history within mainstream Christianity. The decision to order its abandonment was taken only after heated debate, and was a close-run thing.

What’s the difference, anyway, between baptising the dead and baptising babies? A tiny infant will have as much understanding as a dead person — none at all — of the complex philosophical belief-system it’s being inducted into when baptised, say, a Catholic. Transubstantiation? There’s daily communicants go to their deaths without any clear understanding of the concept. So what chance the mewling tot?

Indeed, given that all Christian Churches believe that the soul lives on after death and retains understanding and consciousness of self, doesn’t it make more sense to baptise dead adults than live babies?

Apart from which, if the Catholic bishops hold that the beliefs of the Mormons are pure baloney (as they must), and their rituals therefore perfectly meaningless, how can it matter to them what mumbo-jumbo Mormons might mutter over Catholic cadavers?

The current controversy has been prompted by Archbishop Dermot Clifford and Bishop Bill Murphy complaining to the National Library in Dublin about records handed over by the Church being made available to all and sundry. The Mormons are believed to have taken advantage of this facility to comb through parish records and baptise the souls enumerated therein, a batch at a time.

The bishops stepped in after the Vatican warned all national churches earlier this year about Mormons misusing diocesan records. I have heard it suggested that the alarm of the Holy See had escalated after reports that Mormon multiple baptisms were regularly breaking the official record set by General Liu Kung Lee who, in one afternoon, baptised seven regiments of Chinese soldiers into Christianity with a fire-hose.

Let’s look at the facts as understood by the early followers of Christ. For more than 300 years after the Crucifixion, baptism of the dead was widely accepted, its biblical basis located in 1 Corinthians 15, 29: “Otherwise, what shall they do who are baptised for the dead if the dead rise not again at all? Why are they then baptised for them.” In other words, a deceased person could be baptised by proxy: otherwise, how could such a person be included in the Resurrection? A good question.

The radical Cerinthians and the Marcionites were especially energetic baptisers of the dead. It was to wrong-foot these sects, seen as competitors with the official Church at a time when it was consolidating its position as the State religion of the Roman Empire, that the Synods of Hippo (393) and Carthage (397) voted, after bitter debate, to condemn the practice.

Interestingly, a clear trace of baptism of the dead has lingered in official practice to the present day, in the form of prayers for divine intercession on behalf of the unbaptised souls. Prayers for intervention were encouraged in Catholic schools in the 1950s. For all I know, this remains the case.

Baptising the dead might be seen as analogous, too, to the Jewish prayer of intercession. Which serves as a reminder that US Jews put a halt to galloping post-mortem Mormonism a couple of years ago by arguing that deJudaising those who’d perished in the concentration camps constituted a profound insult to Holocaust victims. Following talks in New York between leaders of the two religions, the Mormons backed off.

The key point is, surely, that all religions believe that the soul, after death, at last knows what’s what — whether Hinduism, Free Presbyterianism, Jainism, Judaism, Islam, Catholicism or whatever is the true religion. What if it’s Mormonism? What if it’s an everyday occurrence on the other side that Catholics and Protestants are left standing dumbstruck at the Gates, gasping: “Mormons! Who’d have believed it?” And maybe a wife berating her husband: “There! I told you it would be the Mormons! But would you listen?! Now it’s eternal hellfire for the two of us, I hope you’re satisfied.”

In that scenario, shouldn’t all members of all other religions be literally eternally grateful to the Mormons for sharing their saving grace even unto and after death?

If, on the other hand, it isn’t the Mormons at all, those who turn out to have been right can wave a merry farewell to the crestfallen followers of Brigham Young as they trundle downwards to their eternal comeuppance.

What’s the problem?

A Day with James

2011-08-18T00:18:00.000-07:00

A Day With James from Chris Spencer on Vimeo.

Music: "Bagpipe Jig Finale" by: Skipinnish

Our Day consists of first waking up around 7:30 and snuggling in bed till Daddy goes to school.

*Then we play and then eat some breakfast. Usually toast, orange, or/and a banana.

*Then we play some more till we are tired again for our morning nap (that includes me!)

*Wake up and eat some lunch!

*Either play some more or go on our daily walk. Rain or Shine, we always need to get out of the house and take a walk. We love the swing and to watch the dogs and other children play!

*Today after our walk we went and said Happy Birthday to Douglas, our next door neighbor. He turned 80! We took him some cinnamon rolls. Which I had to do two attempts at since cinnamon rolls always fail the first time.

*When dinner time approaches, James plays some more or eats his dinner in his high chair. We were trying to keep him busy while I finished dinner so Chris put on Telly Tubbies. In French. From Youtube. He just stared at it in confusion like most of us do.

*After dinner we take a bath, and play in the bath.

*Then we go to sleep around 7:30/8:00.

*We then repeat the exact same routine the next day!

It's lovely staying home all day, and watching James. The best boy in the world!

The Pittenweem Art Festival

2011-08-13T06:59:00.000-07:00

The Pittenweem Art Festival has been going on all week. It is just an art festival that showcases many different artists, local and distant, extreme and simple. You wander around the town, up and down the streets and look at different artists works. Many venues are in people's homes and local buildings.

The exhibit we went to see today though were these life size metal animals made of, well metal scraps. They were really intricate and cool to look at. The pictures don't do them justice. We went with our friend Elizabeth, Calum and Eliana! Eliana loved to help push James in the pushcart and give him kisses. I think she is James "adopted" big sister. Here are some pics from the day!

The Amazing Standing James

2011-08-08T09:40:00.000-07:00

The Amazing Standing James from Chris Spencer on Vimeo.

A Day at the Beach

2011-08-08T03:05:00.000-07:00

Scotland does have good beaches. They have many rocks near the water, so you can find little sea creatures in the cracks. It also has nice sand too actually. Wet and really good for castle making, but in turn it gets everywhere. I was finding sand on James skin 2 days later. I don't know how much got in his mouth.

We went with our new friends, Elizabeth and her two kids Eliana and Calum. I'm glad that Elizabeth invited us, because I look outside and even though it is sunny I still think it is to cold for the beach. But the thing I have to remember is that it doesn't get much warmer than that day, so you have to take advantage of it while it lasts. The water is really cold, so you usually don't go swimming in it. We did see many people wind sailing or wind surfing. It would be great for that here, as you can hear from the video. It was a really fun day!

James at the Beach from Chris Spencer on Vimeo.

James Month 8

2011-08-05T01:05:00.000-07:00

We will call this James at 8 months, but it was all taken within the last week. So he was really 8 months and 3 weeks.

My Dance Fix

2011-08-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

Recently I have been involved in a Mommy blog that shares and creates dances, and posts about dance. A friend from college had an great idea to get this blog started. It literally has saved me from every part of my life changing all at once. I had thought that I wouldn't have time to do any thing on it, but I'm really glad that I did, because it has been something to entertain me while here at home with James. She has called it Nap Time Dances. Which is appropriate, because with out fail I will always do my work when James is sleeping

I created a short duo with my friend Holly before I left. Then I just did a solo video here in Scotland, which you can view by clicking HERE.

Words by Camille

2011-07-31T09:55:00.001-07:00

Plane Flight to Paris
We were dropped off at the Salt Lake Airport, leaving Utah and it’s beauties one last time. Well till December. Everything ran so smoothly at the airport. We said our good byes to Mom and Dad Spencer, Mom Pitcher, Tate and Grandma Newman.
Checking through security was a breeze. We were even able to take two bottles of milk, and six jars of baby food. We then waited for our plane for the next 2 1/2 hours. We sat there thinking we had gotten there too early, but then once we found out that we were the first to request a bassinet we were glad we got there when we got there. Especially since the people that came a little after us, didn’t get a bassinet, because they were all out.
After wearing James out around the airport, we boarded the plane around 4:30pm. We were in the bulk head seats of the plane. We risked not getting a seat for James, and had just hoped that there would be an empty seat in the middle of us, and there was! It was perfect. Uncle Chayse was right; As soon as the plane took off, the rumbling put him right asleep.
The plane flight consisted of James sleeping most of the time (not in the bassinet, but in his car seat. Oh well), Chris almost eating all of James baby puffs, because he got looney off of two Lunesta’s (sleeping pills), great meals of dinner, a snack and breakfast, and an in flight movie, “The Adjustment Bureau.” We arrived to Paris at 11:00 am Paris time, or 4 am Utah time.

Paris
We took the RER, or the metro, from the airport to downtown Paris. I was surprised at how dirty the RER was in Paris. Even the one in Delhi India was nicer than this one is Paris. We got off at our stop, Notre Dame, found our little hotel, climbed up five flights of stairs and took a nap before spending the afternoon browsing the town.
We asked ourselves, “What do you do in Paris for only an afternoon?” Well this is what we did. We first went to Le Louvre. Now when I say we went to Le Louvre, we really just walked through the court yard, past the glass triangle opening that you know from “The DiVinci Code” , and out towards Le Jardin des Tuileries (don’t worry it’s just a garden with naked statues) towards our next destination. We then walked along Le Seine, the main river running through Paris. On one side you would see the tour boats on the river and then on the other side people were laying in beach chairs on a make shift sand mount that they made along the river. We strolled through many cobble streets (cute but a pain with a stroller; shaken baby syndrome) towards the Eiffel Tower. Along the way we got a snack of brie and a baguette. There is nothing like fresh French cheese and bread!
Chris’ French really came in handy. He said that the language tended to run off his tongue easiest when he was mad, or when we were in great need of something. He did really well. I don’t know what we would have done if he couldn’t have spoken french. It definitely made things easier. I just stood there nodding my head.
So far so good. We got to the Eiffel Tower. It is INCREDIBLE. I’m so glad we went there. Even if it was just to sit on the grass and look up at it. So Paris is known as the City of Love, right? Well I would have to agree. Everywhere you went there were couples groping and smooching each other. Let’s just say that it was enough to get a front page posting on the BYU police beat.
We headed back to our hotel, and then decided it was time for dinner. Paris is not a convenient place for babies. The hotels don’t have bassinets. The streets are not stroller friendly. All of the touristy things to do are either climbing stairs to the top of the Eiffel Tower, or wandering around quiet churches, or museums. We made the mistake of walking into an old cathedral. Where there is silence, James feels the need to fill it up with his yelling. We got many ugly looks and walked as fast as we could out of there. Another thing that we were looking forward to was eating a nice dinner in Paris on the street view. Dinner was awful. James was everywhere, the table was small, close to everyone, it was raining, it took 1 1/2 to get our food, after our appetizer of duck liver, and it was expensive. I don’t know what we were expecting, but it did not go to plan. Dinner is where every thing started to go south for us unfortunately.
James slept on the floor of our hotel, but then decided that it was time to play at 1am in the morning. Rightfully so, considering it was only 6 pm at home. He then began to talk, yell, and cry (again with the filling the silence) for the next 2 hours. We just had to hope that no one was going to kill us for keeping them awake all night, and go with it. Finally we all went back to sleep at 3:30 to then get back up at 6:30 for the plane.

Plane Trip from Paris to Edinburgh
We woke up in Paris hoping that it was going to be a smooth ride for the day. Boy were we wrong. Before heading out to the RER to go back to the airport we took all of our carry on luggage and drug it to Notre Dame, for one last site seeing opportunity. I hope that one day we could come back and actually walk through Notre Dame to see the inside and more specifics. Without James of course.
After finding an RER street entrance from Chris’ map on his phone we went down and tried to buy tickets. Unfortunately it didn’t accept our credit or debit card, and we didn’t have enough cash to pay for it because I was being overly generous and gave our server an extra tip for the meal the night before for our untastely, 3 hour meal. We then started to wander around this unfamiliar town, lugging our two backpacks, James in the stroller, the rolling suitcase, car seat, and computer bag looking for an ATM. Nothing was open since it was only 7:30 in the morning, and there are no ATM’s anywhere in the city. We finally found a taxi, and told him that we had three options. We could either pay him in American money and hope that we had estimated the exchange rate correctly, pay with our credit card once we got to the airport, or have him wait at the airport while we went inside and exchanged money to pay him with. He agreed and drove us 40 minutes to the airport. Sore feet, a tired hungry boy, and $80 later were at the airport by 9:00 to then try to get through and to our gate by the time our plane left at 10:00.
We were taking City Jet over to Edinburgh, but everything is run by AirFrance. We guessed at which desk we were to check into and stood in line to ask a person what to do. I am learning that not every airport is the same. Every one does it differently. I think it is stupid. We got up to the line and were to check in with our tickets. The lady then proceeded to tell us that we had not paid for our luggage that was already on the way to Edinburgh (which was false) even though we had claim tickets for. She kept on asking for our real receipt and for all of our baggage claim slips. Again all in French. 40 minutes later we finally caught the manager who spoke English and told her that we had all of our baggage claim tickets, and that we needed to go. She then nicely told her worker that she was an idiot and didn’t know what she was doing, and that we were free to go all along. Again James is yelling and crying this whole time.
If you have every been to the airport, you know that you can’t just show up 30 minutes before and have everything go smoothly. We then had to go through the passport line, which we got through surprisingly quick because we asked a guy to put us at the front of the line since our plane was leaving in 20 minutes and we had a screaming baby. Past the passport line we then got through the security line with 5 minutes to spare. We raced to the gate just in time to get in the end of the boarding line to the plane.
Or so we thought. We were in the right place, but the plane was not in the right place. They shoved us all onto a transport bus which then took us to our little plane 10 minutes away. 10 minutes with a screaming baby seems like a lot longer. Finally we got to the plane and got seated. I opened up my shirt and gave James what he wanted and within a few minutes he was out. Out for the next 2 hours of our flight. Finally a time to rest.

Scotland
We arrived in Edinburgh at 11:30. We got all of our luggage, except our duffle bag with our stroller and shoes in it. It wasn’t a problem because they traveled 1 1/2 hours to get it to us here in Crail the next day. People here are so nice. The rest of the day was filled with helpful, joyful people! Colin, a stay at home dad, from our new ward came down to get us from the airport. He was a true Scottish lad! He drove us an hour and 1/2 to St. Andrews, where we met David, the Elders Quorum President. David then drove Chris to get some errands done. While I waited at David’s house I visited with McLucy, David’s wife and the bishops wife. While I was there another lady from the ward who is living close to us in Crail drove down to give us groceries to start us off. The Larsen’s also gave us a play pen, and high chair for James. Another lady from the ward is letting us borrow her car while she is gone will the 18th of August, and after David guided us to our apartment we then were greeted by our land lady who showed us the apartment.
Everything that went wrong that day was literally forgotten by all of the kindness that was shown by the people here in Scotland. Our apartment, or bungalow, has everything we need. From a bed to sheets on the bed, to dish soap and silverware. We are so fortunate to have what we have. Scotland is gorgeous.

Crail

2011-07-29T15:07:00.000-07:00

This is our village.

Isle of May

Crail Harbor at low tide

Our House

Bathroom

Our Bedroom

Kitchen

Dining Room/Office

Living Room Left

Living Room Right

James and the mirror

2011-07-29T05:55:00.000-07:00

St Andrews

2011-07-28T16:33:00.000-07:00

Cathedral

Cemetery

Guard Tower

Tunnel

Fart?

Bishops Quarters

The Geology Building (my office is the far right window on the top floor)

Paris

2011-07-28T15:50:00.000-07:00

Our hotel

Le Seine

Musée de l'Armée and Tour Eiffel

The good life in Paris

Le Louvre

Tour Eiffel and Cannons

The Fam

Notre Dame

Vampire

2011-07-25T08:44:00.000-07:00

Boulder Mountain 2011

2011-07-16T18:31:00.002-07:00

July 4, 2011

2011-07-16T18:31:00.000-07:00

Timp Traverse 2011

2011-07-03T16:06:00.000-07:00

1st Couloir

The Route

Makeshift Sunglasses

Billie and the Main Summit

Dying of thirst

The Timp Saddle

Beneath the Cornice

Approaching the Cornice

Kirk Mounting the Cornice

The Team

Billie and Shack

Head of Timp "Glacier"

3000 ft vertical, 3 mile glisade

The Accent

The Descent

Crawling in the Bath

2011-06-30T18:22:00.000-07:00

Moving To Scotland

2011-06-21T14:31:00.000-07:00

We are moving to Scotland! Chris is doing his PhD at St. Andrews University.

This is where we are living. Crail, Fife, UK

This is where Chris is going to School. St. Andrews University, St Andrews

New Foods

2011-06-19T07:33:00.000-07:00

I ♡ NY

2011-06-17T06:41:00.000-07:00

Here are five reasons why, although I have never been there: I ♡ NY:

(see originals here)

A video for Noelle

2011-06-10T14:57:00.000-07:00

Because Noelle says she loves our frequent posts this video is just for her:

James loves dogs

2011-06-06T19:29:00.000-07:00

Sunday Best

2011-06-05T10:02:00.000-07:00

Passport Photos

2011-06-03T09:32:00.000-07:00

We are moving to Scotland and James needs a passport. Here are the potential photos:

Not one but TWO

2011-05-17T17:26:00.000-07:00

First Tooth

2011-05-17T14:57:00.000-07:00

Sorry no pictures of the first tooth, because it is literally impossible to get a picture of the inside of James' mouth. But it is a fact, he has officially cut his first tooth.

James began eating solids when he turned 6 months. Also after a while of him staring at us every time something entered into our mouths.

He likes the sweet fruits, obviously, and is a little hesitant of the vegetables, but over all is a great little eater.

Yes, this is probably why he also was super slobbery, stopped sleeping through the night, and likes to chew on everything.

Yay our boy is normal and growing!

More pictures (6 months)

2011-05-13T11:13:00.000-07:00

So Reverent

Explosion!

James at the Park

2011-05-11T18:13:00.000-07:00

Fun with Grandpa Spencer

2011-05-11T17:42:00.000-07:00

James at 6 Months

2011-05-10T19:55:00.000-07:00

Highlights from month 5

Bum Crack

New Carseat

from Uncle Travis

Bucket Bathtime

Naptime and Bathtime

2011-05-10T19:41:00.000-07:00

To Mr Osama bin Laden,

2011-05-03T06:58:00.000-07:00

“I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

May God forgive us all for sins and misunderstandings. I do not judge you for your actions. My own faith has fallen victim to many of the foibles of mortality. Much like the Muslims during the Crusades, the Mormons have been the target of untold persecutions and murders from the time of the religion's inception. My religion has also had various constituents who have acted out in violence against many innocent people based upon misunderstandings of the doctrine preached by its leaders. The Mountain Meadows massacre continues to taint our religion even after 150 years.

I do not think that the radical Muslims who have followed your teachings will stop committing acts of violence based upon your beliefs. However, I hope that my people will live the examples set our Savior to love our enemies and seek to make peace with those who have wronged us.

Sincerely,
Chris Spencer

Fishing

2011-04-16T08:42:00.001-07:00

The only thing I caught fishing.

James at 5 Months

2011-03-29T16:56:00.001-07:00

The Magic of the iPad

2011-03-24T17:52:00.000-07:00

iPad + March Madness App + Qwest Internet = Jimmer Magic!

Who needs broadcast television anyways?

↖ iPad + Jimmer↗ = Instant Greatness

March Madness

2011-03-20T17:30:00.000-07:00

When Butler missed that last free throw Jimmer was so disgusted that he vomited all over himself. Hopefully we will have a 6'8" son to continue the Spencer basketball legacy his father failed to.

James at 4 Months

2011-03-17T16:59:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Aunt Becky and her photography skills!

Slobber Monster

2011-03-14T16:03:00.000-07:00

Extraterrestrial Life Found

2011-03-05T22:28:00.000-08:00

In the Journal of Cosmology this month, Richard B. Hoover describes a group of carbon based "fossils" similar to cyanobacteria and other prokaryotes found in the interior of carbonaceous meteorites. He concludes these fossilized bacteria are not Earthly contaminants but are the fossilized remains of living organisms which lived in the parent bodies of the meteorites on which they were discovered. The implications are that life is found beyond the confines of our "terraqueous" globe, and that life on Earth may have come from other planets.

As a Latter-day Saint who is also a scientist in training, these new findings seem to bring the aspirations of astro, earth, and life science and a fundamental tenant of our religion into one simple statement: life on Earth is not unique to Earth and potentially did not begin on Earth.

From the great Miller-Urey experiments even until now the origin of life has been a consistent question yet unanswered. These new finding show it is plausible that the life found on these meteorites were the seeds of life on our own planet; that is life began elsewhere and was transported to our planet by meteorites. The micro-organisms that survived their collision with Earth and adapted the conditions of our early oceans proceeded to multiply and evolve into every form of life currently in existence.

The religious perspective paints a very similar picture. In April 1910, Joseph F. Smith (President of the Church at the time) and Edward H. Anderson were the editors of a church periodical called the Improvement Era in which they published three basic possibilities for the origin of life: 1) "the mortal bodies of man evolved in natural processes to present perfection", 2) was "transplanted from another sphere", or 3) "whether [Adam and Eve] were born here in mortality (Improvement Era, 13:570). It is funny that Dr. Hoovers findings are fully compatible with two of the three possibilities outlined in the Improvement Era.

Despite these connections between science and religion, the question still remains: whence came life? This brings me to the idea of directed panspermia. Panspermia is the theory that life can be found throughout space (i.e. the hypothesis of Dr. Hoover). Directed panspermia however is the idea that an advanced civilization hoping to "plant" life in other planetary systems send pods filled with the simplest life forms and the building blocks of life (amino acid, water, and nutrients) into space. Our civilization has become panspermists. Beginning with the Foton-M3 spacecraft and Living Interplanetary Flight Experiment we are on a course of seeding the galaxy with the building blocks of life. So then, what about God. Is he merely an omniscient panspermist?

Living Interplanetary Flight Experiment

When my son James was born. I felt that the whole process was an bonafide miracle. From conception through Camille's pregnancy and finally his delivery it truly felt like an unexplainable miracle. However, nothing could be further from the truth. James' birth was not a miracle. It was simply the culmination of biology and modern medicine that brought him to us.

Baby Jimmer

A miracle is a unexplainable supernatural event (turn water into wine or raising the dead). Childbirth is fully explainable and is completely natural. But if we turn back the clock to a time before mitosis was understood and medicine facilitated a low infant mortality rate, childbirth would have been considered a miracle, something people did not understand and was thought to be beyond human comprehension (i.e. the wandering uterus). We find a similar situation when religious laymen seek to explain to wonders of the natural world. The rising of the Sun, coming of the spring rains, progression of life, and formation of the Earth can all be explained by supernatural miracles wrought by some untouchable Supreme Being. However, we do not believe this.

Although Mormons do recognize the presence of this Supreme Being, we do not uphold the belief of a miraculous and unnatural God. Rather we adhere to the principle that our Heavenly Father merely has a greater understanding of the natural laws than we are currently able to comprehend. It would appear by junction that what we call miracles are merely our admission of ignorance of the natural law in operation during said miracle.

Assuming then, as we do, that God has a greater understanding of the natural world than we do we need ask how did God come to know these things. If God came to understand these things in the same way that we did (As man learns, God once learned. As God learns, man may come to learn) then we can think of God as a scientific being, a very intelligent, advanced scientific being. Being that science and reason as we know it inevitably leads to technology. We can also assume God to be a very technologically advanced individual. When this idea is presented to others, I find it is often met with great hesitance and often hostility from fellow Mormons. This is mostly likely due to the fact Mormons don't want to think of God with earbuds in his ears and an iPod on his belt. However we need not think of God's technology as our technology. Think of how different our technology would have been if we discovered the technology of electricity before we discovered fossil fuels. There is no reason to think that the technological progression of Elohim's world was the same as our world.

Arthur C. Clark said that "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." It is possible that we call "magic" or "miracles" are simply representations of a "sufficiently advanced technology" we are unable to understand. I like the idea that God is a natural, rational being. I think of him as the "Great Scientist". He is our great, compassionate, loving, Father Scientist.

After having read Dr. Hoovers article I decided to rewatch the movie Contact with Jodie Foster. In the movie, Carl Sagan (the writer) leads us through the life of a young scientist who at the beginning of her career scoffs at the idea of faith. When questioned of the existence of God, she merely states there is no data pointing to proof or disproof of His existence. Through a series of incredible events, she discovers a message from space instructing them to construct a device seemingly designed to transport a single individual to the location of these aliens. Following the construction of the device she is chosen to be the one to test the device.

The Alien Device

During their first attempt, this young scientist is transported to another galaxy through a series of worm holes only then to visited an alien who had taken the form of her long dead father. The alien explains to her that his disguise was thought to be the easier for her to comprehend. He tells her many other peaceful civilizations had followed their instructions and moved to this new world, a world where the only thing that matters is togetherness and unity. But he says that this is only the first step and she was to return empty handed. Little by little the process will continue until the time wherein the human family can leave the Earth and all its cares behind to inhabit a new Earth and a new life. Upon her return to Earth, she realizes that what appeared to take over 18 hours while she traveled between galaxies and conversed with the extraterrestrial had all happened in less than 4 seconds on Earth. She is railed time and time again when she tries to defend the experience of which she had no evidence, an experience the people of the world would have to take on faith.

It is only a matter of time before the realm of science and poetry will become one, the understanding of God and man will merge. As Joseph Smith put it, "in that day when the Lord shall come, he shall reveal all things—Things which have passed, and hidden things which no man knew, things of the earth by which it was made, and the purpose and the end thereof—Things most precious, things that are above, and things that are beneath, things that are in the earth, and upon the earth, and in heaven" (D&C 101:32-34). That time is not yet. We remain here for now taking it all on faith.

Why in heaven's name this haste?

2011-03-05T21:42:00.000-08:00

"Gentlemen, why in heaven’s name this haste? You have time enough. Ages and ages lie before you. Why sacrifice the present to the future, fancying that you will be happier when your fields teem with wealth and your cities with people?

"In Europe we have cities wealthier and more populous than yours, and we are not happy. You dream of your posterity; but your posterity will look back to yours as the golden age, and envy those who first burst into this silent, splendid nature, who first lifted up their axes upon these tall trees, and lined these waters with busy wharves.

"Why, then, seek to complete in a few decades what the other nations of the world took thousands of years over in the older continents? Why, in your hurry to subdue and utilize nature, squander her splendid gifts? Why hasten the advent of that threatening day when the vacant spaces of the continent shall all have been filled, and the poverty or discontent of the older States shall find no outlet?

"You have opportunities such as mankind has never had before, and may never have again. Your work is great and noble; it is done for a future longer and vaster than our conceptions can embrace. Why not make its outlines and beginnings worthy of these destinies, the thought of which gilds your hopes and elevates your purposes?"

- Lord James Bryce

James Talking (sort of)

2011-02-25T17:55:00.000-08:00

James at 14 weeks

2011-02-21T09:46:00.000-08:00

Photo Contest Voting

2011-02-16T10:05:00.000-08:00

Once again, I cannot choose which photo should be submitted to the Bean Museums annual photo contest. Please help me and vote for you favorite one (see poll at the top of blog).

Rice Patties

Lone Peak

Mtn. Goat

Lake Agnes

Grand Teton

Lake Louise

Heart Wrenching Documentaries

2011-02-09T12:48:00.000-08:00

Documentarians are tasked to document observations of the world. It is interesting to me how the vast majority of documentaries I have seen are negative informative documentaries. Despite the negativity, I think it is important for us to understand the vices of our society and the atrocities happening around the world all of which could and should be avoided. Here are some docs I have seen in the past few weeks that I think every person should watch (all available on Netflix instaplay). Check them out.

Collapse

Frontline: A Death in Tehran

Frontline: Behind Taliban Lines

Frontline: Black Money

Frontline: College, Inc.

Frontline: The Suicide Tourist

Frontline: The Vaccine War

Frontline: Flying Cheap

Frontline: The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan

Maxed Out

Motherland Afghanistan

My Country, My Country

National Geographic: Inside North Korea

The Devil Came on Horseback

The Oath

The Shooting of Thomas Hurndall

War Made Easy

Superbowl Ads

2011-02-06T15:19:00.003-08:00

Three months old!

2011-02-03T18:45:00.000-08:00

James at 3 Months from Chris Spencer on Vimeo.

Deseret Peak

2011-02-01T12:39:00.000-08:00

We hiked Deseret Peak last weekend. Great conditions perfect snow.

Nic

Austin at the summit

Cooking with Alcohol

2011-01-30T15:22:00.000-08:00

As most of you know, I tend to be more liberal than most Utahns in my interpretation of many gospel principles. I try to shun away from the dogmas I see plaguing our society. For example,

I don't believe the flood covered the whole Earth
I don't believe Moses, Elijah, nor Jesus fasted for 40 days
I don't believe caffeine is against the Word of Wisdom
I don't believe the Earth was created in 7 days nor 7000 years
I don't believe the Republican Party is supported by God
I don't believe Socialism is of the Devil
I don't believe that homosexuals are inherently evil
Et cetera

Judging by liberal inclinations you are probably not surprised to learn that I was inclined to believe that cooking with alcohol was not bad. I assumed that if I cook the alcohol out, only the flavor is left behind. However, due to an article I recently read in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association (here) I am singing a very different tune.

If you:

Method	Percent of Alcohol Retained
add alcohol to boiling liquid & remove from heat	85%
ignite alcohol while cooking	75%
stored overnight with no heat	70%
add alcohol to mixture w/o stirring and bake for 25 minutes	45%
stir alcohol to mixture and bake for:
15 minutes	40%
30 minutes	35%
1 hour	25%
1.5 hours	20%
2 hours	10%
2.5 hours	5%

Therefore, unless you bake something for over 2.5 hours you will still be ingesting 5% of the alcohol you started with. Only 5% you say? Is that enough to even matter? Well it matters enough that the NY Office of Addiction Recovery claims that eating food with alcohol can cause a relapse and the British Liver Trust states that people with liver disease (i.e. cirrhosis) should avoid all alcohol intake, even in cooking and cough syrup. If alcohol can have such an effect to harm a recovering alcoholic or a person with cirrhosis, then why would I want to subject myself to the same?

You might be thinking that because you are not a recovering alcoholic and do not have a liver disease, then cooking with alcohol will not have an effect on you if you use it sparingly. However, you could say the same exact thing about a glass of wine EVERYDAY. Drinking a glass of wine everyday has been shown to have cardioprotective and chemoprotective effects to the promoting of a healthy heart (although the health benefits have been called into question).

Now for the doctrine: if we can assume that the material printed in Gospel Principles and True to the Faith are the doctrine taught by the church and which we are required to abide by to remain faithful Latter-day Saints then alcohol in general are forbidden.

Gospel Principles:
“The Lord commands us not to use wine and strong drinks, meaning drinks containing alcohol.”

I think the key word in this phrase is 'USE'. The doctrine says nothing about drinking or injecting via hypodermic needle or any other method. It says we are not to USE alcohol.

True to the Faith:
"Stay away from immorality, pornography, gambling, tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs."

Again we are to "stay away" from alcohol.

The more we try to rationalize our way into using alcohol for cooking, we run the risk rationalizing other vices the world places before us. That is a road I do not feel prepared to venture. For those of you stronger and more committed to the gospel than myself, feel free. Cook with alcohol till you hearts content!

Why we need to get out of Afghanistan...

2011-01-30T09:34:00.000-08:00

War in Iraq
Commenced: March 20, 2003
Status: Ongoing

War in Afghanistan
Commenced: October 7, 2001
Status: Ongoing

If we can use the number of casualties in 2011 as an indicator of progress we are making in these two wars it is clear we need to get out of Afghanistan! See link here.

Facebook

2011-01-25T11:20:00.001-08:00

How James sleeps through the night....

2011-01-15T09:40:00.001-08:00

By sucking his thumb!

Yes he has found it. On Wednesday he slept from 8 pm to 5:30 am. On Friday night he slept from 10 pm till 6 am. I however woke up still thinking he was crying, but really he wasn't. I would go in to check if everything was okay, and there he was chomping away on his thumb. I don't expect him to do this every night, however it is really nice when he does. He however never sucks his thumb during a nap or in the day time, so we will see if this becomes a potential habit we will need to break. James is 10 weeks old, 15 lbs, and 25 inches.

Home Videos: First 2 Months

2011-01-01T07:48:00.000-08:00

James Spencer's First Two Months on Vimeo.

James - 8 weeks

2010-12-31T11:35:00.001-08:00

It is December 31st, and James is 8 weeks old. Or as Chris would say, according to the lunar calendar, he is 2 months old. He is 13 pounds, and 23 inches. It is amazing how big he is.

He is getting very fond of latching onto your finger or the crib bars, and not letting go. His hands are always in baby fists, so I have to remember to open them up once in a while to clean the lint out in the creases. I also have to make sure to check his other fat rolls, because you never know what dirt gets in there.

He is discovering his fingers. He loves to suck and chew on them. As papa's secretaries would say, "he has sugar on his fingers." This is why I need to continually clean inside his palms.

A new record has been set. He slept 6 hours straight last night!!! I woke up and couldn't believe it. He is getting use to falling asleep by himself when put in the crib. Thanks must be given to "The Sleep Sense Program" by Dana Obleman. Or maybe I just got lucky last night. Hopefully we can continue developing this 6 hour sleeping habit every night.

Every day we are so amazed at what a great baby he is. We are having so much fun watching him grow. Maybe to fast.

Uncle Jeff and Aunt Tonya gave James this Reindeer outfit. He is our little monster. I like to call it his "Where the Wild Things Are" outfit. I told mom, he should have been a farm animal in the Nativity story for Christmas instead of baby Jesus. Although he played the part very well.

I think James has a very nice looking head. He gets that from me. It is nice and round. Especially from the back. Which you can't see.

We love you baby