Nursery

This handsome boy started nursery this past Sunday, I can't believe it!  He is only 17 months, but I begged the nursery leader to let him try because not only did I know he would love it and do great, but also because he is IMPOSSIBLE to keep quietly entertained during Sunday School and Relief Society.  She agreed to let him come in if I came with him too for the first time, which I was planning on doing anyway.  Let me tell you, Nathan was in heaven!  Playing with an endless supply of toys for an hour, eating pretzels and bananas at a table his size on a chair his size, singing and dancing (his absolute favorite part), nursery was built for him!  He got so excited as they started each new new activity, he would look around smiling at all the kids like he was thinking "Are you serious? We get to eat?  Seriously? We get to sing?  Isn't this the funnest thing you'e ever done?!?"  He would also copy what all the other kids were doing, like banging their fists on the table or swinging their legs while sitting on their chairs, like he wanted to make sure he was doing everything right.  I loved watching him!  He is getting so big!

mormon.org and the anti-Mormons that go with it!

So I (Curtis) am trying to perfect my profile on mormon.org.  To do so I looked on Google for the reference by Paul of baptizing for the dead.  Naively, I went to this website http://carm.org/ thinking it would give me that reference.  Instead, it turns out to be a pretty bigoted anti-Mormon, anti-Jehovah Witness, etc. website, disguised as a sincere effort to save souls.  


It's creation excited curiosity in me because of M. Russell Ballard's challenge a few years ago at BYU-H to use technologies to spread and defend our religion.  On the website I chanced upon a section titled Questions for Mormons.  Below, I have listed and answered those questions I submitted for review.  Perhaps you'll be bored or won't even bother reading what I have wrote--or you'll think that Mormons shouldn't read anti-Mormon literature for fear of being persuaded by it.  But if you read no further than this, I simply challenge you to find opportunities to prayerfully strengthen your testimony and then spread and defend the Restored Gospel.

Below is the answers to your "Questions for Mormons." I really hope you respond to my e-mail because I have no problem debating your tortured, arrogant, and faithless logic.  But what I really hope you understand by opening a correspondence with me is to really question the efforts you have put forth by condemning many competing Christian religions.  I pray that you really ask yourself whether your efforts could be used in a more efficient and effective manner.  You obviously feel these competing Christian religions, including Mormonism, to be a threat (which is also why so many of us respond to you like you're threatening us).  I can read that by the language you use when defending criticisms leveled by many Mormons that have responded to your website.  I challenge you to read what you have already written and ask yourself whether you go beyond the scope of apologizing and enter the realm of bigotry.  It's one thing to distinguish yourself from other religions, and quite another to speak of "wacko quotes," my "subjective feelings (pretty good insult to my intelligence there)" and speak of us as "the Mormon," among your many, near innumerable evidences of bigotry.  The Jesus I know has no place for bigotry among his believers.  Please ponder it.  Find passages in the Bible that advocate websites that could be construed to promote intolerance toward religions that are otherwise seeking the best for all mankind.  Ask yourself whether you're in charge of condemning or God himself fills that role.  May God answer your sincere desire.

In Jesus.

1. If the principle of "progression" is eternally true, why is it that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are not gods of their own worlds?  How do you know they are or are not Gods of their own worlds right now or will or won't be in the future?  Is a seed not a plant because it has no stem, flower, fruit, or leaves?  Are you nitpicking here?

1. If it is necessary to have a body in order to become a God, then how did the Holy Spirit, who does not have a body, attain the status of godhood?  By obtaining a body.

1. If the book of Mormon is the most correct book of any on earth and contains the fullness of the gospel, then why does it not contain the essential Mormon doctrines of eternal progression, the priesthoods, the plurality of gods, that God is an exalted man, and the 3 degrees of glory?  If the Old Testament contained the word of God in its fullness, then why do we have a New testament?  Why do we need a New Testament?  Why is the Bible a compilation of books, or a library, if God apparently can sum up all he needs to say in one tome? What did people do until the 3rd and 4th century, before a Bible as we know it existed?  Are they going to Hell in a hand basket? Do you have the authority to speak for God?  If the Bible contains its own completeness, then why do we need you to interpret for us what is says?

1. If the book of Mormon was transmitted to us by the power of God, why does it have thousands of changes in it?  Why do you accept the new translation of the King James Version of the Bible if it is the pure and holy word of God?  Was it not the pure and holy word of God before the new translation?  How many changes did the new translation create?

1. Why does the book of Mormon say that black skin is not "enticing" to God's people in 2 Nephi 5:21?  “And he had caused the acursing to come upon them, yea, even a sore cursing, because of their iniquity. For behold, they had hardened their hearts against him, that they had become like unto a flint; wherefore, as they were white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome, that they might not be enticing unto my people the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them.  Why did God curse Cain and put a mark on him (Genesis 4:11, 15)?  Why did Noah curse Canaan and condemn him to being a servant (9:25-26)? Why did Jehovah tell Abram that he would curse them that curse him (Genesis 12:3)?  Why did Jacob curse the anger of Simeon and Levi, promising that they would be divided in Israel (Genesis 49:7)?  Does the color of one's skin preclude him from salvation?  Where is that scripture found, and what else in the end matters besides salvation?  I have many more cursing scriptures from the Bible.  Do I need to go on so you can continue to nitpick and keep yourself from focusing on what truly saves? 

1. Why does the Mormon Church still claim the book of Abraham is inspired Scripture, when it has been demonstrated that it is not that, but is instead an Egyptian burial papyrus?  This one confuses me.  What difference does it make what scripture is written on?  You're really stretching it here.  Didn't Jesus say that by their fruits we'll know them (Matthew 7:20)?  I guess you can't debate fruit, but have to debate papyri.

1. How could the Garden of Eden be in Missouri (according to Mormonism) when the Pearl of great Price 3:10-14 tells us it was the area of Assyria when it mentions the rivers of Eden located there?  You're reference of "Pearl of Great Price" makes absolutely no sense.  There is such a thing as a typo, but with such resolute knowledge of the subject of God, I think you're condescension got in the way a little bit of that resoluteness.  But I'll go ahead and answer what you were meaning before your arrogance got in the way--How do you know what the world's geography and topography looked like when Adam and Eve roamed the earth?  Did you roam the earth with them?  Or, is what a scientist says unchanging and immovable like God's word?  If he says the Garden of Eden was in Assyria as a scientist, then should we also believe scientists from Christopher Columbus' time that we'd sail off the earth if we went too far west?  After all, scientists said it.  Or can science change and/or perfect its theories as more evidence becomes available to it?  Name me the scientific discipline that has come to indisputable conclusions that yes, this is the way things are and no more research can or should be done on the subject.  It was only until the modern era that Assyria's existence was even confirmed outside biblical references anyway!

1. Mormonism teaches an infinite regression of Gods, but an infinite regression of gods means that there is no first god by which his subjects were exalted to godhood.  If there is no first God, how can there be a second and a third, and thus the Mormon doctrine of eternal progression?  Has there ever been a time when God did not exist?  If he always existed then how can there be a first?  You're really nitpicking here again, kind of like pro-abortion and Jack Kevorkian people.  If it's just an embryo, then it obviously isn't a human, right?  If it's a fetus, then it must not be a human either, right?  If an old man has worn out his usefulness then he must be euthanized because he's not really a human anymore, right?  Attempt to follow your own logic.

1. If Elohim (which is God the Father in Mormonism) was once a man, then he changed from being a man to becoming God.  How is this possible when the Bible says in Psalm 90:2, that God is God from everlasting to everlasting?  Because God is everlasting to everlasting.  Was Jesus still God when he condescended by being born of Mary?

1. Joseph Smith said he saw God the father (and Jesus) in the first vision in 1820.  Smith said he received the priesthood in 1829.  In the Doctrine and Covenants 84:21-22 Smith said that you cannot see the face of God and live without the authority of the priesthood.  How did Joseph Smith see God when he didn't have the priesthood?  You're not following what the scripture says--is there a difference between obtaining the priesthood and the authority of the Priesthood?  Keep wasting precious time that could be used for saving souls and go back to the drawing board on that one.

1. How did Joseph Smith carry home the Golden plates when the weight of the plates, if they had been pure gold, would have been over 200 pounds? Wow, you're really nitpicking on this one.  Who said the were of PURE gold?  And how about following your own rule of providing references?  Where did you come up with 200lbs?  And Joseph Smith wasn't the only one to see and heft the plates.  At least 11 others testified of their existence--see the testimony of the three and eight witnesses at the beginning of the Book of Mormon.  They also weren't the only ones to see the plates.  And none of the three witnesses, even though all left the Church at one point, and one never returned, ever denied the existence of the Golden Plates.  More precious time for saving souls you have wasted by attempting to Bible bash with Mormons.

1. Some later Mormon apologists are theorizing that the Golden Plates were not pure gold, but an alloy weighing as little as 50 pounds.  There is no mention by Joseph Smith receiving any supernatural help carrying the plates.  How is it possible for Smith to run with 50 pounds of metal plates under his arm, for three miles, while being pursued and attacked three times?  I don't even know where to start with this one.  You're a big time nitpicker here.  I'll try with this one: has a soldier ever completed a feat of incredible strength in the face of battle, while also injured or dying?  Or this one: how about a mother when defending her children--has she ever done something spectacular and outside the realm of scientifically possible?  By the way, Joseph Smith was no small man, nor was he out of shape--at the time he was 21 years old, was about 6'2" and later in life weighed upwards of 200lbs.  He was a champion wrestler from his days as a teenager and farmed before modern machinery.  Is asking this question going to help bring an unbeliever to Christ?  Is this how Christian apologists save souls?

1. In Mormonism, the father is called Elohim and Jesus is called Jehovah.  But in 1 Kings 8:60 it says that “The Lord is God.”  Literally in the Hebrew it is “Jehovah is Elohim.”  How do you explain this passage that says Jehovah is Elohim?  So are you a Jehovah's witness?  Try comparing Isaiah 44:6 with Revelation 1:8; Isaiah 48:16 with John 8:56-58; and Isaiah 58:13-14 with Mark 2:28.  I don't expect to convince you, but by the Bible itself there is discrepancy about who God is.  How about that for thought?  And what, in Hebrew exactly, does Elohim mean?  I'll let you answer that one yourself.  Perhaps you'll learn something meaningful.

1. In Mormonism, God and his wife are exalted beings from another world.  We know that life forms from another planet are called aliens.  Therefore, isn't it true that Mormons worship an alien from another world who they call their god? Are they aliens from another world?  Maybe it's better that we were created by a big bang and our ancestors are puddles of mud emanating from the explosion created by that big bang.  You can be descended from mud, fish, and apes.  I'll be a child of God (Psalms 82:6) and how I became that child of God matters less than the fact that I am a child of God.  And, even considering your tortured logic about the origin of God, which of the two seems more believable to you--mud ancestors or being a direct descendant of God?

1. Brigham Young, the second prophet of the Mormon Church, said that the birth of Jesus was "the result of natural action" (Journal of discourses, volume 8, page 115).  He also said, "When the time came that His first-born, the Saviour, should come into the world and take a tabernacle, the Father came Himself and favoured that spirit with a tabernacle instead of letting any other man do it,"  (Journal of Discourses, vol. 4, p. 218).  In light of this, how was Jesus born of the Virgin Mary? How was Jesus born after the Holy Ghost came upon Mary and the power of the Highest overshadowed her (Luke 1:35)?  Answer that question and I'll answer yours.

1. In light of the previous question and Mormon doctrine saying that we are all literally the children of God, then wasn’t Brigham Young teaching that God had relations with his spirit daughter?  See previous answer to your question.

1. According to Mormonism, Jesus was the one being married to Mary and Martha at the wedding of Cana in John 2.  If this is so, then why was Jesus invited to his own wedding?  You'll need references to who said that Jesus was being married to Mary and Martha at the wedding of Cana in John 2.  Besides, really think about your question; do you think I get to be invited to my own wedding?  And, if you're such an incredible little researcher, find out for me the requirements during Jesus' time to read the Torah and preach in Jewish synagogues.  Maybe you'll learn something else useful.

1. If the book of Mormon is true, why have both National Geographic and the Smithsonian Institute rejected it as being archaeologically reliable?  Has God cited in the Bible that National Geographic and the Smithsonian Institute are the official archaeologists and fact finders for Him?  See my answer above to the continuing change of scientific theory as more evidence becomes available to science.  If science answers all questions about the veracity of the Book of Mormon and truth generally, won't there be a time when science answers all questions, making faith in God completely irrelevant and unnecessary?  After all, I won't need the Bible any more, because National Geographic will have already run a program proving to me that the whole Bible is true, including the parts where Joshua stops the sun, Elijah calls down fire from heaven to burn up Baal, Jonah is eaten by a fish--survives three days in his belly--and then is spit out, a donkey talks to Balaam, Jesus walks on water, Jesus turns water to wine, Jesus feeds five thousand with a few pieces of bread and a couple of fish, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, Peter raises a man from the dead, Jesus cures a blind man with spittle and dirt, Jesus resurrects himself from the dead after suffering for the sins of all mankind, etc., etc., etc., etc.,  Where did Jesus say, or where does the Bible anywhere say, 'just wait for the scientists to give undeniable proof of my existence--and that the Book of Mormon is false?!'

1. Why is it that there have been no archaeological discoveries at all that demonstrate what Joseph Smith said is "reformed Egyptian?" Okay, really, really follow my train of thought here--do an experiment and ask yourself how many people, and Mormons particularly, say to you, "you know what, when you asked this question I really got down on my knees and prayed to God using that prayer you listed for me on your website and then bam! I was saved!  I felt the love of Jesus in my heart and sang the song of Salvation, amen, amen, amen!"  While you muse that question, find out for me the origin of the Bask and Finnish languages.  Then I'll answer your question about "reformed Egyptian."

1. Why does the book of Mormon contain the word "church" in 1 Nephi 14:3, 9, 10, 12 which was set around 600 BC, yet the word church was not used until the time of Jesus (Matt. 16:18)?  Why does Jacob at the end of the book of Jacob say "adieu" when the French language wouldn't exist for another 1500 years?  And how do you know that the word Church wasn't used until the time of Jesus?  Do you have all the documents that existed in the world leading up to the days that Jesus walked the earth?  Or, are all those documents saved in a vault somewhere in the basement of the Smithsonian Institute and they let you in to check them all out?  At this point really ask yourself if disproving the Mormons in such a childish, playground taunt kind of way proves your commitment to Christ.

1. Why is the French word "adieu" in the book of Mormon in Jacob 7:27?  Why didn't English exist at the time Jacob penned his farewell anymore than French?  Now you need to start questioning your intellectual depth.

1. Why should I become a Mormon if when I die, I go to the middle level of heaven when that is where most Mormons will go anyway?  Because you dedicate significant amounts of your time disproving the Mormons, and converting very, very few to your cause in the process, when you could be extolling the virtues of your own doctrine instead, thereby gaining quite a few more converts.  But I digress. Since you're a Bible expert divined by God to interpret for him His word, explain to me Matthew 5:48.

Birthday Bash

For mine and Curtis' birthday we decided to take a trip up to Utah to visit the fam.  We flew up on Oct 19th just in time to celebrate Alli's birthday.

We have lots of October birthdays in our family, after Alli comes me and Curtis, and then my nephew kaleb.  All within a week!  So of course we had a big birthday bash for all of us.

As is custom with me, I forgot to take out the camera almost the whole time we were there.  So even though there is no pictorial evidence, we had lots of fun!  Curtis was able to stay almost a full week but then had to leave to get back to work, while Nathan and I stayed an additional week.  Nathan had a BLAST!  He loved playing with his cousins, and they were absolutely adorable with him!  Kaleb (who just turned 4) was always very mindful of "Naph Naph" (as he called him), making sure he was always happy.  He even let him play with his brand new toys that he got for his birthday.  Jaden, the oldest, is used to taking care of his little brothers and was therefor a pro at taking care of Nathan. On the last day we were there I asked Jaden if he could do Nathan's hair for me, since he is so good at doing his own.  He happily agreed and took Nathan by the hand into the bathroom where he wet, combed, gelled, and styled Nathan's hair.  Nathan just loved following Jaden around and loved doing whatever he was doing.  When Jaden wanted to play the wii Nathan plopped right down beside him to cheer him on.

(notice their matching hair)

Every time the boys would come over they would bring lots of swords and knives to play with.  They always made sure Nathan joined in on the fun. 

It was just so exciting to see Nathan finally interact with his cousins! Even Bradley (age 2) and Nathan had fun together!  One night I heard lots of little boy laughter coming from the hall, so I decided to take a peak.  I found Nathan sitting in front of the coat closet laughing his head off because Bradley kept popping out and making him laugh.  

Another fun thing Nathan got to do with his cousins was celebrate Halloween.  Bradley and Nathan were the best looking Batman and Robin I have ever seen.  Since it was raining the night of Halloween the boys had the great idea to go trick or treating indoors.  The divvied up the candy that my mom was passing out and placed a bowl of candy at each door of the house and went around trick or treating to all the doors.  The adults sat at each station while the boys went around and around and around and around for what seemed like an hour.  Jaden helped Nathan trick or treat and Nathan loved it!

The thing Nathan loved the most (aside from playing with his cousins) was going outside.  I guess he doesn't get out much at our house because we still haven't gotten around to finishing our backyard, and our frontyard is full of rocks which Nathan loves to put in his mouth.  Plus there aren't as many adults around to take him outside anytime he wants to go.  He quickly figured out that there were plenty of adults that he could weasel into going outside with him, and so he would grab someones finger and drag them to the back door about 30 times a day!  Even when it was snowing he wasn't deterred.  He loves being outside!

Nathan not only got to know his cousins better on this trip, but his Grandparent's as well.  And this kid could not get enough of his Grandpa!  Anytime my dad was home Nathan was by his side.  He cried whenever he left and would run to him when he came home.  Curtis and I went to a BYU football game while we were there so we were gone for most of the day, when we got home I was sure Nathan was going to be excited to see us.  I made the mistake of trying to take him from my dad's arms to say hi to him and he cried and cried until I gave him back to his Grandpa.  He must remember that it was Grandpa who came down to Arizona to build him his cool playroom under the stairs.  I think Nathan also prefers men, because once Curtis left Nathan was either clinging to his Grandpa, or his uncle Charles.  Of course Nathan quickly learned how much fun his Grandma is too.  He was a Grandma's boy by day, and a Grandpa's boy by night.  I am pretty sure that I could have left him for a week and he wouldn't have noticed.  He definitely has been more lonely and in need of more attention ever since we have come home.

A few hours before Nathan and I had to catch our plane Crissy and I decided we wanted sugar cookies (hey, we're pregnant, give us a break!)  We let the boys play with their own dough...

and it wasn't long at all before Nathan realized how good the dough tasted!

It was such a fun end to a super duper fun trip.  I can't wait for these kids to get together again!

Disaster Ready

Curtis and I FINALLY updated our 72 hour kits last week.  We haven't touched them since before Nathan was born.  I decided to make Nathan his own kit so I went out and bought him a little backpack.  Once Nathan saw it he HAD to wear it...all day long!  Even when I filled it with all of his supplies so that it was quite a bit heavier he didn't care.

We also found stashed in our old kits, a miniature boom box looking radio.  We have since replaced this with crank radios so I let Nathan play with this old one. He carried this little radio around and danced for the longest time, it was so cute.  I didn't have the wherewithal to get my camera until he was losing interest, so I only caught his dancing on camera for a split second.

By the time the night was over Nathan had figured out how to turn the radio on, volume up, pull up the antenna, and tune it to an actual station.  I figure between his ability to work a radio and carry his own 72 hour kit this kid is disaster ready!

Best $2 Ever Spent

Yesterday I spent a couple of hours going to yard sales in search of furniture for Nathan's new room.  I used to enjoy going to yard sales to find that hidden gem until I moved to Southern Arizona.  Finding furniture or any big ticket items is nearly impossible thanks to many entrepreneurial Mexicans who head north for the day to overload their trucks with anything of value to take back and sell at quadruple the price.  I have nothing against anyone working to make a little bit of money but it just gets very frustrating to constantly drive up to a yard sale only to see every piece of furniture being loaded into an already full truck bed.  And let me tell you they are goooooood.  I have had a couple of yard sales since living here and the second we open up drives a truck and out rushes one of the occupants to ask in broken English if we have any "computers or x-box."  They load their booty with the speed of light into the truck and are off to the next sale in just minutes.  How can I compete with that???  Anyway, back to the story.  So, even though I knew I would have a slim chance of finding anything for Nathan's room I had to at least try.  I spent the night before looking at all the yard sale ads marking and mapping out the ones that specifically mentioned bedroom furniture, however, in the morning my list was nowhere to be found (I suspect that this was a result of Nathan's new love for throwing things in the trash.)  I didn't want to waste anymore time so I just drove around town aimlessly following people's "Yard Sale" signs.  I spent almost 2 hours driving by multiple yard sales and never even bothered getting out of the car because all the furniture was gone at every single one by the time I got there.  Frustrated, I decided to head home.  On my way I saw signs for a sale that I had not yet stopped at, and figured it couldn't hurt to try.  When I got there, surprise surprise, there was no furniture, however, there was something that caught my eye.  I got out of my car (for the first time) and asked the lady how much she was asking for the item and was amazed when she said "how about $2."  I was sold!  I went home very excited, even though I had completely failed in my attempt to find bedroom furniture.  When I got home Curtis unloaded my purchase and brought it into the house.  Nathan soon came over  to see what was going on and his eyes just lit up and I swear he said "what's that?"  He quickly put down his sippie cup and climbed on.

Nathan, like all kids I'm sure, looooooooooooooooooooooooves to slide.  I feel bad because when i take him to a park I can only stand helping him up and down the slide so many times before I am extremely bored. This little slide was heaven made, Nathan went up and down it probably 30 times before taking a very brief break, after which he ran right back to his slide.  He is pretty cute on it too.  He won't go down sitting up, so he leans all the way back and slides down on his back, which causes him to land on the carpet on his back.  When he hits the ground he lets out a little "uh oh", but quickly gets right up and goes again. I took a couple of videos, but of course he never acts quite the same when the camera is on.

**I have another video of him actually sliding but it won't upload.  I will try again later!**


I would definitely have to say that this is the best $2 I ever spent.

The Polls are Now Closed

For most of the race it looked as though "girl" was a sure win.  With about half the votes cast "girl" was leading in what would appear to have been a landslide victory, recieving almost 70% of the votes.  However, the "boy" supporters came out in droves at the very end to tip the scales.  The final poll results:

On Facebook (18 votes):
Boy: 53%
Girl: 47%

On this blog (35 votes):
Boy: 57%
Girls: 43%

Making the overall results (out of  53 votes):
Boy: 55%
Girl: 45%

It was a very close race, with the "boy" voters coming out victorious.  (I think this mostly has to do with the fact that my family has all boys and we have since given up on the possibility of any of us having a girl.) 

So the question remains...are the voters right?  Are we having another boy?  Will Nathan have a little brother??  I'm sorry to say that the majority doesn't rule in this case.  It's a girl! (I am adding in some more text down here just in case some of you think you are slick by skipping to the end of the post to see the real results)

My 20 week ultrasound is tomorrow!!  Woo hoo!!  So before we find out if we are having a girl or a boy, I want to know what you think!  Vote now!