Random Poem

There was envy in the glances that a lovely woman cast
At the hairdo of her neighbor while the sacrament was passed
And a Young Woman that I noticed, though a timid lass and shy
Watched a youthful priest intently through the corner of her eye
As he sat behind the table where the sacrament was spread
She was not remembering Jesus nor the prayer the priest had said.
There was nothing reverential in the things the cub scout drew
On the pages of the hymnbook 'til the sacrament was through
Not a thought of Jesus' passion entered careless elder's minds
As they whispered to each other and the girls they sat behind.
And the high priest's brow was furrowed as he stole a furtive glance
At his checkbook's dismal story of his failures in finance.
There were hundreds in the chapel, but the worshipers were few
And I couldn't help but wonder what the Lord himself would do
I couldn't help but wonder what the Lord himself would say
If he walked into a meeting where his saints behaved that way
Would his loving eyes be saddened? Would his countenance be grim?
As he there observed and listened to a meeting meant for Him?

I heard this poem in a John Bytheway talk on tape while I was on my mission years ago. For some reason it has stuck with me and it has been rattling around inside my brain lately. I like the message-- that it reminds us that the purpose of our worship is to glorify Christ and to really put heart and soul into our worship, not merely attendance.

Maybe putting this out into the ether will help keep the poem from wandering around my head during my Professional Responsibility class!

Paternity, Maternity Tests

We were at Target the other night looking for a vacuum (we bought a Dyson DC07, btw and so far are very impressed with it). Ian got bored and started sticking plungers on his face. Thank heaven they were new. My mom, bless her heart, distracted Ian from plunging his nostrils and they somehow ended up building the Great Wall of Plungers in the Small Electrics aisle in Target. That's my boy!

Jenny has not been feeling well today, so Ian and I went to do some errands so that she could get a better chance for some rest. We went to Wendy's for lunch and Ian was such a good boy. He ate all his chicken nuggets and his yogurt, but when it came to dessert, he demonstrated that he really is Jenny's son. Instead of the Frosty, Ian wanted to pour salt on his hands (and his toy and the table) and lick it off. Zero interest in the Frosty.

I'd say that we have conclusively determined both paternity and maternity.

Roots and Wings

So, the time is fast approaching when I will graduate from law school and have to actually, you know, get one of those job things. Actually, we are really excited. Between Jenny and I we will have 13 years of college education and it will be nice to transition to a new stage in life. (Don't tell Jenny, but I have been looking into an LLM in taxation behind her back--but not right now.) We are trying to figure out what we want to do for the rest of our lives, and where we want to do it.

Two years ago we thought that we were going to move away when we accepted a spot at Notre Dame Law School. We were both very excited about the school itself and about the opportunity to see and do something different. However, when I got admitted to BYU, we both felt like we needed to stay here. It turned out to be a very good decision-- we love the law school, we love being close to our families and it was very good for us to be close by when my Dad had his cancer surgery in October of 2006. We love being able to see our families often, to be there for Sunday dinners and for birthday parties. We love that Ian knows his grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. It's just that some days we wonder what it would be like to be somewhere else-- more specifically, what we would be like under a different set of circumstances.

Right now we are not sure what will happen. I have a job as a summer associate with a firm called Jones Vargas in Las Vegas-- we are really excited for this job. The firm has been enthusiastic about having me come, could not have been nicer when I visited them-- and the summer job has the potential to turn into something long-term. Frankly, I think that we would really like it in Vegas. There are a lot of benefits that I can think of, not the least of which is the employment opportunity. (Yes, we know it gets hot there. News flash: it was over 100 degrees at our apartment in Provo several times last summer.)

Anyway, I guess I have been thinking about that line from Sweet Home Alabama-- the one where Jake tells Melanie, "You can have roots and wings." We'd love to hear from some of you who have taken the leap out of the nest-- the things that you enjoy, the things that you regret. We haven't figured everything out yet, but it has been on my mind a lot lately. I put up a poll that you are welcome to answer-- we'd like to know what people think. If we are not in Las Vegas or Salt Lake (the two most likely options), we have given some thought to most of the other cities you see listed. If you have a better idea, write it in.

P.S. Thanks to those of you who comment on our site. It is really fun to hear from our friends, especially those who are often in our thoughts, though rarely in our home.

All Finished!

So, I am about two weeks late with this post, but I had to commemorate a big event for Ian. (No, he isn't potty trained-- that would require some sort of black-tie, red-carpet gala celebration.) Every night before we go to bed, we have a routine. We read two stories (sometimes three, if we can sneak an extra one under Mommy's radar!) and then we read a chapter out of The Book Of Mormon Reader. For those of you who are unfamiliar with what this is, it is a simplified, illustrated book containing stories from the Book of Mormon. We have been working on it for about six months and have finally finished! Ian has been a lot of fun with the stories and has integrated some of the words into his vocabulary. It is kind of fun to hear a two-year-old say things like "Lamanite," "Prophet," "Angel," and "Crumble."

Crumble, by the way, is his favorite part of the entire book. That is Ian's word for the pictures of the earthquakes, lightning, et cetera that Samuel the Lamanite prophecies will happen at the death of Jesus Christ. It has been fun to see how Ian has learned some of the stories and begun to remember and relate to some of the people. He loves the parts about baptism in Alma and 3rd Nephi and wants to see the pictures of baby Jesus almost every night. We are now working on the New Testament Reader and Ian likes to ask questions about what Jesus is doing. Every couple of nights, though, he wants to go back to the Book of Mormon to see his old friends.

Watching him begin to become familiar with the scriptures, (really the scripture stories at this point) has made me think about my own familiarity with the scriptures, the doctrines of the gospel and ultimately my own relationship with Christ. Trying to help Ian understand who Jesus is, why we pray and what we learn from the scriptures has reminded me that I need to be spending more time and more structured time working on my own understanding. Hopefully, Ian will be able to continue learning without the pauses and gaps that I have had in my efforts. I am excited to see who he will become and how his commitment to the Lord will grow. And I hope that I will be faithful enough to be the kind of example that he needs. I'm so glad to be a daddy!

Be Careful What You Ask For

So, it is the new year and hopefully by now our Christmas letter has reached most of you. If you did not receive one, we apologize. We sent out almost 150 of the buggers and still couldn't believe it when we discovered a few holes in our mailing list. Anyway, in that letter, we mentioned that we were surprised about how regulating nudity was such a big part of parenthood.

Case in point: a couple of days ago I took Ian into the bedroom and took off his wet diaper and helped him get undressed so that I could go and put him into the shower. He was a little reluctant to get out of his pajamas, so I told him, "Ian, we have to get undressed so that we can go and get all clean, ok?" "Ok, Daddy." He jumped down off of the changing table and took off like a rocket. I put his clothes in the dirty clothes, threw his diaper in the garbage and right about that time heard Jenny laughing out in the kitchen. Evidently, I need to be more specific in what I tell Ian. I meant that we were going to go and get him all clean. He had a different idea.


Sigh.... Well, he does have his clothes off and we are cleaning....