Some new pictures from Spence! I am now friends with his companion's mom so these were sent to her from her son Austin. (He's the one holding the sign.) Getting pictures is better than Christmas. :):)

This is a bit of a serious topic, but THANK YOU to this author below for writing this article.

Here in California, we have seen firsthand the effects of the new hit musical "The Book of Mormon Musical." The kids at the girls' school belt the most popular song with the words " I aaam a MORMUN!!!" and then laugh. They LOVE this musical. "Oh come on, Ali. It's funny!" Is it? I agree with this author. It's an assault on a group of people that wouldn't be tolerated by any other group of people in our "enlightened" time. Sad. 

 Director of the Torrey Honors Institute, Biola University

John Mark Reynolds

Professor of philosophy for Biola, Reynolds blogs regularly at Scriptoriumdaily.com along with other faculty from the Torrey Honors Institute, a great books program.

» All Posts by John Mark Reynolds

• Amos and Andy and The Book of Mormon

The creators of the play Book of Mormon have created the Amos and Andy for the South Park set. We may laugh, but our grandchildren will shudder as decent folk do at “wits” of the last century whose favorite dance was to “jump Jim Crow.”

The parts of the Book of Mormon I have seen are as innovative as a Newsies revival and as funny as the cruel, tasteless jokes told by an inebriated coworker at a Christmas party. The difference is that the coworker might sober up in the morning, but the mindless mockery that also gave us South Park will continue.

After all, the theater establishment toasted the two with Tony’s and the insiders would never cheapen themselves by rewarding a play for picking on a minority religion loathed in the theater community or behave like decadent Romans horrified by a growing moral minority comforting the libertines by mocking the moral.

I cannot know for sure without seeing the entire play.

If we assume the play a brilliant satire with PR unfortunate enough to release only the cruel and facile bits, then we are still left with two unfortunate truths about this play. First, the writers are cowards. They inflict pain and mockery on those already despised while going soft on the tired assumptions of their rich and powerful patrons. Second, in a pluralistic society they have targeted a group already misunderstood and discriminated against.

I am no Mormon, but I have witnessed bigotry and ignorance directed against this American community. The LDS Church is placed in the difficult position of seeing their most sacred beliefs mocked in a nation that murdered their prophet in a shameful lynching. Broadway has given aid and comfort to the mob of ignorant folk who know nothing of modern Mormonism outside of their prejudices.

No wonder Mormon politicians like Jon Huntsman, bob and weave when asked by bigots if they are part of the LDS church. Few of us have the Mitt Romney courage to stand by our people when the cost is high. For his steadfastness, Romney was linked to the play in a Newsweek parody cover that left only his profile, but a profile in religious courage.

I write this in Istanbul, a city awash in lies told about religious minorities by powerful interests. Here Christians and Jews face “amusing” pop cultural stereotypes, some quite clever, but a wicked cleverness that feeds hatreds. Against this my Turkish friends fight for a respect that goes “beyond tolerance” and voluntarily restrain themselves from inciting prejudice to score cheap gains. It is the only hope for a peaceful republican future for this land.

The same is true for the United States. Theater has an ugly record of pandering to the prejudices of ticket buyers. Minstrel shows produced catchy music and made New Yorkers laugh, but they were shameful and wrong.

The Book of Mormon is a minstrel show for our present age with Mormons as the joke.

Ugly plays did not by themselves produce the Klan or keep some Americans from voting for African-Americans. Original sin was enough for that, but minstrel shows did give racism an artistic and comedic whitewash. When Americans were hurt by the cruel stereotypes, they were told it was “just a joke” and were painted as petty for not laughing along.

Of course no group has been as cruelly treated as African-Americans, but Mormons have a history of being persecuted. They have been exiled in their own land, but have returned unfailing devotion to our Constitution.

This new play will pander to our prejudices and treat our Mormon neighbors as we would never wish to be treated. Some Americans will allow it to confirm unthinking prejudice, while cowardly Mormons will applaud it hoping for crumbs of respectability.

Meanwhile the actual Mormons in our midst will keep paying taxes, making strong families with children, and dying to protect the rights of a decayed and decadent theater “elite.”

I stand in solidarity with my Mormon neighbors.

All right. I just have to say it. Being a missionary mom is the 

BEST. 

Never thought I would say that!

That's all. Signing off to go sing 3 part harmonies right now. 

Hubby almost home. He has to hug me before he hugs Kate. Or pets Rudy. 

Swallowing 1/4th of a milkshake. 

Changing out of my workout clothes that never saw a workout!!!

Won't forget scripture study and family prayer. No way.

erin

Funny moment of the day:

A little guy named Cole is 2 1/2. Just barely older than Kate. His mom was at the RS activity with me. His dad was watching 3 kids at home, ages 5, 2 1/2 (Cole) and 8 month-old baby. Cole decides he reeeally wants to play fruit ninja on his dad's ipad. His dad decides that he would rather take all of the kids outside. Cole sneaks back inside and locks all of the doors. His dad pounds on the sliding glass door which Cole is just inside of. Cole looks up as he madly plays fruit ninja. Daddy screams "Let us in right now!" Cole stares at his wild eyed dad who is holding a crying baby. Slice watermelon. Slice two cantaloupe. Slice slice slice. 20 minutes later, Cole decides his family can come in now. He probably had sliced too many bombs or perhaps he got the high score. Dad is furious. Mom tells me her husband wants her to come home right now, because he is "done." I smiled and said, "Seriously, that is so dang cute. You will always remember the night Cole did that. What spunk and how smart. Cherish that moment." She thought I was crazy! These young parents are just so TIRED. They can't quite appreciate it yet.

It reminds me of the time that 3-yr-old Sydney was giving me quite the stand off. Now she always gave me standoffs. Every day, guaranteed, we would have at least 1 or sometimes 2 screaming fits where I was on the outside of the door calmly telling her that I would let her out when she stopped and she was on the inside of the door kicking and writhing in agony. One time, I was firmly holding her as she was kicking and crying. I had her on my bed and just kept saying, "I'll let you down when you stop. Stop Sydney." Just then, she got an idea. I know this because she stopped crying and just looked at me intensely. I thought--what are you doing? As she looked right in my eyes, she peed on me. A lot. All over my lap and my bed. Oh! You little...!! That is one of my favorite parenting moments. How smart. What spunk.

Two Days Late but Still

Happy Father's Day Brett. 

We had a great weekend stacation in L.A. We saw Brett every day for a minute or two (one of those shown above) and best part --got to sleep all together at night. During the day, we walked outside and Elmo Live happened to be right next door at the Nokia theatre. Sweet! We walked in and this was Kate's face pretty much the whole show.

Next came the Grammy Museum. The Lennon exhibit was too small but there was a floor that Roland sponsored where you played all of their instruments and could mix your own song or record different stuff. My favorite was the electronic conga drum. I want one now!

Ok, look how skinny my leg looks in this picture. Ha ha, where's the rest of it?! I know for a fact that's about half my leg. aaahhhh!

Mixing a song. I'm at the conga station right next to her.

yeah probably not too sanitary, drumsticks in the mouth, bare feet. 

Breakfast at The Farm

She wants to wear this darn dress every day. That's a bad picture of her best friend Sally next to her. Oh shoot no it isn't. It's a statue. 

Great Father's Day weekend. Great father and husband. Your girls love you! I am thankful for my husband and best friend! And I like that restaurant's paint color. e

-Summer is finally here. Today. We are madly making double-sided fleece blankets for the senior boys who are leaving TOMORROW for BYU! They graduate tonight, leave tomorrow. We have two done, two to go. They are a big reason my girls made it through the year! We will really miss them.

-Sydney is going to two after school parties until 9 p.m. These are parties that about a month ago she wouldn't have even known about. She would have come home and we would have gone to get an ice cream or something :) My loss, their gain. She's excited.

-Brett's yearly convention is downtown for the next three days. I remember coming a year ago, before we had moved and bringing my mom to house hunt. Remember mom? Wow, it's been a year. In some ways, it feels like it's been 5 years and in others, well no, it feels like it's been about 5. Syd, Kate and I are going to stay in his sweet suite at the Ritz!! Wohoo!! tonight. Tomorrow I think we'll explore the city while he's in meetings. Kind of like a mini vacation right in L.A. I want to go to the Grammy museum, that one pancake restaurant that always has that line around the block. I want to go to Olvera Street and maybe Union Station. Yeah, Union Station for sure. I want to go explore Disney Hall. I love the architecture! So that should be good.

-I have a month left before France. Is it too late to get in complete shape in one month? See, I just don't do it. I'm in the middle of 2 reeeeaaaally good books right now. I figure that now that it's officially summer, I can spin or bike every single stinking day and lose 8 pounds in 4 weeks and become a fitness animal. The France part is good to go. I've studied the route, the places we're eating, staying, exploring. I am so excited. But the biking part....the part where I get used to that seat, my thighs get used to pedaling up hills....eeeeh. Tomorrow training begins. Tomorrow I say! Speaking of France, there is this french gentleman who has a booth at the Farmers' Market that has the best and I mean the best French croissants and brioche. I just discovered him last Saturday. I am counting the days until this Saturday. Now, I know that eating a chocolate croissant doesn't "technically" get me ready for France in a "practical" way, but really it "does" get me ready in an emotional way. It makes me appreciate the culture, which I will need to do in order to leave my children for 9 days. Not looking forward to that. No seriously, I'm really not. Even for France. So-these croissaints..I will invest in this emotional bonding with France. How many calories does one of those babies have anyway?

-Life is sweet. I think this each time I have enough money to buy Rainier cherries at the farmers' market and eat them one by one. I think this each time I buy fresh light pink daisies to put in a vase, and I think this each time I pull Kate out of the bath or the pool and wrap her in a big warm towel. I know life is good when I drop off Sydney at school and then I get to come home and choose what to do with my day. I know it is good each time I get a letter from my son. I know it is good each time I stand up and take a stretch or play a song on my piano. I know it is good every time my cute husband comes home from work and Kate yells "DAAAADDDYYYYY!" As my friend Melinda always says...I am blessed.

Summer is here!

"she discovered with great delight that one does not love one's children just because they are one's children but because of the friendship formed while raising them."

-- gabriel garcia marquez