We saw these the other day:

Finally! He is growing two little teeth!

Some othe updates about Elliot- no, he still doesn't crawl, but he is scooting around on his bum so he is totally getting to wherever he wants. He is also trying to talk...he will copy us growliing, coughing, and tries to say "kitty cat" and points at the kittens. We also trimmed his bangs for the first time about a week ago. Don't worry, his hair still looks ridiculously crazy!

Other than that, we are moving our pictures to Flikr, so hopefully it will work better for everyone. I think Jeff will talk more about that though.

Jeff has almost finished the flooring in the basement, so we'll have to put in the trim and finish putting in the shower, sink, and shower door, and then our basement will be done! We'll get some more pictures up once we've gotten more finished.

Elliot's First Tooth from Jeff Henline on Vimeo.

In response to the last post from Allison. Many of the prophets from most religions are analogous in their teachings. When you can step outside of your own religion and really examine them collectively, one has a hard time making sense of the things. I strongly believe in the inherit need of humans wanting to make sense of the things around us. We don't like being in the dark; we don't like not knowing or not having the answer to the question, 'why'? When people stared up at the heavens for the first time, they had to wonder what it was they were looking at and why it was there and most importantly, how did it get there? It can be so frustrating not knowing what something is or how it works. What can we do? Well, we try and figure it out. But what happens when we just aren't smart enough? Do we fill in the gaps arbitrarily? If we don't know what all those specs in the sky are, do we make up a story to explain them? Funny thing about constellations though, every civilization in history had their own. Their own explanation of things they didn't have the capacity to understand. Are all the worlds religions that much different? Does 'knowing' just make us feel better? I know it makes me feel better. There is little difference in me wondering as a little boy how my tape recorder worked versus now wondering how the universe is expanding....at a speed that is constantly increasing. Wow, how frustrating. What a beautiful system the universe would be if it were cyclical. Like a heartbeat. Is it possible? Perhaps. But now, with that increase in knowledge we have, unlikely. I'm still holding on though in thinking, "sure, but eventually it will slow and collapse...again?" I want it to work that way. So beautiful. I love Allison's thought on reincarnation. Wouldn't it be cool if the next time a star fuses hydrogen and makes helium and in turn barfs out heavier and heavier elements when it explodes in a supernova that I'll be constructed differently....read more

This semester I'm taking a philosophy of ethics class- kind of interesting, but as a 100 level class, it doesn't really scratch the surface of most ethics systems. We did talk about Christianity and Buddhism, and while I do think my years at Christian schools taught me plenty about Christianity, I don't pretend to know all of the details of Buddhism, let alone the intricacies of the different schools. I did go to a Buddhist monastery a few years ago which was a very good experience, but again- I don't want to pretend to know everything about it. It reminds me, though, of everything I have learned and thought about it over the years. For the most part, there is continuity between different religions and philosophies- except for under extraordinary circumstances, do not murder, do not steal, etc. This becomes important when asking the question- where do your ethics come from if not from a divine master? My reply would always be that inherently I do not want to cause harm, and I do not think that my capacity to empathize with others is a trait that could only be granted to me from a higher being. Stripping away the strange doctrines of different buddhas in different realms, one cannot deny that the actual teachings of Siddhartha mimics the teachings of Jesus. There is something appealing about the idea of emptying your mind of all the material things in life and going forth in a peaceful and compassionate manner. The hoarding of wealth is looked down upon, as individuals are asked to leave behind those negative human tendencies to travel and proclaim a better life to others. While the Christian portrait of eternal suffering is now the image of fire and brimstone, it is much simpler to say it is separation from the perfection of God. Buddhism also tells not of eternal damnation, but of samsara- a long cycle of rebirth. Both offer an alternative- the realization of one's self in the bigger picture....read more

I wanted to post some pictures of our progress on the basement. Unfortunately I haven't taken as many pictures throughout the process as I would have liked. The finish line is in site. We have flooring, painting, and trimwork left. We just ordered almost 900 sq/ft of laminate today for the living room, family room, kitchen and office. We've decided on tile for the bathroom. Since Bang destroyed our living room and stairway carpeting, we're going to replace it with laminate as well. Allison is making some bold choices with paint and trim, we'll suprise everyone with pictures at a later date. I'd be lying if I said I never questioned her choices but I always end up loving them!

Anyway, here are some pics: http://www.watchitbend.com/d6/index.php?q=gallery&g2_itemId=2996