Mei Tai

Sharon made this cool baby carrier after a version of the Maya wrap called Mei Tai. She did a good job on it. I think it is supper comfortable.

Quinn Update

Hey Family!
Ira is super mellow right now, and might be falling asleep, so here's my chance to let you know how things are going for us... which is, great!
* Easter and Conference: We drove up to Niagara Falls, which was a blast. The Romeros were fun as usual, and took us to Lake Ontario where we skipped rocks and squinted to see Canada. We also went on a hike, made peanut butter eggs, painted real eggs, and ate both. We hid and hunted for eggs, watched Where the Wild Things Are, and of course conference. Anthony and I decided that we'll have to spend the next several FHE's reading the talks since we were distracted by cousin cuteness and Ira much of the time. Ah, first conference as a parent. Ah, so this is what it's like?
* D.C.: After Niagara, we drove to to D.C. where we got a glimpse of the blossoms (beautiful!), caught a free concert at the Lincoln Center, and got to go to the temple for the first time since Ira was born. Woohoo! The concert was fabulous! It was a group from Brazil, doing fun stuff you just want to jump up and dance to. We felt kind of bad for the performers since they are probably use to a much more lively audience. We were also really lucky to be in the District during the Ellsworth Aunts' visit, so Aunt Janet, who forgot her recommend was able to watch Ira, while the rest of us went in. We also met Christian Hurst (for those of you who know him) and his wife for dinner. They just moved into town, and took us out to a Greek tapas place.
* Ira's asleep. What a cutie! We can't get enough of that kid. He's cooing, and sleeping more at night, and squeeled with joy so loud yesterday that after recovering from the shock, I couldn't stop laughing.
* Project of the week: I made a mei tai. It's an asian style baby carrier, and I loooove it. It's really comfortable, and cute..at least I'd like to think so. We'll keep using our Maya wrap, but it'll be better for long walks and hikes.
O.k. visiting teachers are on the way. Love you guys!
Sharon

Ira and the Orchid

Ira has been really cute lately. He has had this growing fascination, I call it a friendship, with the Orchid plant we have on his changing table. If he is crying almost without fail you can lay him on the table and once he realizes where he is and sees the Orchid flower he stops crying and within minutes will be kicking and cooing with joy to see the flower shake. I've noticed when I hold him in bed he really likes looking at this pastel painting above our bed of a field of flowers my Aunt made for us. I'm interpreting this as a sign that he will love and appreciate nature, I guess in reality it's still to early to tell.

 This is a typical interaction. He will stare at it for a long time.

This is the painting above our bed he likes and the original picture. I'm curious to see if I put the original up on the computer is he will look at it too.

I was giving him some naked time today and he kept putting his arm out like he was reaching for the flower. I decided to use it as a development opportunity, since he doesn't seem as interested in other stimuli we have tried. I put the flower down so he could interact with it more. He loved it.

Sharon and I tried to capture his cuteness on video. He was a little distracted by the camera and getting tired, but you get the idea.

Kirtland, OH

We took a day trip up to Kirtland, OH to see some of the historic sites of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We enjoyed the company of our friends Gabe and his fiance, Alexia.

American Gothic?

We got a tour of the Kirtland Temple, which is now owned by the Community of Christ, formally the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It was a good experience. While the general land scape was barren from winter, the weather was warming up and the tour group was small allowing us to see all three floors of the Temple. I admire how great the building was, but I couldn't help but recognize the similarities and big differences between this, the first temple built by the saints and later temples built. Not just architecturally, but functionally too.

We also spent some time in the reconstructed 'Historic Kirtland' owned and operated by the Church. It was fun to see, hear, and think of the events in the context and setting they happened. 

So, I've been thinking about something and wanted to pose a question. What is the relationship between spiritual places and spiritual experiences?

I was thinking about a conversation I had with one my Muslim friends, in which we were talking about sacred places. I think I had asked him about Mecca and the Dome of the Rock. In that conversation he mentioned that he didn't personally believe these places held any special 'cosmic force' that made them more spiritual than other places in the world and that going there wouldn't necessarily enhance his ability to be a better person. Being in Kirtland, I reflected on that conversation because I do believe that there are places set apart on earth where we can have spiritual experiences more easily than any other places. Temples are built for this purpose. They are set apart and dedicated to be a place for God. A place for his ordinances to be done. However, I also agree with my friend, in that there are places where spiritually significant events have happened, that don't necessarily ensure a personal enlightenment for those who make the pilgrimage.  However, while pondering this I thought, it is still possible that a person, while at a historical site and in the right state of mind can have extremely powerful experiences, in fact testimony building and faith promoting experiences. So, Kirtland is a mixed bag that brought all these thoughts to the surface. It is where the first temple in the latter days was built and dedicated to the Lord. It was abandoned/sold and is no longer used the way it was intended, nor is it set up to do the ordinances that we now perform in temples, but it is one of these historical sites where great spiritual experiences and manifestations happened before and after the saints inhabited it.

Again the question, What is the relationship between spiritual places and spiritual experiences? In a slightly different wording, what are the differences and/or similarities between having a spiritual experience

1. Worshiping in a sacred and holy place, like the Temple

2. Visiting a historic site like Jeruselum, The Sacred Grove, Kirtland

3. Personal study or prayerful inquiries about truth, like the events that happened at the aforementioned places. 

Leave a comment and start a discussion if you'd like. 

You can see more pictures on the album I created.

Acai update

I posted a little while ago about the Acai. Since then I've been keeping my open for other ways this fruit has penetrated the US market. While meandering through the frozen food section of Whole Foods I found a puree form.

 Sambazon is the company. They had three different 'flavors'.
1.) 'Pure Unsweetened', as you can guess it is just the fruit nothing else really.
2.) 'Pure Fuzion', this has another fruit called 'Acerola' which has a ton of Vitamin C.
3.)  'Original Rio Blend', is sweetened with cane juice and Guarana (another Brazilian fruit). This was my favorite.

The nice thing about these packs is that they can be thrown into the blender with some milk, soy milk, ice cream, yogurt, and other fruits to make a great shake/smoothie. They've been great for in the morning. You can also do it like they do in Brazil and put Banana and granola on top.

I also tried the kind in a container. I got the Rio Blend in a pint container. It is nice because it is sweetened perfectly with the cane juice and guarana. I can take it out of the freezer and take a few bits for dessert.

Vaccinations and Diapers

Ira had his two month visit on Monday. He is healthy and growing fast. He is in the 75th percentile for Length(23.5 inches) and Weight (12 lbs). He got his first round of Vaccinations too. He only cried for a few seconds before calming down, we thought it would be more traumatic. I think he was a little sore the rest of the day though because he was more cuddly than usual.

Since he was so good we decided to reward him with a visit to the "Happy Baby Company", formerly "Pittsburgh Cloth Diapers". That's right we made the big commitment to cloth diapers. We've definitely been on a learning curve, but we are getting the hang of them. They are pretty cute. I have some pictures of them and a guys explanation and point of view of them.

We got a few different brands and 'systems'. GroBaby had some cute designs. The outside 'shell' can be used multiple times, all you have to do is change the 'soaker pads' inside. We found out after the  first few wears that the pads don't really work until you wash them a couple of times. They have been working much better since.

 This is the 'Fuzzibunz' brand. They are a 'pocket diaper'. You can only use them once before you have to wash them, because the pads are in a pocket behind the liner that is against the skin. I've liked these the most. We got a few from the brand, 'Bum Genius', which are also pocket diapers, but have Velcro on the front instead of buttons.

 You can see the band-aid on his leg from his shots. He got a total of three shots between the two legs and one oral vaccination.

 My nieces just saw "Where the Wild Things Are", and got a kick out of the fact that one of the monsters' name is Ira. This photo is tribute to them.

Why?

I cut my hairs today. I'm not sure what exactly motivated it. I've gotten some interesting reactions and the common question, why? Here is a list of possibilities:
1. My friend Gabe is trying to grow his hair out really long, I needed to bring the universe back into balance.
2. I'm getting my Aang costume ready  for the opening night of Avatar: The Last Airbender
3. Fulfilling my part of the deal Sharon and I made when she cut her hair short.
4. Tribute to the bald men I admire like Ghandi, Kearney Zzyzwicz, Capt. Picard, John Durant, etc...
5. Bond with Ira
6. Look more intimidating and to blend with my homies, kronies, and peeps on the bus
7. Bring back the Swim Team glory days
8. The pleasure of feeling the wind blow over my head
9. The doomsayers convinced me that the apocalyptic Armageddon of World War III was upon us and I'm preparing to be enlisted.
10. Remind me my pride grows back the way my hair does

Please leave a comment and add more reasons a person would shave their head. After I decided to do this I thought it would be interesting to compare what I look like with/without hair and glasses, I'd be interested to know what people think.