32 weeks Pregnant

Joshua took this picture of me as we were walking out of the door.  It's my 32 week belly and it is what a large baby, but normal fluid levels look like. 

I had a scan done that resulted in some interesting notes.  First, I believe it to be a typo, but there is a chance that baby boy is really baby girl.  I just think that the ultrasound tech hit the wrong key, but she recorded that it was a female.  I guess we will have to wait and see.

Second, my fluid levels are within the normal range.  This is great news.  Last time I had 10 pounds of amniotic fluid and the average person only has 2 pounds.  This pregnancy has been so much more comfortable for me.  That's not to say it is necessarily comfortable, just more so.  

Third, everything looked fine with the baby anatomically. The baby is in the 97% for size, so they think he will be around 9 or 10 pounds at birth.

Fourth, my placenta is in the anterior position at grade 2.  So, basically this could cause a problem with how the doctor performs the c-section.  Because it is in the way of the incision, if it does not move in the next two weeks, I will most likely need a blood transfusion.  My doctor is ordering blood to be sent to the hospital to prepare for it.  There is a chance that if that doesn't work, I will need to have a hysterectomy.  Finally, this is highly unlikely, but there is a chance that they will need to cut me vertically from my rib cage down to my pubic bone.  None of these sound like fun, and I am trying not to worry.  My doctor told me that my uterus has about two or three more weeks to improve the situation.  I said, "Oh, good, then I shouldn't worry."  To which he replied, "well, no, you should definitely be concerned, but you don't need to worry and panic." That doesn't calm a pregnant lady's nerves, however, I am surprisingly calm.  I'm actually not that worried.  I am letting the Lord handle it.  I think it'll all turn out to be okay.

Kid Drawings and A Random Picture of JMM

Here is a random picture of JMM.

 This is a drawing that Luke drew.  It is Elsa the Snow Queen with magic coming out of her hands. Mercedes didn't think that it looked like Elsa, so she scribbled on it.  I told her that wasn't nice.

This is a picture of who-knows-what, but I liked it because Luke tried writing the letters in his name.  You can clearly see the L and U.  I thought it was a good attempt to do all on his own.

Luke drew a spider (I think), maybe having baby spiders or pooping???  Not sure...

This is something that Joshua wrote at school.  

 He has gotten better about not writing some of his letters backwards, which is awesome!

This is something else that Joshua did at school.  I thought it was funny. It says, "Dear Santa, I hope you have had a good year.Could you please bring my mom a music box? Could you please bring my dad a real robot? My brother and sister would like a game. Your Friend, Joshua"

He said that he wanted Jon Mark to have a real robot so that the robot could go to work for him and he could stay home and play with the kids all day.

This is something Mercedes wrote at school.  Her reindeer's name is Luke.  He has a pink nose and is 10 years old.  He eats pancakes, and lives in America, and he likes to eat.

This is a Joshua drawing of hot lava flowing into some very ornate tunnels.

Mercedes drew some girls.  I'm not sure who they are.

Scripture Study, January Visiting Teaching Message on Obedience

The following is the visiting teaching message for January.  I have bolded the parts that stood out to me:

Following Jesus Christ’s example of obedience increases our faith in Him. “Is it any wonder,” said Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “that Christ chooses first and foremost to define himself in relation to his father—that he loved him and obeyed him and submitted to him like the loyal son he was? … Obedience is the first law of heaven.”¹

The scriptures teach “when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated” (D&C 130:21). Our spiritual growth takes place as we draw close to God through obedience and invite the power of the Savior’s Atonement into our lives.

“As we walk in obedience to the principles and commandments of the gospel of Jesus Christ,” said Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “we enjoy a continual flow of blessings promised by God in His covenant with us. Those blessings provide the resources we need to act rather than simply be acted upon as we go through life. … Obedience gives us greater control over our lives, greater capacity to come and go, to work and create.” ²

Luke 22:41–46; Doctrine and Covenants 82:10; 93:28

“Can the spiritual strength that results from consistent obedience to the commandments be given to another person?” asked Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “The clear answer … is no.”³

The parable of the ten virgins is an example of this principle. While all of the virgins took their lamps to “meet the bridegroom,” only five were wise and took oil in their lamps. The other five were foolish because they “took no oil with them.”

Then the cry came at midnight: “Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.” All the virgins trimmed their lamps, but the foolish virgins had no oil. They said to the wise virgins, “Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.”

The wise virgins answered, “Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go … and buy for yourselves.” And while the foolish virgins were gone, the bridegroom came and the wise virgins went with him and “the door was shut”

(Matthew 25:1–13).

 

***

 

Our obedience increases our faith in the Savior.  As I read this, I asked myself "how?".  How does obedience increase our faith?  I came to the conclusion that our obedience increases our desire to be like our Savior and thus we are more closely drawn to Him.  And, as we come closer to our Savior, we are granted greater light and knowledge, our testimonies grow, we begin to see the mysteries of God more clearly.  Our faith grows.  Jesus Christ was the perfect example, and His obedience showed us that obedience is the 1st law of Heaven. 

 

As I was reading, I was picturing myself with my children.  I ask them to obey because my wisdom and experience helps me know what is best for them.  I love them, and so I teach them obedience to rules that will help them be happy and successful.  For instance, Joshua hates homework.  He hates it.  It would be so much easier for me in the afternoon if I just said, "forget about homework!  Just go and play."  But, I don't do that because I want to teach him to be responsible.  I want him to learn how to master something even when he wants to give up.  And, so, we spend some grueling time together trying to master it together.  When he puts in the time, his grades are better, and so is his confidence.  His obedience to the law of homework (even if it is forced upon him right now), brings forth blessings.  I also give my children boundaries.  I know playing in the street is an activity that has to be earned by both age and responsibility. I know that Hannah would not take notice of cars and cars may not take notice of her.  So, I give Hannah a boundary.  She may play on the sidewalk where it is safe, but she may not play in the street. This causes her a lot of frustration because she has not learned how to obey.  She is constantly testing this boundary.  However, I continue to enforce it because I love her.  I know that safe play is happy play.  She is blessed for obeying the boundary.  She stays alive.  We, like my children, have a much wiser and loving parent.  Our Heavenly Father gives us boundaries and laws because He loves us.  He sent us His obedient Son to show us how to obey, because He wants us to return to Him.  The blessings that come from obedience are not bribes (not like a father being manipulated by a misbehaved child and under duress saying something like: hey- behave better and then I'll give you this), rather, they are strictly tied to the law upon which they are predicated. The blessings are ours, they are promised to us as a covenant people, but they must be earned. Our loving Heavenly Father wants to bless us, but because he is a just God and a perfect God, blessings come through obedience.

 

I also found it interesting that spiritual strength that comes from consistent obedience cannot be transferred upon another.  Just as a college student who studies and learns the material cannot automatically transfer that knowledge to another classmate.  Each of us must put forth the effort to gain our own spiritual growth, and of course it must be this way.  If it were not this way, we would be missing out on tremendous opportunity for growth and development.  Imagine the difference between a farmer who toils for weeks to reap in the harvest and the customer who buys the fruit at the store.  Who do you think gets more satisfaction from partaking of the fruit?  My guess would be that the farmer who has spent time and effort preparing the soil and looking after the fruit would take more satisfaction in eating it than the one who merely goes and picks it up at the supermarket.  To summarize, there is joy to be had through hard work and obedience. 

 

 

 

 

 

Blast from the Past

I found an old SD card from a camera.  I don't think that the images were ever recorded.  This was Joshua's second Christmas, and I gotta say, we all look a bit younger. 

Goldfield Ghostown

The other day we made an impromptu trip to the Goldfield Ghost town. Jessica was in town and came along.  It was so cold and if you look closely at the Superstition Mountain in the background, you will see that it actually has quite a bit of snow.  For Arizonians, we were cold.  Hence, I look a little like a bag lady.  I don't have a winter coat, so I layered three small coats. 

 

First, we went on a train ride.  The train went really slowly, but the kids didn't seem to mind.  The tour guide was funny and told us about the history of the place and the mountains.  Joshua said that when he grows up he is going to find the Lost Dutchman Mine and get rich.  I told him the story that my Grandpa Haws used to tell me.  My Grandpa said that he had once found the mine himself.  I asked him why he wasn't rich and he said it was because when he found the mine there was this big Indian guarding it and the Indian shot him in the belly with an arrow.  He let me feel his "scar" which was really his belly button and I said, "Grandpa, that is just a belly button, we all have those!" He laughed and said with a twinkle in his eye, "well, I guess their genetic!"  Grandpa loved to tell silly stories like that.

 

Our passes also covered a "mine" tour.  I put the word "mine" in quotations because it was obvious to the grown-ups that we weren't really going into an authentic mine.  The elevator shook and rattled as we went down maybe twenty feet to a pretend mine that was meant to look real.  The kids had no idea, they thought it was really pretty neat.  Mercedes was afraid of the mine a little, and Hannah wanted no one to hold her but me.  At one point I tried to pass her off to Jon Mark because I was feeling light-headed, but she started to cry.  I thought we were going to have to bag the tour, but I was able to hold her the whole time.  Luke thought the mine was neat, but he didn't like it when the tour guide turned off the lights for a moment so that we could see how dark it was underground. 

 

The last tour that our passes covered was this really weird house.  The story is that a miner built the house and then an earthquake happened and turned it nearly completely on it's side.  He had used all of his money building the house and so he lived in it just the way it was.  Apparently, the house is over 100 years old, but I don't know if I believe it.  Regardless, it is an optical allusion that is really neat.  Gravity seems to be a little backward, balls roll "uphill" and trying to stand up from a chair after sitting down proves to be almost impossible (as Jessica would tell you).  This attraction was definitely a favorite amongst the children.  They were so excited and it left quite an impression.  We almost missed out on it because Luke had to go #2 right beforehand. 

  The tour guide was really shady looking.  Jon Mark took Luke to the potty and Jessica and I were scared that the tour guide had ill intentions.  We tried not to let our imaginations get the better of us until Jon Mark came back. 

 

I tried getting a picture of Jon Mark and I, but the kids kept interrupting, along with the passerbys.  But, we tried.  Check out the Hispanic boy in the background.  He thought we were taking a picture of him, apparently.  :)  And, the guy with big hair and his lady friend are a nice addition, don't you think???

 

It was such a nice family outing.  We probably won't do it again for a long time because it was over-priced, but the kids really enjoyed themselves and we had a great time.