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The Scriptures Teach of Heavenly Father’s Plan

Many people don’t know where they came from, why they’re here now, and where they will go after they die. Members of the church, however, know that God has a plan for them. Moses 1:39 says, “For behold, this is my work and my glory – to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.”

Before we came to earth we lived in the pre-mortal life. We learned as much as we could. One day God called a meeting in heaven. He said that to be like him, we had to get a body. Abraham 3:22 talks about the meeting in heaven. It reads, “Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was.”

Everyone here made the choice to come to earth, while others followed Satan and were cast out. We came to earth through birth and will leave by death.

After death we go to the spirit world until it’s time to be resurrected. Alma 40:11 says, “Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection – Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.”

After we are resurrected through the blood of the lamb, we will be brought unto God for the judgment day. Those who are found righteous and guiltless will go to the Celestial Kingdom, receive the gift of eternal life, and live with their families forever.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

(This was a fabulous school assignment. Sydney took notes from a Friend magazine article and the scriptures, organized her notes into an outline, wrote a first draft, and then edited and prepared her final draft. And it is so wonderful when you realize that the things your kids are learning at home and at primary are sinking in!)

I never experienced (or at least never felt) braxton hicks contractions in my previous pregnancies. This one is different. Wow – they can be quite painful and inconvenient; not that there is anything particularly convenient about being pregnant in the first place.

Apparently since the severe pain in my right leg caused by an old injury is feeling so much better due to my belly belt and some physical therapy I am in need of some pain somewhere else. Win one – lose one. But if I had to choose myself I would take the braxton hicks.

Since I don’t want to freak my mom out who lives a couple of thousand miles away I won’t write about last Sunday night when my tummy area tightened up pretty hard for about an hour (not good when you’re not quite 33 weeks along). Peter made me sit down (seriously he had to make me sit – I wanted to do dishes) and they went away. The labor and delivery nurse said that if this ever happens for more than an hour to get my behind in to get checked out (this is how my labor started with Isaac). Thankfully this has not been repeated. I told the baby he was out of line and grounded him for at least three more weeks before he could come out of his “room.”

Really this baby just needs to wait until at least two weekends from now. It would be really nice to have a husband in town when I go into labor. If anything funky happens between now and Saturday morning then Peter will be sending a replacement to the conference in Florida. If something happens while he is out of town he will be finding the soonest flight back home. My plan is to cross my fingers and cross my legs until he gets back from the conference… (I have wonderful friends who will be helping me out if anything happens while Peter is gone – including a friend who is willing to be a medical escort with me if I get flown down to Anchorage).

After all this freaking out about Peter’s trip the baby will probably not show up until I’m at full term..

Here is some of Sydney’s recent work:

I’m thirty weeks pregnant right now; the final countdown officially began yesterday. After a wonderful physical therapy appointment and wearing a maternity girdle for a couple of weeks I am able to walk again without feeling like a cripple. Hopefully this will continue as my belly pokes further out.

Today I packed the diaper bag and made a list of things I need to pack quickly when I go into labor. I pulled out the new boxes with the bassinet and the car seat/stroller and put them together. They are sitting in the living room and will probably sit there tomorrow until I decide where to put them. I have to remind myself I am huge and pregnant sometimes. I overdid it a little with moving heavy boxes around.

Despite the fact that I have been taking a hormone supplement for the last 14 weeks I have been doing pretty well. Thankfully the mood swings have faded quite a bit. And the break outs – I almost felt like I was thirteen-years-old again for a few weeks… The progesterone treatments are supposed to help me stay pregnant longer this time. As of now I have no faith in it; I don’t have a good reason why I don’t, but I don’t. I just hope this little guy decides to wait until at LEAST Valentine’s Day because then Peter will be back from a conference he has to attend in Florida for a week. I don’t plan on doing ANYTHING that week (it matches up with week 34 of my pregnancy).

I have officially kicked Peter out of the bed and so he is sleeping in the basement on the futon (this arrangement helps us both sleep better). As long as I do my stretches and read until I get tired I seem to sleep pretty well and am able to wake up and walk on the treadmill before breakfast. I just have to keep the schedule going just so or else I sleep terribly for a couple of nights. Not that my sleep is going to improve once our little eskimo arrives…

I have finished making flannel blankets and bibs. The other night I cut out material for a blessing outfit. Now I just need to sew it up.