Just keep going

To update:  I have another doctor and I took the glucose test again.  I failed.  A week later I took the three hour glucose test.  I got the results a few days ago.   I passed but just barely.  I do not have gestational diabetes.  I do have a sluggish metabolism.  I have been ordered to stay away from sugar for the time being.  For any of you who knows my husband that is easier said than done.  I have been experiment with ways to consume food without all the sugar or things that break down into those same sugars.  That may be the hardest part.  Almost everything has one sort of carbohydrates or another.  I am relatively safe with proteins and fats.  However, meats aren't all that big on my list when pregnant.  Don't get me started on fats.  I thought I would be safe with vegetables.  Apparently not.  They have substantially less but they still have them.  I can eat three servings of vegetables to every one serving of fruits, dairy, or grains.  The grains are the hardest to stay away from.  Breads, pasta, crackers etc. are some of my main foods while pregnant.  They are simple, fast, and filling.   I have struggled with this and it has only been a few days.   I am trying to learn to substitute crackers and breads as a snack with nuts.  I love nuts but I can see that I could easily overdo it and come to hate the sight of them. 
So that is life for me for now.  I just have to keep telling myself that I will do anything to keep this baby happy and healthy for the next two months.  I know two months is nothing when it comes to the big picture.  Even in pregnancy two months is nothing.  Except for the last two months.  Every pregnancy I've had the last two months seem to drag.  When I got the results and realized I had to slightly modify my eating habits for the next two months I wanted to cry.  Wanted to cry because two months seems like forever away and cry with relief that I do not yet have to do this for the rest of my life.  More incentive to up my exercising (as if I needed more) routine when this baby is here.  Okay, as soon as I can after the baby is here.
I have always been able to feel empathy for situations others have been in.  Here is Heavenly Father giving me one more chance to improve upon it some more.  I know we are each given trials for a reason.  I just pray that I will learn my lesson before this situation becomes something more.

Our Divine Constitution

So I mentioned in my previous post about some mixed feeling while listening to God Bless America during the fireworks show in Logan.  I felt a deep abiding love for my country.  I also felt a deep sadness for the road we are finding our country headed down.  I have heard several reports where people within our goverment have made comments about the Constitution being outdated and in need of reform.  If these people truely loved this country they would see the importance of this document.  It hurts to see their hatred for something so wonderful and sacred.  I get it that they don't believe in God.  Fine.  That is their God given right to believe so.  Yet, they are trying to get everyone else to see things their way.  Last week, the new RS president in our ward gave the lesson on President Benson's talk, "Our Divine Constitution."  I highly recommend that you read it here. 
Furthermore, on September 17, 2010 Elder Oaks gave a talk titled "Fundamentals of Our Constitutions."  In it is this quote,  "President J. Reuben Clark, an honored authority on the Constitution, declared that 'our allegiance run[s] to the Constitution and to the principles which it embodies, and not to individuals. All that we say about the Constitution and our reliance upon it depends upon the rule of law and not of the men or women who hold the offices under it.' "  This is something that I fully agree with.  Therefore, if you are against our Constitution then you are against my country, my God, and you are against me.  I pray everyday that the people of this country will wake up and fight to save our Constitution and our country. 
Here are some other talks to read from church leaders on the Constitution:
The Divinely Inspired Constitution - Elder Oaks
Fundamentals of Our Constitutions - Elder Oaks
Seeing the Constitiution as Covenant - Lynn D. Wardle
Just and Holy Principles: An Examination of the U.S. Constitution - Avro Van Alstyne
God's Hand in the Founding of America - Elder Perry
Wise Men Raised Up - Frank W. Fox and LeGrand L. Baker
The Constitution - A Glorious Standard - President Benson
The Miraculous Constitution - President Benson

There are so many more to be found on the church's website.  It is our duty as citizens of this great nation and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to study the Constitution and the Founding Fathers.  There is much we can learn.  There is much that others are trying to change.  We must preserve the truth and defend our Constitution.  I pray that God will watch over and guide us as we do this.  May our Father in Heaven preserve our nation.

Emma vs. The Potty

For those of you who I haven't discussed this with here in the news. Several months ago we set a goal for Emma with her Early Head Start Educator to introduce her to The Potty and work on getting her comfortable with it. Much to our amazement she liked it immediately. She loves to sit on it but more so she likes toilet paper and getting to wash her hands afterward. She likes it so much that she will tell me, "pee" and then run to her potty. I have been told that is a good sign that she is ready to start actual potty training. Then there was Christmas Eve . . . Emma had asked to sit on the potty (we were at my parents house and didn't have her potty so we used a portable toilet seat adapter - makes the whole small enough that little bums don't fall in). After she sat there for a minute she started to wine and try to get down. To me it looked like she was struggling to hold something in so I didn't let her down. A couple of minutes later she finally did go number one into the toilet! I was so proud of her and I let her know it. However, she acted like she had done something wrong. So a while after that she wouldn't ask to go onto the potty. She has been warming up to it again over the last couple of weeks. Then yesterday morning Les brought her into to sit on it while I was showering. They sat there for a few minutes and then Emma got off and what did we see . . . Emma had gone number one! We were so excited and we let Emma know she had done a great job. She didn't ask to sit on the potty again due to running around town and me needing to be in class. Then that evening she asked again. Shortly after putting her onto the potty she started to squirm and tried to get off. Les told her to stay there until he could get her a diaper to put her in. When he got back he lifted her off and once again we were surprised by what we saw. Emma went number two! I know this isn't the greatest topic but I am so proud of her. I hope that I can convey that to her so that she realizes that she is doing a good thing. The one problem we are running into with this recent developement is that we were planning to do some hard core potty training over spring break (which isn't until March) when we would be able to stay home day after day while she ran around in underware. Now she has moved the time table up. So we will see how things go from here.

Other semi related news . . .
I finally got into a Chiropractor! Hopefully the pain I have been experiencing will start to be alleviated. It is nice to know what is going on and how I can help it get better while I am at home. The only problem is that he wants to see me 3 times a week for 4 weeks. The only thing wrong with it is that he is only open on Mon, Wed, and Fri. I can do Wed and Fri because Les will be able to take Emma while I am there. On mondays though he is either working as a Engineering Ambassidor or in class from 8:30 to 4:30. I am not sure what I will do yet but we will try to work it out.
We have started to work out plans for Emma's birthday. I know it is still 2 months away but there are some obsticles to work around. I am due 4 days after her birthday. I want to be there for it so I want to move her party earlier in the month. The other obsticle is that Les will spend 3 days in California for a Conference for his research starting on the 19th of March. When he returns he will be attending another Conference in Salt lake for another 3 days. Which means not only will be be gone for 6 days straight but he will also be gone for Emma's birthday. So we have been thinking this through very carefully. We will let you know what is going on as soon as we figure it out.
With Les in school, working, and going to Conferences we (mostly me) have been worried about when I will go into labor. Since I spend most of the my day with Emma I have the Jeep. Know that I have wondered how I am supposed to drive myself to get Les so we can go to the hospital while I am in labor. I just don't think it will work. My sister-in-law Jana told be that starting the week before I am due she will be calling me every couple of hours to check on me. When I told her all the scenerios that were going through my head she told me that if I am home when I start that all I need to do is call her and she will come get us. She will drive me to the hospital and if Les hasn't already gotten on a bus she would probably go get him. I asked Les if he would come back from California early if I went into labor while he was there. He told that of course he would. He is so good to me.
Last bit of news we have finally been approved for housing assistance. As of the first of Feb. all but $19 of our rent will be paid. We are so excited! We have been on the waiting list for a year. Of course when we first applied we were still in the Townhouse which was more in rent and we hadn't even thought of applying to get in here yet. Our lives have changed so much in the last year. And to think we have only been here in Logan for a year and a half. Seems like longer than that. After many trials and challenges Heavenly Father is rewarding us for our faith. Thank you so very much.

Parable of the pencil

We had our first sunday lesson in Relief Society today. The first councilor had been out of town so they moved the lessons around. I am grateful for it. I really loved the lesson. A basket was passed around with the Parable of the Pencil for each person. I hope you enjoy the story.

The Pencil Maker took the
Pencil aside, just before
putting him into the box.

"There are five things you
need to know," he told the
pencil, "Before I send you out
into the world. Always
remember them and never
forget, and you will become
the best pencil you can be."

"One: You will be able to do many
great things, but only if you allow
yourself to be held in Someone's
hand."

"Two: You will experience a painful
sharpening from time to time, but
you'll need it to become a better
pencil."

"Three: You will be able to correct
any mistake you might make."

"Four: The most important part of
you will always be what's inside."

"And Five: On every surface you are
used on, you must leave your mark.
No matter what the condition, you
must continue to write."


The Pencil understood and promised
to remember and went into the box
with purpose in its heart.

We applied each step to ourselves. Read it again and think how you can apply each of those things to your own life. Always remember that God loves you and sent you here for a reason. You do have a purpose.

General Conference

I have been looking froward to this conference since the passing of President Hinckley. I wanted to be able to join my voice with that of the church in sustaining President Monson as the Prophet of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I felt the priviledge when I stood with all of the sisters of the Relief Society when it was our turn to stand and raise our arm to show our love and support for our new Prophet. I felt the spirit so strongly that tears welled in me eyes. I don't know how I held them back but I managed. It is an incredible experience.
There were many wonderful talks given this weekend but one stood out to me the most. I have been asking my Father in Heaven how I could be a better mother. In the Sunday afternoon session Elder M. Russell Ballard spoke on young mothers. As he spoke I knew without a doubt that was an anwer to my prayers. He asked the question:
What can you do to reduce the pressure and enjoy your family more?
I wrote as fast as I could but I wasn't fast enough to get the answers that he gave. Here is what I was able to write down.
1. Live in the moment.
2. Don’t over schedule yourself or your children – families need unstructured time
3. Find some time for your self – cultivate you interests
4. Pray, Study, and Teach the Gospel
I find this to be just what I need. Life sometimes gets so busy and stressful that living in the moment is hard to do. Or at least hard to remember to do. Also finding time to myself is difficult to find. I already knew that I needed some time for myself once in a while but I would feel guilty that I was somehow being selfish for wanting it. Now I know that in order to maintain some sanity that I do need to do something for myself. In doing so I will be a much better mother to Emma and a better wife to Les. It is something I need to do so that my family can be happier. However, there is a difference between knowing and doing. Right now I am at a point in my life where time is scarce. Between Emma, Les' schooling and work, and my church callings I don't have much time for anything else.
I now have a road map that as an answer to my prayers can lead me in the right direction. As a better mother I can help Emma grow into a responsible and spiritually healthy individual. That is my greatest hope. I'm sure that I will still have my moments of doubt. Through faith I will be able to work through it.
When you get a chance I suggest that you read the talks from General Conference. For now you can go to http://www.lds.org/ to watch or listen to conference. May God be with you.

God is Busy

My sister-in-law, Sabrina, sent me an e-mail titled the same as above. I thought it was really good, so I am putting it on here.
GOD is Busy
If you don't know GOD, don't make stupid remarks!!!!!!! A United States Marine was attending some college courses between assignments. He had completed missions in Iraq and Afghanistan . One of the courses had a professor who was an avowed atheist and a member of the ACLU. One day the professor shocked the class when he came in. He looked to the ceiling and flatly stated, 'God, if you are real, then I want you to knock me off this platform. I'll give you exactly 15 min.' The lecture room fell silent. You could hear a pin drop. Ten minutes went by and the professor proclaimed, 'Here I am God. I'm still waiting.' It got down to the last couple of minutes when the Marine got out of his chair, went up to the professor, and cold-cocked him; knocking him off the platform. The professor was out cold. The Marine went back to his seat and sat there, silently. The other students were shocked and stunned and sat there looking on in silence. The professor eventually came to, noticeably shaken, looked at the Marine and asked, 'What the heck is the matter with you? Why did you do that?' The Marine calmly replied, 'God was too busy today protecting America 's soldiers who are protecting your right to say stupid stuff and act like an idiot. So, He sent me.'
I don't care if the story turns out to be untrue. I like it because it makes me wonder what I would do in that situation. Would I sit quietly in my seat hoping that the time would fly so that I could escape that room? Or would I have the courage to stand up for my beliefs? Would I be brave enough to speak up on behalf of my Heavenly Father? I would like to think that I would. My beliefs are more than just a part of who I am. My faith is what I use to guide me through decisions. It is a way of life. A life that is happy and fulfilling. I am deeply grateful that I live in a country where I can believe and live the way I choose. God bless the USA. Thank Father in Heaven for the blessings you bring into my life on a daily basis.

New Prophet

Yesterday morning the church held a press conference to announce the new First Presidency. As we all predicted President Thomas S. Monson was confimed as the 16th President of the church. His first councelor is President Henry B. Eyring. With President Dieter F. Uchtdorf as Second Counselor. I knew that President Eyring would be in the presidency still, but I didn't put President Uchtdorf there. He has only been in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for 3 and a half years. Still, when I heard his name I instantly felt right about it. He was put in to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for a reason. He needed to be in place so that he could be put in this calling. When things happen like this I often wonder if the members of the Frist Presidency are surprised. For example, when Pres. Hinckley called Pres. Uchtdorf if he knew that in a short while he would be dead and Pres. Uchtdort would be in place to be put into the presidency. What would it be like to know that your death is near and that replacements are being prepared. For me I think it would be scary. If I had more faith and I knew Les was there waiting for me it would probably be easier. At the same time I would be concerned for my children. I know how hard it is to lose someone you love. I know the pain they will feel. I just hope that when the time comes for me to go that I will have taught them enough that they will know that I am not gone forever. I hope that I can help them know for themselves that there is an after life. That we will all be able to be together beyond the veil. I will need Heavenly Father's help to teach them right. I pray for his guidance.
On a slightly different note I was looking through You Tube for a video on the news conference announcing Pres. Monson as the new Prophet. I came across several videos that I felt mocked the church. I found out that the same person posted each of them. The guy who posted them had served a mission and even married in the temple. Then something went terribly wrong. Now he spends his time "to help others to discover what I have found and to know the "REAL TRUTH" and then be able to better deal with the pain of their discovery." I felt really bad for this guy. Some of the stuff he wrote was on the note of "by their fruits ye shall know them." He has somewhere lost his way so bad that he thinks that "good fruits" are brought about through anger and other bad fruits. If he thinks that he is on the good side he will be so surprised when he gets to the other side. As I thought about this man I had an overwhelming desire to pray for him. So I will be praying for him that he may either see the error of his ways or that God may have mercy on him. If you so feel the desire to pray for him too I say please do. I only know his screen name as TheUtahnite. I know when I pray for him that Heavenly Father will know who I am praying for.
That is all I have for now. Remember to pray for the new First Presidency.

Great and Terrible Day

Today was just as the heading suggests. It was great because I went to a Stake Women's Conference. Anita Stansfield was the guest speaker. She talked a lot about following the spirit. She gave experiences from her own life where she has prayed for guidance and through faith received the help she has needed. After she finished we split into two groups for workshops. Both workshops (by the way the theme was "be as one") the speakers talked about their marriage and the things they have learned. In the first workshop the speakers were the bishop of the USU 5th ward and his wife. In 2000 their family made a resolution to read their scriptures together everyday. While preparing for this talk they asked their children what they remember the most about what their family did together. Three out of the four (the youngest is like 6) replied that it was studying the scriptures as a family. After the workshops we headed to the gym for lunch. It was wonderful. Everything about it was a great opportunity. I am grateful that I had that chance and took advantage of it.

The terrible part comes as we as a worldwide church bury our Prophet, Seer, and Revelator. There is still the joy in knowing that he has been reunited with his eternal companion. But actually having him put in the ground really brings it home. It makes it real. I knew that this day would happen. At the same time something inside of me hoped that it wouldn't. I wouldn't have minded if he had lived forever. I know, I know he would have. Of course he will live forever. First in our hearts. Second he will live for eternity in the life to come. A roommate of mine once said that she loved Pres. Hinckley because he was a cute little man that reminded her of a grandpa. I think that sums up how I feel about him. Even though I never met him he was the kind of person that you felt like you knew on a personal level. He really did feel like a grandfather to me. I love him as such. I only wish that Emma would have been able to get to know him. There will be others for her to know. Of course, I love Pres. Monson. I love listening to him speak. Not only is his voice calming but his talks always bring us a little more into his life. He shares his personal experiences for the benefit of all. The church will move forward. It is another test of our faith. Our testimonies are of Christ and his gospel not just of our current prophet. Les and I were discussing how when the Prophet Joseph Smith died that many of the saints fell away. Their testimonies were of Joseph Smith not of the church of Christ. I hope that I can raise Emma in a way that she will have a strong testimony of Christ, his teachings, and his servants.

I know that Jesus Christ is my Redeemer. I know that he came to the earth to show us the way back to Heavenly Father by example. His precious blood was spilt to save us from ourselves. His selfless sacrifice was the ultimate show of love. He allowed himself to suffer, bleed, and die on Calvery. I know that as we follow his teachings that we will have true joy and it will put us on the path to exaltation and eternal life. I know that Joseph Smith was the prophet of the restoration. I know that as a boy of 14 he knelt in prayer in a grove of trees. I know that because he had the faith to pray he saw and talked to God the Father and his son Jesus Christ. I know that through him the gospel was restored. I know that Heavenly Father has called other righteous men to head our great church. I know that each of those men spent the majority of their lives being prepared by the hand of God. I know that those who ask Heavenly Father in the name of his Son Jesus Christ if these things are true that they will receive an answer. Heavenly Father has not cut us off. He still wants to communicate with us but he will not force us to. If we have the faith to ask he will answer us through the still small voice of the Holy Ghost. I know these things are true. I know that Heavenly Father loves me and I love him. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.