Just a Coincidence?

We're down to less than 4 weeks until our baby's due date. So, of course, Chad and I have been talking a lot about the upcoming birth of our baby boy. The due date is September 6th, Labor Day. As the time has been drawing closer, whenever I or others have talked about having the baby in September, I seem to have this voice that automatically tells me, "You're going to have an August baby." I kind of shrug it off but I still have this crazy feeling that he will come in August. And I don't really know why.

I was explaining all of this to Chad last night and this is the conversation that ensued:

Chad: "So, when do you think the baby will come?"

Laina: "I keep thinking about 2 weeks early. That puts the date at...(walks over to calender and checks the date)...the 23rd of August, or there about.

"Why? When do you see the baby coming?"

Chad: (points out the 21st through the 25th of August) "I was thinking the exact same time period. Christy (his boss) keeps telling me that the baby can't come on the 20th because that's when the luau is at work and she really needs my help. My reaction has always been that the baby won't come then but it will be right after that."

We then proceeded to talk about how crazy it is that we are always on the same wavelength like that. That's exactly how we picked out our wedding date. We're really excited to see when the baby will decide to come now. We are not counting on him to come when we feel he will at all, but it will be fun if he does! Knowing us, because of this whole situation, he will be a week or so late. :)

We are very excited and anxious to meet our little guy!

P.S. If anyone has any guesses as to when our boy will enter the world, please comment! It will be fun to see who is closest!

Some Thoughts on my Mind....

1. Dogs. Chad and I have been talking a lot lately about how much we would love to have a dog. But, we don't have the money for vet bills and things like that and we don't have a lot of room. And we have a baby on the way. A baby is going to be a HUGE adjustment and I don't know if adding a dog to that would be a good idea. So for now, we will keep talking about how much we want one and prepare for the day when we can make it happen. That isn't as easy as it sounds when you see a poster for a free Australian Shepherd. An Australian Shepherd would be perfect for us....

2. Childbirth. Yesterday marked 4 weeks left of my pregnancy. We've officially entered the "waiting game" stage. Who knows if the baby will wait the whole 4 weeks. He might come early, or he might decide to be stubborn and wait more than 4 weeks. Either way, I've started preparing myself for the experience that is childbirth. A huge part of that preparation is for the goal I set to go natural. You read right. I am determined to birth my baby without an epidural. My mom did it. Women do it everyday. Yet, people I have told around here make it seem like it's impossible. They give me a raised eyebrow of disbelief and a fairly discouraging "good luck." It has become rather irritating but every time I get it I become that much more determined to do it. I know I don't know what it's like but like I said, women do it everyday so I know it can be done. I know I have the strength to do it and I'm so grateful for a husband that supports my decision 100%. I am excited for this upcoming adventure!

3. Chad's Job. I am so grateful that Chad has a job he loves. And that his new position as supervisor came at just the right time. He was getting to the point of giving up a job he loved to find one that pays more money. Now, he has the best of both worlds! I love visiting him at work and watching him with the residents. They all love him and he sure loves them. And he has learned so much as supervisor. It has been so fun watching him fill that role, even if it is a little inconvenient at times. He is a wonderful provider and I am so grateful for that.

4. Chad Andrew Phelps. I have such a wonderful husband. He is so humble and so willing to correct his mistakes and take criticism. He is always asking how he can do things better both at work and at home. What an example that is. He is so caring and gentle with me. He is always willing to do anything and everything for me. Including letting me be my stubborn, independent self when he would much rather do it for me. :) He is honest. Completely honest. Something that means the world to me. I witnessed how dishonesty can tear a family apart and it is such a relief that I don't have to worry about that in my own family. And he has a simple, strong testimony of the Gospel. Something that rejuvenates my testimony everyday.

5. The Mission I Didn't Serve. Last night, Chad spoke at Family Home Evening held at the retirement center he works at. He was asked to talk about his mission. I love hearing about Chad's mission. I love the way his face lights up when he talks about it. I am so grateful that he was able to have that amazing experience. But I must confess that I am jealous of it, too. I have always wanted to serve a mission. I wanted my mom to be able to send one of her children out on a mission. I always wanted the opportunity to have the Spirit constantly with me like only missionaries have. And to share the wonderful message of the Gospel with the people of whatever region I would serve in. And to see the wonderful miracle of a life changed by the Gospel. But, alas, that route was not meant for me. At least not at this stage in my life. Later on, when my children are all grown and Chad and I are old and grey, we will serve a wonderful mission together. :)

6. My Alternate Mission. As the laptop sits on my tummy, being kicked and bumped by the tiny life inside of me, I can't help but look forward to the other mission the Lord has in store for me. A mission that is bigger, more far-reaching and nerve wracking than the one I gave up. He has given me the solemn and joyful responsibility to be a mother to this spirit and other spirits to come of His. Instead of being a missionary, I will raise up missionaries. I will raise sons and daughters of God. I will teach them the Gospel, how to be good citizens, how to treat others with love and respect, the concept of consequences for their actions, and the list goes on and on. A pretty heavy responsibility that I hope I can live up to. What a crazy and exciting journey it will be. I can't wait. :)

Camp Courage: All For One and One For All!

Girls Camp...who doesn't love girls camp?! It's a week you get to spend away from the distractions of the world amongst wonderful people. It's a week to act wild and crazy and gain testimony through the Spirit that is felt. Spirits are brought together and connected through the many opportunities to feel the Spirit and work together. Ask anyone that is able to attend and I'm sure they will tell you that they always come away feeling their Spirit renewed and a better person than they were before.

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend Girls Camp for the Idaho Falls North Stake (Camp Courage) this last week. I was able to spend time and get to know some wonderful people from the Idaho Falls 7th Ward that Chad and I have been blessed to live in since we got married. What a wonderful week it was! There is nothing else like feeling the Spirit and strength of the youth of this world. We have awesome girls in our world and I am very grateful for the chance I had to get to know them a little better than I did before.

We had a great week of fun, hard work, team work and testimony building. The theme for the stake was Camp Courage. The theme for our ward was "All for one and one for all." Patterned after the brave Musketeers, we became the brave "Valueteers", standing for the wonderful Young Women Values; Faith, Divine Nature, Individual Worth, Knowledge, Choice and Accountability, Good Works, Integrity, and Virtue. I, personally, was strengthened as I was able to share my testimony throughout the week, listen to others' testimonies, and see the wonderful example of courage each of our girls displays in each of their lives. I remember listening to my own Young Women leaders talk about what an example us girls were for them and I never understood how that could be until I became a leader myself. I am so blessed to be able to work with some amazing and very brave young women. Their example helps me to be better everyday.

I love my calling. I love girls camp. I love and adore the wonderful young women I am able to serve. I love my Heavenly Father and I know without a doubt that he loves me. I know my Savior lives and that His Atonement is real and encompasses me daily. I know that I am a divine daughter of God and that He has a plan for me. And I strive to live up to that knowledge everyday.

And with that, I would like to leave you with some pictures! I was a bum and didn't take any so I stole these for Sis John, our wonderful Young Women President.

Setting up camp: We had these wonderful reminders posted to help us be kind to one another and bond together.

This is Makayla, Pati and Maria back from their hike. They hiked 10 miles and were exhausted! What troopers they were! Two of our other girls, Katie and Krystal, hiked 18 miles! They started bright and early before the other girls and were the last to get back. What an example of strength and courage all of them were. I am so proud of them.

Pati, Maria, Sis John and I with Makayla and Jammie in the background, waiting for flag ceremony to start.

Krystal, Jammie and Pati being silly.

Pati going down the slide.

Skit night! This is Queen Stucki and our courageous Valueteers. "We are the Valueteers and we're here to conquer fear with courage, Courage, COURAGE!"

This is Katie and Makayla waiting out the thunderstorm. It started raining during skit night and soon turned into thunder and lightning. Luckily, it didn't last long.

We enjoyed some yummy Smores nachos during the storm.

See that tiny spot of chocolate underneath her nose? Well, I told Makayla that she had a spot of chocolate there and instead of wiping it off, she took a smores nacho and smeared it all over her face! What a crazy girl!

This is me, Katie, Makayla, and Kyrstal on Bishop's Night after our testimony meeting.

All of the girls with our beloved Bishop Johnson. Our one Youth Camp Leader, Jamie, is in front between Jammie and Katie. She was such a great leader. She really was a big help with the girls. 3 of them were at camp for the first time and she was great at showing them the ropes and getting them involved. Thanks for all the help, Jamie!

Brother Droegemuller and Brother Heeding, our awesome counselors to the bishop. What goofs! Brother Heeding was one of our priesthood leaders the whole week at camp and what a great help he was. We all loved having him around.

Me (2nd Counselor), Lonnie Graham (1st Counselor) and Susie John (President). Our Young Women's presidency minus our secretary, Heather Kunz (who was missed!). What a blessing it has been to work with these strong women. I have learned a lot from them and I am very grateful for their example. Due to work, Sis Graham wasn't able to be there for the week but we were very happy to have her at our Bishop's Night and share such a great testimony.

And last but not least, our fearless camp director, Mary Jo Stucki. (Sorry it's not the best picture) I am so grateful I was able to serve with her this week at camp. She is so wonderful. She did a great job planning for camp and getting things together. She really made girls camp the great experience it was. We owe it all to her. Thanks, Sis Stucki for doing a great job and loving our young women the way you do!

Camp Courage 2010 was an amazing week and I am so grateful for all the things I was able to learn and experience. Here's to hoping that we are still around next year so I can enjoy camp again!

7TH WARD VALUETEERS! ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL!

Just a little something to make you Smile...

This is a picture of two of the residents that live at Lincoln Court where Chad works. We put this up on our fridge and it makes me chuckle every time I walk past it. Enjoy!

Surprise!

This morning, Chad and I went to a baby appointment in Rexburg. When we got home we found this on our doorstep!:

I couldn't believe it! A sewing machine! And in the bag were these goodies!:

It was such a surprise! I still can't believe that someone was so generous. There was no card or note so I don't who was our (I guess I should say my haha) Santa in July. I am so excited to have my very own sewing machine! I can't wait to get started on a project for our little boy. What a blessing this is! Heavenly Father has blessed us so much the last 9 months and throughout my life that I can't believe He is giving us another big blessing. Life is good! I am so happy! Thank you a thousand times over to the wonderful person who gave so much to get us this!!!!

Pregnancy Update

Today marks 32 weeks! Only 8(ish) weeks left! Getting really anxious to meet our little man!

Experiencing pregnancy for the first time has been quite the adventure. So many things happen that I had no idea about. Like the fact that I got 2 cold sores in one month! And that I've gotten 2 charlie horses in the middle of the night when I've never had one before. Never realized those things were common during pregnancy until they happened and then everyone tells me, "Oh yeah, that happens a lot." Other than that things are pretty normal, things you would normally expect like adjusting to a growing tummy. Which isn't as bad as I thought (not yet anyways). The hard part about this pregnancy is dealing with the heat. I hate it and can't wait for it to be over. And I still have a week of girls camp to look forward to later this month. Wish me luck.

Now on to the best part about this period of pregnancy...the baby! He moves like crazy all the time and I love it! Sometimes I feel like I'm on a roller coaster when he flips over because my stomach goes up and down. I love watching my tummy move all over the place when he's moving around. The best is when my stomach suddenly goes lopsided. It's just so fun to see! And I love feeling his hiccups. It always makes me smile. There really is a baby in there! And it's MY baby! (Oh yeah, and Chad's too ;)...).

Our little guy is already is so much a spiritual and emotional part of our family that I can't wait until he is a physical part! I can't wait to start this new, very life-changing part of our lives! I just can't wait! :)

Thank Heaven for Little Boys

I can't wait to hold my little boy.