Hepworth Family Christmas Party 2012

Last night was the annual Hepworth family Christmas party.  We weren't sure if I would feel good enough to go this year but luckily I felt pretty good on Sunday so we went. It was great fun.

Every year we have a dinner, sing Christmas songs, have the kids do a nativity, and do a white elephant gift exchange.

Everyone is getting ready to sing and do the Nativity.

 There were only 3 kids under the age of 10 that came to the party so Stephen generously became a Shepard.

 Will portrayed Joseph. I love how his hand is resting on Mary (my cousin, Lesley's, little girl, Olivia). My cousin Megan is the donkey.

 This is ninja Joseph.

 Ninja Joseph is watching out for Mary and the donkey.

 Joseph decided the Shepard needed some re-dressing.

 Singing Christmas songs.

 Little Olivia was Mary until the bitter end. She sure is cute!

 My brother, Ammon, and his wife, Monica, just moved back to Utah from Connecticut. Will is SO excited!

 Before the White Elephant the kids each opened a present. Will got a coloring book and some crayons.

 This is my grandmother, known as Grandma-Great at our house. Her birthday is the 24th of December so we always celebrate it at the party. She is incredible, she has over 35 grandchildren and over 20 great grandchildren, she doesn't look old enough does she?

 This year Stephen and I came home with a giant blue crayon piggy bank and some helicopter toys from the white elephant. Will LOVES the giant crayon. he calls it his "big colour" (he says color like that). He carries it around like a spear, it's pretty awesome. The helicopter didn't make it past today, Stephen broke it but it was fun while it lasted.

It was so nice to see a lot of my extended family and have some fun.

Success!

Can I just say how glad I am that it is Saturday! Friday is over and I made it out of surgery..SUCCESS! 

I am actually not feeling too bad. If I don't move my head too much, I can almost forget I had surgery, almost. I definitely feel much better then I did when I had hernia surgery in April.

I am now one giant lymph-node down and have an awesome new scar on my neck.

I am More Then a Little Scared...

I don't know if you read but in a previous post I mentioned that I am having surgery on Friday. I have never been more nervous about anything in my entire life. I am not sure why though, I've had major surgery before, many times in fact, but for some reason this surgery seems scary.

Maybe it's the threat of cancer. Maybe it's because I've lost some friends lately that makes death seem more real. I'm not sure. I am terrified that I won't be around to help raise Will, to give him kisses and tell him how amazing he is and how he can do anything. I am afraid that others can't love him the way I do. I know that is ridiculous. I know that I have amazing people around me that would take care of Will. I know that I have an amazing husband who would tell Will how crazy his mommy was, how she would spontaneously dance around the house and that she loved to play with dolls. I know that Stephen would raise Will to be the man I know he can be. I just am afraid I'll miss it.

I know that I need to get rid of this lump in my neck, I know that I'll be fine and that the surgery will go well. Luckily the Lord has promised me that. 

I am PMS-ing, I have hormones flying EVERYWHERE. I just can't wait for Saturday. 

Day 29

Stephen: I am grateful for siblings. I have learned so much from my brother and sisters. I don't know what I would be without them.

Sian: I am grateful that there are so many amazing crafts I can do with Will to incite his creativity. I am grateful to have learned the importance of creativity and imagination at a young age so that I could pass it on to my son. I am also grateful that today I had enough energy to do said crafts with Will.

Day 28

Stephen: I am grateful for the power of prayer. Our Heavenly Father is always turned towards us ad when we turn towards him it brings incredible power.

Sian: I am grateful for good doctors. Not all doctors are created equal and I've had some horrible ones in my time but right now I am surrounded by the best doctors I've ever had. I am so grateful that they actually care about me and want me to get better.

Next Friday I am having surgery on my throat. I have a lymph node that has been swollen for over 2 years. My doctors are 98% positive I do not have cancer, which is really reassuring, but they want to be 100% sure. The stupid thing also hurts so that's enough reason to get rid of it.

I am pretty scared but I know it has to be done and if by slim chance it is cancer I would rather know now when it's small. I could really use some prayers, or even some warm fuzzy thoughts if you don't pray.

Day 27

Stephen: I am grateful for music. Music has amazing powers. It can get us excited, it can sooth us, it can bring in the spirit, and nothing can transport you back to old memories better.

Sian: I am grateful for brothers. I am glad that I knew what boys were like before I married one. I am grateful for the things they have taught me and the examples they are to my son of what good men should be.

Day 26

Stephen: I am grateful for teachers. Where would we be without people who are willing to take the time to impart on us all that they have taken the time and effort to learn themselves? Anybody can be a teacher, but the most important teachers are the parents of the world.

Sian: I am grateful for my sisters. I am grateful to have friends who I can count on and who love me no matter how crazy I am.

Day 25

Stephen: I am grateful for light. It fights away the darkness, is accompanied by heat, and brings knowledge and realization to our understanding.

Sian: I am grateful for electricity. We put our Christmas tree up last night and it looks so pretty. It would not have lit up without electricity. Also I really like just flipping a switch and getting light. Pretty sure if I had to light candles I would have burned myself to a crisp by now.

P.S. It's officially only 1 month until Christmas. Is your shopping done?

Day 24

Stephen: I am grateful for children. There is so much we can learn from them, just the way they think about things, what they say and how they react and deal with certain situations. Also, they can always make us laugh.

Sian: I am grateful for Christmas music. There is not much that can get me out of a bad mood faster then Christmas music. Plus it's after Thanksgiving, so it's legal now.

Day 23

Stephen: I am grateful for chairs. One of the most important feats of engineering ever.

Sian: I am grateful for chap-stick. I am addicted, find me a support group, I just can't quit. We have even put some extra packages in our food storage, if the world ends and there is no more chap-stick, I'll be set.

Day 22: Happy Thanksgiving!

Stephen: I am grateful for sugar. It helps us deal with the bitter things in life.

Sian: I am grateful for a day in which we can completely focus on being grateful.

It has been a great day of gratefulness! We spent the day at my Grandmother's house with a lot of my extended family. It was a LOT of yummy food and great conversation!

Day 21

Stephen: I am grateful for the gospel. I cannot imagine going through life without the knowledge and comfort  and strength that it brings.

Sian: I am grateful for my ansestors. I am grateful for the sacrifices they made to give their posterity a better life.

Day 20

Stephen: I am grateful for animals. Pets bring us fun and companionship, and there is so much we can learn from animals in the wild. I defintelly believe that each animal was put here for a reason.

Sian: I am grateful for clean water. It's something so easily taken for granted but so many in the world don't have it.

Day 19

Stephen: I am grateful for cereal. I can't eat it as much as I used to; I used to eat it three meals a day when I was really young. You can never go wrong with cold, liquidy, and crunchy. I am very much a texture eater.

Sian: I am grateful for pictures. I am very much a visual person and have a horrible memory. Pictures help me remember.

Day 18

Stephen: I am grateful for hard days because they really make you appreciate the good days. So, I have to say that I am very grateful for good days as well. This is tied to the previous post where I said I was grateful for opposites.

Sian: Today I am grateful for pillows. I love pillows, one pillow in particular, his name is Spike. He has been with me since I was 14.

Day 17

Stephen: I am grateful for soft things. Beds, cushions, pillows, soft clothes, stuffed toys. Why not make life as comfortable as possible.

Sian: I am grateful for tears. Now that may sound sad but crying is such a great emotional release. I wasn't always much of a crier but I used to bottle up my emotions and I would explode, but I've learned that expressing my emotions and even crying is so much better for me.

Day 16

Stephen: I am grateful for cloudy/stormy days. I just like the atmosphere, the smells, and how it cools everything off.

Sian: I am grateful for good friends. I am grateful for friends that when you've been apart for a long time and you come together it's like you've never been apart. I am grateful for friends who have had a profound impact on my life but they may not know it. Thank you.

Day 15

Stephen: I am grateful for potential. It is so amazing that we all have the chance and capacity to improve. We can improve our bodies, our knowledge, our surroundings, our experience.

Sian: I am grateful for snuggly footsie jammies. No one can be sad in footsie jammies, not even a two year old.

I Interrupt the Regularly Scheduled Thankfulness for Some Cuteness

I realized that will all my Grateful Project posts I haven't updated about our family in a while.

We had our first big snowfall here in Utah on Thursday or Friday. It had snowed a few weeks before but really it snowed for like 20 minutes and it was gone before the day was over. Anyway, Will LOVES the snow, I mean every morning he wakes up and says, "good morning my snow!" Every time he goes outside he says, "I need my snow!" So yeah, he loves the snow, so on Sunday while I made dinner Stephen took Will outside to play in the snow.

I love walking behind these two when they walk hand in hand. Stephen is so tall and Will is so small.

 I found Will a Thomas hat, he wears it around all day, everyday.

 They had so much fun outside together.

Other then that Stephen has just been so busy with school and work that we don't see him much. Which makes the times we do so much the sweeter. Will and I have pretty much been hanging around the house playing with trains, cars, blocks, and having dance parties. We're all excited for Thanksgiving next week and the time Stephen has off school. 

Day 14

Stephen: I am grateful for cheese.  Best food item ever!

Sian: I am grateful for fresh produce. I am also grateful for those who grow it, especially because I have the blackest thumb ever.

Day 13

Stephen: This might sound weird, but I am grateful for temperature. It blows my mind that we can feel hot and cold. We can heat things up and we can freeze them as well. Our lives really depend on temperature as well: we as humans can overheat or freeze and ultimately be killed by temperature; and at the same time we keep people alive and comfortable with temperature as well.

Sian: I am grateful for disposable diapers. I am also grateful that I live in a time where disposable diapers are readily available, also that I have indoor plumbing.

Day 12

Stephen: I am grateful for projects. You get a chance to be creative, put some effort into something, and feel like you accomplished something when you are done.

Sian: I am grateful for naps. I am grateful that Will still takes a nice long nap during the day so I can nap as well.

Day 11

Stephen: I am grateful for opposites. We all need times of extremes, like times of extreme cold or extreme hot to appreciate the times that are just right.

Sian: Today I am grateful for all those who do currently and have fought to protect my freedom. Thank you so much!

Day 10

Stephen: I am grateful for food. Of course, there can always be too much of a good thing, but preparing food, tasting it, getting energy from it is all such a wonderful part of life. I hope it is a part of the next life as well.

Sian: Today I am grateful for chocolate. That is all.

Day 9

Stephen: I am grateful for science and logic. It is so important to make sense of the world around us and to experiment with it as well. There is still so much for us to learn as humanity.

Sian: Today I am grateful for the snow. I normally dislike the snow greatly but I've been trying to see it through Will's eyes. I love the excitement and wonderment in his eyes as he exclaims, "Look at the sow, mommy! It's so AWESOME!"

Day 8

Stephen: I am grateful for our senses. We take for granted the miracle that we can see and hear, that we can smell, taste, and touch. These senses bring us enjoyment; it is also through our senses that we gain information and knowledge. There are so many people out there who are not able to use all their senses, but they live their lives happily, I am also grateful for the examples of those people. We should never take our senses for granted.

Sian: Today I am grateful for Will. I am grateful for the laughter and love he brings to our home. I am grateful for all his little boy loves and all his little boy quirks. I am grateful for his "i uv you mommy"-s and his smooshy (yes, that is a word, a made up a word none the less) kisses.

Day 7

Stephen: I am grateful for laughter. Not much can help you feel better when you are down. Either watch something or read something that you know will give you a laugh and it will completely change your day around.

Sian: Today I am grateful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am grateful for the knowledge I have of the Atonement and it's healing power. I am grateful for a Savior who suffered for not only my sins but also all my sadness and trials. I am grateful to know that all I have to do is ask and I can be comforted through the power of the atonement. 

Today has been especially hard, I started my period. Now that may be an over share but basically that means that I'm not pregnant, again. A friend posted this quote this morning and it was exactly what I needed to hear...

"It isn’t as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out. Don’t worry. I say that to myself every morning. It will all work out. If you do your best, it will all work out. Put your trust in God, and move forward with faith and confidence in the future. The Lord will not forsake us. He will not forsake us. … If we will put our trust in Him, if we will pray to Him, if we will live worthy of His blessings, He will hear our prayers." - Gordon B. Hinckley

I am also grateful for modern day prophets and their comforting words.

Day 6

Stephen: I am so grateful to be living in a country where I am free to believe what I want, say what I want and become whatever I am willing to put in the effort to become. It hurts my heart to think of how many people in the world do not have the privileges that we take for granted. It is not fair, but all I can do is be grateful for what I have and pray for those less fortunate.

Sian: Today I am grateful for the right I have to vote, to influence the course of politics. I am grateful for those who have fought and continue to fight to preserve my freedoms and rights.

P.S. We voted, did you?

Day 5

Stephen: I am quite grateful for technology. I realize how much this makes me sound like Kip Dynamite, but it is true. Because of technology I am able to be at work all day, but still be updated on the goings on at home through emails, texts, and IM; I really enjoy chatting with my wife. Technology has also vastly improved the ways we learn, get entertainment, have fun, and receive medical treatment. Where would we be without it. I strongly believe that we will be blown away by the technology in the after-life.

Sian: Today I am grateful for modern medicine. I know many people feel like there is too much medicine used today but I know for a fact that I would be dead without it. With all the various illnesses and maladies I've had in my life, I would be dead several times over, in fact.

Some Thoughts on Tricky Things

A few days ago on Facebook, a friend of a friend posted that she was having systems of a miscarriage and was asking for advice. As I read through her comments with the intent to comment about how sorry I was for her, until I read a comment made by the original poster. It read, " The worst part is about two weeks ago I had a horrible morning sickness day, partly the stomach flu, and I actually prayed for a miscarriage..." As I read this I had a slew of emotions, the first and most dominant being anger that anyone would pray for that. 

Me, being someone who has an incredibly hard time getting pregnant and then staying pregnant, just couldn't believe that someone who was lucky enough to get pregnant would pray to miscarry. In truth I was SO angry. My eyes welled up in tears and I raged to myself for a little while about how unfair life is, blah, blah, blah. 

After my pity party I started thinking more about it, in fact I couldn't get it out of my mind. The more I thought about it, the more my harsh attitude began to change. I realized how sad I felt for this woman who felt so overwhelmed that she momentarily forgot how much joy a child can bring to your life. I realized that I had NO place to judge this woman, I have no idea what her life is like or what she has been through.

Then I thought about how I've been praying for years, yes years, to have more children and that I hope I never get to the point where I pray to have a miscarriage. That I always remember how much I have wished, prayed, pleaded, and hoped for more children. 

This morning I said a prayer for this sister, that she could feel the love of the Lord during this difficult time in her life and I asked for forgiveness for judging her. It is always amazing where the Lord chooses to teach a lesson.

Day 4

Stephen: I am grateful for every opportunity I have to do any kind of activity or project with Will. Lately I have been having him help me load the dishwasher, and today I had him help me cook dinner. He did a very good job stirring without burning himself and not making a mess, and I could tell he really enjoyed it by the way he broke down in tears when meal was actually finished and he couldn't cook anymore.

Sian: Today I am grateful for loving parents who raised me to know right from wrong and to stand up for what I know is right. I wasn't an easy child and I'm grateful that they didn't kill me along the way. They taught me that there are consequences of every action, good or bad, and take them into consideration when I make decisions. They taught me to love the Lord and His church. I am so grateful they took the time to teach me to be a good and kind person. Thank you Mom and Dad!

The Grateful Project: Day 3

Stephen: I am grateful for a great place to live where my family can relax, have fun, work on projects together, cook together, and feel the influence of the Holy Ghost together; where we can feel safe and peaceful.

Sian: Today I am grateful for Saturdays. For the time I get to spend with my husband and son. That I get to watch them together and see the excitement in Will's eyes as Stephen chases him around the house and plays tracks with him. 

The Grateful Project: Day 2

Stephen: Today I am so grateful to have an amazing wife who takes such good care of our family and our house even when she is not feeling well. I am the luckiest man in the world.

Sian: Today I am grateful for my amazing husband. I am grateful that he is willing to work incredibly hard for our family at school and at work. I am grateful that he is a righteous priesthood holder. I am grateful that he treats me like a queen. I am so grateful to be married to my best friend.

The Grateful Project: Day 1

This year has been tough. Our little family has been through a lot. To celebrate the Thanksgiving month Stephen and I have decided to everyday blog about one thing we are grateful for.

Stephen: Today I am so grateful to have a family: a loving wife who is my best friend and companion, and a son who I can teach and learn from and play with everyday. My family loves me unconditionally and I love sharing new experiences with them everyday.

Sian: Today I am grateful for motherhood. I am grateful that the Lord has deemed Stephen and I worthy enough to be parents to one of his precious children. I am grateful for every tantrum, every tear, every poopy diaper, every snotty nose. I am also grateful for every smile, every giggle, every "I lu you, mommy," every snuggle. With our fertility struggles I take no aspect of motherhood for granted and I dearly hope we will be blessed with more little babies. But if not then I will enjoy every moment I get with Will.

Happy Halloween!

This year Halloween was so great. It was so fun to see the excitement in his face as he said, "tick treat" and was rewarded with candy. 

We decided to all be cowboys this year. We had most of the things we needed to accomplish it but I did make both Stephen and Will's vests and my skirt.

My favorite thing about this picture is Will's stance in his boots, he looks SO awesome!

 The toughest men in the west!

 I made my skirt out of old jeans. I should have taken a picture of the back, it has a bustle. It wasn't planned but it looked awesome!

 Will has gotten to the age of silly smiles. It's so tricky to get him to smile genuinely. It's ok, I love his silly smiles!

 P.S. This is the backyard of our new place, really pretty, right?

 I couldn't get Will to say trick or treat the whole day. But as soon as we went to the first house and Stephen said, "trick or treat," and Will saw that the reward was candy, it clicked, He was a, "tick treat," master.

While we were trick or treating Will saw a spider-man and he got so excited. He kept running after him, calling out "hi spider-man. hi spider-man. spider-man, stop."

 We only trick or treated for an hour or so but Will got a healthy amount of candy, well, unhealthy really. He had a death grip on his candy bucket so we let him keep it while we drove home. When we got home we discovered that he had removed the wrapper and chomped down a sucker to nothing. He doesn't waste any time.

Family Pictures

A few weekends ago my amazing sister-in-law, Bri, took some family pictures for us. I'm in love with them!

The first 2 are ones that I took with our tripod, on the side of the road, the weekend before...yeah, not so much.

 We went up the canyon to take advantages of the fall leaves. It was a beautiful day!

Which one do you like the best?