Hepworth Family

In 2Nephi 33: 3 But I, Nephi, have written what I have written, and I esteem it as of great worth, and especially unto my people. For I pray continually for them by day, and mine eyes water my pillow by night, because of them; and I cry unto my God in faith, and I know that he will hear my cry. I know this one was from last week’s scripture reading but it ties into another scripture from this week that really meant a lot to me. Which is Jacob 5: 47 But what could I have done more in my vineyard? Have I slackened mine hand, that I have note nourished it? Nay, I have nourished it, and I have digged about it, and I have pruned it, and I have dunged it; and I have stretched forth mine hand almost all the day long, and the end draweth nigh. And it grieveth me that I should hew down all the trees of my vineyard, and cast them into my fire that they should be burned. Who is it that has corrupted my vineyard? When my son went through the temple before he left on his mission my husband,...

A few weeks ago I was just getting ready to paint and our power went out. It was the middle of the day, it had been raining, and it wasn't very light in the house. At first I didn't want to paint in the dark, but as my eye got accustom to the dark I decided I could do it. A few hours went by and I needed to leave to pick my kids up from the bus stop (it is 3 miles from my home). One side of the garage was open so I decided to take our big van so that I didn't have to try and open the other side. As I drove up the road, I could see some police lights at the intersection were I needed to turn. I could see that there were some power lines down. I decided that rather than turning around to go around the block I would just turn and take a shortcut through the field that was near the intersection. As I was traveling part way through the muddy field I see the Sheriff roll down his window and motion for me to do the same. He told me the field was private property and I co...

A couple of years ago I remember a hit song coming out called Stay High. In the Lyrics it says: You're gone and I got to stay high, All the time to keep you off my mind. I remember hearing it and thinking what a sad message that we are sending. Maybe I should have turned it off, It has such a catchy little tune I even found it playing in my mind! One of the hardest things as a mother is to watch one of my children struggle. It doesn't matter what type of struggle it is my heart hurts for them. Last Summer and the school year before were really hard on my oldest son Spencer. Many times I would find myself stopped in front of his closed bedroom door pondering if I should go in. Silently watching him grasp to find his way through life. At the very beginning of June there was a scout camp for the boys in our ward that were Spencer's age and Austin's age, since they are only 18 months apart. Spencer didn't really want to go on the camp but I made the alternative...

My son Austin has always been quite challenging for me. So challenging that I sought counseling to help me know how to deal with him. One thing I really wanted him to learn as a boy was to have compassion for others. As I prayed and thought about how to deal with him I decided I needed to find someone in whom he could offer service to. There aren't any rest homes close by so I pondered who he could help. I remembered an older lady in our ward that needed interaction so badly they would pass a sign up sheet In Relief Society. I set it up so that while his other siblings had piano lessons he would go to Norene's house and visit. For over a year and a half he went over once a week and visited. Norene was very gifted musically, when she was younger she was invited to attend Julliard school of music. She loved music. Because of her health issues she was no longer able to play the piano or sing. My Austin was able to help fill some of her love of music by being In her home and...

For some reason when I hit puberty my self esteem took a nosedive. I believed that I was ugly because as far as I could tell there were no boys interested in me. One of my friends seemed to have every boy in the Junior High interested in her. As I grew older I made poor choices, and many based on what I viewed would make boys like me. As an adult I see teenage girls just like I was and it makes me feel a little bit sad for them. If only they could see how talented and beautiful they really are! When I was 19 I started going to cosmetology school full time and working part time. I was busy and with any spare moment that I had I would party with my friends. When I started Cosmetology school my hair was quite long and when I graduated my hair was short. When I first cut all of my hair off I hated it. In fact I remember meeting someone at the Vortex (a dance club) and giving him my number. A few weeks later....my hair much shorter he asked me out and I said "No, I got a hai...

Three years ago we took our family on a Cruise and to Disneyland for Christmas. At the time Leslie wasn't dating anyone (at least as far as I knew). We made plans for her to come with us on our vacation. She is a good friend, and more helpful than a husband with the kids. I was excited for her to come. I loved having her for our family vacations! Because of all of the time she has spent with us, my kids really bonded with her and all of them love her so much. One night on our cruise she was showing the kids the proper way to do an cannon ball into the hot tub and failed to navigate her body far enough in to miss the steps. Although she didn't go to the doctor we are pretty sure that she broke her tail bone. I know she was in pain for months after. Also this made going on any rides at Disneyland not as much fun. The day that our Cruise returned we checked into a hotel across the street from Disney and planned to go the next day. The next day as we all got up and ready...

For Christmas this year we went to California with Tyler's family. We planned to spend a day at Disneyland and a day at California Adventure. I had planned to buy the kids some kind of souvenir while we were there. On the day we went to California Adventure it was quite chilly that morning. I didn't bring a jacket but I wasn't worried because the sun was shining and we were walking around.......with the exception of Ethan. He really can't walk long distances, so we rented a wheelchair. Since Ethan was so cold, I went to a souvenir shop while he was on a ride and bought him a hoodie. He was quite grateful at that time because he felt so cold. Later on in the day I took Brigham and Hailey to buy something. Hailey picked Mini Mouse ears with a bow, and Brigham picked a double fan that spins with lights. At this point Ethan starts to feel jealous and a little bit jipped because he wants a toy. I told him sorry but his hoodie was his souvenir. He was kind of mad ...

Ten years ago we lived in American Fork, Utah. Tyler and my sister Leslie worked at the same place, Nature's Sunshine, in Provo. Leslie was dating a guy named Mike that she had met in her single adult ward. He seemed like a nice enough guy and he seemed to really like Leslie. I was quite anxious for her to get married. She is the sister that is just younger than me and such a kind and fun aunt to my children, I could hardly wait for the day that she gets married and has children of her own. Each day she would come to our house and carpool with Tyler to work. Several days a week she would stay and eat dinner with us and play with the kids. Spencer was 5, Austin was 3, and Hailey was 1. She was always such a kind and loving aunt. Here is a picture of her on Spencer's John Deere tricycle with the three kids. Besides my sister she is one of my best friends. I loved when she would visit us, and the kids did too. One day in May she said that she needed to talk to me. S...

When potty training little boys I find it easiest to teach them to pee sitting down. It works pretty well at home, but I think every single one of my boys has at one point forgotten to aim down. I can recall twice having my nylons being peed on in the church bathroom...lol Oh....the joys of motherhood! Last year we discovered that Ethan had an inguinal hernia. Because of his age and other health issues, I had to take him to see a pediatric general surgeon. We set up and appointment for Primary Childrens Hospital in Salt Lake since the Neurologist that he sees is there as well. On the way down for the appointment I discovered that Ethan didn't have any shoes....he had left them home. I had all of the kids with me because Tyler was busy with farming. I decided that once we got to Ogden we would stop at Smith and Edwards and see what they had for shoes. We stopped and I bought him a pair of sandals that I thought would stay on his feet(They didn't of course). Shortly a...

In January some fun things happened at our house. First on the Eight Brigham turned 6! He is such a sweet & stubborn little boy. He really tries hard to do what is right. During November we went to the bowling alley for some family fun. Austin, my stubborn and kind of naughty son, decided to head over to the area where they serve food and swipe a bunch of sweet-n-low and sugar packets. We didn't know about this but Brigham saw him. He came over and told me that he saw Austin steal something and he also told the guy at the bowling alley. I made Austin put them back and we had a stealing chat. I felt so proud that Brigham would stand up for what is right. On the 14th of January Tyler and I went to Maui, Hawaii without our children for a short vacation! It was a lot of fun. I enjoyed the peace and break from the chaos of home. His dad and Jodi came to our house and watched our kids. I felt so thankful that they would be willing to help us. I knew the kids would be...

It seems as though most of my boys have some kind of fascination with fire. I am a city girl and although I know how to start a camp fire I wouldn't consider myself any kind of pro at it. When we first moved to Idaho we would burn our trash. In my entire life the closest thing to burning trash that I have ever done was throw my paper plates in the camp fire, and maybe an occasional plastic fork. Tyler told me that to get the garbage really burning you need to put a bit of gasoline onto it. He did caution me to put the gasoline on before I start the fire. Well our trash was pilling up and I decided to take the initiative to get it burning. I poured a little bit of gasoline on and started it. The trash wasn't burning as well as I thought it should so I decided to pour just a little bit more on. The flames were small so I didn't think anything would happen. Also, I should mention that I was pregnant with Ethan at this time and had Spencer, Austin, and Hailey standing...

Over the past year as I watch my little Ethan struggle with his health issues I have had so many experiences that have changed my perspective on life forever. One of the funnest vacations that we took our kids on was a cruise. While we were on the cruise I was getting so impatient and frustrated because Ethan just could not keep up. I couldn't understand why he couldn't alternate his feet on the stairs. I was so impatient, I wouldn't let him wear flip flops because it was almost impossible for him to keep them on his feet and walk. In July we went to Yellowstone with Grandma Dalton and cousins. I knew that I had a stress fracture in my foot before we left but figured that since I wasn't running my foot would be fine. I could hardly walk, my foot was so painful. I had to use both feet on the steps and I couldn't keep up with the rest of the group. I would pack ice onto my foot while I drove to help with the pain and swelling. When we got back from the tr...

I think most children cut their own hair at least once in their lives....Austin also gave himself an eyelash trim! Yes, he did cut his eyelid a little bit and, No, I didn't know about it until I noticed that he had short stumpy eyelashes. Oh, and when I asked him why he said "I get tired of people telling me I have girl eyelashes." I love his long dark eyelashes and I don't think they look girly. On the day of Hailey's Baptism the family on my side drove up from Utah. I gave my Brother Ben a Haircut and my mom a trim. While I was doing this Ethan kept insisting that he needed a turn. It was about 15 minutes before we needed to leave when I discovered that Ethan had cut his own hair. It was bad enough that I had to use the #1 attachment on his whole head. He looked quite bald. He took one look in the mirror and declared "I Look UGLY!" By the time we left for Hailey's baptism he'd dug a ski cap out of the snow clothes and he wore it to t...

So much time has gone by since I last posted. I'm trying to think if I missed any major events....Life has been good for us, we always just have some good crazy here. A couple of months back I received a Text from the Mother of one of my kids friends. The text went something like this....(I am not going to use his real name to protect the innocent:)) My son Caleb said that he ate a ghost pepper that he got from one of your kids. I was just wondering if that really happened. So I talked to all of my kids and asked them if they by any chance gave this boy a ghost pepper while he was visiting for a play date. The all said no, but then an incident that happened in October came fresh to my memory. First I need to give you a little history on why we would have ghost peppers to begin with..... My son Spencer went through a phase towards the end of summer where he just had to take video's of himself eating spicy things and posting them on his facebook. For at least a month he...

So much has happened in our lives since the last time I blogged, I hope that I can remember it all! In May we put our trampoline into the ground thinking it would be safer that way. The problem with having it in the ground is that Max was able to just walk right on to it. I warned all of the kids that they needed to be careful and not jump when he was on the trampoline. Well one Sunday evening Hailey took Max outside and while they were playing she decided that she could give Max just a little bounce. He cried and she brought him to me. I knew his leg was broken. He wouldn't stand or crawl he would just sit next to me and cry. The emergency room in Burley is useless when you go there with a broken bone so I just waited to take him to the orthopedic doctor on Monday. At the doctors office the next day the X-Ray tec said that sometimes they can't see the break for a couple of weeks but they took X-rays anyway and you could see immediately that both bones in his leg were ...

A couple of weeks ago as I was tucking Ethan and Brigham into bed Ethan felt his blankets and said "My blankets have pee on them." I said it is probably just water because I just washed your blankets, and he said "no, it is pee I can tell." So I asked Brigham "Did you pee on Ethan's bed?" He said "Yeah I did, because I don't want him to sleep in mine room." I stood there for a moment feeling quite angry and trying to decide what the best course of action would be. I thought that spanking and time out weren't the best option and since I already had Ethan's blankets to wash what is one more batch. I said "Ethan, hop up on Brighams bed and pee on it." He gave me a look like I was crazy and said "what?" I said "you heard me, hop up there and pee on Brigham's bed." He said "Okay" hopped up and peed on it. Brigham cried his eyes out and screamed his head off. If we had neighbors th...

Just before spring Break I got a call from the pediatric neurologist's office and they had an opening. They were able to see us on the 24th of March! I was so thrilled that we were able to make it. I thought the weakness in Ethan was maybe his feet or calves, but the doctor said that it is in his hips, and pelvis. Which makes sense and is why he has a hard time holding it when he needs to pee and at night he has to wear a pull up. They already had our doctor do a CK test and it came back normal, if it had been elevated he said that he would bet it to be Duchenne muscular dystrophy, but since the CK came back normal he isn't sure. On the 11th of April he had to have a muscle biopsy. I had to wait until the day before to hear what time we needed to be to PCMC. It made me crazy to wait so that I could plan when I would leave. We had to be there at 6:45 AM so I decided to drive down to Utah the night before. I was hoping to leave around 8 PM but I had to pick Spencer up from...

On the 12th of February Tyler and I went on a cruise without kids. We did bring Max our baby though. He was such a sweet and fun baby and all of the people that work on the Cruise ship loved him. Especially the Maitre d', She was from Romania and every night would carry Max to our table. She said that she had to leave her daughter to work on the cruise ship when she was Max's age. While we were on the cruise Max turned 1!! I can't believe that a year has passed. He is such a sweet little guy. While we were on the cruise Max had an allergic reaction to amoxicillin and was covered from head to toe in hives. This picture was taken at the airport and every person that saw Max kept saying "what happened?" or "what is wrong with him?" Poor Max, I kept saying "Normally he is an adorable cute baby." This was taken at the doctors office just before we left. It really was divine inspiration that I brought Benadryl with me on the cruise ship. I k...

Taking the kids on a cruise was one of the best vacations that we have had. It was very relaxing and the cruise ship has plenty of activities for the kids. While we were on the cruise Marge brought to my attention that there is something going on with Ethan. I am a big fan of taking the stairs on the cruise the elevators are slow and the stairs are good exercise. I have always noticed that Ethan walks and runs a little funny, but I just figured it would work itself out as he got older. He was the slowest at walking and has to plant both feet on every stair when walking up and down the stairs. I also know that he gets tired easily and if you ask him how he likes kindergarten he will say "I hate it because I can't get a drink when I am thirsty." I had his thyroid screened and they also checked for diabetes in December and both came back normal. When we got home from the cruise I took him into the doctor to ask about his walking and what might be going on. They did ...

In November we flew to Minnesota to spend Thanksgiving with Grandma Dalton and Marge. This was our kids first time on an airplane. I was quite stressed packing and getting us there but we made it without losing any kids along the way. I let the older kids use my camera while we were flying and I think they took about 50 pictures of the clouds and airplane wings :) Shawn and Lindsey were on the same flight out as us and it was fun for the kids to have cousins to play with. Brigham now says that Carson is his best friend. Ethan was really cute. He wore the Indian hat that he made at school all through the airport. The people at the airport helped us a lot and were very family friendly. Here is a picture of the back of Grandma Dalton & Marge's house. The house is really neat and it had plenty of room for the kids to play. We took the kids to the park to play one day. While we were there I was visiting with Marge and I asked her if she had ever had someone puke in her car, ...