17 weeks-

17 Weeks is here!  Not going to lie, its pretty exciting that in 3 weeks I'll be halfway through this pregnancy, and that much closer to snuggling my little peanut! 

According to the books, the baby is 5 inches long from head to bum, and can do all sorts of stuff, including hear and see!  What!  

 Anyways- I'm feeling semi-good.  The nausea has been a little worse over the last week but I blame  myself for that.  I have over-exerted.  I can't feel the baby yet, but I am definately showing! Its no secret that there is something growing inside. 

Sleep is getting a little complicated- I'm a tummy sleeper and unfortunately that isn't working out so hot these days.  I've recently been craving ice cream, particularly late at night (healthy I know) and have had a few emotional break downs. 

 Here's a funny story about a crying fit I had last week.

I was over at my families playing a fun but intense card game called Spot It! We were all really getting into it and I ended up yelling at Krysta to "Give me the BUS!!!"  This got the entire family laughing really hard- so hard that many of us had tears in our eyes.  The only problem was, that my laughing somehow turned into bawling! I was actually crying really hard and couldn't stop! I wasn't sad, I was happy as could be- but was crying and couldn't stop! It took me about ten minutes to finally calm down enough to play again-  I have never cried for no reason before-  Tyler found it hilarious and laughed the entire time- so did my  mom.  I think its stinking funny but hope it never happens again!

In other news-  My cheer team went to their first competition and did AWESOME! I was so proud of them. They took first place in their division and everyone was talking about how great they did.  This was, as I like to call them,  a "Proud Mama Moment" for me and the other coaches.  Good job girls! 

- And a little side note to brag about Tyler!  He is the best husband a girl could ask for.  He got up early, helped me pack the car, drove down to SLC at 7:00 am, and sat all alone through 6 hours of cheer competition.  He helped record the girls routine, and helped me to calm down when I was crazy stressed.  He did it all without a single complaint.  He really is the best and I couldn't ask for anything more! Love you babe!

I just took my last final for this semester and if I do as well as I think I did- I'll be getting a 4.0! I've been trying to work really hard and my goal is for my GPA to be a  4.0 when I graduate! We'll see how that turns out.  But for now, I'm just really excited about having a break!

Hope everybody else is enjoying the

 Holiday Season!  See ya!

Update on the baby!

So I haven't posted anything about the baby and being pregnant! But I have been keeping a pregnancy journal- so here are some tidbits from that for those of you who want to know what's been going on! Its going to be a long post- but I'd rather get it out in one pop!

The History: Tyler and I decided in October of 2008 that we were ready to start a family.  The time seemed right and we started preparing.  We signed up for Aflac’s supplemental insurance plan, I changed my diet, we bought “What to expect when you’re expecting,” and were ready to go.  In December 2008 we started trying to have a baby.  Things didn’t exactly go according to planned.  We were unsuccessful so one year later we headed to the first few doctors to discuss the problem. Unfortunately we didn’t feel like they were helpful, it seemed like we were just going to follow protocol just like the next person.  I struggled with this because I wanted to know what was wrong, and how to fix it.  So we decided to see a new Doctor, Dr Danee Young.   She was very helpful and thorough.  I was so happy with her.  We did ultrasounds, labs, and lots of testing. We found out I had a number of problems but all were somewhat minor and things could be done to improve them.  After lots of pills and procedures, things seemed to be going well.  I was scheduled for a surgery to clean out my fallopian tubes and unterus and to break up scar tissue (Sorry if that is TMI)- it was supposed to hurt a lot.  It was on Wednesday, I took a positive pregnancy test the Friday before. Talk about timing!  It took us 1 year and 9 months, but we finally made it happen and have a baby on the way!!

The Big Moment!  (NO, not the conception moment- gross!)
It was mid to late August 2010.  We had recently taken a relaxing weekend to Wyoming, Jackson, and Yellowstone.  My period was due…but never came.  The first few days after, I didn’t want to take a test.  It was only going to be negative and waste my money. So we waited.  When my period was 5 days late, a Friday morning, I decided to take a test.  I went in the bathroom by myself and did my thing.  Then I waited about 30 seconds and peaked to see what it said.  There was a strong pink line, and another faint one. This had never happened to me before!  I called to Tyler saying “Um… Honey?  It’s Positive!”  He responded with “Really?”  Neither of us could really believe it.  It didn’t seem real.  So we hugged, and went to work. I called my doctor and told them the news. They seemed excited and immediately concerned.  Because of my history with scar tissue, the possibility of an ectopic or tubal pregnancy was high.  I was told to immediately get some blood drawn.  So I left work mid day (Friday), and had that done.  I repeated labs 2 days later (Sunday) and then headed in to the office on Wednesday for our first baby ultrasound. Everything looked good, the baby was healthy- it looked like a little tiny blob (we were only 4 weeks along at the time!).  It made it all a little more real!  We are so excited to be parents and just hope this pregnancy goes without a hitch!

Telling the Parentals
We told our parents really early in the game.  At 5 weeks.  We couldn’t wait.  So we invited them over and told them we were celebrating Buddies’ first birthday.  When they got there we had cake and ice cream, and had him open some new toys. Then we brought out a bag for each of our parents. In it we put a binky and pair of baby socks.  They were thrilled and we were so excited to share the news with them.  We decided to keep the news in the immediate family until our first doctor’s appointment so we could be sure everything was going ok.

Life as we know it
Being pregnant is hard! haha.  People ask what symptoms I've had.  I tell them its easier to explain what I haven't had.   Nausea, heart burn, exhaustion, cravings, food aversions, acne, forgetfullness, cramping and aching- you name it I've felt it.  Lets all thank the heavens for modern medication that makes the awful nausea somewhat bareable.  Luckily I am feeling super better now, the nausea is minimal and I have some energy back! They say the second trimester is easiest and I agree!
I am seeing Dr. Blackett- she is great and I couldn't ask for a better doctor.  I am currently 16 weeks and I feel like I look 30 weeks.  My belly is sure enjoying growing nice and big!  I can't feel the baby move yet but I can't wait for that to happen!!!  We find out the gender of the baby on December 30th and I think I am more excited about that than I am about christmas.  I think its a boy! We will see. 
Tyler is the best husband in the whole world and has been so supportive.  He has taken care of everything so I can relax whenever I am home.  He even makes special trips to bring me food I've been craving!  He is amazing and will be the best dad ever!

So that's life in the Hepworth House- Hope everything continues to go well!

Family Pictures

 My sweet Mom and Dad!

 The Girls

 All of us kids

 Tyler and Jami

 Family Time

 Tyler

Me- 14 weeks Pregnant with our little nugget on the way!

So I have been sucking it up at blogging- life is a little crazy!  Here's an update

Tyler: Tyler is now the Scout Master and Second Counselor in the Young Mens Program. He spends a lot of his time with the 12 year old boys and it seems to be a love/hate situation for him.  But I know he'll be so good for those boys, and really learn to love their craziness!  He I still working at Thermofisher- is getting excited about some new business ideas he has, and is thinking about plans to build our baby a crib!

Jami: I'm still working at the salon, coaching cheer, and going to school.  School is over in 3 weeks and I am excited for the holiday break!  I'm currently 14 weeks Monday-  Baby seems to be growing quickly and at our 10 week ultrasound the Dr said everything looked "really good."  Considering all the trouble it took to get pregnant- it is such a relief to know that its going ok.  We go in on Tuesday to hear the heart beat again- thats always a relief.  Baby's been keeping sick everyday- but the good news is I'm off Diet Coke- for some reason it sounds so nasty to me I haven't had a DC in months!  I'm hoping to start feeling better soon, and as soon as I kick this bout of bronchitis I think things will be awesome for the Holidays and my Birthday! : )  

We had a fun halloween and are having everybody over for Thanksgiving- our very first time hosting Thanksgiving at our house-  hope we don't burn the Turkey!   

We hope everyone is doing well and has a wonderful holiday season!  :) -- Jami and Tyler 



Trick or Treat

Happy Halloween Everybody!

 - Love, Jami, Tyler, and Baby

Food for Thought

We've all heard em,
" Hey its Bob, leave me a message"
" Hi you've reached Susan, please leave me a message after the beep, and I'll return your call"
"Its the Smith's,  Leave your name and number and we'll call you back"

The list of examples could go on and on...
But we are missing half of the message.  Don't forget that Miss Phone Recording comes in and walks us through, step by step, how to leave a message.  It usually goes something like this.
"After the tone, please record your  message. When you are finished recording, please hang up or press pound for more options.  To send a fax, press 4 now."
Sound Familiar?

Now to many people this may just be part of their day, nothing that really causes them to think or even wonder about.  For me, who calls approximately 50 people a day, It can get a little frustrating.  It seems like the answering maching/voicemail messages only continue to get longer as they explain over and over again how to leave a message.  You can imagine my jump for joy when the message is short without any further instructions afterward.  I bet that if Miss Phone Recording didn't exist... I could save 20+ minutes on my daily phone calls.

I guess what I am getting at is...   Its 2010.  People have been leaving messages for YEARS.  I have yet to find someone, who doesn't know that they are supposed to leave the message after the tone.  Why we have to explain in our messages what to do, and then let Miss Phone Recording follow us with more instructions is beyone me, 
...But I do it.  You better believe my voicemail tells you leave a message.   I guess its just part of life and something us frequent phone callers will have to deal with.  Imagine if we voicemails were different... what would they say?

" Hey its Bob, You missed me,  Your bad."
" Your phone will explode in 5  4  3  2  Beep"
" Its 2010- you know what to do"

What would you make your answering machine say?

What we've been up to

Sorry, Haven't posted for a long time... Life gets crazy, what can I say.
* WARNING * LONG POST AHEAD
September was awesome! We took a much needed weekend away!
* Tyler and I headed to the Wyoming for a weekend at the cabin. Our cabin is an hour out of Jackson, half hour from riding the rapids on the snake river, 2 hours from Yellowstone, close to the sand dunes, across the street from the BEAUTIFUL Palisades reservoir, Its tucked away up against a mountain... its the perfect location.

We headed up to the cabin. The next day we went to Jackson Hole, spent some time shopping and rented a Harley Davidson for a tour through Yellowstone the next day.

And for the Yellowstone Drive...

The first half of the day was awesome! There is really nothing like experiencing nature that way. I had been to Yellowstone numerous times in a car. Smelling the pine, the sprinkling rain, hearing the sounds, feeling the breeze from the lakes... All experienced on a Harley, Seriouly amazing. That's where all the pictures are from.

When we were about 3 hours away from Jackson Hole on our way back, it got really really cold.  We hit major traffic, turns out that the Bison like to walk down the middle of the road, and the authorities think that we should enjoy being up close and personal with Nature. Sure... unless you are on a motorcycle and they can eat you.  I seriously could have reached out my hand and pet them. 

Meanwhile, everyone in their nice warm cars were cozy and driving slow as tar to take lots of pictures.  We were FREEZING.  And then it started snowing.  We were at a standstill for about an hour- while it snowed. 

So when we finally started moving again- 3 hours out of jackson- the Blizzard came.  Tyler and I did everything we could to stay warm-  snow was sticking to the windshield so Tyler was trying to see over it, I huddled behind him trying to avoid frost bite.  At times we thought we were going to have to Hunker down on the side of the street because its super dangerous to ride a motorcycle when the snow sticks to the road.  Luckily it only stuck to the sides of the road, trees, and everything else except the street. We stopped at a store and spent way to much money on gloves, sweatshirts, beanies, and wrapped our feet in plastic to keep them dry.    The people at the store acted like this was normal, and that it randomly blizzards in the begining of September all the time.  We weren't quite so calm.

It stopped snowing about an hour out of Jackson but it was still super cold.  By the time we made it back, we were both soaking wet, stiff, and shaking because we were so cold.  Good think Wendy's stays open late- this was about 11:00pm,  and we could get some warm food, jump in our warm car, and drive back to the cabin.  Thank heavens we made it safely. 

We spend the rest of the trip in our warm cabin and had some good time watching movies and laying around in our sweats. 

So that was our trip to Wyoming. Good times-  :)

Summer Shinanigans

Summer's been crazy busy, so blogging wasn't super high on the list.  Here's some bits and pieces of the craziness we called summer break.
Tyler and I are in the Young Women and Young Men program which means Camping.  I attempted YW camp, but as some of you may know, didn't do so hot.  I might have gone home every night, but I did stay there during the day,  that counts right? 

YW Camp was a blast-  but the best part of those few days was when I came home the second night.  I walked into my house to find flowers, candy, and diamonds.  Tyler surprised me with a band to go with my wedding ring, just because he loves me.  I love him back

One Day after Young Women Camp, we headed to Branson, MO for Tyler's Bi-Annual Beckstead Family Reunion.  Branson? you may ask?  Long story.  But we had a blast.  We boated at the lake, hit up Silver Dollar City Amusement Park,  the Water Park, Shopped, went to the Wax Museum, saw the chinese Acrobats (their insane!), Go Carted, and enjoyed spending time with Family.  Here's a few pics.

Missouri was so much fun!  After we headed back to Utah,  I headed to Cheer Camp!  It was a blast and I am so proud of the girls- they are going to be really good. I'm super excited for this season!  

Lastly- We went and saw my favorite band Something Corporate- Seriously they are amazing- Andrew McMahon is so talented and I got to hear my favorite song Konstantine.  Love it!

De-Stress

So My chiropractor tells me I need to lower the stress in my life, on top of a few other things,  to help my neck progess and heal faster.  It got me thinking,  what am I supposed to do to de-stress?

Quit my Job? - Sure that will give me more time in the day,  but less money so I'll stress about finances

Make more money?- Maybe this will help, but that means working more hours, or finding a new better paying job which is just a bunch of stress in and of itself.

Start doing Yoga?- I do like stretching, but then what if I fall and injure my neck more?

Quit Coaching cheer?  Not only NO, but HEL...Well, lets just say this is my hobby and I'm not giving it up. I love the sport and the girls way to much to loose that joy in my life.  (although it is a major stress point in my life,  I think losing the thing I love would end up being more detrimental than anything else)

Stop going to school?  Yeah that would lower stress now, but in 1 year from now when I am graduated and working in my career, making all my schooling worth it,  don't you think that will lower my stress level much more substantially then quitting school now? Plus paying off my student loans for a degree unfinished sounds pretty stressful to me.

Quit my church callings? - Pretty sure those are supposed to bless you and make your life better-  I probably need to stay in the good graces of God,  so this isn't a good idea.


Anywho- I want to do what I can to improve my neck situation-  I am tired of headaches and pain and medical bills-  I just am having a hard time figuring out what to do in my life to de-stress.  Any suggestions?

FAVORITE HOLIDAY!

I love the fourth of July. I have since I was a kid.  The family, the friends, the sunshine, the summer air, and of course the fireworks have something to do with it.  Now that I'm older, my reasons for loving this holiday have changed a bit.  I still love all the fun stuff,  but I also like the holiday because its a time when family can get together without the stress of gift giving and spending money.   Its a time to enjoy the sun and spend time together doing the traditional things we've done for years.  And most of all,  I love this day because of what it represents (see previous post), Freedom, Independence, and America. 

But for whatever the reason,  I love INDEPENDENCE DAY!

Here are some highlights from the

Hepworth BBQ,  The Anderson's Firework party, and the Cruise in!

Happy Independence Day!