One Fish, Two Fish, Three Fishy, Four Fishy…

Beautifully Eyed Fish. Perfect Fish. Energetic Fish. Flexible Fish. Friendly Fish. Shy Fish. Happy Fish. Silly Fish. Nervous Fish. Swimming Fish. Drowning Fish. Even a Naughty Fish…Meet the HepCat Fish.

Lucas: our oldest Fish (6 years old)…a.k.a Lu-Lu, Lukie Dukie, Lucas Pucas Poo-Poo Face.

Luke Skywalker, as his swim instructors call him, is quite the handsomely hazel-eyed Fish. In his “school,” there are two instructors and one other female fish. They often remind Luke to “use the FORCE”. Galaxy Fish. He is quite the stud and is very aware of his sole competition…he refuses to be defeated by the Lady Fish…even if it requires a couple of seconds of interrupted swimming to jog through the H2O to insure victory. Stud Fish. According to him, his least favorite thing about swim lessons is the frog kick and the butterfly kick. His favorite thing is doing the backstroke, BUT, it is “really hard.” Challenged Fish. He also enjoys treading water (except when his BIG little sister’s class passed by him…he politely says, “Hi, Lex”. She says “Hi, Luke” and puckers her lips at him). “She messed me up, Mom!” Thus, resulting in the Lady Fish treading longer. Embarrassed Fish.

Alexis: our second-oldest Fish (5 years old)…a.k.a. Lexi-Loo, Lexi-Pexi.

Lexi is quite the beautifully brown-eyed Fish. In her “school,” there are three instructors and five fish. She absolutely loves water…always has and pretty sure she always will. Fearless Fish. Lex is developing into a real swimmer…still needing minimal assistance. She loves to ignore the cue to ice cream scoop and kick…she simply plugs her nose, swimming under water with a variance of the frog kick and regular kick. Unique Fish. According to her, her least favorite thing is when they have to get in and out and sit on the edge of the pool. Cold Fish. She really enjoys playing games and when she gets to be a lifeguard and save her teacher with “the red thing”. Baywatch Fish.

Lyndsey: our second-youngest Fishy (3 years old)…a.k.a. Lynds, Lyn-Lyn.

Lynds is quite the uniquely greenish eyed Fishy. In her “school,“ there are three instructors and three fish. Prior to her lessons, Lynds was VERY timid around the H2O, merely tabbing in it here and there….digging her nails into whoever was holding her or stopping their circulation from her grip. Scared Fishy. She most definitely get the most improved award. Bribery (popsicles) weren’t necessary after Day Two…instead, “I love my teacher, Mommy….I had so much fun in swim lessons today.” Accomplished Fishy. According to her, her least favorite part was “Rowan….he throwed (sic) up” :/ (Swim lessons came to an abrupt stop that day). Smart Fishy. Lynds really enjoys sticking her head all the way in the water to get the rings, bobbing, “burping lots”, and kicking big. Content Fishy.

Tucker: our baby Fishy (10 months)…a.k.a. Tuck Tuck, T-Man, The Tank.

Tucker is quite the perfectly blue-eyed Fishy. In his “school,” there are two instructors, three baby fish, and three Mama Fish. He is the only one out of all the sibling fish mentioned to get Mama Fish in a swimsuit for a class. Spoiled-Rotten Fishy. He is on cloud nine when he is in the water. He loves to impress one of the Lady Fishy by multi-tasking with babble, splashing, and smiles. Flirty Fishy. According to Tuck and Mama Fish, he least likes wearing his hat…he says he wants the aforementioned Lady Fishy to see his baby blues. He has her hook line and sinker. He is about half her age, but double her size. Da’ Man Fishy. His favorite part of class has already been mentioned, but also to include: bubbles, splashing, floating, and motorboat. Glowing Fishy.

Two to Zero in 23 days...Until we meet again

Total of 2300 miles driven + Mom, Dad, 4 kids & dogs + 17 days in a hotel= heaven to the children, and possibly Dad…absolute nightmare for Mom. All of this in just 23 days. To some this scenario might seem like an enticing adventure for others, not so much. Let me tell the story…it is almost unbelievable.

Looking back at the last couple of months, it is all kind of a big blur. On March 22, 2011, I lost the best stepdad a girl could only dream of. David lost the perfect father-in-law/friend…and our dear children lost the coolest Papa in the entire world. Stephen Ray Shields lost his fight with an evil disease. Papa was a fighter…he fought to the VERY end for ALL of us. He loved us, and we loved him. In my opinion, there was nothing better in life to him than to be a Papa. He was overly protective for their safety, i.e. foam swords were dangerous. They uttered the faintest of whimpers and he instantly coddled. He loved to tease and taunt with his zombie walk…or a mere blow on their tummy followed with a contagious giggle made his day…and theirs too. We couldn’t even get the car turned off and Papa was out the door to greet us. He loved us, and we loved him. Papa was scared of our dogs…shhhhh! That’s our little secret. Papa loved to tell us stories…the same stories…over and over…every time we would see him…and they were always about his children. We loved to hear them. Until the bitter end, Papa loved to hold his grandchildren…without saying a single word, they knew he loved them. It was that sparkle in his eye and that gentle smile…both, he had until the day he “closed” his eyes. He loved us and we loved him.


On April 14, 2011 (only 23 days later), I lost a father-in law that always made me feel like a million dollar princess…he was a flirt. Honestly, I liked to flirt back. David lost a father that always wanted him to be the best he could be. Our children lost their grandfather they had always prayed would get better. No matter his role, Sherman Randolph Hepworth was a top-notch, cream of the crop kind of guy. He always wanted to know about you. Unlike Papa Steve, he was sick the majority of daddy's life…so we didn’t know Grandpa when he was “healthy,” but he loved us and we loved him. Grandpa was very creative, we are pretty sure he could have been a famous poet or artist, especially with watercolors…who knows, maybe he will be some day. Grandpa couldn’t get a round, but boy did he love to hold his grandchildren. Whenever he looked at them, you knew that he knew they were start from heaven. He loved us and we loved him. Grandpa loved to talk and was always excited about when our next visit would be…so were we. We wish we lived closer to Grandpa…but, we loved him and he loved us.


Grandpa had that same nasty disease as Papa. That evil thing treated their bodies different…but, it was MEAN to both of them. You see, Papa was mobile to the bitter end, and Grandpa never was…but, Papa couldn’t talk toward the end, and Grandpa could. But, that didn’t matter because they loved us and we loved them...that evil disease couldn't change this...or the fact that...Papa loved Nana. Grandpa loved Grandma. Grandpa and Papa loved their country. Grandpa and Papa both loved their Heavenly Father and their Savior, Jesus Christ, and knew that the gospel was true…they lived it. This was their legacy….for this we are blessed and for this, we will be together forever someday….until we meet again.

Bye, Bye, Baby!

It doesn't feel right to be taking down a crib. For the past 5 years, we have had a baby in the house. Lyndsey absolutely loves her new bed! Lyndsey loves animals and picked out her bed herself. She was really excited about her sheep! She is such a BIG GIRL now. She has by far been the easiest to transition to a bed. Way to go, Lyndsey!



This is a perfect example of why she is in a bed now...she loves to climb!



Luke and Lex were so excited for Lyndsey!



Lynds' first nap



Lynds' first bedtime

Keep up the good work Lynds!

Nikki's Motto...for this week atleast!

Worry about the present, and don't stress about the past...it will make for a better future, right? For the last year, I have wanted to blog; however, I have been overwhelmed with trying to make up all the missed milestone posts! So here goes it for 2010. I am committing myself to make a weekly post...even if it is just a picture! Unfortunately, I am not going to go back and worry about 2009, i.e. Lucas' starting Kindergarten a year early, birthdays, completion of my first year of teaching, Lyndsey turning the big O-N-E, Lexi starting preschool, David and all his flight accomplishments...seriously, the list goes on! Rather, I am going to start now!
We were able to spend a lot of time together as a family for Christmas and the New Year! We spent much of the time at my parent's home in Yuma. Thanks to Nana, we were also able to make a trip to the Happiest Place on Earth! J.C., Lauren, and baby to be were able to be with us too! Shel and Ry were also there! While at Disneyland, we celebrated Aunt Lauren's 30th Birthday! J.C. surprised her with these matching shirts saying "Lauren's 30th Birthday (front)....at Disneyland 1-28-09(back)! Boy, did she feel special with 8 of us wearing these shirts:) Alexis hated wearing her shirt because it was "boy colors, not girl colors." The saddest part, we didn't get a picture with us all wearing these stylish T-shirts! Luke and Lexi went on all the rides with us....Lucas' favorite was "every ride"! Lexi's favorite was Space Mountain and Soaring over California! Lyndsey's favorite ride was It's a Small World and Dumbo! Thanks Nana for such a fun trip!

Priceless....it's a good thing because the wait was 2+ hours!


Princess in training....not if you ask her though!


Trouble...plain and simple...GUARANTEED!


We are in trouble...no, seriously, we are!



Posting this pictures, so they can see how uncooperative they were for pictures when they are older...and to see Aunt Lauren's shirts!

We couldn't have asked for a more memorable New Year's celebration. It was just our little family up here in Prescott. All of us, including the kiddos, managed to ring in the New Year with all our bells and whistles....the best $6.00 I have ever spent! The kids absolutely loved it! For some reason, we didn't get pictures of the poppers, blowers, fireworks, etc. But, we sure got some of the frowns:)

The countdown begins.....don't they looked thrilled?

The after-party.....once again, children looked thrilled!

Well, here's to a Happy New Year to All...May we all find peace and accomplishments in our New Year's Resolutions! Here at the Hepworth house, we are anxious for this New Year and what it will offer! Love to you all!

Especially for Nana......

I don't think I need to say anything more! ENJOY!!! Thanks for everything! WE LOVE YOU, NANA!

Free Pizza...The Catch.....

Okay....so, you can call me tacky! But, I am EXTREMELY competitive! I am neck and neck with another first grade teacher at Liberty in our school Box Top Competition! I am calling out for HELP right now! A lot of you do not have children in school yet...so, I don't feel guilty asking you to collect these for me. For those of you that don't know about box tops, they come on a lot of food items you buy, i.e. cereal, fruit snacks, baked goods, etc. By collecting them, you are putting money back into my classroom:) I will do quarterly contests with all of you...the family that contributes the most will get pizza on me:) So I will have a winner in December, March, and May! PLEASE HELP! I realize many of you do not live here in Prescott...that's okay! I will reimburse your shipping if you would like. Please email me and I will send you our home address! Porter's, Winterton's, Aston's (if you don't give them to Dan's school), Holmes, Bjorn's, Walker's, Serr's, Click's, Thompson's, Brigette, Melo's, De Souza'a, Sandberg's....anyone, I so want to win this competition...the teacher I am tied with has won for the past four years! I WANT TO WIN.....more importantly, I want to put money back into my classroom.
P.S. You can even ask your siblings, parents, cousins, neighbors...HECK, total strangers:)
Double P.S. There are currently double points, so every box top ($0.10) is doubled ($0.20) until October 22nd....but, you have to get them to me ASAP because I have to send them off by the 20th!

Happy Birthday, Lucas....

Holy moly....man, I cannot believe our little man is already four years old...then, again I can't believe we have two children younger than him either:) It seems like yesterday it was just David and I! Lucas is such an incredible big brother. He is always looking out for Lexi and Lynds! Lucas is truly an amazing little man who is always trying to please his Heavenly Father! He absolutely loves going to church...he gets so excited every Sunday when he sees the steeple! He loves to say his prayers. It amazes me how much he truly understands about the gospel:) He is such an example to me! He loves to sing songs. Some of his favorites are Book of Mormon stories, I am a Child of God...and a little more intense..Pump It (Turn up the Radio)! It has been so much fun to see him grow up. He loves to learn. Often times, while driving in the car, he will ask me if we can talk about numbers and letters! Lucas loves to go to his preschool cooking class and to play soccer. He loves to help David and I out. Some of his favorite things to do are cook, fold clothes, and do dishes! He loves to help his dad with anything...changing the oil, building things, and playing the flight simulator!