Casey & McKelle

Little update... :)

2011-12-22T00:54:00.000-08:00

So I was talking to my friend, Margo, not too long ago and she mention something about me needing to update our blog (as well as a few other friends)...and I realized that it is so true! Now that we are back in Arizona and seeing our immediate family a lot more often, I have forgotten that there are still people who would like to see what we're up to. So this picture post is for you, Margo, and anyone else who may be wondering what we've been doing :)

These 2 little boys...

2011-09-19T22:51:00.001-07:00

...sure keep me BUSY, but I LOVE it!

These last few months have been the hardest, most trying, sweetest, fun-filled, crazy, stressful, beautiful, frustrating, difficult, tiresome, and exciting months of my entire life.

Casey graduated, we had baby #2 (and all of the fun that comes with that...little snuggles, late night feedings, recovery, little ears and toes, nursing struggles, infections, more snuggling, etc.), went to 2 family reunions, Casey went on our stake trek (my 1st time really alone with a two year old and 4 week old...yikes!), found an apartment to move to 1 1/2 weeks before we were to be out of our Provo home, found a couple to take over our Provo contract 1 week before moving, packed and moved to a new state, spent time at the NH Ranch with Heap family, spent time in Peoria with Ames family, Kamrie came with us to Mexico for almost a week with some of the Heap family, celebrated the 24th of July in St. Johns, Casey gave Kyler a name and blessing in St. Johns with both of our families there, Casey started medical school at the University of Arizona School of Medicine, had his White Coat Ceremony (it's official!), had a super fun surprise visit from Jacie, went to Peoria while Casey studied for his first test, had the Ames family here with us in Tucson for Labor Day weekend (it was a houseful of fun!) and went for some adventures on Mt. Lemmon, went to Mesa to visit Casey's family, Casey drew blood for the first time and gave shots, and he has already had his first 2 exams! And, of course, all of this has been with a 2 year old and a newborn...CRAZY and FUN are two words that sum it all up!

I'm just glad that I didn't try to throw potty training into the mix, I'm not quite ready for that :)

Holy moly, that all happened in a little over 4 months! Congratulations if you made it through that list...

I have been stretched to the limit (and then some) and I have been at the end of my rope lots of days. But as my mom wisely said to me recently, you just have to tie a knot and hang on!

The adjustment to having a new baby and moving and Casey starting medical school all happening at once has been quite an adjustment for me. I have had quite a rough time with it, but I am starting to feel like I am actually alive again and not just in survival mode.

But I wouldn't trade any of the harder times from the last few months for anything because I have these three boys to love (and I know that they love me):

Isn't this just the cutest thing EVER? Brigden did that all on his own- no prompting or posing here...He wants to be just like Daddy...They give the BEST concerts I've ever seen :)

Casey taught him to come up to me, lower his sweet sunglasses, and say, "Hey ba-be!"

Kyler is seriously the sweetest little boy...I am so grateful for his calm and easy-going personality.

Kyler (with his calmness) and Brigden (with his craziness) balance each other out very well!

At the end of the roughest and toughest days, my heart still is bursting with love for these boys who keep me on my toes all day long because they are helping me to become the mother and wife and person that I need to become. They teach me more than I ever thought possible. They are helping me to overcome my faults and insecurities. I hope and pray that I can teach them even a small fraction of what they are teaching me.

I love watching them sleep and thinking about the day that I just got to have with them, for better and for worse, because I couldn't be luckier to be the mommy of these sweet boys!

He had to have his trains lined up in just the right way before he could fall asleep :)

And that is what I should be doing- sleeping and gearing up for what tomorrow will bring! Good night!

P.S. More on Casey later...he is my hero!

Special Delivery...Kyler James Heap

2011-09-03T10:00:00.000-07:00

This day seems like it was so long ago! Kyler is now almost 4 months old. I will do an update on that sweet little boy soon, but, for now, let's reminisce on the day he was born...
On May 14, we got up early to be at Timpanogos Regional Hospital at 7 am. Of course, I had gotten very little sleep the night before as I was excited and a little nervous for the following day. My mom and Casey's mom flew in on the same flight the night before and my Mom watched Brigden in the morning while we went to the hospital. They took us to our room and we met our nurse, Debbie. She was such a great nurse to have there with us all of that day. I changed into the hospital gown and she got my IV started and gave me the 1st dose of Pitocin to get labor going more. That was at 8 am. Dr. Saunders, who I loved having as a doctor, came in around 9 am to break my water. The doctors from that clinic were GREAT and I would recommend them to anyone. Dr. Parker delivered Brigden and both doctors are top notch. I am sad that we will not be in Utah when we have other babies because we love them.
After breaking the water, contractions obviously came more often and lots stronger. I learned my lesson when I was in labor with Brigden and made sure this time to request the epidural long before the pain was too intense--with Brig, I asked for the epidural after the labor pain was way intense and it took 40 minutes, that seemed like hours, to actually get it. This time I planned ahead :) and got the epidural right at the perfect time. Getting the epidural was probably the worst part of the whole day, not because it hurt or anything, it was actually a breeze, but because I get so dang nervous as it is being given! I got shaking sooo bad and kept shaking for a few mintures after I got it. The anesthesiologist even said, "You REALLY don't like needles, do you?" Nope, I sure don't. Anyways, the epidural was heaven-sent. I know that there are lots of differing views out there, but for me- I am sold on epidurals. It was so fun to sit and talk to Casey and laugh and joke with Debbie, our nurse, and Dr. Saunders.
My Mom came a while later and she was the photographer for the event. It was great to have her there. She has a way of making me feel so calm and reassured. After getting the epidural, Debbie came to check my progression a few times and I didn't seem to be progressing very quickly. But then she came in again and i was a 5, then 7, then 9. I was relieved to see the progression because it was a little frustrating not seeing it at first. Dr. Saunders came in to check and i was still a 9, so he just sat down and chatted with us for a while as we waited for it to be time to push. He checked my progression a little while later and I was at a 10 and ready to go!
As they were getting everything ready for me to push, nurse Debbie jokingly said to Casey, "Well you could just gown up yourself and deliver this baby!" As we had been waiting that morning, they had been talking about Casey's plans for medical school. She was joking about it, but Dr. Saunders said, "Yeah, why not?" Seriously the look on Casey's face was priceless. I loved seeing that excited look in his eyes- he was going to get to help deliver his little boy!

Earlier in the day, Debbie had been telling me how this labor would be different from my first. She said that labor time would be cut in half and that I would only push a few times. I thought, "no way." With Brig, I was in labor for about 12 hours and was pushing for 2 1/2 hours! There was no way it was going to be that easy. But, it was! And what a blessing that it was. Once I started pushing, I only pushed about 7 times and he was out! So it was about 7 hours.
Kyler James Heap was born at 3:02 pm. And what a special delivery it was. Casey got to do a lot, which was really cool for him. He suctioned out his mouth and pulled him out and "caught" him.

Kyler, who wasn't named at this point (actually not until the next day), started crying right away. They bundled him up and we got to snuggle for a few minutes. I love this time with new precious babies. There are no words adequate to describe all of the emotions that you feel as you are holding a new little one straight from heaven. I just LOVE it. It is such a beautiful moment. I felt an immediate bond with this little baby, which was one of the things that was said in the blessing Casey gave me the night before- that I would feel an immediate bond with this new little one. I could definitely feel his special little spirit.

We were expecting another small baby since Brigden was quite little. (When Brig was born, he weighed 6 lbs 2 oz even being a week late) Kyler was a week early and weighed 8 lbs 9 oz! And he was 20 1/2 in. We were so surprised that he was so much bigger. I loved that he even came out with a little chub on his cheeks.

Casey's mom came with Brigden once we were transferred to our other room and I don't think he really knew what to think about this new little baby. You could almost sense that he knew that his world was about to change a whole lot. But he was so sweet with Kyler and loved pointing to all of his body parts, like his little nose and ears and fingers. He loved giving baby Kyler the present he picked for him (a cute little giraffe) and also loved opening the present "from" baby Kyler (some fun dinosaurs).

Overall, I feel very blessed to have had such a great delivery and to have 2 healthy little boys. Recovery was not so great, but we'll stick to the positive for this post :)

We sure do LOVE this little boy. He is the most perfect addition to our family. We love being a family of 4!

We are still here!

2011-09-03T09:45:00.000-07:00

I bet you were surprised to see that I have a new post! I am too actually! ha!
But my family is here visiting for the weekend and I just got home from an early morning bike ride with my dad and brother, Jordan. My dad is still off riding, he is too intense of a cyclist for my out of shape body. Everyone else here at home is still peacefully asleep, so I decided to post one of my many started, but unfinished and unposted posts...enjoy! Maybe, just maybe, I'll keep the blogging up...

Random Happenings...

2011-05-13T13:46:00.000-07:00

Here are just a bunch of random pictures from the last little while that show
a little bit of what we have been up to...Enjoy!

Easter...

2011-05-10T21:20:00.000-07:00

We had a great Easter weekend...On Saturday, we went to the city park near our house for a big Easter egg hunt put on by the city, but got there a few minutes after the hunt was over! Brigden didn't know the difference though, he was just excited to be out and about and loved the excitement of all of the people and things to do. There were TONS of people there. Brigden's favorite things were the big blowup slide (he liked it so much that he didn't even mind waiting in the long line several times to go again, I was surprised...) and the petting zoo.

On Sunday morning, the Easter bunny came and we did a little egg hunt inside of our house since it was a little chilly outside...

Beatiful flowers from Casey...

Yummy pancakes and orange julius for breakfast...

We went up to Brigham City for the rest of the day and spent time with my dad's family. My cousin, Jaxon, just got home from his mission to Spain and this was our first time seeing him since he got back. It was his first time ever seeing Brigden, so that was fun! It was so great to be with family on Easter.

Brigden loved the trampoline...

Can you tell that Brig is loved by all of my cousins? (I guess they would be his 2nd cousins?)
And he loves them too! They are all so good with him...
That is Jaxon in the gray

It was especially great to remember our Savior and all that He has done and continues to do for us. I am grateful for His Atonement and for the opportunity that I have each day to strive to be a little better in becoming more like Him.

End or Beginning?

2011-04-27T20:17:00.000-07:00

I didn't know whether to title this post "The End" or "The Beginning" because we still have quite a road ahead of us with Casey going to medical school. I guess that it is both- an end and a beginning, both exciting in their own ways. We have loved the time of life that we have been in for the last little while and are excited for everything that is to come! There sure are A LOT of changes heading our way in the next little bit!
Although Casey officially graduated in December and has been working full-time since then while we wait for med school to start, his graduation from BYU wouldn't be "officially official" until he walked in the graduation ceremony. A few weeks ago, Casey's parents came up for the big event and were here for a week. It was so great to have them here. Here are some pictures from our adventures:

Swimming in their hotel pool
Brigden in the "hot" tub that, don't worry, wasn't really that hot...

Oompa teaching him how to shoot some baskets with the new basketball hoop that they got him for his birthday
Brig is actually really good at making it in the basket...he must take after his daddy...

Sneaking a bite of strawberry pie...

Helping Grammie make YUMMY pizza...

Brig plugging his ears in the Marriott Center at Commencement...it was packed!

Elder Richard G. Scott gave a really great address...

It was quite windy that first day for pictures, but we snuck one in...luckily the next day was much nicer

I was quite worried to take Brigden, our little energy ball, to each of the ceremonies, but he did great!
It sure helped that we had a huge bag full of things to keep him occupied!

Brigden sure loves his daddy and Oompa! We love these double hugs that he has been doing lately...

Our little family...

Casey and his parents...

Cute Brigden...
He kept standing by these big bushes and posing for me to take a picture...

Best friends...
Haha, you can't see it very well in this picture, but Casey's hair has two parts in it from wearing the graduation cap :) It was funny

I am so proud of Casey and all of his accomplishments thus far. He amazes me everyday with all that he is able to fit in and for how balanced he keeps everything...I could sure learn a lot from that!
We sure do love him! Keep up the good work, Casey!

Someone had a BIRTHDAY!

2011-04-27T17:56:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that this little guy:

Just turned TWO!
Where in the world does time go? With how fast time is flying, pretty soon he'll be graduating and going on a mission! But hopefully not too soon! :)

He was so excited to open his birthday packages...

We went to the Lehi Legacy Aquatics Center to celebrate with a few friends
and then we went back to our house for dinner and cake and ice cream...

We sure do love our little 2-year old!

Haha, this is his cheesy "smile" face :)

He kept blowing the candles out before we had even started singing "Happy Birthday" so we had to wait until we were done singing to light them...

Enjoying his cake

Opening a few presents...He was so meticulous about making sure that every little piece of wrapping paper came off of the present. And it was funny because he was holding the present with his feet to make sure that it didn't fall...

Here are two of his friends, Marshall and Vance. Of course, we couldn't get one of them all looking and smiling :)
What a fun day!

Brigden is at such a fun age right now, although he sure does keep me busy. He is a little livewire, and that's an understatement! He has such a fun and sweet personality and is turning into a little man instead of a little boy. He is learning to be nice and a good friend. He is talking a ton and learning new words every day. He loves music and dancing and sure knows how to groove! He loves when we sing songs to him and is starting to sing some of the words with us. His favorite songs right now are "Old MacDonald," "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," "Five Little Ducks," and the BYU fight song- he loves doing the "rah, rah, rah...go Cougars" part with us. He says "no" and "mine" a lot, which sure do get old after a while :) He is starting to say "yes" a lot more than "no" though, and he says it in the cutest little voice. I love it when he comes up to me randomly during the day and gives me a big hug and kiss and says "hhhhiiiiiii" in the sweetest voice. It makes up for all of his craziness and tantrums :) He says "thank you" after just about anything we do for him, which is a habit I'm sure not going to complain about! Of course, there are times when I am about at the end of my patience rope with his crazy antics during the day and there are times when both of our strong-willed personalities clash, but he is such a good little boy and I am grateful for all that I am learning from being his mom. We sure do love him and are grateful for him each and every day!

A Trip to DC...

2011-04-26T20:21:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I think that every post of mine should be titled, "Past due..." like the post a couple back because that's how most all of them are- way late!
This one is no exception...but I just had another realization that this baby boy is going to get here soon, and I wanted to at least be semi-caught up with the happenings from the last few months :)

At the end of February, Casey and I went to Washington, DC together, just the TWO of us! Needless to say, it was wonderful! Casey had an interview at George Washington Medical School in DC, and I didn't want to miss out on the fun...so we decided that I would go with him! We originally planned to be there for 4 days, but he ended up getting another interview while we were there at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA, so we extended our trip a few more days. So we were there for almost a week. We had so much fun being together and seeing the sights. It was the first time that either of us had been there. Thanks to my family for taking such good care of Brig while we were gone and to Casey's parents for making the trip possible with extra plane tickets--staying that extra time when the airline was overbooked on our way home from Florida last year was worth the flight vouchers! It was super cold toward the end of our trip, but most of the days were so nice! I think that Heavenly Father made it warm so that I could see that it would be alright for us to move there if that's where Casey gets accepted, despite the distance, because we all know how much I love the cold! We stayed with some friends in both DC and Richmond and then in a hotel 3 of the nights (Priceline is the way to go for cheap rates on nice hotels! Thanks to Casey's mom for introducing us to it...) I am so bummed that I didn't get any pictures with the Petty's and their cute little girl and the Brockbanks. It was so nice of them to let us raid their houses for a few days!
So this is going to be picture overload, but there are not near as many pictures here as I took while we were there :) Enjoy!

We flew from Salt Lake to Phoenix to drop Brigden off with my family. My mom and Kamrie met us at our gate, ate lunch with us, and went with us to our gate for our connecting flight. Brigden LOVES my sisters and didn't even have any problem with us leaving him. He waved and said "bye" the whole time we were walking away. I think that I had the hardest time of us all! It was so comforting to know that he was in a good place with people who LOVE him and would take care of him. (not to mention SPOIL him to death!) You guys are AWESOME!

Brigden and Aunt Kamrie

Waiting in Baltimore for our train to DC
We made it! I don't remember the last time that I had such a relaxing plane ride, I actually was able to read a book instead of wrestling with a crazy cooped up little boy :)

Union Station

The White House
We went on a tour of the White House one of the days, which was really cool even though we didn't get to see as much as we thought we would...

We LOVED the Air and Space Museum. It was our favorite of the museums.

The Capitol Building
We also went on a tour of the Capitol Building, which was awesome! That was our other most favorite thing to see. We sat in on a session of congress when they were debating about a health care issue.

Casey and I standing over the very center of our nation's capitol...

More pictures from the tour of the Capitol building...

A bird's eye view from the top of the old DC Post Office. This was really neat to do. We would say it is a must-do while in DC

The elevator going up to the top of the Old Post Office

Washington Monument

While we were at the Washington Monument, the President was making his way back to the White House. It was really cool to see these three helicopters flying together. One landed at the White House and the other two veered off in two different directions and flew away.

The Hope Diamond on Display in the Museum of Natural History

I think that this is where I am going to end with the pictures because there are WAY too many more to choose from!

A happy reunion at the Phoenix airport! We were so excited to see our little guy again. That was a long time to be away, but oh-so-needed. It was so cute, he would not even let go of our necks for a few minutes. It's good to know that were missed although he was having the time of his life without us! Thanks again, Mom and Dad and aunties for taking such great care of him!

I will miss you, Grandma!

Going home...

Special thanks to Casey for making this trip SO much fun. I just love being with him and it was so awesome to be able to do this trip together. He was so patient with his "slower than slow" almost 7 months pregnant wife! We did so much walking and every time I would apologize for being slow, he would just smile and say how nice it was to "stroll" and not be in a hurry...I love that guy!

Seriously?!?

2011-04-03T08:02:00.000-07:00

One thing that we have come to learn after living in Utah (atleast in Provo) for nearly 3 years is that you just have to embrace the crazy changes in weather! Because you can be out in your shorts and flip flops one day enjoying the BEAUTIFUL near 70 degree weather at the park and then wake up the very next morning to this:

Yes, this is what we woke up to this morning! Haha, I think that Brigden was the only one excited to see the winter wonderland outside!
But, instead of hating it, we decided to make the most out of it and went out to play in the snow right then, just a few minutes after getting out of bed. The deepest part of the snow was up to just below Brig's knees! So CRAZY!

Brigden is ready to go, pajamas and all! Haha, this is what he does when we say to "smile" :)

What a fun daddy...Right before, he said, "I can't believe I am going to do this!" It was so cold!

Brigden learning how to make a snow angel:

I just LOVE these two!
Best buddies:

I guess that the snow can be beautiful too:

Although I don't think that I will ever be a big fan of the cold and snow, since I am an Arizona girl at heart, I do have to admit that this started off our Sunday pretty dang good. It's going to be a great day!

Past due...

2011-01-25T10:01:00.000-08:00

So, this post is REALLY past due, and you may already know this, but I know that some of you do not...Anyway, we are expecting again! We are going to be having another little BOY in May! And we are so so so excited! Brigden will have a little brother to be best friends with and play with and fight with! I had another appointment today and everything is still going great, I am 23 weeks along. This pregnancy has been going by so fast...I hope it continues to feel that way because we can't wait for this little guy to get here. He is growing how he should and he moves like crazy! That is one of my most favorite parts about being pregnant.

Here is a quick ultrasound pic of our little guy:
(we couldn't get a good profile pic)

And here I am at about 20 weeks:

I don't really know how to feel about having 2 kids instead of 1...some days I am so so excited and other days I feel so so overwhelmed with the thought, but we are definitely way more excited than overwhelmed. We can't wait for MAY!

A HEAP of Highlights from 2010!

2011-01-05T15:49:00.000-08:00

2010 was a great year for our family, I wish I would have been better at blogging about it! But here are highlights from each month...Be ready for picture overload! There are a ton more I wish I could have shared, but I'll spare ya...Each of these pictures has some kind of special meaning to us...I wish I could share a story for every one...

2011, we are ready for you!

January 2010

Scuba diving at the Heber crater for certifcation

Sick little boy

February 2010

Fun at the park during Daddy's lunch break!

The Bean Museum at BYU

March 2010

Just like Daddy...

Cute cousins!

April 2010

Happy 1st Birthday, Brigden!

He picked up the whole plate of cake and shoved it in his face! Crazy boy!

Brigden's first birthday card!

Graduation! What an exciting day!

Fun at the park for a graduation celebration

May 2010

A whole pear!

Helping Mommy cook...

AZ trip, Brigden LOVES Allie the dog (and Grandpa too!)

Slam dunk! This boy sure loves sports, just like his Daddy...

June 2010

Diving in the FLORIDA KEYS! What a trip!

Silly aunties!

summer boy! a boy after his mom's heart!

July 2010

Fun at the park over 4th of July weekend in St. George

Freedom Parade in Provo

The best helper in the yard...this boy sure loves cleaning up!

24th of July celebration in St. Johns, AZ

Fun at the RODEO!

A HEAP of Highlights from 2010, continued...

2011-01-05T10:55:00.000-08:00

August 2010
visiting Grandpa at work on our trip to AZ

mmmm... :)

fun at the NH Ranch

Hide and seek

September 2010

My best helpers! Casey is the spray painting master

What's up?!

Our last trip to Seven Peaks waterpark...We hung out there all summer!

He wants to be just like his daddy...

Fun in the gardens at the park

October 2010

Our little pool boy -Grandpa's little helper

Fun at Jumpin' Jacks with friends

Just relaxin' with a book!

Working hard at Uncle Jim's

Happy Halloween from the cutest little skeleton around!

November 2010

BYU Football FUN!

Scary monsters!

Happy Thanksgiving from NH Ranch!

December 2010

Daddy's last day of school! Til med school in August atleast... :)

YAY, we get to see him again!

My best little helper! He loves sorting the silverware from the dishwasher...

Setting up the Christmas tree!

Santa!

**More Christmas pics to come! Maybe... ;)

A Little Photoshoot...

2010-10-23T20:37:00.001-07:00

I have the greatest little sisters ever. One of them is named Jacie. Talent is seriously oozing out of her. I admire her for how she develops her talents and uses them to brighten the lives of others. She's the best! She did an impromptu photo shoot back in April for our little family when they were all here for my graduation. One of those pictures is on the header of our blog (can you tell that my legs were in desperate need of a summer tan?! That's what the Utah cold will do to ya!). It has been so fun to watch Jacie learn and get better through all of her photography adventures. She is doing such an awesome job! And you can't beat a free photoshoot...

When we were down in Arizona this summer, Jacie wanted to do another impromptu photoshoot with Brigden. I didn't know how long little B would last, but I said "Sure, let's do it!" With fruit snacks in hand to keep him happy, we made our way out into the driveway where Jacie had set up the shoot. And I AM SO EXCITED about the shots that she was able to get. It was SO worth fighting the AZ summer heat to get these pictures. I love how each one captures Brigden's little personality so perfectly. I am so happy that we have all of the silly and cute faces that he has been making lately in these pictures that we can have forever.

These are my two very favorites, especially the second one:

Here are some other cute ones, there are too many to just show a few!

Brigden sure does love his grandpa!

And here are some of the cute and silly faces that we just can't get enough of:

I love this "I am so ready to be DONE" face:

He must get it from his daddy :)

Can you tell we love this little guy?

"...off the Florida Keys..."

2010-10-16T15:58:00.000-07:00

So I guess that we were not "off the Florida Keys," we were ON them, but I had to go along with the song lyrics...Here's my first "catching-up" post. In May, Casey and I had the awesome opportunity to go with Jenny (Casey's mom) and two of his sisters, Jeniffer and Kimberly, to the Florida Keys. We were there for a week and it was such a great vacation. It sure was needed! We flew into the Ft. Lauderdale airport and drove for about 3 hours down to the Keys. How about I let the pictures tell the story...

This is where we stayed while we were there. Jenny sure found us some great deals! This was such a fun little house that was almost right on the ocean. The houses that were across the street from it backed the ocean. I loved how the Keys were a bunch of islands connected by a highway. I never realized before that they were like that. Each Key has a different name. We stayed on Summerland Key and went to some of the other Keys during our adventures! This is what we did:

We also celebrated my 22nd birthday while we were there! What a great way to spend a birthday!

(this one is for Kimberly!)

I think that the pictures tell it all...we were in such a beautiful place, with wonderful family, doing FUN things together, enjoying a trip of a lifetime! Thank you so much, Jenny, for making it possible and for making it such a special trip! And we missed you, Jimmy! And thank you Jeniffer and Kimberly for making it so fun!

I especially missed little Brigden who was back in Arizona with my family...Thanks Mom, Dad, and sisters for taking such great care of him...haha, I know it was a tough job! I don't know who had more fun, Brigden or his little aunties that spoiled him rotten! Love you guys! Brig's adventures while we were gone will be in a post coming soon!

I am so grateful that Casey and I were able to go on this trip. I loved seeing a new part of the beautiful world that we live in. It made me grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who has created such a beautiful world for us to learn and grow in.

Florida, I am missing you!

Long time, no see...

2010-10-16T15:39:00.000-07:00

Needless to say, it has been a LoNg time since I last posted. But I am determined to get back on track---I know that family, especially grandparents, would be happy if I did better!

So stay tuned for some backtracking in the next little bit while I fill you in on our summer adventures, and then maybe I will keep it up with what's going on currently in the oh-so-exciting life of the Heap family! For now, I will leave you with this current picture of this sweet little guy I know...

He's the best helper ever!

What's Happening?

2010-05-01T13:44:00.000-07:00

This is what has been going on lately here with the Heap family:

Thanks Dad for the pictures, haha, I stole them from your blog, knowing you wouldn't mind :)

Graduation!

Yummy treats!

Fun family picnic at the park with lots of extended family!

Family photo shoot and Brigden's 1-year pictures with my oh-so-talented sister, Jacie!

More to come soon when I get the rest of the pictures! Jacie- hint, hint... :)

Birthday Boy!

2010-04-09T20:50:00.000-07:00

This little boy had a birthday yesterday!

P.S. He looks naked in this picture, but he is not! He does have a diaper on! Haha :)

This last year has been filled with so much more happiness and joy than we ever thought possible because of having little Brigden in our home and lives. He is such a sweet little boy. I love seeing the new things that he learns every day. He is ALWAYS on the go and has SO much energy. I love this about him because it is so much fun to play and explore with him...and it makes for great naps...well, sometimes :). His zeal for life is contagious. It helps me to be more motivated to get up and going and seeing new things. He loves people and will walk up to anyone wanting to play with them. He gives the best kisses and hugs. He claps at things that are exciting to him like the timer going off on the microwave or oven or when there is fun music on the radio. I love how the smallest things are so exciting. He has started putting his hands over his eyes whenever he does something funny and we are laughing at him. When there is something that interests him and that he wants to learn more about, he does this little whispered "ooooooo" sound with his lips all puckered out. He loves putting the lids back on anything that is missing it's lid- boxes big and small, water bottles, plastic containers, you name it. It is fun to see his brain work and figure things out. I love his independence. It helps him to learn new things and catch on quickly. He says "mama" and "dada," "ba" for "ball," and "nana" for "banana." He loves to point and is constantly observing. Anytime that I say, "where's Daddy?" he goes into our front room and looks out the window. He loves when Daddy comes home. And so does Mommy! Brigden gives Daddy the biggest hug when he walks in the door.
As you can probably tell, I could go on and on about this little boy. But I'll leave it at this...
WE LOVE OUR LITTLE GUY!
I am grateful for Brigden and what he has taught me about being a mom. It is the hardest thing that I have ever done, but has taught me the most, along with being a wife.
NOW, on to the celebration! As you can tell, Brigden had a great time! We had a little party with just me, Casey, and Brigden. (I had extra batter, that's why there are so many cupcakes-no, we didn't eat them all ourselves!) I knew that Brig would not even hesitate to dig into the cake- and he didn't disappoint! My parents and sisters and Casey's parents are coming up from AZ in 2 weeks for my graduation so we are going to do a little combined graduation/birthday party---I think we will stick with a cupcake for Brigden at that party!

Here are some other pictures from the day...Brigden got a big ball and a tent with the gift card from Grammy and Umpa (Thanks!) And he LOVES them. The tent is his own little hideaway. He also got his first birthday card and from great-Grandma and Grandpa Charlton! Thanks for all the birthday wishes!

We love this little guy and are so excited for all that is in store for him!

A little project...

2010-04-09T17:54:00.000-07:00

While Brigden and I were in St. George a few weeks ago visiting my Grandma Ames, we had fun at the thrift store! I found (for super cheap) a really neat vintage frame and this:

What a find! Now, knowing that I would not put this up in my house as is, this is what I did to it today:

I love it! I love finding old things and turning them into something new! Something about creating gives you such a good feeling...

I have tons of ideas of what to use this new board for, but I would love to hear your ideas because I'm having a hard time deciding!

April Fools...

2010-04-01T17:29:00.000-07:00

Simply stated, I LOVE April Fool's Day. I love the {harmless} fun of it all. I have never been that great at thinking of jokes to play, but for some reason, today I was on fire! I just thought that I would share one of them, which was my favorite...

This is what Casey found underneath the windshield wiper on his truck when he came out of work today--

Little did he know, I was a couple hundred feet away in my car recording him finding it! It was so funny to watch his reaction and then to hear him explain what he was thinking later. In the video, you can see him looking all around his truck to see what he would even be ticketed for. He says that he was so ticked. And then, on the video, you see him take out the paper that was inside of it and he just shakes his head because he realized that I had got him yet again. He threw the "ticket" into his truck and went to get into his truck and that's when I drove up. He just kept shaking his head and we laughed and laughed. We both got a big kick out of it!
I didn't really know if he would think it was real because of the joke I had played on him early that morning, but I guess it was legitimate enough! It was made to look almost exactly like the parking tickets that the BYU parking enforcement gives out, so it was quite believeable!

Haha, I already have some great ideas for next year's jokes! Casey, you better watch out!

{Right around the corner}

2010-03-02T11:12:00.000-08:00

Look at these little beauties!
Brigden and I found these yesterday in our flower beds and it made our day! Spring, we are ready for ya...Please don't tease us anymore!

Little Brig

2010-02-27T20:13:00.000-08:00

Just thought the world (well, atleast grandparents) needed another picture of this cute little one...He thought that he was so cool when I gave him the whole pear...you can't see the other side, but he took a bunch of little bites out of it. It is so fun to watch him grow up into a little boy...

This is his new favorite place to play!
Love you all!

Perspective

2010-02-05T09:44:00.000-08:00

Just ask Casey, I worry and stress A LOT...Big things, little things, lots of things. And it drives me crazy because I know that I should not worry about those things. Everything always works out-it always has and always will. There are always going to be things that don't seem like they are working out how I want them to. There are always going to be ways that I feel inadequate. And I will feel like I am falling short at times. But that is not where my focus should be. Of course, there's ups and downs. When you are down, you can remember the ups and find your way back. When you are up, you can remember the downs and all that you learned and the strength you gained.
That's why this blog is good for me---It gives me an opportunity to focus on the good things that are happening in our life and the ways that we are learning and growing. No, I'm not trying to pretend like everything in life is always great and that there are never down times. Because there definitely are, a lot more often than I would like. But why focus on those if they only get me down even more? There are sure a whole lot of better things to focus on that make me happy just with a glance or a thought...
Like these two...
Even when Casey is gone a lot with work and school or little Brig is being "adventurous" (aka making trouble):
Just some thoughts that have been going through my head lately. I've been reminded to focus on the ups. I think it makes all the difference.

Casey's going to hate this... :)

2010-02-04T20:11:00.000-08:00

Three years ago, today, my life changed forever. On February 4, 2007, I met this guy:

And my life has never been the same. :)
It was the spring semester of my 1st year at Eastern Arizona College. During the month of January, I had heard about this mysterious Casey Heap who had just come home from his mission and was now at EA. I had heard some great things about him so, naturally, I wanted to meet him.
February 4th was my lucky day. I went down with my roommate, Valerie, to the girls' apartment that lived underneath us to see if they had something that I needed for some soup that I was making. And of course, we got talking, just like girls do. Then there was a knock at the door and in walked this WAY cute guy...who was introduced to us as Casey. He impressed me right off the bat. he was so nice. It seemed like he made sure to talk to each person that was there and made each person feel so good.
When Valerie and I got back to our apartment, I jokingly said, "Valerie, that's the boy that I'm going to marry!" And she just looked at me like "oh yeah? you're crazy..."
Come to find out, he was there to ask our friend out on a date! Bummer! But I was so excited for her. They went on a few dates, but nothing really happened with them, so he was up for the grabs! Haha, that's funny to hear myself say that because I am not a forward girl AT ALL! In fact, I had the hugest crush on him for the ENTIRE semester, and the only people that knew were 2 of my friends and my mom.
So, the semester went on like normal. Me having dates with other guys and Casey with other girls. But he was always the one that I had my eye on. A girl could dream, right?! :)
We had different groups of friends so we didn't ever really hang out, but with how small Thatcher is, you're bound to run into each other every so often. I would say "hi" to him as I passed him walking down the sidewalk and I got up the courage to talk to him, ever so briefly, in the library. Little did I know, he was starting to watch me too!
The semester was winding down and some boys in the library invited me and my friend Deb to go to some natural hot tubs that were close by the school. There was a big huge group that was going, so I didn't really think that it was considered a date. But now looking back i guess they meant for it to be, who knows, maybe not...So, Deb and I left the library to go home and change into our swimming suits and when I went into my apartment, guess who was there talking to my roommate! CASEY! I was so excited that I didn't really know what to do. We talked for a little bit and then Deb came over for us to go and I wasn't ready yet. Deb was one of the friends that knew I liked him, so she said, "Hey, how bout you come with us?" SO he did! I'm sure those boys that originally invited us were pretty surprised when they saw him coming up to the car with us! :)
So, that night was fun (I'll spare the details), but he did ask for my phone number! I was so giddy after we left him at the dorms where he lived and walked to our apartment. I was literally skipping down the road. I probably didn't even sleep that night.
So, like I said, that was at the end of the semester. We did hang out one more time before the semester ended, but it was in a big group and I tried to tell myself that he was just being nice and didn't even like me...I didn't want to get my hopes up since the summer was around the corner and we would both go home and not even be anywhere close to each other. But that's not what he was thinking! Which I'm so glad for...
A few days after school got out, he called me! And then he called a few days later and said that he was going back to Mexico to visit the areas that he served in during his mission, but that he would be flying out of Phoenix and wanted to know if I would want to go to a Diamondbacks game before he left. So that was our first official date...June 8
I'll spare you the details, but here is what the rest of that summer included:
1 long summer of dating long distance
1,208 hours on the phone (maybe it wasn't this much, but it seemed like it!)
1 night at the park that scared me to death (when he brought up marriage...)
2 failed attempts before I actually let him kiss me...Third time's the charm (I was scared!)
5 hour drives that Casey made back and forth from the ranch to Peoria to see me during the summer
1 fun-filled weekend in St. John's for the 24th
1 long drive back from St. John's that gave me lots of time to think and decide that I wanted to spend the rest of forever with this guy
1 awesome mom who listened to every little detail from her love-struck daughter
1 love-struck guy and 1 love-struck girl who couldn't wait for school to start that fall
Here are some fun pictures from that summer:
But luckily, summer ended and school started again. What a fun semester!

We were engaged on November 1 and married on December 27. So I guess this can count for an anniversary post too that I skipped doing last month... :)
Since being married we have done fun things like this:
Snowboarding on our honeymoon
And this:
Havasupai backpacking trip

Found out we were having a baby:
And realized we were the luckiest boy and girl in the world to have this little one:
It is crazy to think back on these three years - 1 year of dating (1 semester of that being "wishing") and 2 years of marriage - and think about all that has happened and all that we have learned. I sure have learned a lot! And I'm grateful for the ups and the downs because we have been through them together!
Casey is my best friend. He knows me like no other person does. And I love that. He is there for me always. And I need that. I am so blessed to call him mine.

We've got a little WALKER!

2010-02-03T21:11:00.001-08:00

It is so fun to watch little B learn new things...His newest trick is walking! He is still working on perfecting the skill, so he's still really wobbly, but he is getting so much more confident, even since this video was taken. He took his first real steps on Sunday, January 17 and has been getting better and better ever since. At first, he would only walk from the couch to one of us or from the table to the couch, but now he is confident enough to let go of anything he is standing against and will just start walking away. This video was taken at night right before his bedtime, so he's a little cranky, and we had to use the big video camera for incentive for him to walk to me. Usually he will just start going on his own...It really is so fun to watch little ones grow. Sorry the video is a little dark...
Enjoy...we sure do!

Brigden Update

2010-02-03T10:18:00.001-08:00

We just went to the doctor's last week for Brigden's 9 month well check...Everything is going great! I hadn't ever gone to this doctor in the Health Center before, but I loved her. I think that I will go back to her every time now.
Here are some recent pictures of little B:

And here are some things that we love about our little man:
*Brigden is constantly on the go. I know that most kids are like this when they are learning to move around and explore their world, but seriously, this kid has some energy. I love his little adventurous side, even though it makes for a tired mommy at the end of the day :) It is so fun to see him learning new things.
*Brigden loves being outside and in the car. Whenever we get bundled up to go outside and open the front door, his arms start going up and down and his feet kick because he is so excited.
*He gives his daddy the BEST hugs. He won't give them to mommy, but that's alright because it is so fun to see their own special relationship growing.
*I love his snuggle time with mommy. We will lay on the couch together and I will tell him stories and he will just lay there and listen. I love this because he is constantly on the go so it is a good time to just relax and nurture our mommy/son relationship.
*Brigden has been making the FUNNIEST faces lately. I really need to get them on camera. It is so funny how he scrunches up his little face.
*He loves to talk and if he is awake, he is making noises. It seems like he comes up with new ones everyday.
*Brigden loves to "help" me with chores around the house. When I vacuum, he crawls up behind me and stands up against the back of my legs and then holds onto my legs and puts his little head in between my legs by my knees. He will walk around the house with me like that the whole time I am vacuuming. I love it, even though it takes about 10 times longer to vacuum.
*He is so good at entertaining himself and will play forever with all of his toys while I get some things done that I need to do. And then he lets me know that it's time for some mommy play time, and then we have lots of fun together.
*He loves to ring the doorbell every time we are coming in the house.
*He loves to play "wake-up mommy." I will lay on the couch, pretending to be asleep and snoring and he will walk along the couch and pat my arm or my face trying to wake me up. Then I pop up and tickle him. He gets such a kick out of it.
*He hates being in his high chair. I have to feed him really fast if I want him to eat all of his food...Cheese is his favorite thing to eat, probably because it is so messy!
*Brigden's smile melts my heart, over and over and over again...
*His new trick is walking! See next post...

Long Overdue...

2010-02-02T21:09:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know, it is February and I am barely putting up pictures from Christmas break…but it is better late than never, right? I have so much more recent stuff that I want to post, but it would feel incomplete without this post about all of our Christmas break happenings…

We had a great Christmas break this year down in Arizona. We drove down late in the afternoon on the 23^rd and spent Christmas, Casey’s Birthday (the 26^th), and our anniversary (the 27^th) with my side of the family. Then we went to spend 4 more days with Casey’s side of the family and spent New Years with them. Casey came back up to Utah just in time for school to start again and Brigden and I were able to stay with my family for an extra week for my cousin’s wedding. We have decided that if the rest of our children travel as well as Brigden did, we will be world travelers. We were so impressed at how well he did.

I have decided that I am going to do the rest of this post in a “Top Ten” style, except this is a "Top 20" with no particular order, except chronological. Here are the highlights from our winter break! (WARNING: It’s a long post…enter at your own risk…)

#1 – Christmas Eve with our traditional pajamas and sibling gift exchange. Getting new pajamas for Christmas is one of my most favorite traditions and I think that the pajamas that my mom got for me this year are probably my favorite ones yet. Silky pajamas make me feel like a “grown-up” J I also love the tradition of our sibling gift exchange. It is fun to see the effort and thought that each sibling puts into choosing a gift for the brother or sister that they have that year. It was also fun to have my aunt Leslee there with her boys...

#2 – Santa’s surprise visit…Brigden got to sit on Santa’s lap for the first time and he kept looking at Santa like, “Hey…Don’t I know you? You look like my grandpa…” Classic...

#3 Casey’s big debut as the innkeeper and Brigden’s debut as a not so happy baby Jesus in the Nativity

#4 Like father, like son...I guess this even applies to sleeping positions! I love these two together...Daddy is Brigden's best friend. Thanks Kamrie for sharing your bed with us! (Her bed is seriously the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in)

#5 Christmas Morning...I am ALWAYS the first one awake on Christmas morning. My brother, Jordan, and I had a “plan” every year to be the first ones up. Those are some of my favorite memories of Christmas- our “early riser” club. This year was no different, even as a tired mommy and with Jordan gone on his mission, I was the first one up. I didn’t even try to be. I guess that it is so deep-rooted that it is a habit that's hard to break!

Brigden had so much fun with his very first Christmas! It is so fun as a parent to watch the excitement in your little one’s eyes…

#6 – Christmas Day basketball game…My dad is probably the most selfless and caring person I know. Casey got a new basketball for Christmas and was itching to shoot some hoops. Mid-morning, my dad told Casey to put his tennis shoes on and grab his ball and come with him. (I was curious, so I tagged along) We got in the car and started driving, with only my dad knowing where we were going. We ended up at the house of some family friends who have a son that LOVES basketball. My dad had called ahead to see if we could come over for a game of one-on-one basketball with the pro, Tyler. They had so much fun! Casey loved having someone to play with and I could tell that Tyler was loving it too! Thanks, Dad! That was thoughtful...

#7 – Phone call from Elder Ames!.. .I was so excited to talk to my brother, Jordan, who is serving a mission in New York that I hoarded all of the cordless phones for the hour before he was supposed to call. But I was nice, I let my mom answer it when he called J He sounded so good and is doing great! It is crazy that he comes home in August! We love you, Elder Ames!

#8 – Brigden’s new best friend, Allie the dog…Meet Allie, the dog that my family has had for as long as I can remember. She is a great dog, except for when she is mean to my dad’s chickens, then she is on the bad list for a while…I was so impressed with how well she did with little Brig. She didn’t even flinch when he would grab her feet, ears, or tail! Brigden was enamored with her and followed her around everywhere!

#9 – Brigden loved having stairs to climb…And we sure had to keep our eyes on him!

#10 – We loved helping my dad with his chicken coop additions…and Casey LOVES pictures, as you can tell! Note the sarcasm… :)

#11 – Casey turned the big 2-4!
p.s. We put all of the little parts of his present in separate bags so he had to guess what his one big present was...so it looks like a lot, but it really is one present

#12 – Happy 2-year anniversary! We celebrated by going to the Mesa Temple to do sealings (that is where we were married) and then went to dinner and a movie! It seems like we have been married for so much longer, but I'm so glad that we have many more years to come and then eternity together! Man, oh man, do I love this guy! More to come on him later…

#13 – Birthday Celebration #2…Lucky Casey got to celebrate his birthday twice! Every little kid’s dream! It was fun to celebrate it again with his parents and sisters. The nephews were so excited to help him blow out the candles!

#14 – Happy New Year! We celebrated by going with Boyd and Jen to the New Year’s dance and then came home and played games! I don’t have pictures for our late-nights with games, but that was a highlight of our trip…it was SO much fun for some of us adults to stay up ‘til the wee hours of the morning playing games, especially Ticket to Ride…We love that one!

(Notice the same outfit as the anniversary pics…that’s the joy of visiting our two families at separate times when we go to AZ…I can wear everything twice because neither family has seen the outfit before...which means less packing! YES!)

#15 – Playing with Cousins…Brigden is so lucky to have 6 little boy cousins just a little bit older than him to play with. (I can see lots of mischief in years to come) He had so much fun watching them run around and play and they were so good and nice to him! I think that he had so much fun watching them go all over the place that he was inspired to start walking himself…(more on that in the next post!)

#16 – Visits with Nana…Casey’s grandma (“Nana”) is an amazing lady and we love to visit her as much as we can when we are in St. Johns. We love to sit and talk to her…Little B loved pushing around her walker

#17 – Fun Times with “Tortillas”…or Tias (Aunts in Spanish) They are SO good with Brigden…

#18 – Visit with “Grandma Helen”…When we first moved down to AZ, I was Brigden’s age. We lived in some apartments and this lady was our neighbor upstairs. She became like a grandma-figure in my life with my grandmas so far away in Utah. She is a hoot! I love visiting with her now. She always has funny things to say. This was Brigden’s first time meeting her…

#19 – Going to visit Grandpa at work…Brigden, or should I say “Baxter,” has a fan club at my dad’s work, so we couldn’t go down to AZ without going to visit! There was even a personalized sign waiting for him just like last time we went when he was just 6 weeks old! He is definitely a loved little boy…

#20 – Sharing a special day with a beautiful bride…My cousin Michelle married our good friend, Neal, the day before I left to come back to Utah. I love Michelle. She is beautiful inside and out. We have become a lot closer as we have gotten older and I love the talks that we have. I cannot explain how happy I am for Michelle and Neal. They make a great couple and will be SO happy together. They really are perfect for each other. I wish I had a picture of them together. It was wonderful to be able to be a part of their special day! And it was so great to be able to catch up with some awesome friends from growing up. I have the greatest friends! Thanks Kyle for making sure Brig was included in the picture, that was a fun surprise :)

Well, needless to say, this was really LONG (and it feels good to be done with it), but I am so grateful for the fun times we were able to have in Arizona. We are so blessed with great family and we miss them already!
Any who, now it’s time for bed!

Silly Sleeper...

2009-12-18T21:34:00.000-08:00

I went in the other day after Brigden had fallen asleep for his nap to check on him and this is how he fell asleep...sitting up! He must have been really tired! Oh how we love this little boy...

Attention! Attention!

2009-12-18T21:09:00.000-08:00

Now that I have your attention, I just want to let you all know that I am officially done with school! And not even just for the semester...I am done done - like will have my bachelor's degree done! If you can't tell, this is a very exciting day. I felt like this day was taking forever to come, but now it is here and I hardly know how to contain myself...Casey and Brigden will have a wife and mommy again! And I will be a college graduate!

I know that Brigden will miss hanging out in the library every once in a while...Doesn't he look thrilled to be there?

I turned in my last paper today (which, of course, I started last night...not procrastinating and actually doing it ahead of time would be way too easy) and I took my last final today as well. I wanted to shout for joy in the testing center as I filled in the last bubble on the scantron, I'm sure all of the people hard at work on their tests are grateful that I did not :)

Anyways, here is a picture of me on my last day of school. That sounds so weird to say because I have been going to school pretty much every day of my life, except for summer break, for the last 16 or so years...

When I came home from taking my last final today, the house was so clean (much better than how I had left it) and there were signs all over the kitchen (a tradition in my family), and there was a beautiful bouquet of flowers on the table. I love flowers. I have such a wonderful husband. He knows how important this accomplishment is to me...

The first REAL snow!

2009-12-06T09:01:00.001-08:00

This is what Brigden and I woke up to this morning and I am surprised to say that it actually made me happy! Being from Arizona, I am not a big fan of living where it snows. I will admit that I thought last winter was miserable! When it snowed last winter for the first time, I was already dreading the coming months. But seeing the snow today was different. Brigden and I went outside and it was so peaceful. I think this winter may be different, I'm excited for the new change...Brigden sure thought it was neat, it was hard just getting him to look at the camera!

Feeling Grateful...

2009-12-06T08:33:00.000-08:00

**This was my journal entry from last night after Brigden went to sleep...I thought I would share it because it tells a lot of how I am feeling right now...Casey comes home tonight...Yay! I am excited to hear about his experiences!**

Casey left Wednesday afternoon to go down to Mexico with a group to volunteer at an orphanage for a few days. I am so excited for the experiences that he has been able to have the last few days. I wish I could have gone with him! But I am also excited that he will be coming home tomorrow night. Brigden and I sure have missed him! As he has been gone, I have been able to reflect more on my gratitude for him and how much I love him. It has been tough not having him here for a shoulder to lean on when I am tired, a listening ear to listen to my ramblings, or helping hands to play with Brigden when I need a minute to myself. I love him more and more each day for all that he does and all that he is. He helps me to be a stronger person. He is such a great example to me of hard work and Christ-like service.

At the end of this month, we will have been married for 2 years and will have known each other for almost 3. I have learned so much about myself and life in these years with Casey that I know I would not have been able to learn any other way than with Casey at my side. He is my best friend and my confidante. I don't think a day goes by that I don't say to him, "You're the Best..." Usually he shrugs his shoulders or rolls his eyes like what he does isn't that much. But it is. He enables me to become my best self. "He gives me wings to fly." (Sister Hinckley)

This past semester has been really rough with both of us having atleast 15 credit hours, Casey working, and having the sweetest little baby boy to take care of. I would not have been able to do it on my own. But thankfully, I didn't have to - I have had Casey and my Savior to lean on. They both know how important finishing school is to me. They have worked with me to make it happen...I will be finished with my bachelor's degree in less than a week. And it has not happened based on my merits alone. This has been a family effort and accomplishment. WE have done it together - through ups and downs, tears and laughter, faith and hope.

I would feel ungrateful if I didn't also acknowledge our great family and friends who have helped us in this endeavor with watching Brigden, lending a listening ear, or simply brightening my day - I am so grateful for you - Mom & Dad, Margo, Holly, Amber B., Justina, Amber M. - you are the greatest! It is true that Heavenly Father usually meets our needs by means of another...

I love my life. We are living our fairy tale. But our fairy tale isn't made up of fancy castles, knights in shining armor, or princesses in fancy ball gowns. Our fairy tale is made up of a humble home where we learn and grow, a daddy who gets up early and stays up late working and studying to provide for a family that he loves so much, a mommy who is working hard to finish school and who sometimes doesn't get ready for the day until the day is almost over because she has been playing with and taking care of a little one all day, and a baby boy who needs so much love, care, and attention that it is sometimes overwhelming but who brings so much joy and love that his parents never knew was possible. Our fairy tale is written in the ink of selfless service, sacrifice, devotion, struggle, and love. We make it happen. It is not always easy, but that makes it all the sweeter.

BYU Football...Go Cougars!

2009-12-01T17:12:00.000-08:00

One of our most favorite things to do while we have been here at BYU has been going to sporting events, especially BYU football! We have gotten the All-Sports Passes both years, so we have tried to go to as many games as possible to make it worth our money...We have had so much fun this year with the home football games and a few volleyball games. We are really looking forward to basketball, too! It has been fun to have Brigden with us at the games this year. It is so fun doing things together as a little family! We really have to make the most of the time that we have together, even as little as it may be sometimes with both Casey and I going to school full-time. Here are some pictures of our fun times at the football games...Go Cougars!

BYU vs. [I don't remember :0]

We got our tickets with our friends (and neighbors) John and Fernanda and her brother, Yuri. We have had so much fun with them at the games. They are great friends. And Brigden LOVES them!

BYU vs. Air Force
Casey's parents came up for the weekend and it was great to spend time with them. They are such a blessing to have in our lives. We love them!
The BIG Game----BYU vs. Utah

This game between rivals was so exciting! The 4th quarter ended with the score 20-20. During overtime, Utah got a field goal so it was 20-23. Then BYU got a touchdown for a final score of 27-23! It was so cool to see the fans rush the field-it was a sea of blue! What a great game to be at!

Oh The Places I GO...

2009-12-01T08:04:00.000-08:00

Hi, my name is Brigden. I am almost 8 months old and I love that I can finally move around! I have been crawling for quite some time now and standing too! I am having so much fun...Mommy and Daddy love it too because it is fun for them to see all of the new things that I am learning to do. I'm already fast at getting around by crawling but just wait until I can walk! Mom and Dad will sure have to stay on their toes to keep track of me! They think that it is so fun to play with me and see all of the things that I am exploring, even though I disappear a lot. I love to crawl and stand and walk along furniture. Here are some of the places I love to play:
Well, that's all for now...Mommy says it's time for bed! But I'll be back!

A Quick Post...

2009-11-07T17:32:00.001-08:00

Wow, we have had a busy month this last month! There are lots of posts and updates to come, but for now, here are some pics from Halloween and some of Brigden standing! For Halloween, we dressed up as Betty, Barney, and BamBam Rubble from the Flintstones, and without even planning it, Fred and Wilma showed up too! Brigden looked so cute in his BamBam costume, too bad it was too tight because he was asleep when I was making it the night before, so I couldn't measure it on him...It was really funny to try to watch him crawl around in it!

Brigden stood up all by himself for the first time today and he is already becoming a pro! He will be 7 months tomorrow...It is crazy how fast time flies! We love you all!

Brigden's Army Crawl...

2009-09-29T16:13:00.000-07:00

Sorry this video is sideways, but here is Brigden's army crawl! He is getting so big! It is so crazy how fast they grow...More posts are coming soon!

Brigden's Third Month, Part 1

2009-08-30T19:01:00.001-07:00

This post is all about:

After we left from Peoria, we were went to the ranch that Casey's family has in New Mexico. We spent about two weeks there and it was great! Torie went with us because my mom, dad, and other sisters were going on the Trek. It was fun to have her there with us. She sure makes for an exciting time, you definitely won't stop laughing when she is there, that's for sure!
We decided to drive through St. Johns so we could stop and see Nana, this would be the first time for Brigden to meet her! We had a great visit and Casey's cousin, Brittany, and her new little baby, Addison, met us there. Brigden and Addison are only about a week apart.

We had so much fun while we were at the ranch. Jeniffer and Josh were there for the first half of the time we were there. It was fun to spend time with them, Casey's parents, and Kimberly and her cute boys. Casey was able to help his dad a lot and also helped put in some great wood flooring. It looks awesome! It was such a great experience to be in such a beautiful place with people we love. The ranch is seriously a retreat from the world. When I am there, I am reminded of what is really important. We have such a beautiful world around us. Here are some fun pictures from the time we spent there:

We celebrated my birthday while we were there and went to this cool place called the Catwalk. We swam a little bit but the water was so cold. It is really cool- there is this waterfall that you cannot see from the trail, it's kind of in a cave-like place, and you have to go through the water under a few huge rocks to get to it. Casey, Torie, Mikayla, and I went to it. It was so neat! We also had a great BBQ there when we were done. We love adventures!

The rest of my family came after they were done with the Trek to get Torie and stayed a night. We did some fun things while they were there like digging for pottery and riding the four wheelers.

There is a hummingbird feeder on the back porch that attracts tons of hummingbirds. My dad renamed the ranch the "Hummingbird Ranch." He started acting like a hummingbird, buzzing all around with his arms out and Brigden LOVED it. He also recruited Torie to help him with his hummingbird exercises. So fun...
We had so much fun while we were there and wish that we didn't have to leave! Hopefully we can make it back soon!

One year already!

2009-08-27T20:12:00.000-07:00

This is my handsome brother, Elder Jordan Ames (I cropped this picture from a family picture from our wedding). I cannot believe that it has been a whole year since my mom, dad, and Jordan came to stay with us before we took Jordan to the MTC. It has been exactly one year today that we took him there - which I'm sure he doesn't like to be reminded of. :) In his last email he said, " First and most important! You are all completely ridiculous!!!! Why do you always have to make a comment amount how much time that I have been out!! :) I know that I only have a year left, but that does not mean that you have to mention it!!"
This is so Jordan. When he has a job to do, he is so focused and determined to do it to the best of his ability. No distractions! Jordan is such a hard worker. He is an awesome example to me. We are only 14 months apart in age, so I do not ever remember a time in my life that Jordan has not been there. I have so many great memories from growing up of us together. Here are a few:
-catching lizards together in our backyard
-playing in the sandbox and digging for "clay"
-making bracelets out of electrical wires that our uncle Lenny found
-having our own little "club" every Christmas Eve, we would always sleep as close as we could to the downstairs and then sneak out in the EARLY morning hours after Santa had come and gone to see what fun there was in store. Our little sisters were always mad that we would always be the first ones down there...They never understood how we did it!
-riding bikes in the cul-de-sac
-playing in our tree house and smashing up wild olives from the tree it was built in for "ink"
-driving to early morning seminary together - he would always get mad at me for doing my makeup in the car or spraying hairspray! haha :)
-going to EFY together and being in the same group- it actually was awesome!
-having him come to visit while we were at EAC - he stayed with Casey and his roommates in their apartment (it was before we were married) - I think that was a real eye opener for what college life is really like!
-Jordan always made me promise that he would be the first to know when we found out that we having a baby. Even if it was while he was on his mission - I had to write and tell him first. Well, we ended up telling him the night before he went into the MTC - what a mean sister I am! But I wanted to do it in person and that was the only chance I would have. I think he knew that he would have a niece or nephew before he came home, but I don't think he realized they would be a year and a half! I am so grateful for the amazing missionary uncle that Brigden has to look to for an example. It definitely will be a great day when they can finally meet! He will be able to speak Spanish with Casey and Brigden. :) Casey speaks mostly Spanish to Brigden, so they can talk together...
Jordan is working hard and doing awesome. It is definitely hard work, but he puts forth his all. His example (from when we were growing up and now) helps me to be a better person and see how I can improve. We love you, Elder Ames!

What a special day!

2009-08-27T19:15:00.000-07:00

So this is back-tracking a bit, but I am working so hard on getting caught up so I can try to stay caught up!
On Sunday, May 31, 2009, little Brigden was given a name and a blessing by his wonderful daddy. Casey is such a great example to me. He prepared prayerfully to be certain that the blessing he gave would be the blessing that our Heavenly Father would have for Brigden, not only what we would want. He gave a beautiful blessing, which I knew he would. We decided to bless him in my family's ward in Peoria, the ward I grew up in. This was so all of our immediate family could be there to share this special day with us and Brigden. And everyone was there except for we were missing Elder Ames! But he is working hard. We were able to have so many special people that we love with us. Thank you everyone for taking the time to travel and come to be with us. We love you all! We even had some great friends that travelled to come share the day with us - Preston and Cordae, Dustin and Cynthia, and Jessica, Josh and little Braxton. And then there were some others from Peoria who made a special trip aside from their regular ward to be there - Michelle and Neal, Deanna, Sarah, Casey, and Paedn. Sorry if I've forgotten anyone...I'm kinda sad that we weren't able to get pictures of everyone who was there, we should've taken them right after because then it got a little busy. But we were able to get some great family pictures.
The power of the priesthood is a great blessing to our lives. I am so grateful for the example that Casey is to me and the faithful priesthood holder that he is. He works so hard and does so much to be the best he can be. He amazes me with all that he can accomplish. And he is the greatest daddy - so fun and so helpful. Brigden is a lucky little guy...Thank you Casey for all that you do!
We also are blessed to have a wonderful little son who is so much joy to our lives. We are so grateful for little smiles, little giggles, little hands, cute little feet - everything about little Brigden.

Brigden's 2nd Month

2009-08-26T09:58:00.000-07:00

Brigden had a pretty adventurous first few months, which you will see in this post and the next. When Brigden was 6 weeks old, we went to Arizona. Brigden and I went a week before Casey, so we decided to fly. I was very nervous about flying with a newborn, but it went great! The Salt Lake airport wasn't too busy and we flew through security. I couldn't believe that they would make me wake up a sleeping baby to carry them through! Just kidding, I understood, but sleep is precious. We got to the gate with a little time to spare and I ended up being able to take Brigden's carrier onto the plane because the flight wasn't too full, which ended up being very nice to have. He slept through take off and then woke up a little later to eat. Then he fell back to sleep during landing. I told Casey after the flight that we needed to invest in a flight simulator! :) I took some cute pictures on the plane, but cannot seem to find them, so I will have to add them later.
My mom and sisters picked us up from the airport and we went to my dad's work to show little "Baxter" off. It was so cute- we walked in the front door and there is a sign that usually has the stock quotes listed on it, but instead it read, "Welcome Baxter! #1 Grandson" What a great welcome! My dad was holding Brigden and he went up ahead of us because he was so excited to show off his first little grandbaby. When we walked in the doors to the main office, we saw my dad holding Brigden with about 8 women around him. One even had stayed later after her shift was over and waited to see him. He is a pretty popular little guy there!

It was great to be there with my family. I decided to go down a little bit earlier than Casey because Kamrie had her 8th grade promotion and was singing the National Anthem and it was Torie's birthday. I thought that it would be fun to be there for those things.
Kamrie did awesome with the National Anthem. She is a very talented and beautiful girl. High school here she comes! You better be ready for her!

Happy 10th Birthday, Torie! Torie is a crack up. She is seriously one of the funniest and smartest girls I know. She is so clever and comes up with the craziest things. We love hearing about all of her crazy antics.

We also got to go to the lake while we were there. Thanks uncle Linsey! It was so fun! The water was perfect temperature and it was so nice outside. We love the sun! Casey had lots of fun wakeboarding and I was very proud of myself- this was 7 weeks after Brigden was born and I kneeboarded and skiied! I felt like that was quite an accomplishment. Needless to say, we were very sore after, but it was so worth it! And Brigden looked so cute in his little life jacket!

Brigden also got to meet his new little friend, Braxton, while we were there. He is Jessica's little boy that was born a few months before Brigden. Brigden was still a bit too little to really know what was going on, but Braxton sure was excited! I'm sure they will be the best of friends, just like their moms!

Here are a few more fun pictures of Brigden that were taken while we were there in Peoria. We sure do love this little guy! We found a cool teacup at Wal-Mart and decided to have a fun photo shoot with Brigden in it. Most people who see this picture do not believe that Brigden is just shy of 2 months when it was taken. But it's for real! He has always been a strong one...

See ya later!

Hello again!

2009-08-24T07:17:00.000-07:00

I have set a goal for this week before school starts to get caught up with blogging, so I am going to set each day aside for a different month of Brigden's life! He is growing so much (and so fast) and it is fun to see the changes and progression from month to month. Today I am going to do his first month. There are lots of pictures and many more to come!

My mom and Casey's parents were here when Brigden was born, which was so wonderful! My dad was coming on the Saturday that we got home from the hospital, which I was so excited for. Originally, I thought that it would be about a month or so until my sisters were going to be able to see their first little nephew. That made me a little disappointed and I know that they were sad thinking that too. Well, Torie gave me a little tip-off that they were coming with my dad for the weekend. :) Torie is my little accomplice in figuring out secret information! (She let me know that Casey had talked to my dad before he asked me to marry him...but I'm not innocent in the situation - it was definitely after some prodding by me!) SO, I was so excited for them to come, but I still let it be somewhat of a "surprise." We got home from the hospital and they arrived a few hours later to meet little Brigden! It was great to have them here for a few days. I give them credit for all of the pictures we have of Brigden's first few days at home! If they weren't holding him, they were taking pictures. Which is great because we sure do have a lot! We didn't have a camera that worked that well at the time, so it helped a lot!

This is Brigden with all of his "tortillas." Casey speaks mostly spanish to Brigden and Torie kept hearing him say things about Brigden's tias (aunts in spanish). So when she was getting ready to hold Brigden, she said something like, "Ok Brigden, come to your tortilla!" We all just looked at her like she was crazy until we realized why she was saying it. Brigden sure loves his tortillas! So silly...

I LOVE this next picture. It is one of my favorites. My dad is so so good with Brigden. I love watching him play with him and take care of him. Brigden is so calm whenever he is with his Poppa C...This was the start of the Easter cake creation.

Here's a couple of the new mommy and daddy! (Notice that most pictures of me in this posts are of me laying down...that was pretty much my position of choice for the first couple weeks- sitting down just hurt too much with all of the stitches!)

Here's a few of Brigden's firsts...It was fun for me and Casey to give Brigden his first bath together. In the beginning, he did not like baths. But after the first few times, he started to love them. They are now one of his favorite things!

It is crazy how small he looks in his bath tub in these pictures. Now he fills the whole thing and it's almost too small for him!

My mom got him this fun outfit for his very first Easter and he wore it on Easter Sunday which was four days after he was born. We also had a fun photo shoot!

This is Poppa C's finished Easter creation. He is very creative. This is the "He is Risen" cake.

My dad and sisters left on Monday and my mom stayed for another week to help us out a little bit more. We are so grateful for all that she did to help. She had been in the hospital for her back before she came up to help us and her back was hurting a lot, but she did so much to help us - more than I ever could have asked for. Thank you mom! Also, thanks goes to my sisters who let me have mom here for so long!

Casey's mom and sisters also came for a week to visit and to see little Brigden. They brought two of their little boys who are so much fun! They also helped out so much, especially with meals. It was so great to have them here. I had Brigden a week and a half before finals, so I was still recovering during finals week. I was really worried about how finals week would work out with both me and Casey having finals to take, but Casey's mom saved the day! She was so great to drive me around and help with Brigden while I was taking my tests. She is great! Thanks so much Jenny!
Like I said before, we didn't have a camera that worked too well at the time, so I do not have any pictures from the time that they were here...this makes me so sad! (I stole this one off of Kimberly's blog, I hope that is alright!) But there are so many fun memories from the time that they were here...
This is little Colten trying to sweet talk Uncle Casey for gummy worms with his BIG smile...

Overall, we had a pretty smooth transition to being parents. We love having Brigden as a part of our family. We are so blessed to have a little boy who is so good. He has such a good temperament and is so good to us.
Stay tuned for month 2!

Thanks, Dad!

2009-06-29T21:05:00.000-07:00

It was so cute...On Saturday night, I was trying to finish up my part of our lesson for Sunday (We teach Gospel Doctrine) and I was getting a little frustrated because Brigden had been a little fussy all day and I didn't have much of a chance to go over the lesson again to bring all of my thoughts together. Casey was working so he couldn't take him, which he would have most willingly done if he were there...He is the best daddy and the best help! I didn't know what to do, Brigden would fuss whwnever I put him down, which is happening more often now that we have left all of our awesome helpers in Arizona :(, but the thought came to me to call my dad. So I did. Torie answered the phone and took it out to my dad in the backyard and I told him of our little predicament. And this was his answer...
He told me to lay him down, which I did and Brigden started crying a little bit. And then my dad told me to put the phone by him and work on my lesson. So I put the phone on speakerphone and set it by Brigden. My dad started talking to Brigden and told him all about his chickens and everything that he was working on in the yard. He asked Brigden if he wanted to pull weeds with him and once I heard him say, "Uh oh Brigden, I better be careful or the phone might drop in the pool!" He also say a few songs to him. It was the CUTEST thing...Brigden immediately stopped crying and listened and had the cutest little look on his face. I was able to work for about 10 or 15 minutes on our lesson while "Poppa C" entertained little Brigden. I had to take a picture because this is definitely a moment to remember! Thanks, Dad! You are the best!

finally!

2009-06-26T23:26:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this is LONG overdue! So sorry! But we have just been having so much fun with our new little one! Here's our story...
My due date was April 1, 2009, but that came and went without much excitement...On Sunday, April 5, I was having contractions that were very strong and very regular. I had been having contractions for a few days, so my mom flew up from Arizona so she wouldn't miss anything, and we were sure this was it! So we get to the hospital and there wasn't any change in my dilation in the first hour that I was there...I did not want to be sent home! I continued to have contractions that kept getting stronger and stronger and were about 2 minutes apart, but no change in dilation came! I was so upset! So we went home, set with meds, to wait...and wait...and wait... :) My mom was great to help me with so many projects while we waited! We had lots of fun, accomplished a ton, and I love her for being there with us! Thanks, mom! I was set to be induced on the Wednesday the 8th, and this little guy was sure comfy where he was because he waited until the last possible chance to come out! We went back to the hospital on Wednesday morning and it felt great to know that this was the real deal!

I was induced around 9am, and the contractions got stronger from then on out. After the doctor broke my water, that was the most excruciating 30 minutes of my life until the epidural kicked in! But after that, it was HEAVEN! We sat for the next 8 hours watching movies and talking and sleeping, I didn't know that being in labor could be so wonderful! At about 7:30pm, the baby was finally in position for me to start pushing. So I pushed...and pushed...and pushed! We find out an hour and a half later that our little guy was face up, which was causing the difficulty with coming out. Once the doctor flipped him over, he came so fast! What a neat thing having a little baby is! BRIGDEN CASEY HEAP was born at 9:31 pm, and was 6 lbs. 2 oz. and 18 in. long. Once Brigden came out, he had quite a rough start. His apgar score was a 4, which scared us quite a bit! The main difficulty was with his breathing. They let me hold him for about 30 seconds and then whisked him away. Casey went with them. I was very blessed to have had my mom there with me, because I don't know what I would have done if I was alone without my new little baby or Casey. I was so scared, to say the least. Casey's parents got there right in time, which was a great blessing for them to be able to be there with Casey. I'm so glad that they came! As the doctor stitched me up, all I could think was 'what is happening to our little boy?' It was so hard not knowing and not being there with him! After I was taken care of, they wheeled me down to the lower floor and took me to my room.

I was able to see little Brigden in passing as we went by the nursery window, but it was about 3 hours until I actually could hold him again. :(

I was able to hold him and feed him and kiss him and love him, and then they took him to the NICU where he would stay the rest of the time that we were in the hospital. They kept him there mainly for precautionary reasons, just to make sure that the problems with breathing didn't have to do with an infection of any sort. Let me tell you, this little boy is a trooper! He is so tough! He went through a lot it those first few days and pulled through so strong!

He ended up having to stay an extra day in the NICU after I was discharged, but we couldn't stand the thought of going home, so we stayed in the parents' lounge at the hospital so I could feed him through the night and so we could go home as one little happy family together...

Overall, we feel so blessed with everything that happened surrounding the birth of our little son. He is healthy, despite the initial scare, and all was well with mom. We were so blessed with a wonderful doctor, wonderful nurses, and the on call pediatrician, without our prior knowledge, ended up being a family friend! We are so grateful for our wonderful family and friends that have shared our joy with us...Thank you!

Floral Design Creation...

2009-03-28T09:55:00.001-07:00

This is my latest creation from my floral design class. It was for the makeup for the lab that I will hopefully be missing in a few weeks when little Brigden is here! So technically, it is for an Easter design, I just did mine a little early!

Our Little Guy...

2009-03-27T19:33:00.000-07:00

This is supposedly what our little Brigden is going to look like! I told Casey that he is going to have red hair! :) I laughed really hard when I saw this. All you have to do is put in a picture of the mom and dad and it will generate a "prediction" of what your baby will look like...kinda fuN! I'm interested to see what he would look like with two different pictures of us...

Crib bedding...I finally finished!

2009-03-15T09:28:00.000-07:00

2009-03-06T19:22:00.000-08:00

Here's the pictures you wanted, Mom! 8 months

Baby Update...

2008-12-04T18:38:00.000-08:00

As many of you may know, we are having our first little baby in the first of April! Our due date is actually April 1...and we are having a little boy! We are so excited to have the first little addition to our family. Right now, I am 23 weeks along and getting bigger everyday. It is so fun to be pregnant! (well, most of the time!) I felt him move for the first time around 16 weeks, but didn't know if it was really him or not. The first time I really felt him kick and knew for sure that it was a kick was around 17 weeks. Casey was able to feel him kick around 19 weeks. That was so fun! From the time that I had felt him kick, I kept having Casey come and put his hand on my stomach to see if he could feel it too. But, of course, it was too soon...
We were at a BYU basketball game one Friday night (Nov. 14) and I could feel him kicking around a little bit. I told Casey to put his hand on my stomach, which probably looked pretty silly, but he did (probably just to humor me, not really thinking that he'd be able to feel something), but he did! It was so cute to watch his eyes light up as he asked if that was really a kick he felt. The baby then kicked 3 more times that Casey could feel! It was such an exciting moment. He felt him kick later that night, too. It has been so fun to feel the kicks getting bigger and bigger. He is now moving around all the time and I LOVE it! There are no words to describe the happiness that it brings...
It was so fun to be with family for Thanksgiving. Each of my sisters and my mom were able to feel him kicking. One night, we were all piled on the love-sac after watching a movie and I pulled my shirt tight around my belly. Kamrie, Torie, Casey, my mom, and I watched my stomach moving around and it was so cool to see the sudden rise in my stomach when he kicked! What a neat thing to see...
Every time that Torie walked by me while we were there, she put her hand on my stomach and asked if he was kicking. It was so fun to share our excitement with them!
I will get a picture of the 20 week ultrasound up soon...

2008-12-04T18:22:00.000-08:00

Well, I have been meaning to get our blog set up for the longest time and am finally getting around to it! The initial setup was done about 2 months ago, but life gets busy with so many other things...Casey and I are doing wonderful! Life is great. We are so grateful for the many blessings that we have been given. We are blessed in so many ways!We are now living in Provo going to school at BYU and our first semester here is almost over! Time sure does fly. We love the little home that we are in, I will get some pictures up soon.For now, I will put on a few pictures of some fun things that we have done in the last little while. There are some from our pumpkin carving for Halloween (you can see the mold starting to grow inside of it on the finished pumpkin, but we decided that it looked like a spooky mist) and Casey playing his guitar. I LOVE it when he plays and sings for me. He is very talented.
Oh, so there's a funny story about the last pictures. Yes, that is the bowl to my Bosch mixer.....dun, dun, dun...So one saturday, about a month or so ago, our landlord was coming over to do some things to get some things ready for winter. Casey was at the library already and I was leaving to go to a lab...yes, on a saturday morning :(...so neither of us would be home. But I didn't want to leave the house in a mess for when the landlord came, so I was hurrying to clean up the kitchen. I had used the Bosch the night before to make cookies and didn't have time to clean it, but didn't want to leave it in the sink...So the only place big enough for it where it couldn't be seen was in the oven. You can guess what happened from there! I remember thinking, "oh I hope Casey doesn't come home to make something for lunch and turn the oven on without knowing..." I knew that I wouldn't do something like that, especially with my forgetful pregnant mind... :) But I came home later that day and sure enough, I turned the oven on to make lunch...And you can see what happened! :) Needless to say, it was a sad day.......