Heber & Jenni's Big Adventure

Our Family!

2012-01-09T16:12:00.001-08:00

Here's our family pic for Christmas. We were trying to act like it was a pile up! Can you tell?

More family pix

2011-05-24T08:10:00.000-07:00

Here are a few family pix from the last 2 months with lil' Kevin.

Kevin Heber Sheffield

2011-03-28T11:09:00.001-07:00

Kevin Heber Sheffield
Born March 23rd 2011 @ 8:04 am
8 lbs 4 oz
20 inches tall
Our cute little baby boy! We are doing well and very excited about our new addition to the family.He was named after his Grandpa (Opa) Kevin (pictured here) and after his Daddy, Heber (a name that has been in the family for a long time)!Mariah thinks her baby brother is really cute and makes sure he comes wherever she goes! She is surprisingly not too jealous of Kevin (except when she is tired)!I am still pretty "puffy" these days, but don't we have a cute family?!

Update and personal bios of our family

2011-03-13T22:53:00.000-07:00

Heber: I am currently working at a digital agency called "Rain" in American Fork, UT (www.mediarain.com). There I create apps for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. I've really been enjoying it lately, and am grateful to have a good job in these times. In addition to my "day job", I also have also published a few iOS titles on my own (with my graphic-designin' buddy Lance). Our latest app, Puppet Pals, recently has been getting a lot of good press including a mention in the New York Times Technology column. We were contacted by researchers from the Children's Hospital in Boston who have been using Puppet Pals as a tool with developmentally challenged kids (mostly those with autism). We will soon be collaborating with them to try to create an app even more tailored to their specific needs. That being said, the job that I love the very most is that of husband and father. I love spending time with Jenni. We have been trading babysitting with Amber and Mitch for the past few months, so we get to go on dates more often than in the past - yeah! Mariah is a joy and I'm looking forward to our new baby boy (though I'm grateful that Mariah enjoys wrestling with me).Jenni: I am a Stay-at-Home Mom of Mariah (2 yrs old), and I have been cooking up our 2nd baby who will hopefully be born before the 22nd of March. He should be a boy! I am very grateful I can be home with Mariah and have the full-time job of raising her, although I am not going to lie--she can be handful! I try to improve my "wife-skills" by being a proud tight-wad, trying out new recipes (that aren't too weird for my family that likes normal foods), cleaning the house when I have energy (not much lately), and even putting on make-up (which is really hard for me). A few months ago, I began doing yoga regularly, and I thoroughly enjoy it. I also enjoy cardio classes at the local rec center, and hope to have an easier labor and delivery from working hard there throughout this pregnancy. My latest leisure activity has been "professional coloring". I decided I really enjoy it (even during church sometimes ; )--all in the name of keeping Mariah entertained. Heber and I are really in love-so much so that we wouldn't want to gag you with the details, but we'll just say we are the best things that ever happened to each other : ). I am very proud of Heber's work successes, and appreciate all he does to provide for our family. He is a super-star and is super-talented in his work! I am very grateful for the Lord and his bountiful blessings in our life. We have really been enjoying life and our many blessings lately! I love being a Sheffield and consider it an honor!Mariah: I have really come to enjoy the world revolving around me. My parents love me more than anyone else. I always know what I want and am not afraid to say it. Everything I like and see, is mine, thank you. I am very polite, and I know how to communicate very well for a 2 year old. I am exceptionally well at pushing my cousin, Kenzie's buttons, and I try to do that at each family get-together. But it is just because I love her so much, and she responds so actively to what I do. My mom always tells me I am heavy (32 pounds). I am proud of that. I love to have, "a book-a-read," or many each day, and that is really increasing my vocabulary. I know who Jesus is, and he loves me very much. I can pray all by myself, although sometimes my parents help me. I love singing and music, and I sing, "Hap-Birtday," to about anyone or "anything I like at the moment. My Dad has many great electronic devices, and I am becoming quite talented at using them when he lets me. I dread the day my baby brother comes and I lose the spotlight some, but at least I will have someone close to my age to play with.

Baby Boy:
Journal excerpts:
Day 253: Wow, it's dark in here. I wish Mom would at least turn on a light or something.
Day 258: Man, it really sounds like everyone's having a great time out there. I hope they haven't forgotten about me. I'm gonna give Mom a good kick so she remembers that I'm in here... now an elbow..
Day 264: Sheesh. This is the longest time out EVER.

Mariah's 2nd Birthday Party

2011-02-27T13:57:00.000-08:00

Well, these pictures are not uploaded in any particular order, but here are some pictures from Mariah's Birthday party on the 16th.

In this one, the kids are winding down, watching one of the Barney movies Mariah got for her birthday. There is Mason, Kenzie, Chantel, Emma and Mariah.

We were trying to get Mariah to pose for her picture after she ate her cake and ice cream, but she was determined to "lose" the hat!
Mariah love her "hat" book: The Cat in the Hat. Her party theme was Dr. Seuss!
This is the Cat in the Hat cake I made. It looked a little goofier than I wanted, but oh well. It is for a 2 yr old, right?!
This is Heber's friend Randall with his daughter River.
This is our own little Cat in the Hat! Isn't she adorable? I know. She's mine

; )

This is the best part of the party: when we broke the pinata! Channy has her Daddy's swing!

We had an enjoyable party and enjoyed our visit from some of Mariah's favorite Dr Seuss characters! When Mariah saw them for the 1st time in the morning, she ran from one to another saying, "Hi Hat, Hi Socks!..." It was so cute!

What Mothers Do...

2011-01-11T11:27:00.000-08:00

Linzy had this story posted on her blog, and I thought it was great:

and one of my favorite parts so far in this book
talks about a husband who came home to find total mayhem in his house.
(i have to type this part because it is awesome) :)
"His children were outside, still in their pajamas, wrestling in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front yard. The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door to the house. Inside, he found an even larger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded against one wall. In the family room the dog who always stayed outside was curled up on the sofa watching cartoons. The front room (the home teaching room, which was always spotless) was littered with toys and various items of clothing. In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, dog food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door. He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she may be ill, or that something serious had happened. He found her lounging in the bedroom, still curled in the bed in her pajamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled and asked how his day went. He looked at here, bewildered, and asked, "What happened here today?"
She again smiled and answered, "You know every day when you come home from work and ask me what in the world I did today?"
"Yes," was his incredulous reply.
She answered, "Well, today I didn't do it."

Don't you just love being appreciated for what you do as a "stay at home mom?" It is hard to know that your daily tasks are always going to need to be done again the next day. It can be difficult to find meaning in that, but I just try to remember that it is all about relationships and not about having a perfect home (although it is difficult to have a meaningful relationship when there is no food on the table and you can't find anything in all the mayhem of dirt of clutter!).

Family Pictures

2010-12-21T12:25:00.000-08:00

Mom and Mariah! We sure love each other. I love Mariah's company and great personality. She loves to be involved in whatever we are doing and to play along. And she always wants both parents to participate!Isn't she precious?Mariah loves, "Daddy"! He loves getting down and playing with her after work! I appreciate the time to wrap up dinner!Our little Winter Princess!Our happy family in 2010. We happily await a baby boy to join us in March!

A Full Week at Priest Lake Idaho

2010-09-01T14:21:00.001-07:00

Heber's whole family was able to gather this summer for a full week in PL ID! We had a super fun time, and as you can see, Heber really enjoyed himself as well!
It is hard to capture everything in a single blog post, but to summarize our week, we were in the water almost the whole time! Mariah was in heaven. She is not afraid of water at all! (which was a little scary, but fun)!
We got to go tubing, water skiing, you name it! We even had an intense game of King of the Water Trampoline!
We went on a short hike with everyone to a gorgeous water fall (can't remember the name).
The hardest part was coming home to reality! Living right on the water has it's benefits!

Washing the Cars

2010-09-01T14:18:00.001-07:00

With all our travels, car upkeep was a must! We got the tires replace on our travel car and the oil changed. But Mariah especially enjoyed the Car Washing! Anything wet, she loves! Isn't she a hard worker? You will also notice that we have been cutting back on her meals lately : )!

A Weekend in CO

2010-09-01T14:10:00.000-07:00

We had a family reunion in CO, and had a lot of fun. My Dad even hosted a Pampered Chef Party for me while I was up there!
This is a picture of the adults all dressed up for our Murder Mystery Dinner. We had sooo much fun. I was Mad Rose, and my role was to flirt with the Commodore the whole time. I was really good at this because it was Heber : ) funny how that worked out!
We spent a day at the Sand Dunes and the Alligator Farm, and enjoyed a picnic lunch there! We had a lot of fun, and of course, Mariah enjoyed the water!
We did a ton more stuff, but one thing I really enjoyed was hitching up the wagon to the 4-wheeler and giving all my nieces and nephews rides! Mariah wanted to drive (without help), of course! We had a really good time. Thanks Mom and Dad in CO!

A Week in Illinois

2010-09-01T13:36:00.001-07:00

This summer, I think I have been on vacation for a total of 3 full weeks! It has been crazy, tiring, but fun (other than the traveling part)! First of all, I took Mariah and a babysitter, Kylie, to Chicago for 4 days, and she watched Mariah while I went to a Pampered Chef Conference! Luckily, Kylie's sister lives in Chicago, so we had free lodging! Unfortunately, she lived in the suburbs, so I had to figure out the transit system and take it into downtown Chicago daily. Fortunately, I have feet and I just walked a lot when I wasn't brave enough to get on busses or trains! The flight over there and back was difficult for Mariah, who does not like to sit on laps and is very active, but we survived. Then, on Thursday, Heber flew out and we all drove to Nauvoo for the weekend. We had a ton of fun and really enjoyed ourselves. We went to Carthage, the temple, and saw all performances that were offered! We really enjoyed ourselves!

Why Heber?

2010-06-03T12:21:00.000-07:00

Can someone tell me why Heber didn't think to take off all Mariah's clothes for this spaghetti dish with sauce for Mariah? And no, he didn't put down a matt either.... Men! I know what Heber was thinking. He was thinking, "I am going to take such good care of Mariah and give her a big platter of yummy spaghetti!," and that is all! Well, she sure enjoyed it! And she is pretty cute, and I am thankful Heber fed her, even if it ruined her clothes and my rug.

What we are up to!

2010-06-03T12:09:00.000-07:00

I realize we don't ever post, so I thought I would go ahead and tell you what we've been up to lately. We are staying super-busy as usual. I think I must be addicted to being busy, cuz I keep doing this to myself! I have been taking care of our cute, cute girl and working on my Pampered Chef business. I have been trying to get all the coolest stuff for my kitchen, and my mother's day gift to myself was a set of lifetime guarantee pots and pans! Now, I am saving up for the knives. In addition, I am signed up to go to the National PC Conference in Chicago this July, so I am excited about that. I am bringing a baby-sitter, Mariah, and Heber will join us on a Thursday so we can go spend the weekend in Nauvoo. We are all excited about that!

Mariah is getting to be quite the little adventurer. She takes off any chance she gets and goes on her way to discover her world. She walks and talks all the time, and she is slowly learning to use her hands, and that is scary! She is starting to throw quick little tantrums when she doesn't get her way, but I think this means she is just trying to be independent and to control her world, so we aren't worried about her! Of course, she is cute as a button, so who could worry?

Heber is doing fantastic with his work. He works at a company in AF doing iPhone game programming. In all his spare time, he recently finished up a game for the iPad called "Puppet Pals." He hopes to finish up the iPhone version soon as well. His work is sending him to the Apple Developers Conference in San Francisco next week, so we will really miss him. He is going to just soak it all up though! In the meantime, he is a wonderful Daddy and the best Hubby. We love and appreciate him so much. In fact, Mariah is a bit of a Daddy's Girl, despite my attempts to stop it!

We are all doing very well. The Lord is really blessing us!

Car Damage!

2010-03-15T10:48:00.000-07:00

Last night, a guy knocked on Shelley's door to tell her he had wrecked into a car outside her house. Lucky us, it was our car. Of course, the odds were against us. While everyone else had 1 car outside, Heber and I had both our cars outside, so I learned this much in Statistics, we were at a higher probability of being hit! Now the fact that he wrecked into our new car (that we owe money on), was really just a fifty-fifty probability. Like the flip of the coin. Yeah, that stinks.

The guy who did it was curiously kind to come tell us, especially since he was drunk. He was arrested, and after being bailed out, he came over and apologized! We really appreciated his honesty because we really would've been in trouble. Of course, his car was suspiciously all over the place too. Now, we just hope that we are told that the car is totaled, so we don't have to deal with driving a "once wrecked" car! (He does have insurance--great relief). And we hope we will be given enough money to get us something equally as nice to drive. That was our security car! Hmmm, we will trust in the Lord. We have been doing our best to live right, so hopefully, everything will work out. We'll post pix when we have some. Say a "little" prayer for us if you would! We are especially thankful that no one was hurt. It sure shook Chantel up just hearing about it. Thanks, everyone.

Pampered Chef

2010-03-10T16:21:00.000-08:00

I became a Pampered Chef consultant recently, and I decided that I should let everyone know! I am really excited about this because I love to cook, and I think it will be fun to do presentations and shows with these way cool products. Pampered Chef has the best quality products. I would love to be able to replace all my pans at some point in time because then Heber would know I really can cook, it's just that my pans are cheap (and that's why I burn stuff or it tastes funny sometimes)!

If anyone wants to host a show for me and earn free products and/or get great discounts on PC products, just let me know! Also, feel free to contact me if you want to learn about PC as a business opportunity or to buy anything. These products really do pamper you! I am way excited about this.

Mariah's 1st Birthday Party

2010-02-18T09:58:00.001-08:00

We had Mariah's 1st Birthday Party with family for her on Saturday the 13th, although her birthday is actually February 16th! We had a wonderful time, as you'll see in the following pictures. Strawberry Shortcake was the theme, and I totally loved planning everything. I told Heber, "We are just going to spend some money on this party!" And you are saying, she won't remember this, right? Well, I will! And she will see her scrapbook!
Mariah actually seemed to love it all. She even stood in front of everyone without help for a few minutes without falling. She was quite the entertainer! It was a lot of fun!

Presents, presents and more presents!

2010-02-18T09:53:00.000-08:00

Everyone who came brought beautiful presents for Mariah. She got tons of beautiful dresses and clothes! I decorated the room under the stairs and made it a playroom for her. I don't have a picture here, but on the opposite side of the unicorn, I painted a castle. The kids seemed to really like the space. For pictures of the quilt I made her and her first drawing I did of her, go to my other blog at elephantshrunkart.blogspot.com!

Strawberry Shortcake Themed Cakes

2010-02-18T09:46:00.001-08:00

Heber and I had a good time decorating cakes, and Mariah enjoyed eating sugar for her first time! Mariah was the Belle of the Ball! She looooved all the attention and fun.
We had a lot of sugar at the party. The twinkies were gone in 5 minutes! I got balloons and streamers and candy and other decorations! It was a really fun time.

Mariah's Birthday Party Guests

2010-02-18T09:32:00.000-08:00

A bunch of family came to Mariah's party, although I didn't invite even close to half of everyone! We got a lot of family! So for those of you that didn't get to come, hopefully, the pictures will make up for it!The Watkins and Opa and Grammy came.
Shelley and the Mingo's came. Peggy's daughters and granddaughters came (Peggy was out of town)! Mom, Beverly, came up from Idaho with Bud and Jana.
We had a very fun time. There was a lot of females there!

The Atonement Heals

2010-02-11T10:22:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coef8G5ax6E

I found this on Aunt Arlene's blog. Paste this address into your browser and in 3:31, come unto Jesus. I know the Atonement heals us of our mortal hardships, and we find joy through it.

Husbands and Wives, Pray for Each Other

2010-02-05T09:52:00.000-08:00

I really liked this quote:

Husbands and Wives, Pray for Each Other

“I give counsel to husbands and wives. Pray for the love which allows you to see the good in your companion. Pray for the love that makes weaknesses and mistakes seem small. Pray for the love to make your companion’s joy your own. Pray for the love to want to lessen the load and soften the sorrows of your companion.”

Henry B. Eyring, “Our Perfect Example,” Ensign, Nov. 2009, 71

I love yams--Recipes for you!

2010-01-09T12:58:00.000-08:00

Sweet Potato Recipes

This first recipe is the one I made over the holidays. It isn't necessarily super healthy unless you do some substitutions. You could also just leave off the topping for a healthier option...

Sweet Potato Pie (Don't pay attention to the name. This is the yummiest dish of Sweet Potatoes Ever!)
- 3 c mashed yams - ½ c sugar (substitute xagave or splenda)
- 2 beaten eggs - 1 tsp vanilla (I have this powdered kind that is to die for!) - ¼ c milk - ½ c butter (I've put less and not margarine!)
Mix in casserole dish. Set oven to 350 degrees.
Topping (Mix like strudel):
- 1/3 c flour - 1c brown sugar
- 1 c chopped nuts - 1/3 c butter
(or you could just drizzle xagave on top with nuts--I haven't tried it this way though)
Sprinkle on top of yams and bake for 30 min

Sweet Potatoes with Applesauce

6 medium yams, peeled & cut into cubes
1.5 c applesauce
2/3 c brown sugar (I used Xagave)
3 TB butter, melted (I used about 2)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c nuts (toasted)

Place yams in slow cooker. Mix remaining ingredients except nuts; spoon over yams. cover and cook on low heat setting 6-8 hours or until potatoes are tender. sprinkle with nuts!

Creamy Split Pea Soup (Very delicious)

2 c dried split peas
6 c H2O
1/2 c apple juice
1 large yam, peeled and cubed (2 c)
1 large onion chopped
4 cloves garlic
2 tsp salt
3 c firmly packed fresh spinach leaves (i throw in a handful of frozen)
1 c cream (I use milk, and it's still delicious)
2 T chopped fresh dill (I use dried)
fresh ground pepper to taste

Mix peas, water , juice, sweet potato, onion, garlic, and salt in slow cooker. cover and cook on low for up to 10-11 hours or till peas are tender.

Stir in spinach, cream (or milk), and dill weed. Cover and cook on low for 30 plus minutes or till spinach is wilted (I serve immediatly-not patient, and my spinach is frozen). Season with pepper. This is sooo good!

Another very healthy option for a sweet potato (or yam) is to just bake it like a potato and eat it. It is really good just like that without anything on it! Why am I in to yams, you ask, because I bought 60 lbs at 25 cents a pound--they store better than potatoes, I hear, and they are delicious!

A Wonderful Christmas!

2010-01-03T12:22:00.000-08:00

Heber & I had a wonderful Christmas this year. We really enjoyed time spent with family and friends. We played more games than we've ever played in our married life combined. We ate anything and everything. We played with Mariah and enjoyed our nieces and nephews! Thanks to all who contributed to the good times and for the wonderful gifts. Below, I am going to post our Christmas letter for anyone who didn't get to read it! Thanks and Loves:

Dearest Family, Kin, Friend and Larry,

2009 has been a year of blessings, trials, and triumphs for the Sheffield family. The biggest change and blessing in our lives has been the birth of our daughter, Mariah June. What a joy! Mariah was born on February 16th and immediately captured our hearts and restful nights. It is so wonderful to see her grow each day. She makes us laugh as we try to introduce her to mortality. Mariah is an unusually pleasant baby, which has ben a real blessing. Whether we're making faces with her, repeating words to her, or just cuddling as a family, Mariah has the spotlight. (Though I must admit that I was terrified of being a parent, I can now say that it is one of the biggest blessings I now enjoy). Mariah is very accomplished. She says, "Momma," "Dadda," and "Nana," and a variety of coos and ahs that are soo cute. She waves, crawls, stands and walks with support, claps, and has six teeth already! She is always in the 97th % or more for her weight and 90th+ for her height. We love having a chunky baby because we don't worry so much when she doesn't eat well.

Jenni has accomplished a lot this year. In addition to cooking, cleaning, mending, washing, vacuuming , giving birth to Mariah, changing diapers, dressing Mariah, feeding Mariah, bathing Mariah, and decorating Mariah and the house, Jenni has found time to have a monthly art job, and start teaching sewing and art lessons. Jenni also found time to exercise, eat healthy (spinach shakes, anyone?), and track her progress as she won "The Biggest Loser" competition which my family held. Jenni always has a project (or 5) going on. This Christmas, for example, Jenni decided to give a hand-made gift to all of the nieces and nephews on both sides of our family. She does a great job at giving time and love to those around her.

Heber is our Pro-vider in the family. He is a constant support to our family as he helps me with projects, changes Mariah, mows the lawn or builds computer programs till dawn. We have undergone many changes this year with employment. Heber started out the year working for Applied Signal Technology, but we both felt he needed to do something else. He has since been doing contract jobs. Heber is a self-motivated learner, and he has successfully taught himself his fourth big programming language, specializing in iPhone applications. After learning enough to build his own game single-handedly, Heber worked for a small company in Springville doing iPhone programming. Heber loves making games and the whole genre so much that he has started his own company with his buddy Lance Harris. They have two games for sale in the App Store. They are both golf games, "Invisible Links,"-which is the harder one, and "Doodle Golf,"-the easier version (which has some artwork in it by me)!

More important to Heber than all of his work is his love of being the worlds best Da-da, Dadd-eee and "Honey". Heber thoroughly enjoys being a husband and father, and he is very good at it. He is so good about getting down on Mariah's level and playing endless games of peek-a-boo or "wrestling." Heber loves to spend time with his family and his humor is like good wine--just getting better with time--so they say : )!

Our family theme this year was taken from a scripture in the Book of Mormon:

"Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise. And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls."

We have tried to focus on this and remember that it is in doing the small things everyday that we build a foundation for a solid testimony. Mariah has been a great example and reminder of this. As we see her doing small things, we know that the Lord can work through us as He accomplishes His purposes. Some of the small and simple things we are working on include: praying, reading our scriptures, and regularly attending church meetings. We have noticed that when we do these things, we are kinder, more humble and teachable, have the Spirit of the Lord more stongly with us, and our faith is strengthened. We are better Christians when we don't neglect the small things!

We know that Christ lives, He loves us, and it is only through Him that we can return to live with God someday as a forever family. We are a covenant-keeping family!

We wish you a very Merry Christmas filled with the light of Christ.

Love, Heber, Jenni and Mariah Sheffield

Story Time Felts

2009-11-23T11:06:00.000-08:00

I kinda have the blues this morning. Story Time Felts isn't hiring me again to do art work for them for next year. I am not sure it if they don't like my art or just can't afford the Hostess Exclusives. I was very thankful for a monthly art job. Now, I guess I need to go find more artwork. Oh well, this will be good, but I still feel kinda sad.

Family Pictures

2009-10-25T18:51:00.001-07:00

This past summer, Heber and I went up to Priest Lake to visit Nana and Papa.

Heber's Aunt Mary Beth and Uncle Dave were up there, and I was able to meet them for the first time.

They were sooo much fun. We really enjoyed spending time up there.

In fact, Uncle Dave is an excellent photographer, so we twisted his arm to take a few pictures for us!

As you can see, it is a beautiful area to go with such a beautiful family : )

Silly With Mom and Mariah!

2009-10-25T18:33:00.000-07:00

Mariah and I are both pretty tired and a little sick. Mariah is pretty good at mimicking sometimes.....

Heber's iPhone Game: New and Noteworthy

2009-10-06T21:36:00.000-07:00

Heber's game made it on Apple's New and Noteworthy listing! We are soooo excited about this and can't wait to see if it helps sales!

Jenni

YouTube Video of Heber and Lance's Game

2009-10-01T21:04:00.000-07:00

Here is a teaser trailer for our game:

..and a convenient link to purchase: Buy Now(it's only 2 bucks!)

Pat yourself on the back for doing the right thing and supporting your local developers :)

- Heber

Mariah and Mom

2009-10-01T20:55:00.000-07:00

Mariah was soo cute in a little outfit her Aunt Sarah gave us (with a hair bow from Aunt Shell) that we had to take some pictures.

Aren't we cute together? Mariah is the sweetest little thing. She is practically crawling and trying to stand up!

She is 7.5 months old and very Phat (which is a cool way of saying, "She's all that and a bag of chips")!

Heber's iPhone Game: Invisible Links

2009-09-29T12:56:00.001-07:00

For the last several months, Heber has been programming a game for the iPhone (or iPod Touch). It is called Invisible Links and is a blind golf game, basically. This is a totally new programming language for Heber (think of it as learning a foreign language--it's that intense), but he is very self motivated to learn new things. I frequently find him listening to tutorials and lectures that teach him new things online. Did you know how creative a programmer is? They have to start at the very beginning, creating an efficient program that works from scratch. Heber is very good at software programming. iPhone development is the third programming language he has learned. Anyway, we are excited because the game has been turned into the Apple site and is being reviewed now. It will soon be posted on the App store. We hope to get some pretty income from this game. You can learn all about it at the following blog site: http://polishedplay.blogspot.com/Thanks for looking and maybe praying we can make some money too : ). Heber did the programming work of a full team on this game. He had no help but personal study! His friend Lance did all the artwork, graphics and is way talented as well.

Repeat Post for Non-Hilters... But scroll down for more!

2009-05-28T12:33:00.000-07:00

Look at Mariah's cute legs! Aren't they cute and chubby? She is all dressed for church. A baby girl can never wear too much pink, I think!

This is Mariah's new way of sleeping with the blanket wrapped around her face. It is comforting to her.

This is the cute outfit that Grandpa Bud bought Mariah. Isn't she darling in it? I think it is for a 6 month old, and Mariah is only 3 1/2 months old. She is now close to 16 lbs. Do you think we starve her, Grandma Lois? She is such a pleasant baby.

Jordan's Graduation

2009-05-28T11:45:00.000-07:00

We went to Jordan's graduation while we were in CO. It was a lot of fun to be there. Jordan is a great individual and brother. He tells me he loves me and is willing to help in many ways (minus babysitting). In fact, while I was there, he built me some shelving for my scrapbooking. Now I just wish I could get it here. It was too big to bring home.

Jordan is 10 years younger than I am. He is extremely smart, and a hard worker. He always wants to do what is right. In fact, he turns in his mission papers in July! I am proud of you, Jordan!

Morgan Kids

2009-05-28T11:41:00.001-07:00

As usual, all of Jared's kids are in love with Heber. We went up to CO for a week, and we had a lot of fun playing with them. We played a lot of soccer and basketball and even built pyramids. It was fun to get to know them better.

Mariah's Bumbo--Thanks Grammy!

2009-05-28T11:11:00.000-07:00

Grammy gave this cool seat to Mariah. It helps her build her tummy muscles and learn to set up. She is doing so well. Thanks Grammy! We thought it would be funny to make it look like Mariah was part of our meal, so here she is--the appetizer!

Please don't set me down!

2009-05-28T10:31:00.000-07:00

It was one of those days when Mariah didn't want to be put down, so I had to get creative. I laid her on top of my baskets of laundry as I took them down to be washed.

It only worked for a little while, and she was definitely not in the mood for a picture.

Mariah is getting Bigger! and Cuter, Believe it or Not!

2009-05-28T09:58:00.000-07:00

These are actually Chantel's "Oobie's," but I think they are soooooo cute. I want some for Mariah. Grandpa Bud bought this cute outfit for our baby girl. Doesn't she look cute?

Mariah is so pleasant--such a good baby. She has started smiling a lot and laughing a little. She is a very good baby. We love her soooooo much! She also has this habit of sucking on her hand and choking on her fingers....

I don't know why but this picture reminds me of gangster Mariah. I just love this little yellow hat. It is so warm and soft. These are also my fav pj's. The tag says they are flame resistant. Isn't Mariah cute?

We know when Mariah sleeps with her arms up like that she is truly out and will sleep for a few hours. I love just having her sleep all over the house. I like her presence!

This is my cute, pouty face. Just this morning I was playing with Mariah, nibbling on her arm, and I guess I bit too hard because we got the pouty fact that could've turned into a cry. But it was soooo cute!

Bean Burrito

2009-04-28T20:10:00.001-07:00

I could eat a bean and cheese burrito everyday for a month and not get tired of them. I absolutely love them, and I have since I was a lot younger! They are my favorite.

Working out with Mariah

2009-04-28T17:24:00.000-07:00

I've had to learn to work out with my little Mariah. It usually doesn't last very long--either I get tired, or she won't put up with it! Yes, that is my laundry in the background!

I loved this--cried both times I watched it!

2009-04-16T11:28:00.001-07:00

http://www.funnieststuff.net/viewmovie.php?id=1199

Mariah's Dad

2009-03-27T11:27:00.000-07:00

Mariah has a wonderful Dad. He is so much fun. He is so good to her. He plays with her. He bathes her. He holds her hand. He carries her, so Mommy's back gets a rest. He rocks her to sleep and will even change her diaper (when asked!)... Mariah and Mommy love her Daddy.

Recruiting Video :)

2009-03-18T17:07:00.000-07:00

Here is a short video that was run on TV the other day about Applied Signal Technology. It gives a brief intro to the kinds of things we do, if you're interested

If you know any hardware, software, or test engineers who are looking for a job, please send 'em my way :)

More on Mariah

2009-03-04T15:37:00.000-08:00

Our little Mariah is doing so well. I just got back from the Doctor for her 2 week check, and she is now 9 lbs 7 oz (in the 80th percentile) and she is now 21 and 3/4 inches (in the 90th percentile). Her head size is in the 50th percentile. The doctor was very pleased. Mariah sleeps through the night and has won mine and Heber's hearts.... This is a picture of her sitting on my lap right now...

Mariah Update

2009-02-25T15:10:00.000-08:00

The Heber Sheffield Family is doing well. We are learning all about nursing, nap taking, fussiness, utter cuteness, tender cuddling, precious baby smells, love, pink, and the list goes on and on... We are truly thankful to Heavenly Father for blessing us with this little baby girl.

Mariah June Sheffield

2009-02-18T12:46:00.000-08:00

Our baby is here!

Jenni gave birth to a beautiful baby girl on Monday, February 16th (President's day). We named her Mariah June Sheffield, and we are in love with her!

Birth stats:

Date: 16.Feb.2009

Time: 11:38 am

Weight: 8 lbs 5 oz

Length: 20''

One day over due

2009-02-12T08:04:00.000-08:00

When, oh when, will our baby come?
We're pretty excited. Yesterday was Jenni's "due date", and we're patiently and expectantly and excitedly waiting :)

Best Friends

2009-02-10T06:30:00.000-08:00

I am going to have a baby. Maybe not today, or tomorrow, but maybe! This little baby could come any day now. I am feeling pretty excited--a little nervous--but very excited. Do you want to have a baby? Who better to have a baby with than your best friend? Heber and I are best friends. I am so excited to share that with you. It takes a lot of work to be best friends, but it is the good kind of work. Each of us has to give and receive each other's love, mistakes, apologies and tender mercies. I have a best friend and together, we are going to have a baby. I think all families should be best friends, don't you?

iPhone for sell

2009-02-08T07:36:00.001-08:00

Heber and I would like to sell our iPhone. It is only 5 months old--great condition, and it is a hot item these days! If anyone is interested in it, please make us your best offer! Cheers!

PS We also have 2 nano ipod's for sale, a webcam (lower pixels), a router, and a long internet cable. Once again, what is your best offer?!

January 2009 Illustrations

2009-01-09T10:27:00.000-08:00

Here is January's illustrations.

Counting Down---babies

2008-12-08T10:14:00.000-08:00

Heber and Emma at Thanksgiving!

Heber's workspace!

Jenni's workspace--the first of October (working on Ceramics while I wait for parents during PTC)!

Well, my due date is drawing nearer and nearer. In fact, I am almost 2 months away. Crazy, huh! I am starting to feel a lot more discomfort than I have felt thus far. It is exciting though. I can't remember when other babies in the family are due though. We should keep track.

Heber and I went to our first labor class. It was really good. Now we just need to do our homework!

Life is going good. Heber is doing very well at his work. We went to a work Christmas party for him, and ate at a very fancy restaurant in Park City. I am doing okay at my job teaching. I have been a little grumpy, I confess. It makes work less-fun. I have enjoyed having a job though. I am thankful for that!

I am still doing illustrations, as well, for Story Time Felts. That has been nice to keep in touch with art. You can see my work on my other blog: elephantshrunkart.blogspot.com.

Anyway, that is all for now. Hope to hear from some of you!

Jenni

Happy Happy Birthday Jenni, Dear

2008-11-07T07:24:00.000-08:00

...Happy days will come to you all year,
if I had one wish, then it would be
a happy, happy birthday to you from me

Today's Jenni's Birthday, shout hurray,
So many things for me to say,
One year older and wiser too,
Haaaaappy Birthday, [clap] to you!

Happy Happy Birthday,
from all of us to you,..
we wish it were our birthday,
so we could party too - HEY!

Que Los cumplas feliz,
que los cumplas feliz,
que los cumplas Jenni,
que los cumplas feliz

I don''t know, but I've been told,
(I don't know, but I've been told)
someone here is getting old
(someone here is getting old)
I don't know, but it's been said,
(I don't know, but it's been said)
someone here is turning red
(someone here is turning red).
Sound off,
(one, two)
Happy
(Birthday)

Parabéns pra você

Nesta data querida

Muitas felicidades

Muitos anos de vida!

Parabéns pra você

Nesta data querida

Muitas felicidades

Muitos anos de vida!

É pique! É pique! É pique, é pique, é pique!

É hora! É hora! É hora, é hora, é hora!

Rá-tim-bum!

Jenni! Jenni! Jenni!

祝你生日快乐

Sretan rođendan ti

Sretan rođendan dragi/draga Jenni

Sretan rođendan ti

Joyeux anniversaire
Joyeux anniversaire
Joyeux anniversaire Jenni
Joyeux anniversaire

Viel Glück und viel Segen

auf all deinen Wegen

Gesundheit und Frohsinn

sei auch mit dabei

Selamat Ulang Tahun, Kami Ucapkan
Selamat Panjang Umur, Kita 'Kan Doakan
Selamat Sejahtera, Sehat Sentosa
Selamat Panjang Umur dan Bahagia

Tavallod, Tavallod, Tavallodet Mobarak

Mobarak, Mobarak, Tavallodet Mobarak

Labet Shad o Delet Khosh, Cho Gol Por Khandeh Bashi

Biya Shamha Ro Foot Kon, Ke Sad Saal Zendeh Bashi

Mulţi ani trăiască,
Mulţi ani trăiască,
La mulţi ani!
Cine să trăiască?
Cine să trăiască?
La mulţi ani!
Jenni să trăiască,
Jenni să trăiască,
La mulţi ani!

There’s a party going on right here, woop! woop!
A celebration to add another year, woop! woop!
So bring your good times, and your bad times too,
‘Cause we’re going to celebrate your birthday with you!
Woooo!

From the pasta we make
To lasagna we bake
Ba ba ba ba
We’re wising you a happy birthday!

We hope you will remember
This fond event forever
We’re wishing you a happy birthday!

It’s like family and friends
At the Olive Garden
In the true Italiano way
Hey! Hey!

So if youre looking for some fun
Try Hospitaliano
Have a happy happy day
Hey!
Buena Festa, what a joyous day
Life’s good fortune is sure to come your way.
So come sit back and just relax
We’ll fill your plate the Italian way
We’re so glad you came to celebrate with us today
HEY!

*Clap Clap Clap Clap*
This is your birthday song,
it isn't very long.

Happy Birthday Jenni!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY 2 HEBER!ll

2008-10-29T07:13:00.000-07:00

I know, you are thinking, "Why are these pictures of Jenni?" Well, this is all I had.... and Heber likes to see me, on his birthday!!!....

For Heber Only!

For A Laugh!

Happy Birthday, Heber!

IT'S HEBER'S BIRTHDAY TODAY! YEAH! LET'S CELEBRATE. HEBER IS NOW 28 YEARS OLD---GETTING SOOO OLD! WE STARTED OFF THE DAY WITH HEBERS FAVORITE FOOD IN THE WORLD---FRENCH TOAST! I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE A FEW REASONS HEBER BLESSED OCTOBER 29TH WHEN HE WAS BORN:

Heber is well-balanced, well-tested, and well-rounded. Heber is good at most things. He is a nerdy-nerd, when the climax is intelligent or he is a sportsy jock when it's recreation time. He loves playing games, reading books, socializing or programming a computer game.

Heber loves good food, but he does not like meat off the bone. He loves breakfast food. He could eat it morning, noon and night--all in the same day. He loves candy and most of all, ice cream(mint chocolate chip).

Heber is a hard worker. He gets up each day around 6:30 am, and goes and thinks hard for 8-9 hours doing computer programming. When he gets home, he works on the yard, listens to programming tutorials or helps me make dinner. He doesn't complain, even when he doesn't feel like doing something.

Heber has a strong testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He is continually relying on our beloved brother to improve and overcome his weaknesses. He is a good example to me of pressing forward and having faith. Heber is often the first on his knees, whenever I hear a pause in the other room, I usually find him praying, and he reminds me to kneel and pray as well.

Heber is a good husband. He sincerely wants me to be happy. He doesn't get angry at me or yell at me, even when I make mistakes. He wants me to have good things in life, and he provides, presides and protects in our home. I just love Heber.

May 2007, I set some goals. I called it Miracle May, and I began praying in earnest to find my husband. At the same time, I enrolled in a Statistics Class, so opposite from any other class I had ever taken. I didn't need this class to graduate. Heber also took the class, his easy one for the semester, and he patiently tutored me through the class to a B+. Most importantly, however, Heavenly Father brought us together, helped us grow together and get to know one another. I was very close to Heavenly Father that semester, and when I prayed to know if I should marry Heber, there was and is a peaceful, wonderful feeling in my heart about my decision. I live everyday now, feeling like Heber and Jenni were meant to be, and that God blessed me with Heber. I feel like he is perfect for me. Thank goodness for October 29th, 1980. This is the day Heber was born, and one week later, I came.....I wasn't about to wait any longer!

Construction Zone

2008-10-06T19:21:00.000-07:00

Jordan has been doing a great job heading up our shed project. So far, we've only had one person shoot themselves with the nail gun (Levi, I hope you're doing better :)

It's been fun to spend time working with Ryan and Jordan. Here are some pictures of the framing that is just about done:

Hopefully we'll have the roofing and stucco on in the next 2 weeks...

a bientot!

Heber and Jenni's Haircuts!

2008-10-06T13:02:00.000-07:00

Heber and I both got new haircuts. Heber did his own--isn't he cute, and Rachel cut mine. We are both doing really well.

Jordan Mingo and Ryan are building a new shed out back for us. It is looking very good. We hope to get at least the exterior done before winter. They are doing a great job. We will insert some photos here soon.

My work at the school is going well. I am keeping the students busy and they are doing good work. Heber is doing great at his job. His bosses say they really like his work, and give him more in those same areas, so it must be true.

Rachel has got the whole (girls) family into coupons, and that is fun (saving money). Most of us got around 25-50 bottles of powerade-zero for less than $5.00. I got 70 cans of tomatoes (sauce and diced) for the price of tax only--not bad.

My belly is getting big--kinda fun... I love to feel the baby moving inside of me though.

I still feel super blessed to be married to Heber. He is wonderful.

Well, that's it for now...

Why I am excited about being pregnant, today.

2008-09-25T08:54:00.000-07:00

Because our kids could be this cute! This is a picture of Heber (and Sarah, his sis) when he was a little boy. I am so excited that our kids could be this cute. I don't have any pix of him younger, but let me just say, he has been cute for a long time! I still think he is simply handsome. I really think Grandma Adah helped me find him because I think Heber looks a lot like her son...Thanks Grandma. So who are you sending next...like February 11th? I am about half-way there in my pregnancy btw.....SMILE.

Graduation Walk

2008-08-13T15:02:00.000-07:00

Heber and I are walking for Graduation this Friday at 8 am. Yes, we graduated a while ago, but we didn't ever walk, wanting to walk together. So, if any of you are in the neighborhood and want to come, give us a call or email, and we will fill you in on the details.

High School 80s Music Video (fixed link)

2008-08-13T13:30:00.000-07:00

For all you who've always thought I was shy and reserved, well, I am shy, but I'm not always reserved! ;) I made this video with my cousin, Kim, and she just put it on YouTube. Get ready for a great video! Heber, I hope this doesn't embarrass you;)' too much.

Click Here

New Widget...Have a look!

2008-08-11T10:50:00.000-07:00

Heber and I are pleased and proud to announce, duh, duh, duh...we are having a baby! It is due February 11th (at approximately 2pm--JK ;). You can look at our very cool widget on this blog to track our progress. We are very excited and happy.

Why Women Are Jealous of Me...

2008-07-14T12:16:00.001-07:00

I am married to Heber, that's why. I love Heber. He is super. Let me give you 5 reasons:

5-He listens to me. I chat to him all the time, switching from one topic to another and back, and he keeps listening. I don't always talk about deep things, but we can converse on whatever level. It is so nice. I have a true friend in Heber.

4-He is practical. He wants to do things right. Be it work or play, religious or temporal...Heber likes to do it realistically and RIGHT...

3-He constantly works to progress and be better. Even if being better is choosing not to stress about or overdo it.

2-He is soooo funny. I don't think anyone has any idea how funny he is. You have to live with him. It comes in the little comments. His "wit is wet!" and oh so funny. This is one of my favorites about Heber.

1-He is handsome. He is so handsome. Just look at him. He is so handsome. He is perfect for me!

I Love You, Heber.

New Job

2008-07-10T13:38:00.000-07:00

I got a job! Isn't that great? I will be working very part-time at the American Fork High School teaching ceramics and study skills. I am pretty excited about it. It is perfect for me. I can still do home art--freelance work, and I can keep up with the little errands that always plague us, and still work a little. My first day is August 18th. It is a little scary to be with HS students, but at least this time I won't be one of them! I am hoping Jared will teach me how to scare them real good, so they will be nice! Anyway, I am excited about this, so I thought I would share. Jenni

AST 2008 3v3 Basketball Champion :)

2008-06-27T08:47:00.000-07:00

I just started work at a company called Applied Signal Technology, and started just in time...to participate in their annual 3-on-3 basketball tournament

We played the tournament outside in the HOT sun, and I got a bit too much sun..

But it was well worth it, as our team won first place and each team member got one of these high-quality trophies:

It really was a lot of fun to play some basketball at work... and I even got to hit the winning shot in the last game :)

Our New Computer Program

2008-06-22T09:21:00.000-07:00

We haven't figured out how to make this unfragmented, but here is a video we made for fun anyhow. I know I sound like I am going to die--I will keep working on my acting! Jenni

Graduation Time, Come On! Let's Celebrate!

2008-06-22T09:13:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone!

He did it! He did it! Yeah! Heber just graduated from BYU with a degree in Computer Science! Whoopee! He also had a minor in Psychology---he chose some tough curriculum for himself, and he did it! He graduated. We are very proud of him at the Sheffield house. He did a great job. I sure love him! Thank you to all for you love, prayers and support!

One other exciting thing is he bought "Me" a graduation gift! Well, we are both sharing it, but he bought us a new Apple desktop--pretty darn nice!

So Heber starts work full-time tomorrow for a company in Salt Lake. It is called Applied Signal Technology. He will be doing more computer programming. I have also been looking for jobs. I have this boutique (for more info, go to elephantshrunkart.blogspot.com) I am working on for Saturday, but other than that, I am looking for work... We will see what happens. Thanks to all. By the way, both Heber and I will be walking for our graduations in August. I decided to wait and walk with him, even though I graduated last December!

Stress

2008-05-23T08:54:00.000-07:00

Hey All (meaning Aunt Arlene, Amy, Linzy, and Maybe Cody, Mom and Barb---the ones who will actually read this!),
Heber is on his last semester of classes, and we are very grateful for that. However, We are also stressed out, soooo please give us some of your prayers. Just take a second and pray we will get through this without too much anxiety and major stress. He has some huge projects and they are all compacted into a short spring semester, so help us out!
Thanks!
I am working on my art pretty full time. I have been disciplining myself and putting together a logo and researching the market and doing the story time felts job, so hopefully, I will be able to be a full-time free-lancer. I am also getting a job as an art teacher, hopefully! We shall see.
Hope everyone is doing good!

Yard work: hard work

2008-04-19T11:41:00.000-07:00

Jenni and I are starting to work out the details of our yard. Here is a video I made while playing around with Google SketchUp. File size is about 1MB, so it may take a minute to load...

Our Date

2008-04-11T22:17:00.001-07:00

Hello Out There!

Heber and I just returned from our hot date. We started by going to Los Hermanos and eating some semi-mexican food. Heber got his usual Smothered Burrito, and I tried something new--Chile Relano (sorry if that is spelled wrong--I'm more of a French speaker and a Spanish eater). I liked everything except the batter it was cooked in- it was soggy! Next, we went to the Dollar Store to kill sometime. We found all the things we didn't know we needed, including a big fat eighties belt for me. Finally, we went to the new movie, Emma Smith. It was excellent. We really liked seeing and learning more of her story. What trials. My life is way easy compared to hers. Everyone should see it. It really is a good, uplifting movie.
Now we are back home, and I thought we would post some pictures! We are still happy and married!

Jenni and Heber

No work and all Clay

2008-02-24T20:08:00.001-08:00

We had dinner with Ryan & Kara a couple of times in the last month. Each time we played with clay after - it was great fun.

Kara and her dog!

Ryan being modest about his SENSATIONAL teddy-bear body (the clay one)

Jenni made a cute bird ;)

This 'aint no half-baked idea - they're done.

Doing Great!

2008-02-24T09:24:00.000-08:00

Heber and Jenni are doing wonderful. We love married life and each other. It is really nice to have your best friend forever--literally! I had a good cry into Heber's lap the other day (just having a bad day), and I realized that having someone to cry to is a first for me. I usually just find a corner. I really love Heber. He is so good to me. He helps me cook and clean and fixes up stuff all over the house. And don't be telling me it will stop because his Dad still does it! Anyway, I am working at getting an art business going, and Heber is finishing up school. He will graduate now in June (cross your fingers). We are doing very well! Jenni

For Jeane

2008-01-27T21:10:00.001-08:00

Well, these aren't pictures of NEW things, but they are previously unpublished :)
The first is showing off Jenni's BEAUTIFUL dress that beautiful Bev made, and the next 3 are desktop backgrounds that you may download (compliments of Heber ;)
- Heber

2008-01-03T17:24:00.000-08:00

Zip-a-dee-do-da!

Ooohh... cute.

Gorgeous.

Even more gorgeous!
This is the vehicle we traveled in - it's been great to have a reliable car.

Beach-walking

2008-01-03T17:20:00.000-08:00

Here is the cabin that we ended up in. They originally put us in cabin #31, however, we quickly realized that the power was out and that body heat was not enough to keep us warm. We called the office and they got cabin #4 ready for us. This cabin is huge. It's got 3 bedrooms, two stories, and sleeps 8 people.

We went on a walk yesterday and took in the beautiful snow. If you look close, you can see the lake in the background.

A tree.

Jenni and I enjoying a nice walk on the beach :)

Family. It's about time :)

2008-01-02T13:47:00.000-08:00

Heber and Jennifer Sheffield are an eternal family!

Honeymooners

2008-01-02T13:29:00.000-08:00

Jenni and I have been enjoying a wonderful honeymoon. We drove up to Elkins on Priest Lake, a resort in northern Idaho. It is so beautiful up here! Here are a couple of pictures to show off the winter wonderland.

Beautiful Scenery!

Two turkeys met us for lunch at Subway.
We ate chicken :)

We made it!

Jenni is gorgeous as we stop at a schoolbus yard to eat lunch on New Year's Day!

Here I am checking out the tree.
Yep.
Still there.

We love you all and thank you so much for ALL of your help on our wedding to make this whole thing possible!

Heber and Jenni Do Art Together

2007-11-29T17:55:00.000-08:00

So I got an art job from Rachelle "Jolley" recently. The only problem is she assumed I could do cartoons "since I'm an artist," and I can't really. So I was stressing it and the whole time, Heber is feeling pretty green. He knows all along that he can do cartoons, and it is just killing him to not jump in. I am not ready for him to take my job away. I've been going to school for 6 years to get art jobs. So after I swallowed my pride a little, I said he could draw them and I would paint them. And we make a good pair. If we do this job right, they will hire us for 11 more jobs, one for each month. It is all for a felt story telling company. This story Rachelle wrote. It is called, "Ant's Happy New Year." We'll tell you when it's out, so you can buy some copies! Heber is a very talented cartoonist.
Jenni

T-minus 33 days!

2007-11-26T13:11:00.000-08:00

After a wonderful Thanksgiving with the Morgans in Colorado, we're coming to the home stretch of our engagement. We're pretty excited.
Here is the picture from our announcement :)

Happy Birthday, Jenni!!!

2007-11-07T12:18:00.001-08:00

Today is Jenni's birthday! This is her just kickin' back at work ;) If you get the chance, give her a call and wish her well on her special day. I am so lucky to have Jenni in my life! - Heber

Planes, trains, and Computer Graphics

2007-11-01T15:01:00.000-07:00

I just finished a project in my Computer Graphics class, and thought it was cool enough to share :) We build a 3D-model viewer which reads in an object description file (in this case, a biplane) and renders it with camera angles and lightng. It was really frustrating, so I'm really glad that it's done (and so is Jenni ;) - Heber

Heber's Birthday

2007-10-29T14:06:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,
It is Heber's Birthday today, so be sure to wish him a Happy day!
We are still anxiously engaged :) and excitedly planning our wedding.
If you haven't given us your addresses, please do soon.
Jenni

MTC

2007-10-24T09:57:00.000-07:00

I've now started working at the MTC :) I do computer programming for the TALL software that the missionaries use to learn languages (TALL = Technology Assisted Language Learning). I've only been here about a week, but I think that I'll enjoy the work. I really appreciate how friendly everyone is, and it's great to be around the missionaries. The only thing is that I have to wear a suit everyday.. but I don't mind too much ;)

Our house in Lindon

2007-10-10T10:57:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures of our house as it was on September 30th. It should be ready around November 5th. We're really excited - Jenni's going to have a studio! :)
-J&H

A brief history of Time

2007-10-01T17:12:00.000-07:00

Oh Hey Everyone,
We are getting married December 29th in the Bountiful Temple. We thought we would tell our story here, so you can read it any time you want!

Jenni: It all started May 1, 2007. I decided to take psychological statistics, thinking that I might go into art therapy and I should get this math class over with during a shortened spring term. Little did I know I it was going to be twice as hard.

Heber: After a few year hiatus from school, I decided that I should go back to school and finish my long awaited bachelor's degree. January 2007 found me back at BYU full time. Wanting to explore the field of counseling, I declared a psychology minor during the winter semester. One of the required "psychology" classes was Psych301. Now, Psych301 is NOT a psychology class. It is a statistics class which happens to have the word "Psychological" in it's title. I protested, and tried to get out of it, since I had already taken 2 stats classes. However, I ended up going ahead with it since it would get me closer to a psychology minor and it would be an easy A.

Jenni: The first week, I knew I was in for major trauma (I'd probably need therapy later;).

Heber: The first week, I knew I'd found a class that I wouldn't have to stress about :)

Jenni: My prayers became serious and desperate. I needed help to get through this class. Incidentally, it was Miracle May for me (and I was finally praying seriously and with a lot of faith about getting married). The first homework assignment we turned in, we gathered in a group and began to check answers. Drew suggested having a study group, and I was desperately interested.

Heber: During the first week of class, I began to notice that there was a really cute, polite, and kind girl that sat close to me... I guess that mostly I just noticed that cute part and only later realized how wonderfully kind she was ;) When the group that included this girl began checking answers, I instantly decided to join. When they began organizing out-of-class meetings, I decided that I would attend to help out (and check my own answers ;)

Jenni: My mind was focused on Statistics, but I wasn't a new person. I was seriously praying for my husband to find me, and it felt right this time.

The class was so intense that we started doing study groups twice a week (8:30-11:30 pm or so). The class itself was 2 hours a day, and I studied at least 3 hours a day. But it was still so hard. The vocabulary was a foreign language to me. Heber began staying late helping me. He actually helped everyone, and he was such a patient tutor. He never made me feel dumb.

Heber: During these study groups, stress and worry was pretty high, so it became my job to review concepts from class and walk the group through many of the problems. Although I tried to be nice and help everyone, I found myself being extra attentive to the needs of the cute Idaho girl, who I found called herself "Jenni" :)

Jenni: I found out that my tutor, Heber, served his mission in Belgium, French-speaking. He was 26 years old, just 9 days older than me. He was extremely intelligent, the A+ student (I got a C+ on my first test), and I didn't think he was dating anyone. I started walking to study groups. I was light outside when I would leave.

Heber: When study groups ended, it was always dark outside. Jenni never had a car there, so I would always offer to give her a ride back to her apartment. She would always accept. Although I thought this was a good sign, I really didn't know what Jenni thought of me. I got really excited once when she mentioned that she would take me oil painting. I took her up on that, letting her know that I enjoyed art and would love to learn to paint. However, after she opened the invitation up to the whole study group, I still found myself wondering about her intentions.

Jenni: I was feeling really guilty for all the help I was getting from Heber, and not feeling that I could offer him anything in return so I decided to invite him to go landscape painting with me. I opened it up to the whole study group so it wouldn't look like I was too forward (but I hoped no one else would come). He was a natural, like me :)

Heber: Jenni succeeded in not being too forward. However, I think she was starting to crack at least a bit, because while we were painting, I was pretty sure I was feeling those good vibes that I was hoping for. Because the painting experience went so well, a few days later I decided to ask her out on a real date.

Jenni: Girls kinda think they're in a relationship all along, whether they go on dates or not. I knew that Heber liked me because he stayed late helping me with statistics,.. and what's not to like? ;) I was excited to go on a date with him. We had a lot of fun. We went out with his sister and brother-in-law to Los Hermanos and afterward went and played Pictionary at the park and made brownies. I was very impressed with how much his family loved each other and how kind they were.

Heber: Okay, so this part is gonna sound a bit crazy, but by this time I was really impressed with Jenni and was starting to think to myself, "Self, this is one great girl". Of course, I agreed with me. In my mind I think that I was already realizing that Jenni was the type of girl that I could get along with and even potentially marry. Because of this thought, I really wanted her to meet my brother who was leaving on a mission just 4 days after our first date. All during the date, I tried to steer the conversation towards Tyler (my missionary brother), in hopes of being able to very casually invite her to go to Bountiful and hear him speak the next day. Well, the occasion never really came up to invite her during the date. As I pulled in to drop her off, I started thinking of how I could work it into the goodbye. I couldn't think of anything (and kinda just chickened out) so I didn't invite her. As I drove away from Campus Plaza, I started wishing that I had asked her, but didn't think it would work to go back and invite her. As I was thinking this over, my phone rang.

Jenni: I had such a fun time on the date that I wanted to let Heber know. I decided to call him and remind him to pick up his suit for church the next day in Bountiful. I felt kinda silly, but wanted to show my interest.

Heber: When Jenni called on the phone, I girded my loins and gathered my courage and invited her to come to Bountiful the very next day to hear Tyler speak. Jenni told me that she would think about it and call me back the next morning.

Jenni: I was trying to stall because I didn't want to go. I didn't want to drive all the way to Bountiful and meet his family. But,.. I did like him and he was being forward, and I did appreciate that, and I thought that if I took Ryan with me, I wouldn't feel too uncomfortable. Boy, was I wrong.

Heber: Well, Jenni called me the next morning and told me that she would be coming and bringing her brother. I was excited by this and went to church looking forward to seeing this girl that I was starting to get to know.

Jenni: Alright, I'm sick of writing like this, so now we're going to just finish the story quick together.

Heber: Right-o, Cap'n

So, Jenni did come to the farewell, she did bring Ryan, and she was sure right about him taking all the attention off of herself. Ryan was the life of the after-church party. He didn't know anyone there but Jenni, yet made himself at home (which is an entirely different story). The bottom line is that I was really impressed with Jenni (and was very aware that she was a really cute girl).

The next weekend, I met Jenni's Colorado family who were in town. That was a lot of fun and I felt comfortable with them.

We started dating in earnest and finally held hands while hiking down Y mountain.

I went with Jenni up to Burley for her mom's birthday, and had a great time there.

Once we started talking about marriage, I felt really excited and blessed.

The mornings of September 24, 25, and 26, I went ring-shopping. I finally found one that I really felt good about and asked them to get it ready. They said it would be ready on Friday (September 28th) after 5pm... Friday couldn't come soon enough. On the 28th, Jenni was at work (completely unsuspecting of anything). I told her that I would pick her up at 5pm. I called her father as I drove to the jewelers to pick up the ring. The next stop was my apartment where I borrowed a roommates guitar and printed some music off the internet. After stopping at the Flower Patch to get some pretty roses, I drove to Rock Canyon park and laid the blanket and flowers under a tree and went to pick up Jenni. Jenni was ready to be done with work and anxious to do some shopping for Shelley and Ryan's birthday. However, I asked if we could stop somewhere to show her something. We drove to Rock Canyon park. I knew we were kind of in a hurry, so I asked if I could play her just one song on the guitar. We walked to where the roses were waiting. Jenni was pleased to get roses and didn't think that I could possibly be proposing. She was in denial :) After playing a warm-up song (because my hands were shaking), I played Jim Croce's Time in a Bottle. The chorus of this song includes the words: "I've looked around enough to know that you're the one that I want to go through time with". Jenni looked absolutely terrified (she was in shock AND denial :) After the song, I put the guitar away, got on one knee, gathered my courage (again) and asked Jenni Morgan to marry me.

She said YES!!!