Missionary service blessings

 Last Monday night, Dad and James and i met Christian and Shanna and Charlotte down at Grandma Stanleys house and we loaded the table and chairs and hutch (back corner), grandmas desk and a bookshelf that grandpa made into the trailer and brought it home.  I sold the front room gold chairs and the dining room table and chairs and the stationary bike on KSL within 24 hours on Monday because we were bringing all of this furniture home.  After we loaded everything then we went out to dinner.  Jacob didn't get home from soccer in time to go with us and plus he was starting a cold Monday and did not feel well.  Dad and i carried in as much as i could help him with on Tuesday and then we got help carrying the rest in from the neighbor.  Tuesday and Wednesday were just usual things, scouts, cubscouts, walking & soccer etc.

Denise and Barbara found out that we could actually use dishes so they gave us all of grandmas china and her lilac dishes.  We used the china for sunday dinner today.  The tablecloth was a smaller tablecloth that dad and i bought during our trip to Tijuana Mexico back when we first got married.  It is the only small tablecloth that i saved.  I will get a few more.  The table has 2 leaves that can be put in for when you all come home again! 

 We wanted the table and chairs but i didn't know what i had to put in the china hutch.  Dad's sisters gave us the china so i put that in there and then i just pulled all of our nice glass things out of all of the cupboards and put it in there.  I think it looks really nice.

Thursday afternoon, I went and got a soft tissue treatment for my shoulder that has been in a lot of pain.  He doesn't think i will have to have surgery on it and that we can get it healed with this therapy.  It wont be easy but it basically involves a very painful massaging of the muscle and area of pain and acupuncture with some STIM cell therapy which is basically poking acupuncture needles in the painful area and then shocking through those.  It isn't any better than it sounds but i do believe that it helped after the first treatment.  Next i went to grandma and grandpa Js house and visited with them and helped my mom quilt on Olivias baptism quilt.  

While i was at grandma and grandpa Jacobs house, we received a call telling us that Starlee had her baby girl named Harper.  She is a beautiful healthy baby.  The hard part is that during delivery Starlee's placenta ruptured and they have had a really hard time stopping the bleeding.  They had to life flight her from American Fork to Utah Valley Hospital.  She has been in ICU since Thursday morning.  She has had a few blood transfusions.  She is improving slightly and she will have a really long recovery.  They diagnosed her with a disease that is something that keeps her from stopping bleeding and coagulating (spelling).  It has been a very emotional week and she only has been able to see her baby for a very few minutes.  The baby was able to be checked out of the hospital and Amy and Mckays mom have been taking care of the baby at Mckays aunts home.  Mckay has mostly been with Starlee.  Grandma and grandpa Jacobs have been able to see the baby.  Starlee cant have any visitors and we haven't been able to see the baby but we are home just praying away.  She is going to be ok but we just about lost Starlee this week.  It is a very humbling experience.  Life is so fragile.  

Charlotte, Christian and Shanna doing homework.  They also came over and visited on Friday afternoon. It was really nice to have them visit.  I really needed that.  I was having an especially emotional day that day with Starlee and other things with Jacob.   

I gave my talk today in church.  Sister Kluger and Sister Webb spoke as well.  I loved hearing from them and thankyou for your letters to the ward.  They were wonderful.  Everyone loved hearing from you.  I also got quotes from Dad, Christian, Shanna and i found a quote from grandma and grandpa stanley when they were Serving in Australia.

Christian & Shanna's Spring Break

 Princess Charlotte! Christian and Shanna and Charlotte came and stayed over night because it was Christian's spring break "day". They stayed over at the Roths on Thursday night and our house on Friday night.  They were able to watch the end of Jacob's game with us on Friday night.  I watched Charlotte while Shanna did her homework.  I bought pearl sugar and made whole grain liege waffles.  They turned out a little too crispy.  I followed the directions carefully.  It burned sugar onto the waffle iron quite a lot and then started getting smokey so i cleaned it out and started over.  I think they were pretty good but could use some tweaking. Once again the boys wouldn't even try them.  Christian had to go back to provo on Saturday morning. On Saturday afternoon, James and I drove Shanna and Charlotte back to provo and then James and i babysat charlotte while Christian and Shanna went and did a session at the provo temple together.  They said that they hadn't done a session since you received your endowments.  We had fun with Charlotte but after a while she got sick of our fun and games and really cried for her mom! We pushed her back and forth through the apartment in the stroller until she calmed down and then they came home!

Can you believe i got a picture of Jacob? He actually got a haircut yesterday.  I will try to get a pic of the haircut!

Becca was watching her brother Zach play soccer too because he is on Jacob's team.  I forgot if i told you that or not.  I have talked to Becca's parents a lot at the games.  Becca was home for spring break.  I got a full update on everything in her life.  She seems like she is doing well.

Shanna took Charlotte to get her blessing dress pictures.

Shanna at 3 months - same age as Charlotte right now.

Dad is the little boy in this picture.  

Grandma Elena, Grandpa James, Grandpa and Grandpa Stanley, Barbara, Mark and Dad.

Goodbye to Grandma Stanley

This week Jacob had 2 team dinners and 3 of his first soccer games at HHS! It was freezing! He got to play about half of each game, which is more than he has been playing on his club team.  I know it isn't the greatest picture but he is on the field!!!   He is really beat but i think it will be so great that he has soccer scheduled every day after school.  That really limits xbox time. Dad and I got to see all 3 games.  I helped Brittany with the team dinner at her house and Shad Kirkham's mom helped too.  Brittany made pasta and sauces and i made over 100 breadsticks and a big veggie tray, Shad's mom made dessert.  Dad took the week off because grandma passed away.  Everyone in Dad's family helped get things ready for the funeral.  Shanna was the chorister, Ashley was the organist, Becky (Denise's daughter) was the piano prelude, Dad gave the opening prayer, Dave gave the closing prayer and every sibling participated through prayers or talks.  You will notice that Jacob is in our picture at the funeral along with you 2.  Jacob didn't go to the viewing but he came to the funeral.  I made a deal with him that if he came with us i would drive him back home by a specific time so that he could dress with the team and get ready for the game.  He wanted to be back by 2 and his game wasn't until 5 but i got him there in time.  We were able to go to the funeral, the cemetery and then i took him home from there.  I did miss the luncheon but i packed a lunch so Jacob and i could eat while we were driving back home.  The viewing Thursday night was so wonderful.  It was a big reunion just all in one room.  We will miss Grandma so much but it was just a wonderful big celebration of her life and her legacy and her posterity! Dad and all of his siblings will gather tomorrow night to decide what happens next with all of grandmas things and her home.

 James was a pall bearer along with a son of each of Dad's siblings.

 We made a missionary table and included a picture of Elizabeth's family and Sean Stanley's family who could not come.

 At the viewing Thursday night.  James was there almost the whole time but Andy rescued him and took him to hang out with Ty for a while until we could get him.  That was good for James.  He did really well in sunday clothes for 2 days.

Tender Mercies

Yesterday, Grandma Olive Stanley passed away. James and I visited her only a few hours before she passed away.  It is so weird to think that she is gone.  I think right now we are kind of in denial and thinking and planning on when we will visit her again.  The viewing will be Thursday night and the funeral will be Friday.  Grandma was mentally clear almost the whole time until the last few weeks and even then she was not bad.  Even during our last visit yesterday, she was very clear and then there was just a few minutes that she was in confusion.  I think a lot of her confusion was from lack of hearing.  Her body was just giving out on her. She really struggled breathing.  Her upper body was so frail and tiny.  Her legs were so heavy and hurt because of the edema and water weight in her legs.  I knew that she just needed to make the decision that she was ready to go home to Heaven.

Monday and Tuesday Jacob had tryouts at HHS for soccer.  The original results were that he was cut.  Then on Thursday, the coach called Jacob down to the gym during last class of the day.  He was freaking out wondering what he was in trouble for.  Then the coach told him that he had to cut a kid from the team that had lied about his grades which were really bad.  He said that he now was on the team and his grades were great so he needs to show up to practice after school and first game is on Monday.  He said he was running back down the hall to class screaming inside his head with so much excitement he couldn't believe it.  He went to practice and that night got his spirit pack.  He is so excited about the uniform and everything.  His first Team dinner is Tuesday night.  I am helping Brittany Jones & Paula Kirkham (paytons & Shad's moms) with the dinner at the Jones house.  Both of those boys are from his USA team.

 Shanna and Charlotte came over to our house to visit on Tuesday and we did their laundry and sorted through most of their storage room!  We had a great visit.  She borrowed one of your blankets because all of hers were in the laundry and we were working downstairs so it was really cold.

 Jacob was off school that day as well.  He enjoyed hanging out with Charlotte.

 James had his first court of honor since he turned 11 and received the rank of scout.  That just means that he is a Scout now.

James and I were able to go to Olivia and Cason's baptism yesterday.

Charolotte in her Sunday dress.