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.

Taylor & Sequoia's Wedding

 Last Monday, I took James, Tyson & Luke sledding at the Riverton Golf Course since we finally got enough snow to be able to sled.

 Grandma Stanley has had a pretty good week this week.  She seems very determined to start doing things on her own.  Today it sounds like she had a pretty hard day.

 I wanted to take a pic of James new room.  He really has a hard time keeping it clean.

 I was able to go visit Shanna and Charlotte on Thursday this week.  I like to pack lunch to share with Shanna each time but this time I picked up lunch at Even Stevens and took it to her house and we ate lunch together.  I love hanging out with Shanna and Charlotte.

 Charlotte was pretty fussy but Shanna finally got her calmed down and then we looked at her mission pics for a while and she told me about her mission.  It was something that I have looked forward to for a really long time.

 Kennedy showed me how her dress twirls.  Olivia was very shy for a picture but I finally got a smile out of her.

 Sequoia says thank you for letting her borrow your dress for her send off wedding dress.  They were trying to find a dress and having a hard time.  She described what she wanted and I offered to let her borrow yours.

 I forgot to take pictures of them but Lindsay made all of the cupcakes for the reception.  She did a beautiful job.  They also had a hot cocoa bar with dairy and non dairy hot cocoa.

 I am really happy for them. Taylor and Sequoia seem really happy.  Grandma and grandpa J made an apartment in their basement for them.

 Ashley and Hailey, cute girls and cute dresses.  Do you recognize the purple one?

 Cason and Olivia are turning 8 this week and getting baptized next Saturday.

Shanna, Christian & Charlotte came to the wedding and luncheon.  It was fun to see them. The highlight is when everyone in the room was absolutely quiet during the ring ceremony and Charlotte had several very loud explosions in her diaper.  I was holding her and then Shanna took her out to the hallway because it was pretty loud! It was so funny.  I was in charge of the luncheon which I absolutely loved.  I had family members help me with different food items.  Grandma Jacobs made a wonderful fresh fruit.  Camie brought chicken salad sandwich croissants.  I made rolls white and wheat and chickpea salad filling and we had salads and veggie tray and lots of cookies.  It turned out really well.

Charlotte's Blessing Day

Dad got a bonus at work and so he told me I could shop for couches!  We finally bought new furniture. It is so exciting.  I found a great deal and went and picked them out and bought them and Dad hooked up the trailer and I drove over and the guys there loaded them in the trailer and then I drove the trailer home and when Dad got home from work he unloaded the furniture and brought it in! 

 We went to Shanna and Christian's Sacrament meeting today.  Christian gave Charlotte a name and a blessing. Charlotte cried through the whole blessing.  Christian doesn't speak very loud so we really had to work hard to hear him.  It was a beautiful blessing.

 Grandma Stanley update! She had to go back into the hospital for a few days because something caused her to gain 33 pounds of water weight which was really causing problems including for her breathing.  She got to go back to Stonehenge care center on Wednesday.  Shanna, Charlotte  and I were able to visit her there on Thursday!  I styled grandmas hair a little bit and Shanna and I each filed her finger nails because they were all chipped and cracked.  Her glasses were missing a screw so they had taped them back together.  I took them over to Costco where she bought them and they fixed them really quick and then I got them back on her eyes.

 Yes I had to include a food pic! I made and enjoyed crepes for the boys for Valentines breakfast.  They didn't eat any.  I made this yummy sweet blueberry filling and coconut whip cream.  It was so good! I ate them all week because the boys didn't want any!

Presidents Cup in Mesquite

This has been a good week.  Richard and I have been sick still most of the week.  We didn't get to go visit Grandma Stanley, Grandma & grandpa Jacobs or Shanna & Charlotte because of that.  I just tried to get better.  We continued working on James room.  James and I left on Friday morning for Mesquite for the Presidents cup soccer Tournament.  When I woke James up I said "James time to wake up and get ready for school"  He kind of groggily moaned and then jumped up and screamed, "It is time to go to Mesquite".  He was so excited! We stopped by grandma and grandpa J's house on our way and checked out a few books on CD to listen to on our trip.  We stayed in the Best Western Hotel.  Friday evening was the first game and they won.  The 2nd game was Saturday morning and they tied.  They made it into the final game.  They won 2-0 in the final game over the Blue Knights and they had shut out all the other teams.  They played great and it was a great tournament.  James got a sweat shirt after the first game with "Champions" on it.  I was giving him a hard time and then they won so it was just positive thinking.  Everybody else went back and got champions put on their sweatshirts.  On our way back home this afternoon, we stopped by grandma Stanleys to visit her.  Dad met James and I there.  She is in the hospital again because she had some water retention and they needed to get that taken care of, then she will go back to Stonehenge I guess.  This week I got to do a few facetime calls with Shanna and Charlotte because I was sick and couldn't visit them.  It was fun.  Charlotte doesn't always look at the phone.  I did include a picture of Jacob when he was in my car once this week and happy with his Jimmy Johns sandwich.  He doesn't know I took the pic! 

Sick and Painting

This week Dad and I have both been pretty sick with cold, cough and fever flu! It has not been fun.  Dad was down with it first and I was thinking oh I feel so good! I am glad I am not sick so I can take care of him and everything.  Then it hit me too! We did manage to complete the painting of James new room (Jacobs old room) We have taken out the carpet and will be putting wood Pergo laminate flooring down tomorrow.  Sydney flew to the Guatemala MTC on Tuesday.  Piracicaba, Brazil speaking Portugese.  She is so excited.  Today was fast Sunday and I fasted the best I could since I have been so sick and have hardly eaten anything the last few days but I really had to keep drinking water. Cough drops and mints and gum constantly are the only way that I made it through playing the piano through 2 hours of primary.  After church we had our own little tiny superbowl party.  James and I planned the food and bought it yesterday.  It turned out fun.  The boys were happy to have some junk food.  The funny thing is that we bought ice cream and I was going to make brownies but I didn't feel well and forgot about it.  Nobody asked about it and so I guess we will have that tomorrow.