Buddy the dog

Ever since Zoey passed away, the boys have been begging to get a puppy.  We would talk about it once in a while and then not really do anything about it.  This week was spring break and so we started our quest to find a dog.  We had been looking at KSL but hadn't gone to look at any of them yet.  We started out (Dad, Jacob, James & I) going to puppy barn. A few of the pictures are at puppy barn. That puppy james was holding at the puppy barn did a big pile of diarrhea on the bale of hay right after i took this picture.  We did not get a puppy from puppy barn.  They were super expensive.  We went and looked at an animal shelter in Lindon and the humane society in Murray and there were just not any good options available.  All of this was just research to us to find what would be good or not.  By this time Jacob was done! We went back home.  We went back to KSL and narrowed it down to a handful and i started texting and finding out which ones we could go and see.  When it came down to it, we found this puppy for $150 on KSL.  We went Tuesday night to go see him and get him and we all fell in love with him and had the cash ready so we adopted him on the spot and went straight to Walmart and bought a bunch of equipment and food etc, while Jacob babysat the puppy in the car.  The boys were so excited, Jacob kept saying this puppy is so beautiful on the way home and he took a selfie and posted it on social media.  It made me so happy and he told us that girls were saying how adorable his puppy was.  James and Jacob both have been taking turns taking the puppy out to go potty and we are trying to train them to train the puppy.  I forgot to tell you the most important part! His name is "Buddy" the dog like "buddy the Elf" .   Dad is already calling him different names though which i think is so funny! Dad is the king of nicknames!

Starlee did get to go home from the hospital last Monday.  She will have a really long recovery.  I think she cant even pick up the baby by herself for several weeks.  She is still having problems with her kidneys and has to have dialysis a few times a week.  It is just such a blessing and we are so grateful that she is alive and able to go home with her husband and baby now.  Amy was able to stay with her through Friday and then mckays mom came to stay with her for a week.  Grandma Jacobs and i hope that we will be able to take a turn and help her as well.   

Dad and James and I were able to go to the Jordan River Temple open house.  It is really beautiful.  I wondered which things were original and which was new.  I recognized some things that were different but cant really remember the rest of it.  I feel like since it was closed for so long that most everything was redone.   I am thrilled that they will open that temple back up to relieve some of the pressure on oquirrh mountain temple.  We didn't get to see charlotte since easter sunday but Shanna sent us the picture on her tummy with her head up during the week.  She is growing so fast! 

My shoulder seems to be getting better all the time.  I have still been going to do the treatments and i have some good days and some bad days.  I prepped our bedroom to paint Saturday but Dad woke up and threw up for a few hours during the night and i woke up with aches and fever so Dad stayed home from work and we all just laid around and were lazy all day Saturday.  I got james to his game in the late afternoon but other than that we barely did anything.  Dad and I both felt better by Saturday night.  I will paint tomorrow.

Happy Easter

It has been another great week.  We have prayed together as a family for Starlee! It is a miracle that she is still with us.  She lost a lot of blood and had 7-9 blood transfusions.  She finally got out of ICU after a week.  She is very weak but is in a regular room now.  If all goes well she might be able to go home tomorrow.  We will see.  I finally got to go see her on Friday.  She doesn't have very much energy.  It was really good to see her smile and hear her voice.  Jacob had a game against Riverton this week and played really well.  They won over Riverton which was really good because a lot of boys from Jacob's club team are on Riverton!  Jacob was pretty pleased with it.  James also had a game and played really well and won the game.  He made a great left footed goal.
Shanna and Christian and Charlotte came and watched conference with us today and slept over here last night.  We loved being able to watch conference and witness all of the amazing things that are happening in the church.

 Rachelle, Francine and I went out for dinner for Rachelle's birthday. We hadn't been able to do anything for a long time so it was great to catch up!

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.