The long weekend!

The weather was terrible the whole weekend so we didn't get to do anything outdoors which was disappointing. We had a fun weekend though. We definitely kept busy.
Saturday:
The kids had their very last swimming lesson. We have decided not to put the kids back in lessons. They have done so well and I think as long as we keep taking them they will just keep getting better. Plus they didn't enjoy lessons at all. The were starting to complain a lot.

After swimming we headed to Mount Pleasant to visit Tyler's Dad's grave. We wanted to see the headstone and this was the only time we had to do it since Ty had to work Sunday and Monday.

And since Tyler had to work Sunday and Monday we decided to celebrate Britton's Birthday so that Tyler could be involved. We just had a little family party with Shane, Grandma and Grandpa Turner, Shayna and of course Tyler and I.

Britton just couldn't stand it, as soon as Grandma and Grandpa walked through the door he had to start opening gifts.

Basketball from Shayna, Tyler and me.

The Inventions of Hugo Cabret from Shane and Grandma Donna

Heelies from Shayna, Tyler and me

And last but not least (this is his shocked/excited look)

A new bike from Grandma and Grandpa

Then the adults ate a very delicious meal. Britton and Shayna ate Hotdogs.

Then we watched RSL loose, that sucked!

Then we got to eat cake and ice cream in one. Better known as ice cream cake.

Soooo yummy!

Sunday:

While Tyler was at work the kids and I kept ourselves very busy. I cleaned the house all morning while the kids played. Actually Shayna helped me a ton! She dusted and mopped. She was a HUGE helper and I appreciated it so much. I didn't even have to ask. LOVE THAT GIRL!!

Since Britton got heelies for his Birthday, Shayna was dying for a pair. I told her if she wanted to spend her own money I would take her to get some. So we ended up getting a really cute pair that was on sale. She was sooo excited. After that I took them to walmart. We needed to pick up some items for Britton's Birthday party with his friends next weekend. After that we headed over to my Parents for dinner. They were nice enough to feed us since Ty wasn't home to cook :)

Monday:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRITTON!!!!

He is now nine. I seriously can not believe it. He is such a good kid, I can't even believe he is mine. How did I get so lucky?

Tyler was at work and I just couldn't stand the thought of sitting at home on Britton's 9th Birthday so my Mom, Shane and I took the kids swimming. We didn't get in, we let the kids do it all on their own. They did such a great job. It's nice to know that I don't always have to get in with them anymore. Although it was kind of boring just watching. Swimming is much funner but there are days when your just not in the mood. The kids never have those days however. We actually got to the pool a half hour before it opened. When I was paying they told us to go ahead and go in, there were enough life guards there so they were just going to open. The kids had the pool all to themselves for a half hour. It was so nice.

When the kids were done swimming we got them cleaned up and took them to lunch at Applebee's....Thanks Mom! Britton ate all of his grilled cheese sandwich and french fries, then they brought him out some ice cream and he ate ALL of that. Shayna ate ALL of her Mac-n-cheese too. I am definitely taking them swimming before we eat out from now on. They didn't waste a thing.

When we were done eating we had planned to take the kids bowling. I was trying to make it a whole day of non stop fun. But the bowling ally had a 25 minute wait before you could be put on the waiting list and then depending on where you were on the waiting list was how long you would have to wait for a lane to open up. I was not going to deal with that at all. It actually worked out better though because my parents had to drive me to Provo to pick up Tylers car from his work so that when I picked him up from the airport we wouldn't have to drive to Provo and then back home. It saved me from having to stay up until one in the morning when I had to be up at 5:45 for work. Thank you Mom and Dad...so much! Actually my Parents ended up picking Tyler up from the airport because his flight was delayed and hour. He didn't get in until 11:30. Again, thank you so much!!!!

Anyway, when we got back from picking up the car my Parents invited us over for dinner AGAIN. What awesome parents I have.

HAPPY 9th BIRTHDAY BRITTON!!!! We love you so much and we are so proud of you.

It's been a busy week, and it's not over yet.

I like being busy but this week has been kind of crazy. Lot's of late nights. We always try to have the kids in bed by 8:30 but this week we have been lucky to get them in bed by 10. It's a good thing school is almost out and neither one of them have homework. We just wouldn't have had time to get it done.

Monday night was Britton's last game with his team, Dynamo. Grandma Donna is still in town so she was able to watch him. Britton's team won again. They were undefeated this season. There wasn't a game this season that Britton didn't get a goal. The game was COLD. It rained the entire time and the kids were SOAKED.

Mom and Grandma. I have to say thank you to my Grandma. She wasn't feeling very well but she braved the weather and came anyway. It meant a lot to Britton to have his Great Grandma there.

Me and Shayna

I forgot Britton's hat so he had to wear my Mom's. I made that hat and I think it's pretty darn cute.

Way to go team Dynamo. It was a great season!

Tuesday night was soccer tryouts for the Premier league. They are a competition team that travels. It's lot's of money and a huge commitment. Britton wants to be on the team so bad but there was a TON of kids there and they only take 12.

This isn't all of the kids. A hole bunch of them showed up late. I don't know the exact number but I know there was at least a hundred, maybe more.

Britton told me afterwards that he didn't think he was going to make the team. He didn't feel like he played well and he was being pretty hard on himself. There were a lot of kids there that were much bigger then him. He thinks the coaches are going to want the bigger, stronger kids on their team. Unfortunately I think he might be right. He came home with so many scrapes and bruises. He looks like he's been through a war zone. Pretty stiff competition out there.

Wednesday Britton had his end of year school program. I only got one picture because I recorded the rest of it.

The program was really cute. All the songs they sang were so fun. And of course Britton was the cutest one there.

It is now Thursday morning and we have another big day ahead of us. Tonight is the second night of soccer tryouts. Hopefully Britton will be able to stand out a little more. I'm not sure what he needs to do because I can't make him taller and stronger by tonight. I just hope he doesn't feel defeated and can be confident in himself. He is a really good player. Hopefully the coaches see that in him. Size doesn't always matter. I can't wait for tonight to be over. I don't want to stress over it any more. I know Tyler has been worried and anxious and stressed about it too. He is even having trouble sleeping over it. Why do we allow ourselves to stress over these things. It's really not a big deal if he doesn't make it, there are other opportunities. Kids are much more resilient then their parents....funny how that is.

Friday I get to go on a field trip with Britton's class. We are going to the Clark Planetarium. I'm looking forward to it. It's the last time I get to be a volunteer for either of the kids this year. Kind of sad, but their is always next year.

Monday is Britton's 9th Birthday. I can't believe it! We will be doing lots of celebrating this weekend. The next weekend we will be doing a friend party for him. I can't wait for June 6th to get here. There is absolutely nothing going on after that date and that is what I'm looking forward to....The kids will be out of school, Birthday party's will be over and we can just enjoy our summer.

Dress rehearsal and dance recital's

We have been pretty busy the last couple of weekends with Ballet. Last weekend was the dress rehearsal. They have to show up in full costume, makeup and hair perfected. And they get to practice on the stage. The next Tuesday was picture day, they had to show up in full costume, makeup and hair perfected. Last Friday was the actual recital, again, full costume, makeup and hair perfected. She also had a recital on Saturday, and yet again, full costume, makeup and hair perfected. It's a lot of work but it is so worth it when we get to watch her on stage.





She had a lot of supporters on Friday night which we appreciated soooo much! Grandma Carver, Kathy and Sonny came.

Also there but not pictured (I can't believe I didn't get pictures....so dumb!) was Grandma Donna, Grandma Sharon and Grandpa Doug.

We couldn't get Britton to hold still long enough for pictures, he was too busy playing with Sonny.

By the time she was done with her performance on Saturday she had so many flowers. They are beautiful and love displaying them in the house.

Tyler had to work Saturday so he didn't get to go to the recital for the second time (I know he is very upset). A HUGE thank you to my Mom and my Grandma for going to the recital twice. I know Shayna really loved having you there and it meant a lot to us both. And a HUGE thank you to my Dad for taking Britton golfing so he didn't have to sit through the recital again.

I just have to say that I am so proud of Shayna, she is still one of the youngest in her class and she does so well. Every time I see her on stage I get a little teary eyed. She is PERFECTION!!

Long difficult week.

We got a phone call from Merilyn on the morning of Saturday, April 30th saying that Jim was not doing well. It was becoming increasingly difficult for Merilyn to get Jim to eat and drink anything and he couldn't get out of bed. My brain is kind of hazy and all of my day's are kind of running together but I am going to do my best with a timeline. When we arrived to the house on Saturday afternoon we were shocked. We didn't realized just how bed ridden he was. If he wasn't asleep he was staring at the wall. He was extremely fidgety and could only remain calm if someone was holding his hand. Mary (Ty's sister) noticed that he had developed a bed sore on his heel. We did our best to rotate him every two hours and keep him comfortable. By that evening we noticed a few more bed sores coming on despite our best efforts. We went home late Saturday evening.
Sunday we got up and went back to Tremonton. I can't remember if it was Saturday or Sunday that the home health Nurse told us not to feed him or give him any liquids for obvious reasons. Of course he would choke. But it is so hard to be told to let your loved one starve. Of course that isn't how it is said but certainly how it is heard. We just kept giving him Morphine to keep him comfortable. Again, I can't remember if it was Saturday or Sunday that we were told that he had developed pneumonia and it wouldn't be long. Merilyn called Jordan earlier that morning and told him he should come right away if he wanted to see his Dad before his passing. They left right then and made the 14 hour trip. They made it there about 6:00 in the evening. Just as we were heading home.
We got a call Monday Morning at 4:00am saying that Jim had passed away. We were prepared for this call but it still hit hard. Neither one of us were able to fall back to sleep so we waited until it was time to get the kids up for school. We had the kids go to school because we knew we had a long hard day ahead of us and it would be easier for them to be in school. I called my boss and told him I was taking the week off. We dropped the kids off at school and headed back up to Tremonton. When we got there Tyler and I sat down with Kim, Mary, Josh and Merilyn to write the obituary. Once we were done we headed over to the Funeral home where we finalized the obituary and added the picture and got it turned in in time to make the paper. Then we had to pick out the coffin, pick out and design the headstone, design the funeral program and discuss the exhumation of James Ashley. James Ashley was Jim and Merylin's first child. He passed away at three days old. All these years he has never had a headstone. Merylin wanted to give him a proper burial with a headstone, and wanted him to be placed with Jim. This turned out to be a really hard, long day.
Tuesday the family was busy with ordering flowers and finalizing funeral arrangements. Wednesday Tyler and I headed back up to Tremonton after dropping the kids off at school. We picked up breakfast for everyone, we knew nobody felt like making breakfast and despite all of the food neighbors were bringing there wasn't any breakfast items. Thursday was Merilyn's Birthday but it was busy with funeral things going on so we tried to celebrate on Wednesday. We all cleaned her house up a bit, then mostly just sat around and visited. Tyler was busy trying to deal with life insurance and credit card company's.
Thursday was the viewing. We went up early because the Family had asked if I would help them dress Jim for the viewing. I had never done this before and was really nervous about it but I am so thank full that they asked me to be a part of it. The hardest part for me was watching my Brother-in-laws lift him off the table and place him in the casket. Absolutely heart wrenching. Tyler wasn't involved at all. He doesn't do viewings and certainly didn't want to see his Father that way. He has good memories of his Dad and couldn't handle the thought of his last memory being that. The viewing started at 6:00 and lasted until 8:00. Poor Tyler couldn't stand with the family by the casket so we sat on the other side of the room and visited with family and friends as they were coming and going. Tyler and I had decided before hand that it would be best to get a Hotel room for Thursday night. We knew it would be a late night and Friday was going to be an early morning and extremely long day. We got to our hotel room shortly after 9:00 PM and had the kids tucked in by 10:30. It was a very long exhausting day. Friday morning we woke up at 6:30 to begin getting ready for the day. After breakfast we checked out of our hotel room and headed over to Merilyn's. We needed to pick up some things and go to the church to set up before the viewing started at 9:30. Merylin thought that it was important for Tyler to stand in line with the rest of the Family for the viewing so he did, with his back to the coffin the entire time. He never once looked in his Dad's direction. I am so proud of him for sucking it up and standing there for his Mom. I know it was incredibly difficult for him. After the viewing was the funeral. It lasted two hours. Two hours is a long time to be an emotional wreck. I looked and felt terrible. I had been fighting a sore throat and earaches the entire week. Lack of sleep and raw emotions were taking it's toll. The funeral was very nice and it was very nice to hear all of his children's memories. After the funeral we went to the luncheon. The luncheon was a bit rushed because we had to make a 3 hour drive to Mt. Pleasant for the burial.
This is what my poor exhausted kids looked like on the drive.

The casket and the flowers looked beautiful. And Jordan looked handsome :)

This is just Jim and Merylin's kids and their family's. Huge family huh? This isn't even everyone. There were a few Grand kids that couldn't make it.

Merilyn was able to have James Ashley exhumed so he could be buried with Jim. The city donated a brand new casket. It was heartbreaking to see such a little casket. Lullaby and Goodnight was playing in the background.

All of the siblings together for the first time ever. It's been 47 years since Merilyn was able to hold James Ashley.


It was very nice of the cemetery to allow James Ashley to be buried with Jim. It meant a lot to Merilyn and I think that finally after all of these years she feels good about where James Ashley is at.
After Jim's casket was lowered into the vault, they placed James Ashley on top. The hole had to be dug a little deeper to accommodate both caskets but it worked out nicely.

The services turned out very nice and we had very nice weather. A little windy but at least it was sunny. I am so proud of Tyler and all of my in-laws for having the courage to make this such a beautiful day. We arrived back home at 9:15 pm exhausted and ready for bed.
Tyler's work sent the most beautiful flower arrangement for the funeral. When the funeral was over Merylin asked us if we would like to take it home with us to enjoy.

I wish it could last forever.

Rest in Peace. We love you Dad!

James Andrew Carver 1937 ~ 2011 Our beloved husband, father, grandfather, passed away peacefully at home with his family by his side on May 2nd, 2011 after a 12 year battle with Alzheimer's. He was preceded in death by his parents and son, James Ashley; and he preceded his siblings, Gary and Diane. James was born on May 19, 1937 to Homer and Mary Carver in Nephi, UT. After serving an LDS mission to the Eastern States, he married Merilyn Shelley Carver in 1963. A BYU graduate with two Masters, James spent his 38 year career in the Church Education System (CES) teaching Seminary and Institute. James and Merilyn are the proud parents of 13 children: James Ashley, Carrie, Kelly, Heidi, Mary, Shelley, Kimberlee, Tyler, Joshua, Jonny, Jordan, Bradley, and Christopher; 31 grandchildren, and six great grandchildren. A viewing will be held Thursday evening at Rudd Funeral Home from 6-8 p.m. located at 1234 S Main, Garland, UT. Funeral services will be held at the Tremonton Stake Center, 660 N 300 E, on Friday at 11:00 a.m. with viewing before from 9:30-10:30 a.m. Graveside services at Mt Pleasant Cemetery, in Mt Pleasant, UT. Condolences can be offered at http://www.ruddfuneralhome.com/.