It's Not Everyday...

... you see a full rainbow. It was so beautiful! I took these pictures from our balcony although they don't compare to seeing it in person. I wish I could have captured the whole thing but it was just so BIG!

Our Maurice

On Wednesday, June 17, 2009 our little dog, Maurice, passed away. He was 14 years old but still a puppy to all of us. My parents were both out of the country, my dad had left the Monday before, and my mom was returning the following Monday, so my poor brother, Jean, was at the house alone when he found Maurice in sad shape. He had blood on his mouth and wasn't breathing very well. Jean rushed him to the animal hospital but there was nothing to be done. The nurse told my brother, while I was on the phone with him getting an update, that Maurice was gone. The nurse offered to talk to me for Jean and told me she thought he might have died of a stroke. Of all the weeks in the year for our dog to die, why did it have to be the one week both my parents were out of town? I was so proud of my brother for taking responsibility to do what he could to try to help Maurice and for being strong during the days that followed his passing. As hard as the experience was for Jean, I'm so glad he was there so Maurice didn't have to die alone. I hope he felt of the love our whole family had for him as Jean tried to care for him during the last moments of his life.

That evening Adam and I went over with the girls to be with Jean and his wife, Kali, and take them pizza for dinner. The animal hospital had given Jean a box to take Maurice home in because we wanted to bury our dog. As we looked in on his little body, he was wrapped in the blanket Jean has taken him to the hospital in, and looked just like he was sleeping. Aspen and Bentley were never really close to Maurice, mostly because he was terrified of children, but I think it was good for them to be there to learn a little bit about what happens when we die. We talked about what to do and if we could wait for my mom.  We decided that the only way we could wait was to freeze Maurice's body. It may sound crazy, but it all worked out. We wrapped the box in several layers of garbage bags and then emptied the freezer before putting the cardboard casket in.

The following Monday night, I went with Jean and Kali to the airport to pick up my mom and give her the news. I had been dreading telling her, but it needed to be done. We waited until we were ready to walk out to the parking garage and then I took my mom by the hand and told her that Maurice had passed away. She handled it so much better than I thought would. She wanted to sit down so we moved over to a row of chairs just to the side of the escalator. Jean and I told my mom the story and she and Jean hugged and cried.  She felt so bad that she hadn't been there and that Jean had been alone to take care of Maurice.  We finished talking and walked to the car and drove home.  It was there that the reality of his passing hit my mom. My mom was Maurice's favorite. He always got so excited when she would come home from a trip and would pee on the floor of the garage when he saw her.  This time he wasn't there.

With my mom back home we gathered for dinner the next night and held a funeral service for Maurice. I wish my dad could have been there as well, but our hearts couldn't wait another 3 weeks. We needed to lay our dog in his final resting place and know that he was at peace. We ate outside as Jean told Alexis and Chris what happened the day Maurice died. After dinner we brought the box Maurice lay in out into the back yard and placed it on one of the chaise lounges. My mom had decided she didn't want to see Maurice's body and so we were going to leave the cardboard casket closed. We weren't sure what would have happened after 5 days in the freezer and just wanted to remember him as the cute dog he was. Of course Adam couldn't resist, and my curious husband asked if anyone else minded if he took a peak at Maurice. No one did, and it turned out to be a wonderful thing. He opened the box and said, "He's perfect." and stood back for us all to see. Maurice looked exactly the same as the day he died. He still looked so sweet and soft, and just like he was sleeping. Having an open casket, or open box in Maurice's case, made the funeral so much more meaningful. We were able to look at his sweet face, soft fur, and little paws as we talked about all the things we remembered about him.

We remembered going to the pet shop so many years ago and seeing another family holding the cutest puppy we had ever seen. The moment they put him down my brother, Chris, picked him up and none of us let him go after that. We remembered Maurice's kisses and his excitement when he greeted us as we came through the door, especially when he peed for my mom. We remembered that he had the softest fur and the cutest light brown eyebrows. We remembered how he was full of constant and unconditional love. We remembered how Maurice had remained a "puppy" to us, even though he had slowed down as he got older. We remembered his tricks and how smart he was. He deserves all the credit, but I had taught him to sit, lay down, roll over, shake, jump (really high), and, my favorite, to sit with a bone on his nose as you told him, "Stay".  He would wait and wait until you said, "Good-boy!"  Then he would throw the bone up in the air and catch it in his mouth. We remembered how he loved to play. He would growl as you ran your hand back and forth, quickly across the floor, and would put his mouth on your hand if you grabbed his paws. If you pretended that he had hurt you, which he never did, he would immediately start licking your hand as if to say he was sorry. We remembered how he would lay on his back, asking to be scratched, and then put his paw on you asking for more when you stopped. We also remembered how he would lay on his back and wriggle along the carpet to scratch his back. It was clear how much we loved our little dog and how deeply he had touched everyone. Adam said that even though he hadn't known Maurice as long and hadn't spent a lot of time with he, he felt like Maurice was his dog too. My mom said it best in an email to my dad, "There aren't many people who have so many nice words said about them at thier funeral without ever having said one single word their entire lives."

Aspen seemed a little confused at seeing how sad and emotional everyone was but my mom explained that we were sad because we loved Maurice so much and were going to miss him. Bentley wanted to get close to Maurice and said, "Bye, bye" and waved. The cutest thing was how she carried around the box of tissues and kept handing them out.

After talking for a while, we put white lilies on top of Maurice's body and taped the box closed. Jean and Chris carried the box to the grave and put it in the hole that my mom and Jean had dug earlier that afternoon. We each shared one last favorite memory of Maurice, and then my mom said a prayer to thank God for letting us share our lives with Maurice for more than 14 years. We each took a turn shoveling a spade of dirt onto the box and then my brothers finished filling up the hole while the rest of us watched. As a final touch Aspen and Bentley threw some rose petals on the grave, I'm not sure where they got the idea to do that but it was perfect.

We love you, Maurice, and will always remember you as our little, black, sweet, soft puppy.

Lunch at the Road Island Diner

Adam wanted to get out of the house and decided to take us on a beautiful drive to Oakley to have lunch at the Road Island Diner (that actually came from Middletown, Road Island).


We took one


or two


or more pictures while we waited for our food.


The girls wanted to sit by each other and Adam, so I had the other bench all to myself.


Aspen and Bentley eating their burgers


and fries.


I love this picture of Bentley. She reminds me of my Grandpa Reed when she pulls faces like this.


Our family posing for a picture in the diner before the drive back home.


Although it was a long way to drive for lunch, it was a fun trip. Thanks Adam!

Bluffdale Days Parade

Aspen and Bentley were in their first parade! They were in the Bluffdale Days Parade with MCD Dance Academy. We were so into the float right before theirs, now I can't remember what it was, that we almost missed them as they came by. Papi came to see them and watch them perform their dances after since he hadn't been able to make it to their recital.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

My sweet brother treated Aspen and me to go see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the Capital Theater. Aspen was so excited to get dressed up and felt so big going to the show, especially because Bentley was too little. She loved the songs and the dancing and only asked at the very end if we could home now. I'm sure it will be something she'll remember for a long time and that I'll be hearing about for the next little while.

Aspen and Bentley's Dance Recital

Aspen has loved taking dance this year. I didn't have Bentley enrolled because she wasn't old enough, but on the days that we stayed and waited for Aspen, Bentley would join in. As hard as it is to imagine, I think she might love dancing even more than her sister. Aspen's dance class wasn't far from our house, but with the construction that was going on, it just wasn't worth it to drive back. Aspen's dance teacher, Marnie, was so sweet to let Bentley stretch, dance, and even tumble with the class. I tried to make sure Bentley wasn't a distraction, because the girls were enough of a distraction to one another. At times Bentley actually participated and listened better than they did. Marnie mentioned to me one day that she wanted Bentley to dance in the recital coming up. She knew the dances well enough but I didn't think Marnie was serious. The morning of the recital Adam came home from taking Aspen to the rehearsal and had outfits for Bentley. Marnie had been serious and had gathered outfits for Bentley to wear! We kept it a secret that Bentley was going to dance too, which wasn't hard because we had just found out that morning, so when Adam's parents and my mom came to watch Aspen they were surprised to see both girls on stage. My dad wasn't able to make it but we got it all on video for him. Both girls were so cute! Bentley was so excited to dance with her big sister and did better than some of the older girls. I think Aspen really liked having Bentley dance with her too. I need to cherish these days when my girls want to be together. I'm know the time will come when they will want their own space but I hope they are always the best of friends,

Aspen's Dance Class

Meeting Baby Vincent

Heather had Vincent a little early so we all got to meet him at her baby shower. The girls were so excited to hold him.

Baby Vincent Is Here!

Heather and Jeff had their baby! We can't wait to meet him.