Claire's Baby Blessing

We blessed Claire on March 22nd at our home.  I wasn't excited about doing it at home, but once I realized that it meant I could have it catered by Cafe Rio, then I warmed up to what an awesome idea it was. It really was great to have friends and family there.

Stapleton Grandparents (fear of spit-up meant we got her out of the dress in a hurry)

Grandma Ogilvie

Adjusting her bonnet, thankfully Robby knew how to put it on properly because I had it upside down and backwards to begin with.  It is beautiful lace from Belgium.

We are proud parents of this beauty.

Maxing out our Insurance

 Both Brad and Seth had a communicating hydrocele and hernias, so they had surgery up at Primary Children's Hospital in March.

 They got to decorate these great dolls. Seth's was the unfortunate victim of post-surgical throw up and didn't make it home.  Seth had a harder recovery than Brad.  When he woke up from the anesthesia he jump up on the bed and ripped off his gown, the nurse had to wrestle him down.

 Watching a movie post-up.  They both enjoyed the slushies they got to eat and all of the TV that we let them watch once they got home.

 Grandpa Stapleton came along to help Dan while I stayed home with this bundle of joy.

Grandma's Passing

Dan's Grandmother, Vila Brown, passed away just three days before she got to hold her namesake Claire Vila Brown.  Dan and I lived in her basement the first year of our marriage and I've always felt close to her as a result. You'll be missed Grandma.

Dan had a very busy week with this bundle of joy being born, preparing to speak at the funeral and driving to Idaho for the burial. Scott had the most exhausting weekend though, because he was flying home to Germany when Katie got the news and made arrangements for him to be able to hop back on a plane and make it back.

Our beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother Vila Rawlings Brown passed away on Saturday, Feb 15 in Sandy, Utah of natural causes at the age of 91.

She was born in Lewiston, Utah on Aug 25th, 1922 to Oscar R. Rawlings and Navella Wiser Rawlings. She grew up in Fairview Idaho on the family farm and attended Preston High School. She then studied shorthand at BYU where she met her future husband Robert J Brown on a blind date. They were married in Beloit Wisconsin on July 10, 1943 and were later sealed in the Logan Temple on Dec 20, 1955. They had four children, Jimmy, Susan, Janice and Nancy and raised their family in Brigham City, Utah until 1969 when they moved to Boise, Idaho. After her husband’s retirement they had the opportunity to live in Colombo Sri Lanka, Lahore Pakistan and Cairo Egypt while her husband was working as a consultant to foreign governments. They later served a LDS temple mission in New Zealand after which they finally settled down in Sandy, Utah.

Vila was a poet, world traveler, loving wife and mother and a wonderful grandmother. She was intelligent and loved to read. Besides being blessed with 4 wonderful children, she had 9 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren that brought her much joy in her later years. She is preceded in death by her husband Bob, her son Jimmy, two grandsons Brad Stapleton and James Gross and her siblings Clell, Retta, Elaine, Claire, Sheldon and Alice as well as her two adoptive siblings Faye and Richard Wiser. She is survived by daughters Susan Morris (Mountie), Janice Stapleton (Tim) and Nancy Brown (Jonathan), as well as her sister Donna and brother Arvin.

We express much appreciation to the wonderful caregivers at Sandy Atria as well as the many friends and neighbors who provided much care and compassion over the years.