My Baby is 1!

James turns ONE this Friday, March 16! I can hardly believe it. We decided to celebrate the weekend before his birthday. We had a "fish" themed party.

There was broad age range of people who attended the party and I wanted to make sure that nobody was bored.

I had 5 jars full of different "fishing" related food. People had to guess how many items were in each jar. Whoever guessed the closed to the actual amount, got to keep the jar.

Winners

Jar #1: Gummy Worms

Jar #2: Fishing Poles

Jar #3: Baby Goldfish

Jar #4: Multi-Colored Goldfish

Jar #5 Swedish Fish

I also made a "Let's Fish" corner and my niece and nephew caught some candy. I could tell some of the adults were itching for the prize, so we ended up passing the candy around.

We played a group game and all of the words in the game were related to fish/water. Round one you  describe the word. Round two you can only say one word. Round three you act out the word with no speaking.

I made dinner for the party which I don't think I'll do again. Too bad I don't like fish because it would have been cute to follow the theme. I strongly considered just ordering pizza and wish I would have done that. It would have been WAY easier! We had Philly Cheese-steak sandwiches as the main dish. The sides were macaroni and cheese (thanks Lindsey), potato salad (thanks Grandma), a fruit salad, a pasta salad, chips and dip, a veggie tray, and deviled eggs. For dessert I bought a chocolate cake from Walmart and also made Snicker-Doodle cupcakes. Our trash can has never been so full!

We had a great turnout. Grandma and Grandpa Denning came. My cousins Sam and Tanner came. My uncle Mike happened to be in town. Jeff, Lindsey, Simon, Esther, Joel, Jessica, Chris, my parents, Grandma Langlois, Heather, and Doug were all there. Heather and Doug were an added bonus who were in town because of their dad's death. We considered cancelling the party because my grandpa passed away the night before, but it ended up being nice to have something happy to think about and distract ourselves with.

James was spoiled rotten and has a plethora of new toys. I'm thrilled. James is such a happy boy and an amazing sleeper. It's hard to remember what life was like without him. 

Confession... I'm the worst mom because I'm headed on a girls' trip on James' actual birthday. I'll get to see him the morning of his birthday though. Good thing we already celebrated! 

Grandpa Reed

Background
On Tuesday of last week, I got a text that Grandpa Reed fell at the gym and was in the hospital. This was alarming. Jeff, Andrew, and Chris met him in the hospital and gave him a blessing. Grandpa ended up having to have brain surgery to stop the bleeding in his brain.

The surgery went well. The nurses, surgeon, and doctor came out hopeful and pleased with the results. All of us were relieved.

On Friday morning, I decided I would bring my grandma a cupcake in the hospital and check in on her. I called my parents before heading to the hospital, to ensure it was an okay time for a visit. They gave me the green light, and I made my way to the Utah Valley Hospital in Provo.

Upon arriving, I texted my parents asking them for the code to get in. It took a while to hear back from them. Finally, I was told that something serious had happened and I would have to wait to see my grandpa. After about a half hour or so, my dad came and found James and I.

Apparently my grandpa's latest brain scan showed that he had a stroke. Over a third of his brain was dead as a result. I arrived at the hospital the moment that my parent's had to decide whether or not to do emergency surgery to try to help stabilize grandpa. After saying a prayer, they decided not to go forward with the surgery.

At this point, even if my grandpa would have recovered, he wouldn't have been able to move his entire left side of his body. I walked in to hear my aunt Heather trying to figure out what my grandpa's feelings were towards DNR. (Do not resuscitate.) This was a tough moment to be a part of. My mom told me now was my chance to say goodbye to my grandpa.

Grandpa didn't look like himself. Lots of his hair was shaved off because of the brain surgery. He also fractured his skull and had some bruising. I never saw my grandpa conscious after his fall. I was overwhelmed at the task at hand. How do you say goodbye to someone? I was trying to be strong and not cry in front of my grandma, so I didn't say anything.

As I silently said my good-byes, I felt an overwhelming feeling that I needed to take care of my grandma. I promised my grandpa that I would do that. Although my grandpa couldn't talk or open his eyes, he would respond by squeezing your hand. I wish I would have told him I was there and had him squeeze my hand.

My parents waited to take Grandpa off the ventilator until my mom's brother, Doug, could fly in and say goodbye.

Grandpa passed around 7:30pm on Friday, March 9 surrounded by loved ones.

Something We'll Never Know
We assumed grandpa fell while working out. He came home after his long workout and took a nap which he never does. Grandma went to check on him and found blood on his pillow. There was video footage of my grandpa's workout. He never fell during his workout. He must have fallen on his way back to the car, but we'll never really know.

Facts I Want to Remember

• Grandpa was reading the book, "Grit" during his last workout.
• During his last workout, he did pull-ups! How impressive to still be doing those at 85.
• Grandpa's last text was about home-teaching.
• Grandpa spoke in church last Sunday, March 4. Unfortunately none of us knew about it and we didn't attend.
• Grandpa's last temple shift was on Saturday, March 3. He woke up at 3:30am each week to make it there on time.
• My last time seeing grandpa was when I went to lunch with him and grandma. They took me out for my birthday. The entire time grandpa entertained James and played with him.
• Grandpa was supposed to fly to San Diego the day after he fell to meet with clients.

Guilt
I was surprised by how devastated I was when my grandpa passed. I actually ended up feeling a lot of guilt. "I should have been nicer to him..." "I should have enjoyed him more while he was here...." "I should have made an effort to see him more regularly..." 

I used to kind of make fun of grandpa's weird Facebook comments. Now I miss them. I would give anything to see what his comment would have been on my mom's Facebook tribute to him.

Worry
I'm close with my grandma and lots of my sorrow is worry for her well-being. My grandma relied so much on my grandpa for everything. It is going to be a big adjustment for her to live on her own. I'm also worried about my mom. She will now have to take on all the finances for my grandma, help take care of my grandma, and finish her Master's Degree.

I've never lost someone before. I didn't realize how difficult it would be. I look forward to seeing Grandpa again someday in perfect form. How fun will it be to have a conversation with Grandpa and not have to worry that he can't hear me.

Obituary Written by Jill (Published 3/13/18)
1932 ~ 2018
Reed Vernon Langlois, devoted and beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, passed away March 9, 2018 in Provo, Utah at the age of 85.

Reed was born September 9, 1932 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Ruth Chamberlain Langlois and Charles Vernon Langlois. He met his sweetheart, Suzanne Woods, at a church dance and they married on September 4, 1956 in the LDS Los Angeles Temple. They spent the next 61 years together lighting up dance floors across the world.


An intellectual giant, Reed graduated with a degree in accounting from Brigham Young University in June 1953. He served as an officer in the U.S. Navy from 1953 to 1956. He obtained a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School in 1958 and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of San Diego School of Law in 1970. Reed worked in family and bankruptcy law and was a practicing attorney at the time of his death.


Reed was an active member of the LDS Church all his life filling many ward and stake positions including that of bishop and member of the stake presidency. He was a faithful temple worker for over 40 years. He and Suzanne served as temple missionaries in the Lima Peru Temple from May 2010 to April 2012. Following his missionary service, he continued to utilize his Spanish language skills in his temple service.
Reed approached life like a grand adventure. With Suzanne, he traveled the globe and together they hiked the ruins of Machu Picchu, swam with dolphins in Hawaii, and marveled at the pyramids in Egypt. His favorite journey was to the Holy Land to walk where Jesus walked. 

Reed never met a person he didn't like and was genuinely interested in those around him. He will be remembered as a remarkably positive man, a voracious reader, lifelong learner, someone who never missed a family event, and a true disciple of Jesus Christ.
Reed is survived by his wife Suzanne, his six children, Mark Langlois of Colorado, Ted Langlois of Arizona, Doug Langlois of California, Laurie Denning of South Jordan, Matthew Langlois of Payson, and Heather Lindquist of California, 29 grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his siblings Larry Langlois of North Salt Lake, Tom Langlois of Salt Lake, and Sharon Langlois of Sandy.

Reed will be honored in a chapel service Thursday, March 15, 2018 at the LDS Meetinghouse on 127 East 3200 North, Lehi, Utah 84043. At 9:30 AM there will be a celebration of life reception followed by 11:00 AM funeral services.