1-Year Anniversary--IF Volleyball Tournament--Baby Shower

First, Kason’s updates—Kason is now 11-weeks old, almost 3 months! He is still growing like a weed. He has slept 8 hours for the past 3 nights!! I hope it continues because it has been GREAT! He is quite interactive now.  He loves the teddy bears that rotate on the mobile on his bassinet.  Last night he was squealing and swatting at them for almost 30 minutes.  Today I caught him with the toys on his bouncer in his hand! He is starting to hit quite a few of the 3 month milestones.  He smiles at anyone who will talk to him.  He is very content to sit and watch and usually falls asleep by himself. He spits up quite a bit after feedings.  He is also growing a little bump on one of his nipples which the doctor says is very normal! Leave it to his mother to worry about those little things!

The Piquet family has had another great week! It was filled with class, physician shadowing, work, and volleyball.  Kolt and I both had 2 exams this week, which we are anxiously awaiting results on.  Kolt is almost finished shadowing Dr. Cannon and is going to start shadowing Tyson Parker, a Physician’s Assistant, at Family First Medical Center.  Kolt and I also got the flu shot this week, desperately trying to avoid the flu this year!

We had a busy volleyball week, playing Rigby on Wednesday, having team pictures on Thursday, and then a tournament on Friday and Saturday.  On Wednesday, Shauna and Kolt’s mom came and picked up Kason and took him to Kolt’s cousin, Jessica Beck’s baby shower.  We beat Rigby in 3 and then I hurried over to the party.  I found out that Jessica’s husband, Tavann, has a sister who I worked with at the Post Register before she had her baby.  It was good to see Breylan Boyce! It was a cute baby shower, and Jessica looked fantastic! After the shower, Angela, Shauna, Paisley, Kason and I went to Outback Steakhouse for dinner.  I can’t even remember if I’ve ever been there before, but it was delicious! I love visiting with Angela and Shauna, and I was grateful Kason was a good baby for the evening.

Friday and Saturday my team played in the Idaho Falls Freshman Invitational.  We played really well on Friday, but lost our crossover early Saturday morning against Shelley, so we were in the Silver bracket for the afternoon.  We won the bracket easily and placed 5^th overall.  It was a long volleyball day, but I was glad to have Kason and Kolt with me.  I’m so grateful for good moms to help with Kason during the games as well.  I really enjoy coaching with Kolt.  He always has good insights and helps me see things we need to improve on.  He is very level-headed and positive, but competitive, so we are a good team!

After we finished, we went over to Hillcrest to watch Bonneville varsity play in the championship.  I was so excited to see Makayla. She hadn’t seen Kason since he was born! I love Makayla so much and love being so close to her.  We talk almost every day and never miss a beat! After the game, Kolt and I went to JC Penny to use a coupon to get me some new jeans! We also got Kason a jacket for the cooler weather!  We ended the evening with dinner at Red Robin for our anniversary and stopped by Wal-Mart for some groceries before fainlly getting home.

Sunday morning we went to Kylen’s baby blessing in Pocatello.  It was a beautiful blessing, and we enjoyed seeing family.  Kristi and Bryant served delicious crepes for brunch! Kylen is such a cute little boy, and we were happy to be there on his blessing day.  We hurried back to Iona for our ward block.  I played the organ and Makayla watched Kason during church! I’m so glad her parents are in our ward, so I am sure to see them when they are here for the weekend, although it never seems like long enough!  Kolt taught the Sunday School lesson about inspiring others to follow the commandments.  We had a combined Relief Society/Priesthood meeting which my dad taught.  I enjoyed listening to how we can be “quick to observe” in many ways especially as we follow the pattern of General Conference.

Sunday evening Kolt and I got a new DVD player (to replace ours that broke a few weeks ago) and some chocolate cream puffs (Kolt’s favorite).  We also brought out a layer of our wedding cake and that we froze for our 1 year anniversary.  It definitely tasted better on our wedding day, but I had to try it! I can’t believe we have been married for a year! We have had so many adventures over this past year.  Our love has grown so much over the past year.  I can’t wait to celebrate many more anniversaries to come.  Kolt and I got creative and came up with the 12 Months of Marriage to highlight the big events from the first year of our marriage.

Twelve Months of Marriage

Kolt and I have been married for 1 year today! We have had the ride of our lives the past year.  We decided to be creative and come up with The Twelve Months of Marriage to highlight our adventures from the past year. Hope you enjoy our creative side!

12---Months of Marriage

 

11--Diapers a Day

10--Thousand Miles Driven in the New Toyota Echo

 

9--Months of Puking

8--Seasons of The Cosby Show

7--Kids in our Sunday School class

6--Nights a Week of Irrigating

5--Days on the Cruise Ship

4--Volleyball Teams

3--New Horses

2--Semesters of College

1--Baby Kason

Football Season--LDSSA Softball Social--More School & More Volleyball

We are entering into a beautiful fall in Idaho Falls.  We sure enjoy this time of year, including the many football games! We were sad to watch BYU lose on Saturday evening, but excited that Bonneville won the Civil War on Friday night.  Kolt, Kason and I went to most of the game. We sat by the Harrigfeld’s, Shenton’s, Brother Martin, & the Hill’s.  We sure are lucky to have such good friends! The weather was great for Kason, but we left in the 3^rd quarter to feed.  Thankfully, Bonneville had locked in the win by then.

 

Kason is officially 10 weeks old! He is still quite a big boy. People ask us regularly if he is 4 or 5 months old! He is getting stronger with his head and enjoys looking around.  He is very friendly and loves to be held.  He will smile at anyone, although he smiles a lot at his parents and grandparents.  He has been pretty congested this week; it sometimes upsets his stomach and causes his to spit up quite a bit.  You can tell when he gets frustrated about not being able to breathe because he lets out a frustrated sigh every once in a while.  He still smiles and smiles though despite not being able to breathe through his nose! He is starting to grow out of his bassinet! He almost touches one end with his head and the other pushing off with his toes. We had a lull in his great sleeping routine, but finally got him back to sleeping 5-6 hours by the end of the week. It sure makes going to class difficult when he doesn’t sleep at nights! He is a great baby in the gym, listening to all the noises and sleeping in his stroller. We are truly blessed to have such an easy-going baby while we are both in school. Heavenly Father definitely blesses us when we follow promptings.

Wednesday night after classes, work and volleyball, we went to Rope & Brand’s football games at Stinger field.  They both won; Rope easily beat the other Rocky Mountain team, but Brand played a tough game against Rigby. It was definitely the coldest night of the week; Kason was bundled tight and tucked away in his stroller for most of the game, but it got cold enough that we had to leave early.  We missed Grandma Piquet, who hurt her back this week, but were glad to have Grandma Lindley join us for the games! Kason looked so cute in his football onesie, pacifier, and hat!

We are trucking along in school and work.  Work has been fairly slow this week, but is resuming this week as I print checks again.  School is going to start taking off as Kolt and I both have exams this week.  Kolt described his semester as a struggle to “stay afloat.” Grandma Lindley wasn’t feeling well on Thursday, so Aunt Natalie watched Kason while I went to class.  I was lucky to only have one class on both Tuesday and Thursday.  Natalie is an awesome help, and we sure appreciate her willingness to help whenever we need her! Kolt has also been working with JJ most evenings.  He doesn't spend very long, but enjoys running out and doing a few exercises with him for 15 minutes or 45 minutes, however much time he has.  He is getting very good at training horses.  He has had to turn down several people who have asked him to work with their horses, not because he doesn't want to, but because he just doesn't have the time.  It is such a blessing for Kolt to have a way to earn money while being a full-time student.

Volleyball is going well. We played Highland and Shelley on Thursday.  Aunt Shauna was a lifesaver! She came to the game and watched Kason for me while I coached.  Shauna is so great to help whenever we need. We are SO grateful for her! We beat Highland first, but I had to go to my night class during the second match. I’m so grateful for Mandi Keck who coached the match against Shelley.  They lost in 3, but Mandi says they played well and listened to her coaching.  I was glad to see Jill Searle and her daughters, Chelsea and Savannah. It sure made me reflect on my high school experiences and definitely made me miss Kylee Sessions!

The Accounting Department hosted a Mandatory Accouting Symposium at ISU on Friday.  Kason stayed with Shauna for the day because Kolt was volunteering at Dr. Cannon’s office.  Although I was skeptical, it was a great day.  They provided breakfast and lunch while giving us the opportunity to interact personally with professionals from around this side of the country.  Many were looking for interns and people to fill positions.  I really had a good conversation with the representatives from the Moss Adama Eugene office as well as a lady from Deloitte who has 3 children.  They helped me know that being an accountant is also a mom-friendly job with much flexibility.  It is good to know that my career has many options and will work with my family.  I also enjoyed getting to know some of my classmates a little better.

Early Saturday morning Kolt went to help his dad get ready for the Foothill Ward High Priest Group Meeting, and I helped my dad in the garden.  It is sure nice to be outside; I realized I have missed being outside this summer with having Kason.  At 10:00 AM Kolt and I went to the ISU LDSSA Institute Softball Social.  Kolt is the Institute President at ISU University Place, so he has been doing a lot of work to get it together.  We had a good time playing softball while a cute lady, Teresa, watched Kason.  The party went smoothly, and I enjoyed meeting Kolt’s friends who he has talked about a lot.  We then went back out to Piquet’s to finish preparing for the party.  They put up a big tent and made a delicious meal of Pork, potatoes and tossed salad along with desserts brought by everyone.  I was grateful for Angela and Shauna who helped watch Kason while I locked myself in the bedroom and did this week’s lecture for my online class.

Sunday as usual was a great day. We had a pretty low-key morning.  We went to choir practice before church, and I played the organ.  Kolt does a great job with Kason while I play.  Kolt taught the Sunday School lesson about helping other understand our standards.  Each of the class members read a quote from a talk about a specific standard, such as honesty, choosing good friends and modesty.  They then explained to me, a non-member, why they follow those commandments.  Kolt showed a really neat video centered about Elaine S. Dalton’s conference talk, Return to Virtue.  It was really neat to watch, and instantly brought the Spirit.  I played the piano for the Young Men and Young Women while they practiced their musical number in a couple of weeks.  Somehow my mom took Kason while also teaching the Relief Society.  I’m so thankful for Heidi Gummow who helped! My mom taught from the talk Marriage: Watch and Learn.  She had 5 sisters come and talk about their marriages and how they tried to do what Elder Clayton instructed.  The sisters each said some neat things that inspired me to improve my marriage.  Kolt and I enjoyed talking about the lessons after church.  We had a nice dinner with the Lindley’s after church.  Kolt took Evan, Nathan & Saydie out on the trampoline and visited JJ.  He is so good with his nieces and nephews, and they sure love him. We are so grateful for the gospel and the many blessings we are given each and every day.

School--Volleyball--9-Weeks Old

Kason hit the 9-weeks old this week! He has been so happy this week.  He is eating between 5-6 ounces at a feeding which I think attributes to his increased pleasant time during the day! We are working on the doctor’s recommendation of 10-15 minutes of tummy time 2-3 times a day.  He stretches out his legs and arches his back the whole time which wears him out and then he gets fussy, but it is obvious he is getting stronger.  He loves playing with his jungle play mat.  He is just exploring touching the toys, but is very skilled and kicking his toys.  He is content to lay for 45 minutes just talking and kicking his toys.  We added a toy to his carseat which has helped him learn to use his hands.  He doesn’t grab the toys yet, but is learning to swat at them! He has also learned to smile! He gives out his smiles freely to anyone who will talk to him.  He smiled at the couple behind us at church this week and has now earned the reputation of a “flirt”! He is still sleeping about 6 hours.  Last Sunday, he randomly slept 8 hours which was shocking and great all at the same time! We haven’t done that since, but we do get a good 6 hours when we feed him full and wear him out in the evenings. Kason did great with Grandma Lindley on Tuesday/Thursday and Grandma Piquet on Thursday evening.  Grandpa Piquet got a great picture of Kason smiling!

This week has been a busy week of classes, work and shadowing doctors.  Kolt is still shadowing Urologist Dr. Peter Cannon.  He is learning a lot and really appreciates Dr. Cannon taking the time to introduce Kolt to the patient’s condition before they go into the room.  He also started shadowing our Family Doctor Dr. Boyd Southwick today.  He just called with LOTS to tell me.  I really enjoy listening to the things that he has learned from Dr. Southwick especially with his Pediatric patients.  Dr. Southwick advised that all nursing mothers should get the flu shot. He also advised those that are in close daily contact with the baby get the flu shot as well, especially if they are not immunized.  I think I will be getting the flu shot when it comes at the end of the month!

School is starting to get busy.  Kolt had his first exam this week which didn’t go as well as he had hoped.  He is glad to have some friends in his Physics class, including Breanne Loftus and my cousin, Jeremy Dalling.  My school is having a slow start.  Well, at least I am having a slow start! As soon as this first exam happens, I think I will kick it in gear.  I am finding it hard to be motivated to study when I am home with Kason on the weekends.  It is much more fun to get smiles out of Kason than studying! It has been such a blessing to still be able to take Kason to work with me.  He is a pretty good sport most times, and my co-workers are very understanding! Work has started to slow down now that I am caught up, and I’m able to get my work done quickly.

Monday evening Kolt and I went to life insurance meeting with Eric Velasquez from New York Life.  We were pretty skeptical about going in but decided to go because we had been advised to go by several people.  We had a great meeting, learning that Eric was LDS and had 4 kids, the last child who was 4 months and the same size as Kason! We are excited to start up a policy in the next little bit.
Tuesday evening I went and accompanied the YW of our ward while they practiced a musical number at mutual.  They are singing As Sisters in Zion/We’ll Bring the World His Truth.  It is one of my favorite musical numbers.  I found myself thinking of Tyler as they practiced the boys part.  I’m so grateful that Tyler chose to serve a mission and is setting an example for many. Tuesday evening we also ran out to pick up some snow tires for Kolt’s car. We are so glad that Kolt’s dad found a good deal on them!

We had a good week of volleyball.  I changed our lineup at the end of last week and told the girls to come back with it learned.  They did a great job, and we had a couple of good days of practice before we played Hillcrest on Wednesday.  They played really well, and I was happy that I made the change.  We finally started hitting the ball well, thanks to some better defense and serve receive.  I sat on the bench with the varsity for the first time this year.  Kolt ran out to watch Rope’s football team win, and my parents watched Kason. It was the first time I had seen the varsity play, and I learned that I do miss watching good volleyball as well as playing.  We played 2-on-2 on Thursday after our game.  I jumped in to play to make even numbers.  I got humbled a little bit when I got 4^th place out of 10, getting beat by two 6^th graders and a freshman on the team. That was the first time I had played competitively since March.  It’s amazing what having a baby and taking time off does to your game! It’s time to kick it in gear!

Saturday morning Kolt and I went to the 7 o-clock session at the temple.  I love going to the temple, and I’m grateful for my mom for watching him.  We usually get a cinnamon roll from the temple and call it a date for the week.  I love spending time with Kolt and am so grateful I have such a great husband.  We did a 20-minute sealing session for the first time as well.  We spent our day doing homework and then going up with my parents to see Kristi’s new baby Kylen.  He is such a tiny baby, and I learned just how big Kason is! He looks just like his mommy! We have also spent some time with Kamrie this weekend.  She is such a happy baby.  We did some grocery shopping Pocatello and then took my parents to dinner at Golden Corral while we were there. 

Sunday morning Kolt spoke in the Spanish Branch with Brother Seedall.  Natalie, Brady & Brooke came to sit with us since we were in their building.  We also sat by Kyler & Hailey Arave.  Kolt did a great job; I listened to a translator, so I could understand what he was saying.  The translator was a girl that I worked with at Chuck-a-Rama.  We talked to lots of people after the meeting including the King’s and the Garcia’s.  There were so many nice people that complimented Kolt on his talk and his beautiful Spanish.  I am now worried we are going to get a calling in the Spanish branch although it would be a great to help me learn Spanish! Kolt also spoke with a lady who is from Veracruz, where Kolt served his mission.

We had the Primary Program in our ward.  I always enjoy watching the children sing.  There were some beautiful musical numbers, including an arrangement of Joseph Smith’s First Prayer.  Kolt taught the Sunday School lesson about Agency and the blessings that come from choosing to keep the commandments.  We had a great lesson in Relief Society about being unified.  I set some goals to be better at reaching out to the sisters in the ward.  Jeanna took Kason for Relief Society, and it was so nice being able to listen to the lesson! After church, we went out to Shauna and Landon’s house for Sunday dinner.  We had delicious Chicken Cordon Blue, stuffing, Banana Cream Salad, and mashed potatoes and gravy.  I brought Grandma Lindley’s Pretzel Crunch Salad. Everything tasted SO good! We watched The Host after dinner.  It was a great movie! I’m still trying to figure everything out! I am so grateful that we live close to our families.  What a blessing our families are!