Freshman Conference Volleyball Tournament--Family Pics

Kason’s Updates: Kason is 15 1/2 months old.  He loves bananas and is always running to the kitchen yelling “Nana” and pointing to the banana basket.  In Kason’s case, I hope the phrase “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” also applies to bananas.  He loves to run more and more. He is officially off the bottle and drinking all from sippy cups, even at bedtime.  He is also going without the binky for most of the day now, except naps, bedtime, and sometimes in the evenings when he is tired. He is determined to use a spoon/fork when eating. It’s now the only way to get him to eat for more than a minute.  He also wants to use a pen and loves to try to draw.  His favorite toys this week are the cards in my wallet and my planner.

Baby girl is doing great! Unfortunately, this week I have learned about a few more of the symptoms of pregnancy that I didn’t have with Kason.  It must be a trade for the morning sickness not being so severe this time around.  My favorite foods are cereal and hashbrowns/tater tots.  There isn’t much I can’t stomach which is a blessing!

Monday Kolt went to class in the morning, and I worked for a bit in the afternoon. We also watched Paisley for the afternoon while Shauna went to a doctor’s appointment. Kason and Paisley had a great time playing together and entertaining each other.  They especially loved having Saydie follow their every move.  Before volleyball practice, we had a quick team picture to get one with all the girls in it. Last time, one of the girls couldn’t make it, so we rescheduled with Bell. 

Tuesday I played for the choir, and Kolt had class.  Kason and I met Rope at our usual spot. He knows when I walk out of the choir room and say “Let’s go see Rope!” He comes running and yelling “Rope”.  Tuesday evening we played Hillcrest and Rigby for our volleyball matches.  We beat them both. The girls played great against Hillcrest—really turning over another leaf. 

Wednesday I worked in the morning at the office and Kolt went to class.  Kason played with Brooke at the church while Natalie and Grandma did some quilting.  At noon, I met Kason and Kolt at ISU for an Oktober Fest lunch.  Kason was the life of the party. Kolt won a big bag of candy in the raffle. 

Thursday I played for the choir, and Kolt went to class.  In the afternoon, I rode the bus to Highland with the team, and Kason and Kolt met us at the gym.  We had an interesting night of volleyball. The girls were not ready to play, and we lost in 3 sets.  It was a good loss for the girls because it put a little fire under their bellies. They came to practice Friday a lot more focused.

On Friday, Kason and I played at the park while Kolt was getting out of class.  He played on the playground for about 5 minutes, and then we spent the rest of the time wandering all over Freeman Park. It was all I could do just to keep up with him. Friday’s practice was great. The girls were focused, and we went over a lot of really important things.  They were definitely ready for Saturday’s conference tournament.  It is crazy to think Friday was our last practice. 

Saturday morning I got on the bus at 6:45 with the girls, and Kason and Kolt came up to Madison later.  We beat Idaho Falls in 3 sets right at 8. They played great, definitely the best they have ever played this season.  We also beat Rigby and Blackfoot in our pool.  We went into the tournament seeded first from our pool.  We beat Pocatello first, then beat Hillcrest in a tough 3 set match to put us in the championship.  We beat Skyline in 2 in our championship match. The girls had a great weekend! I can’t think of a better finish, not only winning, but playing their best.  They were really excited about that. I am sure going to miss these girls. They were a good group of nice girls with big hearts.

Sunday morning I played the organ, and Kolt taught the Sunday school lesson. Kason spent almost all of church in nursery. I sat with him during the first hour.  He doesn’t care much that I’m in the room until one of the older girls wants to play with me. Then the jealousy bug comes out! He does a great job playing.  We stayed for treat time this week. He learned a lot just by watching the other kids.  We did have an apple juice spill, but it was a huge leap for him.  Kason came and switched me for the second hour.  About 30 minutes before class ended, he went to the door and laid down. Nursery wore him out! We had a great nap after church! We had a great dinner on the patio with the Lindley’s.  We celebrated Brooke’s birthday with cake and ice cream and presents.  We gave Brooke a nursery rhyme book and puzzle set.  Grandma & Grandpa Staker also made a visit and brought some beautiful burp cloths for our new baby and a gorgeous quilt for Kason.  They are so great! We love them so much and can’t believe they leave for Arizona in 2 weeks! We also took some spontaneous family pictures. Kason is very disinterested in the camera, but at least we captured his 15-month stage.  It was a great Sunday evening with family.